Michigan Football: Revisiting Our Starting Quarterback Predictions
Early in the 2015 season, I predicted who would be Michigan football’s starting quarterback through the 2018 season. Here’s an update on that.
We haven’t given more attention to on-field matters for Michigan football than that which we’ve given to the quarterback position the last few years. That’s a trend that will probably be continued throughout this offseason as well.
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So with that in mind, I’m going to revisit something I wrote in September 2015. I took a shot at predicting who would be Michigan’s starter at quarterback through the 2018 season.
Looking back, it was not a great attempt.
2016
What I said: John O’Korn
"This year of sitting out (because of NCAA transfer rules) will hopefully give him enough time to settle down and learn the ins and outs of the offense without actually having to step on the field.Once his time comes next offseason to compete with the rest of the quarterbacks, I think we’ll see O’Korn rise above the rest and become Michigan’s second straight transfer starter."
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What I meant: Wilton Speight, obviously.
Speight didn’t have the breakout season that Jake Rudock had the year before, but he was still a mostly reliable quarterback who threw for 2,538 yards and had better than a 2-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
2017
What I said: John O’Korn
"Give me O’Korn for 2017, especially if he earns the job in 2016. This would be O’Korn’s final season of eligibility.My big shake-up here is Peters as the backup. I’m operating under the assumption that Morris is getting a redshirt this season, which would make 2017 his final year of eligibility."
On second thought…
I don’t think I’m ready to make a prediction between Brandon Peters, Speight and O’Korn for this season, so I won’t. It does seem reasonable that this race will eventually boil down to Peters and Speight, though, so I’m probably going to miss on my 2017 prediction too.
2018
What I said: Brandon Peters
"This will be Peters’ third year in the program, and he’ll be ready to roll as the starter. I’m legitimately excited to see what Harbaugh and his staff can do with such a great talent like Peters.I know this is a long way off, but I’m going out on a limb and saying the battle between Gentry and Peters will be the most competitive to date under Harbaugh."
On second thought…
Well, going with Peters in 2018 seems like as good a guess as any at this point, although I may have put too much confidence in Zach Gentry by saying he’ll be the No. 2 quarterback next season.
Next: Top 10 running backs in Michigan history
This just goes to show that everything I say should be met with the same skepticism you give to your friend who insist they had D-I talent in 4th grade.