3 reasons Michigan Football needs to air it out in 2022

Recruiting 

In the state of Michigan five-star quarterbacks do not come along too often, but there are two back-to-back in the 2023 and 2024 classes with Dante Moore and CJ Carr.

Michigan still has a shot at Moore, but has been playing from behind for months. Carr is announcing his commitment tonight and all signs point to Notre Dame being the choice.

There has been speculation for months that Moore and Carr would not go to the same school despite being in separate classes. It makes sense because only one quarterback sees the field and one of them would have to sit at least two years. However, adding to this discussion, this tweet caught my attention.

The reply was initally liked by Tammi Carr, C.J.’s mother, but later she stated that her account was hacked. Whether she liked it or not, the tweet has a point.

Five-star quarterbacks want the ball in their hands. There is a reason why a vast of majority of them have signed on to play for Lincoln Riley, Clemson, Ohio State, and lately Alabama as they have thrown the ball more in recent years as well.

Georgia, a run heavy team like Michigan, landed five-stars Jacob Eason, Justin Fields, and transfer JT Daniels. All of their situations were not the same, but eventually all of them transferred.

Notre Dame is not known for high-powered passing attacks either. However, its starters (Ian Book and Jack Coan) threw for 3,000 and 25 touchdowns in two of the last three years. John Navarre last played for Michigan in 2003, yet he still holds the single-season passing record with 3,331 yards and ranks second all-time with 9, 254 passing yards for his career. The quarterbacks Michigan is recruiting now were not alive to see him play.

Under Jim Harbaugh, landing top recruits has not been the issue. Brandon Peters, Dylan McCaffery, Joe Milton, and Cade McNamara were four-star recruits while transfer Shea Patterson and J.J. McCarthy were five-stars.

It is too early to judge McCarthy, but only McNamara and Patterson can be considered hits at the college level. However, Jake Rudock remains Harbaugh’s only quarterback to play in the NFL.

Currently, that is a tough sell. In the case of Moore and Carr, it is asking them to weigh their love for the program with Moore’s dad being a huge Michigan fan and Carr, the grandson of Lloyd Carr and son of former quarterback Jason Carr, vs. both their numbers and chances to get to the league. Ultimately, I think Moore ends up at Michigan, but his decision would be a lot easier if Michigan’s offense was more quarterback friendly.

We know Harbaugh can develop quarterbacks. His resume prior to Michigan is well known and he got the most out of Wilton Speight and Rudock. However, it is imperative that McCarthy reaches his ceiling. Not only will it help Michigan win a national championship, but it will also entice other top quarterback prospects. Otherwise, Michigan will have to deal with negative recruiting whenever it goes after its top quarterback targets.

Moore’s timeline may extend into the season, which would give him time to see Michigan’s new offense. Jadyn Davis, a five-star quarterback in 2024, also may decide after his junior season as well. If Michigan’s passing game impresses this season, it could pay dividends on the recruiting trail as well.