The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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32 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2020 2020 FOOTBALL ANALYSIS.. QUARTERBACKS BY THE NUMBERS 1st P a t t e r s o n's r a n k a m o n g M i c h i g a n quarterbacks regard- ing career passing yards per game. His 217.7 average soared to the top of the list. 2nd Patterson became the second-fastest passer in U-M history to reach 5,000 yards through the air (24 games played). 9 Interceptions tossed last year by Wolverine quarterbacks, tied for t h e s e co n d - l owe s t total in the Harbaugh era and second low- est at U-M since 2006. 96th National ranking for Patterson's comple - tion percentage last s e a s o n . H e m a d e good on 56.2 percent of his throws, a num- ber Michigan would like to see improved by its next starting quarterback. WHO'S GONE Shea Patterson The transfer who plugged in and earned third-team All-Big Ten notice twice by conference coaches, and Michi- gan's MVP award in 2019, is off to the professional ranks. He threw for 3,061 yards as a senior, sec- ond most in Michigan history for a single season, and more than 5,661 in his truncated U-M career. WHO'S BACK Redshirt junior Dylan McCaffrey McCaffrey has shown plenty over the past two seasons, filling in capably at Notre Dame two years ago, throwing a 26-yard TD pass against the Irish this past year and more. He's demonstrated he can run as well, with a 44-yard bolt against Wisconsin two years ago. Now it's time to prove he's Michigan's next man in the fishbowl. Redshirt sophomore Joe Milton Milton possesses all the physical tools in the world, including the ability to cover 80 percent of a football field with a single throw. He's also men- tally strong, waving off notions of a transfer and insisting he'll com- pete here. He's learning touch on his throws and, if he does so success- fully, watch out. TOP NEWCOMER True freshman Dan Villari Villari involved somewhat of a break- glass-in-case-of-emergency pickup, when U-M's top QB prospect (JD Johnson) was discovered to have a heart issue. Jim Harbaugh insists, though, that the native of Massapequa, N.Y., belongs at this level. "This is going to come down to execution on the field and leadership. You've got to have great leadership from the quarterback position." — Michigan All-American Jon Jansen QUOTABLE POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH This is a two-man show, with a couple of very different can- didates. McCaffrey has been around a year longer, and gotten a little more run, usually impressing when he's on the field. But he's also needed to get big- ger and stronger, and has been sent to the sidelines with both a broken collarbone and a concussion over the past couple of years. Milton is bigger, stronger and pos- sesses the more powerful arm. Ac- c u r a c y c o m e s into play here, and he'll have a chance to show he can put the sort of spin on the ball that not only gets it far down the field, but to the right spots and in a catchable fashion. There's no reason both can't see the field in 2020. But there's only one No. 1, and that battle will play out through the summer and fall. BY JOHN BORTON S hea Patterson is gone, and it's time for the ultimate next man up — a new Michigan quarterback. There are talented contenders, but no one who has yet led the Wolverines into a game, let alone led the team to victory. The single-most scrutinized position in all of Michigan athletics will draw extra attention once again. Especially without spring practice, expect Jim Harbaugh not to name a starting QB until fall camp, and maybe late in that process. Whoever best combines production and leadership will become the most talked-about individual in U-M sports. DYLAN McCAFFREY PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL