The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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54 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW strength and arm could make him a more durable and daunting difference maker for the Wolverines. Milton certainly captures the imagination in some respects, given his ability to throw a football 85 yards downfield, along with his Cardale Jones-like dimensions. New NCAA rules allowed Milton four games as a fresh- man in 2018 without losing his redshirt, and he used those and his practice time well. Milton shared Michigan's Scout Team Player of the Year Award for the offense that season. He ran twice against Wisconsin for 22 yards in his debut. He later completed 2 of 3 passes against Ohio State, including a 43-yard bomb to Nico Collins. He played in four games last year, high- lighted by his two touchdowns against Rut- gers, including a TD pass to then-freshman wideout Giles Jackson and a one-yard scoring plunge. Milton has rushed for 47 yards and two scores in 12 tries during his two years at Michigan, while connecting on 6 of 11 passes for 117 yards with one touchdown and a pair of interceptions. His biggest question mark remains accuracy and touch on his passes. McNamara, meanwhile, has yet to see the field for the Wolverines, redshirting with no appearances last season. That automatically makes him a long shot in any QB race for this year, but Michigan All-American and radio broadcast member Jon Jansen has been adamant about not ruling him out. McNamara certainly rang up jaw-dropping numbers at the prep level, throwing for a Nevada-record 12,804 passing yards and 146 touchdowns in his career at Damonte Ranch High. Jansen understands why — given all the upside, along with the attendant question marks — Gattis keeps his QB commentary at a minimum leading into the fall. "In his mind, it may be a battle all the way up to game time," Jansen said. "What do we see Joe Milton do at the quarterback position? What do we see Dylan McCaffrey do? What do we see Cade McNamara do? His name had come up before all this shutdown happened, as a guy that was really coming along and showing some potential." There's a logical choice, prior to fall camp, Jansen noted. But that logic can be overcome by performance. "Right now, common sense tells you that Dylan McCaffrey would have a leg up, be- cause he has game time experience, a little bit more meaningful experience than Joe Milton does," Jansen observed. "The question is, can Dylan stay healthy? How is his decision mak- ing when he tucks it and runs it, because he's been very effective at running the football, and has a great ability to do that, but obvi- ously last year took a huge hit at Wisconsin and was knocked out for several games. "Where is he at in regards to his respon- sibility to take care of himself and yet still be able to be out there and use the tools that God gave him to be able to play the game of football?" Former Michigan offensive lineman Doug Skene, a five-time Big Ten champion, concurs that McCaffrey possesses a logical edge, but that doesn't earn him a single start. "Absolutely, I believe that," Skene said. "They can have the throwing sessions and you can work with your wide receivers, you can run seven-on-seven drills and all that jazz, but QUARTERBACKS QUARTERBACKS QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Ben McDaniels (second season). Returning Starter: None. Departing Starter: Shea Patterson (26 career starts). Projected New Starter: Dylan McCaffrey. Top Reserve: Joe Milton. Wait Until 2021: Cade McNamara. Newcomer: Dan Villari. Moved In: None. Moved Out: None. Rookie Impact: None. Most Improved Player: McNamara. Best Pro Prospect: McCaffrey. FYI Shea Patterson dominated the quarterback scene a year ago for the Wolverines. U-M signal-callers made 408 throws on the year, and Patterson delivered 381 of them. Redshirt junior Dylan McCaf- frey went 10-of-20 passing on the season, with redshirt sophomore Joe Milton completing 3 of 7 throws. According to Pro Football Focus, McCaffrey has taken 106 collegiate snaps (59 in 2019), while Milton has seen 47 (29). Michigan wound up No. 50 nationally in passing offense in 2019, averaging 250.8 passing yards per game in its first year with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. In the Big Ten, the Wolverines ranked behind No. 12 Purdue (309.9), No. 15 Indiana (302.4), No. 36 Ohio State (263.1) and No. 47 Min- nesota (253.3) in that category. All six of Michigan's scrimmage plays that went for at least 50 yards came through the air — the Wolverines' six passes that covered at least that much ground tied for 37th nationally. Fifty-three of the team's 68 scrimmage plays that gained at least 20 yards (77.9 percent) came through the air, which tied for the 31st most nationally. Nine different Wolverines tallied a catch of at least 34 yards on the year. Redshirt sophomore Joe Milton (left) and redshirt freshman Cade McNamara (right) are less experienced than Dylan McCaffrey but will get their chance to claim the job. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN