The Wolverine

February 2025

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531518

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 47 of 67

48 THE WOLVERINE ❱ FEBRUARY 2025 ❱ FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY EJ HOLLAND F ormer Chandler (Ariz.) High head coach Rick Garretson remembers a young Mikey Keene getting taunted in the weight room. Keene, who was listed as a 5-foot-11, 175-pound quarterback recruit in the 2021 class, may have been small in stat- ure, but he was always a terrific athlete. Keene walked over to a group of sneer- ing offensive linemen standing by the squat rack and had no issue matching them pound for pound. More plates on the bar? No problem. Respect earned. Keene went on to win every game as a starter at Chandler before heading to the next level. Fast forward to now, and Keene will finish his college career at Michigan after earning a wealth of ex- perience at both UCF and Fresno State. A natural born leader with a strong track record, Keene is built to play on college football's biggest stage. "He brings experience," Garretson said. "He has 8,000-plus yards and 65 touchdowns passing. It's hard to get that. "He's an unbelievable leader. He has been ever since he was with us. He was thrown into the fire at Central Florida when [Dillon] Gabriel got hurt. He has that foundation of mental toughness and leadership. He's not afraid of anything. Guys follow him. They do. We were 23-0 with Mikey leading the way. He's a dy- namic kid." Keene is also a dynamic football player. This past season, Keene led the Moun- tain West with 2,892 yards and tossed 18 touchdown passes. Michigan's quar- terback room was one of the worst in Power Four college football as it rotated between project Alex Orji and former walk-on Davis Warren. Landing a trans- fer like Keene was a necessity. "He's a high football IQ kid with an understanding of the secondary," Gar- retson said. "He has excellent mechan- ics. It all starts from the ground up. He worked hard on that when he was here and with Rudy Carpenter, who is his side coach. There isn't a throw he can't make. He's excellent at throwing on the move. He knows how to navigate a pocket. I don't care how tall he is — he knows how to do that. "He's able to move a football team. I'm very excited about what he brings to the table for a school like Michigan. I think everybody is going to be happy he's there." It's been several years since Garretson has had an opportunity to coach Keene. However, Garretson has kept track of his former signal-caller over the years and has been especially impressed with his progress in terms of handling pressure. "I'm not going to say Fresno didn't have the greatest run game in the world, but when you're third-and-2 or 3 and you're throwing the ball, and people are bringing the heat on you, he's able to handle it and keep his eyes downfield," Garretson said. "That's hard because you're not going to get hit in camp. That's one thing that separates him. He's able to maintain that and allow his playmakers to make plays." In Fresno State's 2024 season opener, Keene completed 22 of 36 passes with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions in a 30- 10 Bulldogs loss to Michigan at the Big House. It was a six-point game with 10 minutes remaining until Michigan pulled away late. Michigan focused in on Keene and Baylor transfer Dequan Finn in the portal in December. Finn was considered a bit more of an exciting athlete, while Keene has a high floor and the unique experi- ence of playing under new Michigan of- WELL SCHOOLED Dynamic Fresno State QB Transfer Mikey Keene Brings A Wealth Of Experience To Michigan In 2024 at Fresno State, Keene led the Mountain West with 2,892 yards passing (completing 277 of 393 attempts) and 18 TDs. PHOTO BY CARY EDMONDSON/FRESNO STATE

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Wolverine - February 2025