The Wolverine

pected to hear. "From what everybody has said, he is a true professional," the coach said of Rudock. "He's 22, the kid is going to go to med school. He's got a lot going for him. The guys really respect the way he works, and the businesslike approach that he takes. "He's in the building [Schem- bechler Hall] a lot, since he arrived. He took a job in the building. He is somebody that always has his note- book when he's walking down the hallway. He's somebody that is just a very mature kid. "I don't see a lot of joking. I don't see a lot of laughing and giggling. I see a guy who asks how your family is. He treats you in a way that you see it's important to him. This is a very serious group." Rudock is a natural fit for Michi- gan, the coach stressed. Ann Arbor and U-M's present football situation checked all of the boxes. "It was an opportunity to go play for Jim Harbaugh," Fisch pointed out. "We felt like we could help him achieve his goal, if he has a dream to be a professional football player. We could at least get him prepared as best we can. "We had a wide-open quarter- back situation. If you're a fifth-year transfer, the first thing you do is go through the 119 teams and you start marking off where there is not going to be a spot for you to play. "The next thing you do is mark out the best academic opportunity for you in your life. That's pretty easy. He wants to be a doctor, and we offer a program here that is go- ing to help him get to med school." OTHERS COULD CHALLENGE Michigan's other quarterbacks are either unproven at the collegiate level or unavailable to take the field. Redshirt sophomore quarterback John O'Korn started as a freshman at Houston, racking up 3,117 pass- ing yards with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions that season. He lost his starting job as a sophomore, but left Houston with more than 4,000 career yards through the air. Michigan doesn't have the luxury of giving first-team practice snaps to someone who won't be avail- able this fall. But reports have been glowing on O'Korn from summer workouts, and he should be a top contender for the starting job next season, among several others. Redshirt sophomore Wilton Spei- ght has yet to see the field, while true freshmen Zach Gentry and Alex Malzone are in their first fall camp as Wolverines. Gentry's dimensions (6-7, 230) and running ability make him intriguing as a potential con- tributor in some capacity this fall, but U-M coaches aren't commenting on any special-use situations. Fisch noted all of the other chal- lengers, both this year and next, have some ability and different ex- periences they bring to the battle. "It sounds like — from the train- ers, the weight room and the receiv- ers — they really like these guys," he said of the newcomers. "Zach Gentry is a great kid. He's as young as can be. He just got here in June and was at his prom a few months

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