The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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D Schembechler Hall, that's worthy of a grin from his coaches and a couple hundred Michigan Man points. But as game show host Drew Carey evin Gardner always leaves inquisitors with the impres- sion that he knows much more than he says. Around BY JOHN BORTON ranks of the wide receivers to any significant degree developed as one of the burning questions at the start of Michigan's fall camp. Wide receivers coach Jeff Hecklin- Whether or not Gardner joins the once said, the points don't matter. They don't in this situation, either — at least until Sept. 1. For now, Gardner's situation re- garding Michigan's lineup appears shrouded in greater mystery than the exact contents of Spam. This much remains certain — the ju- us. Last year, we were pretty deep at that position so it wasn't as critical. I think this year he can play more of a part." The devil is in the details, they say, ski deftly switched to defense when questioned about Gardner on the team's media day. "Ultimately, it's what's best for the team," Hecklinski said. "Whatever Coach [Al] Borges and Coach [Brady] Hoke decide is what's going to hap- pen. We just need to allow this to take place as it goes. Devin will do whatever is best for the team. nior quarterback stands out as one of the Wolverines' best athletes, and will help Michigan's cause in a significant way this season. Exactly how that develops, nobody seems certain, or willing to elucidate. Possibilities for Gardner include … • Performing at either wide re- ceiver or quarterback in an expanded "Deuce" package, one that featured both Gardner and starting quarter- back Denard Robinson on the field at the same time last season. • Getting snaps at wide receiver, a Not-So-Secret WEAPON possibility that began with his work at the position in the spring. Michigan coaches and players refused to talk about it then, but they're relatively open regarding Gardner's efforts in fall camp. • Taking over at quarterback for a few snaps, or an indefinite period, should the unthinkable — a Robinson injury — occur. One chorus echoes throughout, when anyone broaches the Gardner topic. He's simply too skilled to limit his efforts to clipboard holding and practice snaps. "Devin is an athlete," fifth-year se- have to sit down and say, 'Okay, this is what we're going to do.' That hasn't taken place yet. We're only six practices in. We still have a lot of time." Borges stressed that Gardner re- Help U-M Effort In Many Ways "Coach Borges and Coach Hoke Devin Gardner Could he insists he's up to the task. "It's really helping me get in mains his backup quarterback, with- out question. That said, the Michi- gan offensive coordinator sounds intrigued by the possibility of an athletic, 6-4, 203-pound receiver with good hands added to the mix. "That's going to be a lot by game nior wideout Roy Roundtree mar- veled. "He's tall, strong and can play it all." "He's a great athlete and could shape," Gardner said. "I'm in the best shape of my life right now. I like that. It's like conditioning, but more fun. There is no conditioning like game time, on the field." The junior explained his potential probably take my spot if he really tried," fifth-year senior safety Jordan Kovacs added. "He's a natural athlete, and if he plays at receiver I'm sure he'll be pretty good. He's taken some limited reps there, but wherever he plays he's going to make big plays." Gardner played in nine games as Denard Robinson's backup a year ago, complet- ing 11 of 23 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL plan, but we're developing him at two different positions," Borges said. "For a kid to be an occasional player is one thing, but to be a guy you're splitting time with, that's a challenge. We're going to see how that shakes out. We're still in the embryonic stages and as we go, we'll decide how much of it we're going to use … we're trying to exploit every option at this point. "Some quarterbacks are quarter- backs, and that's all they are. We're fortunate we've got a couple quarter- backs. Devin's a big guy that can run, and he's got good hands. It would be bad coaching if he was standing next to me the whole game when you've got a guy who can really help move to part-time wide receiver be- gan with a glance at the depth chart, both by him and his coaches. Mich- igan didn't look to have extensive wide receiver depth coming into this season, and Gardner concurred with his coaches that he might be able to assist in that department. It's clear he still takes great pride in his ability at quarterback. He played in nine games a year ago as Robin- son's backup, completing 11 of 23 passes (47.8 percent) for 176 yards and one very significant touchdown. Inserted into the Illinois game tigue early on as well. Gardner him- self noted it's interesting getting in his snaps behind center and then bolting out to the receiving side, but and getting Gardner repetitions at both quarterback and wide receiver provided the biggest pitchfork in the early days of fall practice. Borges in- sisted it's difficult to have Gardner do both without wearing him out. Roundtree noticed Gardner's fa- for an injured Robinson, Gardner responded when the 31-14 Michi- gan win remained very much still in doubt. He connected with senior Martavious Odoms on a 27-yard touchdown pass, helping the Wol- verines pull out a crucial victory on the road. "That was an exhilarating mo- ment," Gardner acknowledged with SEPTEMBER 2012 THE WOLVERINE 31