The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2018 THE WOLVERINE 39 Jim Harbaugh has owned the offseason in college football, and his latest move could go a long way toward him staking a claim for a more tangible prize in 2018. Quarterback Shea Patterson's transfer to Michigan trig- gered a Twitter explosion. Here's a sample of what they're saying about the move. ESPN's Paul Finebaum: "Jim Harbaugh just poached one of the SEC's best QBs in Shea Patterson. If the NCAA allows him to play in 2018, the Wolverines become a title con- tender." Yahoo!'s Pat Forde: "Big step toward Michigan winning the 2018 Big Ten championship. Yeah, I'll throw that out there." ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit: "Wow!! Has been speculated about and now official. Big time pick up for Michigan foot- ball and Jim Harbaugh! Shea is a dual threat that has two years of starting experience. Not to mention he's joining a veteran team for 2018!" Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr.: "Rivalry just got a little more interesting bro." Michigan freshman wide receiver Tarik Black: "Okay now just throw it deep." Michigan incoming dual-threat quarterback Joe Mil- ton: "One thing my beautiful mom taught me is to never run from anything." Others also commented, including … David Peters, father of redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Peters: "Brandon welcomes competition. If you don't welcome it then why would you play a sport? He loves U-M and is preparing along with the team to play in the Outback Bowl. Then get ready to compete in the spring. If you know Coach [Harbaugh] he will always push boys with competition." ESPN's Tom Luginbill (The Detroit News): "He kind of catches your eyes for the same reasons [Oklahoma quar- terback and Heisman Trophy winner] Baker Mayfield does. It's not about being a 6-2, 6-3 imposing figure, it was more about moxie and confidence and intangible factors. He may be 6-1 on his best days, but he's a really good athlete. "What catches your eye is more how he carries himself. How he plays. That riverboat gambler mentality. You could see why other kids were drawn to him. In his mind, he felt like no matter what the play is, I can make it happen." ESPN Stats And Info: "Patterson has passed for 300 yards in seven of his 10 career games. "Michigan has passed for 300 yards in five of 38 games under Jim Harbaugh." — John Borton "He will try to fit it in there some- times, will make throws on the run that make you scratch your head. "You don't like interceptions, but I like that he's willing to take chances. Interceptions aren't all on the quarter- back. Some of those stats that show up on his ledger aren't his fault, and some can be attributed to dropped balls. "He's a guy that when the game is on the line in a shootout and his team has to come back, he can do that. Michigan doesn't have that right now. If they fall down 14 points the last few years, they're not going to win. "This kid is also really, really elu- sive. He doesn't just run around. He knows when to step up and slide in the pocket. The first pressure he's not going to scramble, run backwards 20 yards. He has a pocket feel." Meanwhile, the Ole Miss beat writer for The Oxford Eagle, David Pot- ter, agreed that Patterson's mobility and ability to make something of a scramble situation will be an asset for the Wolverines. "Shea obviously has a lot of natu- ral talent, has a very quick release, is very accurate and mobility is a big part of his game," Potter said. "People around the SEC have compared his game to Johnny Manziel, and he has some of that flair to him. "I don't know if I'd go all the way with that comparison, because Johnny Manziel just did things that made your jaw drop. Shea has some of those traits. He's got an innate ability to feel the pressure around him, get out of the pocket and extend the play. "He's not a big rah-rah guy, not somebody that's going to say a whole lot. He really leads by example and with his play. With the respect that he demands in the huddle, a lot of his teammates respond to that. Once he gets on the field, he plays with emo- tion and wears that emotion on his sleeve." Potter added that an area of growth for Patterson will involve knowing when not to try and make a play. He'll need to gain more of a sense for throwing the ball away when neces- sary, and that will no doubt be en- forced by Harbaugh. "You're still talking about a guy that is relatively inexperienced at the quar- terback position at this level," Potter said. "Once he gets some more coach- ing, once he sees some more looks, all that stuff will work itself out." Asked about the Manziel parallel, Farrell offered praise for Patterson. "It's a good comparison because of the way he keeps plays alive and sees the field," Farrell said. "Out of high school there was no comparison. Pat- terson was miles ahead. He's a much better pure passer, maybe not as good an improviser, but he's someone who can make magic out of nothing." Farrell called this Harbaugh's "first true test" with a top-notch, experi- enced quarterback. "We'll see," Farrell said. "You've still got Ohio State with J.K. Dobbins and Dwayne Haskins and that loaded defense. There's still a talent gap, but this is going to help reduce it. You can go into a game and be outmatched at several positions and the quarterback can make all the difference." As it was, Michigan led the Buck- eyes 14-0 in Michigan Stadium this season, and stayed within four with two minutes remaining. That's not good enough, and Harbaugh isn't waiting. ❏ Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Ferrell on Patterson "This kid is also really, really elusive. He doesn't just run around. He knows when to step up and slide in the pocket. The first pressure he's not going to scramble, run backwards 20 yards. He has a pocket feel." Shea Patterson Transfer Has Everybody Talking