Since taking over as Michigan’s head coach, Jim Harbaugh has not fared well against his biggest rivals and has yet to win a Big Ten title. That is something that could change in 2018 as the Wolverines have a chance to be a very good team.
But there is a huge question that needs to be answered. Who will be Michigan’s starting quarterback when the season begins? Most agree that battle will come down to Brandon Peters and transfer Shea Patterson if he is granted immediate eligibility.
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When Peters took over for John O’Korn in the second quarter of the Rutgers game this past season, he led the Wolverines to three of touchdowns on his first three drives and many fans breathed a sigh of relief. You can’t blame them as Michigan’s quarterback play up to that point had been horrendous and the offense was almost non-existent.
Peters ended up completing 10 of 14 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown against Rutgers but for the remainder of the season, he left much to be desired. In fact, in his next three starts, Peters completed fewer than 10 passes in each contest. He was seen as more of a game-manager than a quarterback who is going to go out and make big plays to ignite an offense. In the Wolverines bowl game, the redshirt freshman was finally unleashed as he attempted 44 passes. Unfortunately, he only completed 20 of those attempts (45.5%) with zero touchdowns and two interceptions as Michigan blew a lead and ended up losing to South Carolina.
Losing to the Gamecocks left a sour taste in many Wolverines fans mouths, so when rumors started to fly around that Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson was planning to transfer to Michigan, the excitement began to build. The former 5-star recruit eventually made it official that he was going to be a Wolverine but the question is, when will be able to play?
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Patterson is currently awaiting a decision from the NCAA on whether or not he will gain immediate eligibility, so Michigan fans wait too.
In the meantime, we can only speculate as to what the Wolverines offense would look like with Patterson as the signal-caller but Harbaugh seems to be pretty excited about his new QB. In his weekly podcast, Harbaugh seemed pretty hyped about Patterson’s abilities.
From Michigan Insider:
“A lot people talked about Shea, five-star quarterback coming out (of high school) and he deserved that five-star rating,” Harbaugh said. “Been watching him throw the football around here, I mean it comes out of his hand really well – it explodes out of his hand. He’s got a great throwing motion. He’s very athletic quarterback. I’m very excited about him.”
Harbaugh added that Patterson is fitting in just fine so far at Michigan.
“And he’s loving it,” Harbaugh said of Patterson. “He’s here in school right now, and so far going great with Shea.”
So, until the NCAA officially makes a final decision on Patterson’s eligibility, the Wolverines and their fans have to wait and wonder.
But one thing is for sure, if Patterson is able to play in 2018 you can bet he will be the favorite to start the Wolverines game on September 1st at Notre Dame.
