Hypothetically speaking, who would Michigan realistically be able to get in the transfer portal?
ngl, Kyle McCord would be pretty hilarious
He would instantly be our starter if he came.
And he would have a huge chip on his shoulder. This would be great if it was at all realistic.
He just got to Syracuse and seems to be having a good time in their Spring Practices. It'd be funny, but there's about 0.0% chance of it happening.
OP, I think ultimately the "known" options aren't out there yet. When the window re-opens after Spring Practice, guys will have a better idea of where they stand with their teams, and likely will that's when some will start to have a wandering eye for a better opportunity.
It will be someone nobody has predicted bc the obvious ones already transferred. But there’s PLENTY of QBS who will jump at a shot to be QB1 at Michigan. And I still maintain there’s zero chance M just sticks with its current QB room. ZERO.
QB1 at Michigan really isn’t an attractive spot. We obviously don’t throw it much and we’re not exactly known for getting QBs drafted. Most QBs are going to want to go somewhere and showcase their arm.
Any QB who enters the portal in the Spring is doing so because they aren't QB1 on their current team. Either that, or there was tampering involved and they know where they are headed.
It's weird to claim that being UM QB1 is not attractive when last season's is being mocked as early 1st round draft choice.
He’s being mocked as an early 1st round choice because he has insane individual abilities. JJ would have been an early 1st round pick no matter what P5 school he went to, it has nothing to do with him going to Michigan.
There isn’t a QB in the country that is going to increase their draft stock by coming to Michigan to throw for 2,500 yards and 18 TDs. This isn’t complicated
So you are saying exactly what you are trying to disprove then, it doesn't matter where you go as long as you have recognizable talent. If JJ gets taken in the top ten with his numbers, he theoretically should be opening up that line of thinking for other QBs thinking about coming here.
Scouts can see when a guy puts up numbers at an air raid offense but can't cut it in the NFL too, or when its a Patrick Mahomes. Scouts are good these days.
Not really. A player can increase their draft stock by playing in offenses that showcase their passing abilities more than playing in a run heavy offenses. That much is common sense.
What I’m saying is JJ is being mocked as a high first round pick in spite of being in an offense like Michigan’s because he has insane individual talents. Not because he played in the Michigan offense. Of course, elite talents will get spotted by scouts no matter where they go.
But we aren’t talking about transfers with those abilities. Guys with those abilities aren’t leaving their programs and the ones that DO have those abilities and transfer are transferring to other top programs that throw it more and throw in the NIL. We’re talking about adding potential transfers that would need to do whatever they can to get ON the radar of scouts after either an up-transfer or losing the position battle at their current school. You’re not doing that in Michigan’s offense compared to most other P5(4) offenses.
Simply put, if you’re a fringe draft pick or not even in the picture, are you better off throwing for 2,500 yards and 18 TDs at Michigan or 3,500 yards and 25 TDs somewhere else?
Michigan will be sticking with their current QB room unless something absolutely major changes.
And we will win 10 games with that room. This whole “our qb room sucks” is laughable at best. Hell, even Tuttle was a 4 star, and Orji would start at most P5 schools off of freak ability alone. I still think Dnegal will be the guy in the end with Orji having every opportunity to win it. We’re going to be fine.
Denegal probably has the lowest chances of being the guy. If it weren’t for the fact that you don’t want to ever start a true freshmen, I’d even consider Davis more likely to start.
This is what stinks about how the portal works. While we were busy trying, and winning, a national championship, our coaches weren’t recruiting or even knew if JJ was coming back. They very well could’ve gotten a pretty dang good QB under different circumstances, but they were all committed somewhere else before either we finished playing or JJ announced his departure.
I will take this trade off every single time. Every single one. Yeah the timing sucks, but we won it all.
It is my understanding that the quarterback room in Columbus is overflowing, as the stadium beside it is wont to do.
Are they storing overused coolers in the qb room now? That would be a good reason to transfer out of that shithole, quite literally.
I would prefer to realistically talk about who they could hypothetically get. With NIL, amateurism is pretty much null and void. Ever hear of a guy named Tom Brady? He would be the perfect bridge to the 2025-26 starter.
Do we really know anything about the QB situation?
I am rooting for Orji. I think he could be a big problem for defenses. A backfield of Orji and Edwards/ Mullings has the potential to do some damage.
No offense, but that offense could be stopped by any adequate defense. You simply sell out on the run and make them throw the ball to beat you.
If an offense could be functional and effective looking like the one you are suggesting, every team would do that. We would / will have massive problems if what you propose happens.
I continue to stand by the fact that if any QB on our roster ends up being our actual starting QB, it will not be a good thing.
Could be stopped by any adequate defense?
You sure about that?
Yes. See the Denard years. Denard was a nightmare matchup with his legs but struggled through the air in terms of reading defenses and making certain throws. We lost to almost every good defense. And I was a huge Denard fan.
I hear what you are saying, and those offenses looked worse against good Ds. However, I would put that Denard offense with this defense and feel pretty good about how things would turn out.
But, if that happened, omg we’d get to see Denard again so how wouldn’t that be awesome.
In a game, I'd take Denard with this years defense and RB's over any team in the country.
Have you forgotten that our defenses were thoroughly average or worse most of the time Denard was here?
Sorry to nitpick, but your statement is wrong in both directions. 2009 and 2010 were, statistically, literally the worst defenses in Michigan history (ranked over 100th nationally both years, 107th in 2010 to be specific). 2011 was 6th. We had great luck with turnovers in 2011 and, I believe, bad luck with turnovers in 2010, but when you improve literally 100+ spots nationally, luck only goes so far as an explanation.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/2011-team-defense.html
We scored points, RRs defenses gave up way more. Denard wasn’t JJ throwing, but he wasn’t the issue.
Just name one fantastic offense that looks like the one you’re proposing. Let me save you your answer…there isn’t one.
All I said was Orji and the two running backs could be problematic for defenses. That is a ton of speed and power. You are making assumptions that Orji can’t pass and while we have yet to see him throw, if he is the starter I would assume he is at least decent at passing.
Go read the “Offensive tidbits” from last week. It is clear from what the players who are interviewed that there is no clear front runner at quarterback. Considering the quarterbacks on the roster, that is not a good thing.
Also, there’s a reason they didn’t trust him to throw the ball one single time. That being Origi.
It’s weird that you are so against any QB on the roster. All of whom were recruited by Harbaugh. It’s also weird that you don’t think this team will be a running team again.
Let’s look at reality. Other than JJ McCarthy, how has Harbaugh’s QB that he’s recruited fared? The answer…not very well. Literally outside of JJ, they all have been incredibly poor and JH had to resort to the transfer portal to get just a functional QB.
Also, You can’t be a good running team unless you have an effective quarterback. You can be a running team and not be a very good football team without an effective quarterback. I’m speaking from a perspective of having a football team that could compete for the Big Ten championship.
Michigan went 12-2 with Cade. If Michigan can get someone to play like Cade they can be win the conference again.
Cade is much better than every one of these guys. It's a shame he became toxic and left because we would be in fantastic shape if he had been as patient behind JJ as, say, Donovan was behind Blake.
That is a premature take. Cade has proven more than those guys, but none of those guy (except maybe Tuttle) have had the same PT.
I wouldn't sleep on 3 or 4 of them. I think Tuttle and Warren can give similar results, and I think Origi has potential to be on par with Bama's QB and offense from last year (early fits but with some experience, something far surpassing a Cade run offense in terms of explosiveness). Not a huge believer in Donegal based on small sample size. Worse case scenario we pull the rip cord on a five star freshmen who is supposed to be pretty darn good (would just hate to do that - vs just getting him some minutes - with this defense though).
But I don't think that is really the point. We were a running team that finished 15-0 with a 70 percent passer (who was also a running threat), who could make every throw. We ran effectively in no small part because JJ had to be respected. Orgi has not shown that and while it would be wonderful if he gets to that point, it isn't the percentage play to expect that he will.
Lol for getting on them about making assumptions and then making an assumption that a guy they let throw 1 pass can throw
It was a while ago but Nick Marshall/Tre Mason 2013. That offense was absolutely unstoppable and shredded elite defenses and I think it could still be successful today if Orji can make defenses respect the threat of the deep pass.
Off the top of my head - Ohio State 2014; Ohio State 2012; Auburn '03; Tennessee 98; Nebraska '95; Notre Dame '89; Oklahoma '88; Nebraska '83; Auburn '83; Oklahoma '78. Admittedly not been many in the past two decades but there also isn't any recent history of any team doing what Michigan did 2021 - 2023. I also do not see how an Orji, Mullins, and Edwards backfield would look any worse than Bama's 2023 offense.
I mean, Alabama had something pretty similar with Jalen Milroe last year...
Great point.
And to make conclusions after a week of spring practice is odd.
Just having fun sharing my opinion on a blog. I don’t find that odd at all. In fact, that’s the purpose of a blog.
Are you inferring that Oriji is Jalen Milroe?
I mean no… but Miroe isn’t actually good… so maybe??? Obviously he’s more athletic, that doesn’t mean he will ever actually be a better quarterback
I think there are about 42-27 reasons to doubt this take.
That's what they said about JJ....
Yeah, Alabama tool a GREAT Michigan D to OT with a QB very much like Orji.
Just sayin.
LOL. I love you my man, but that is a HORRIBLE take. You think Oriji is Milroe? How many games has Oriji played? How many snaps? How completions? How many games did he win?
Why in the world some people extrapolate Oriji running nothing but gimmicky plays (literally that’s all they were) and think that equates to him be a functional QB and being a QB as good as / in the ballpark of Milroe is ludicrous.
I have no idea but Milroe was passed up and benched then earned his way back on the field. Could Orji be comparable? Sure. No idea if he will be though. Your position is clear but to relegate all that don't agree with you as wrong is not a great look.
This is a Blog…people can Disagree with me all day long. I welcome it. Furthermore, I can disagree with their takes on my thoughts. It’s a college football blog. It’s not that important to make anyone “look a certain way”.