Michigan to run the spread offense?
Brian Griese, Jim Harbaugh, Tom Brady, Elvis Grbac, Todd Collins, John Navarre and soon to be Chad Henne. I watched all these guys play in college in the Big Ten and absolutely torture my Illinois Fighting Illini. They were all very good college players that went on to play, some star, in the NFL. Tom Brady is obviously the most famous Michigan alum at QB but the school has produced some very good QB’s over the years.
Now the Wolverines have hired Rich Rodriguez from West Virginia, a team that runs the spread offense with usually a QB that can run like current QB Pat White. Rodriguez has built a very successful program at West Virginia and will undoubtedly do the same at Michigan, but I think this may take some time. Michigan’s top recruit last year was a QB named Ryan Mallett who actually started some games this year while Chad Henne was out. Mallett has a big time arm and would have undoubtedly started at Michigan for the next 3 years and put up some great stats in that system. Mallett is a big strong kid who can’t run worth a lick. He isn’t running the spread and I honestly expect him to transfer. Toss in the fact that it was announced today that new coach Rodriguez has fired all the assistants that were with Lloyd Carr and you are going to have some windfall of two types.
The first windfall comes from the current players who were recruited to play there under a certain system and style. Kids go to Michigan to win and to get a chance at the NFL. Michigan is a big time program. When a new coach comes in and fires the assistants to bring in his own guys he is risking some problems. I know that Rodriguez was aware of this occurring but at the same time players either buy in or don’t buy in and a move like that doesn’t always help. Especially when Michigan is a school that has typically been considered very loyal to those involved in the success of the football program.
The second windfall comes from current recruits. Michigan is slated to have a top 10 recruiting class. Those kids have relationships with the coaches who were just fired. They are the ones who recruited them and some will leave immediately. Gone is a QB named John Weinke who was a highly regarded prospect. He can’t run the spread so he left. This is going to take place more than people think and I think we’ll see a lot of defections coming through the rest of the year and into the new year. Rodriguez is a good coach who has had a winning program before. He’ll go through some growing pains like all new coaches do but he’ll come out ok.
What is going to be funny is not watching the Michigan of old anymore. No more teams that are built on a stud QB, a stud RB and a stud WR. I’m ok with that.
