Devin Gardner's Redshirt Granted
![8193374455_9d02066e09_z1_thumb1_thumb[1]](https://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/images/Devin-Gardners-Redshirt-Granted_E7B6/8193374455_9d02066e09_z1_thumb1_thumb1.jpg "8193374455_9d02066e09_z1_thumb1_thumb[1]")
Officially official according to the umich twitter feed and their grainy unembeddable video thing. Devin channels his inner Mr. Burns at this news, and so should you.
It is obviously huge to have Gardner around for a fifth year in 2014, when Brady Hoke's OL recruiting will be emerging into upper-class years, Derrick Green is a sophomore, and Drake Harris is wearing the #1*. Getting a fifth year out of any starting QB is big time, especially one with as much upside as Gardner. Since he's pretty raw right now, he should use it unless he absolutely blows up in 2013—a problem I will take if it goes down like that.
Also a bonus is this presumably pushes the Morris/Speight/true freshman battle out to 2015, when Morris is (probably) a redshirt sophomore and Speight a redshirt freshman. Not starting a freshman QB is a nice thing.
*[Projection based on awesome dream. Also, Drake Harris is made of of mushroom marshmallows, the offensive line mutates into candybears, and Michigan beats East Magellanic Cloud for the Universe Title. Suck it, Bama.]
John Amos approves
It's like Vince Young--but a better NFL career.
Yay!
So, does this mean that everyone who bitched at the previous staff for "burning up his redshirt" is going to say, "I was wrong?"
YES YES YES YES YES YES.
YES.
YES.
Derrick Green be with us all.
FINGERPOINT--------> HAPPY DANCE!!
I like to think that it has been someone's full time job at the NCAA for the last 2.5 years to review Gardner's application for a redshirt.
I, therefore, would like to offer the rumor that Devin has applied for a Receiver Redshirt to rectify wasting a year of eligibility while playing receiver. Will it be granted? Help me speculate.
I was a bit annoyed with O$U fans dipping in on espn boards, so I decided to find a more secluded area for wolverine posts. Okay, so here is my take on this Gardner situation. I know the Denard era was fun for a lot to watch and he obviously created significant buzz; but, in reality Hoke partially missed the boat on Gardner.
Denard should have been a slot receiver from day 1 of Hoke practice. Robinson has arguably the worst arm of any qb in the history of college football. A pure talent, yes, however only his elusiveness created spectacular passing plays. Nonetheless his pure passing skills were unequivable to that of a high school freshman qb.
Gardner has had an arm since arriving on UM campus. He was talented enough to play really young with worthless RichRod. Al Borges and Hoke have sights set on running a pro style offense and sitting there all along was Gardner. So, instead of putting Devin behind center and slotting Robinson next to Roundtree or Gallon, they put Devin Gardner as a receiver. Hello? Anybody home? Ridiculous.
Devin Gardner is comparible to Vince Young when at Texas. That's right, I said it. They both have NFL arms, they're both phenomenally elusive, and they both run with great strides. AND they both make it look easy. When they run it appears they are barely trying, yet are SO hard to track down, let alone tackle.
Seriously, Nebraska was terrible this year. Naturally, Gardner is quarterback. Naturally, Gardner knows the playbook considering he was moved to wide receiver. Instead, Hoke decides to bring in some true freshman that cannot find his a$$ with both hands on the road. Give me a break. Why, why, why did you hold Gardner back so long?
Gardner would have won us a b10 championship last season and been primed for a favorable 2013 schedule en route to a national championship this season. I suppose its better late than never.
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