247 Sports Ranks B1G QB's for 2020
Barton Simmons with 247 Sports and Brad Crawford have released his rankings for B1G QBs for the 2020 season 1-14. Unsurprisingly, he ranked Justin Fields #1 with Tanner Morgan #2.
He went ahead and chose McCaffrey over Milton and slotted him at #9 in the B1G.
He is notably behind Brandon Peters (#8), Jack Plummer (#7), Sean Clifford (#6), Adrian Martinez (#5),Jack Coan (#4), and Michael Penix (#3). Rocky Lombardi comes in at #12.
Below is the paragraph he had for his reasoning for McCaffrey's ranking.
"Barton's take: "The (Joe) Milton threat is real for McCaffrey. That's a kid with an absolute cannon so if we're talking about overall ceiling, there's an argument to be made that Milton is the guy. Ultimately there's a slight experience edge with McCaffrey and probably a slight consistency edge too. But this is going to be a competition that is one of the more highly contested we've seen in a long time in Ann Arbor."
The skinny: Serving as a reserve behind Shea Patterson each of the past two seasons, McCaffrey gets his shot at being the guy for the Wolverines this spring. McCaffrey is a rugged competitor and has shown a sense of fearlessness in a way when he has carried the football in 10 appearances since he arrived on campus in 2018. His abilities also give play-caller Josh Gattis an opportunity to tinker with the playbook a bit. He is believed to be the clubhouse leader for QB1, but the competition with Milton should be fierce."
What do you think of this? Below is a link to the full article
February 26th, 2020 at 1:24 PM ^
Honestly, no issue with it. Barely DM or JM play, so there's no reason to rank them lower. If anything, I'd love the narrative to stay like this so we don't overhype them and get disappointed in the end.
February 26th, 2020 at 1:32 PM ^
Your right BUT if they were better than Patterson then they would have played already! This is NOT 1985 where a kid had to come in to a program like Michigan and work his way up to play. times have changed and so has the level of play. So under Michigan's logic, a kid like Trevor Lawrence would not be able to start until his Junior year? That's crap
February 26th, 2020 at 2:47 PM ^
i will be damned if the #1 QB on that list did not start his freshman year.
February 26th, 2020 at 6:26 PM ^
FWIW I'd take 1985 again if you've got any left over.
10-1-1
Beat MSU
Beat OSU
Beat ND
Beat Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl
Finished #2 in nation
If that's the knock on the program I'm sorry but I'll take it.
February 28th, 2020 at 1:16 AM ^
People talk about us being the perpetual 10-2 team that loses to Ohio and the other best team on the schedule, then loses a bowl game. No! This is the year that describes Michigan football. This is the baseline, every time. And the fact that Harbaugh was QB makes me believe he knows it too. Maybe it's sunshine, but I choose to think that Jim gets us back there this year, behind his best QB performance (likely D-Mac) of his entire tenure here
February 27th, 2020 at 11:56 AM ^
Shea Patterson was going to start no matter what. I think that's pretty obvious when the guy played golf while McCaffrey and Milton worked on their game. There's a reason Harbaugh wanted McCaffrey playing last season. So I don't agree that this means these guys aren't better than Shea Patterson. If they can't play at a level at least as good as Shea, Michigan is in big trouble. I mean, 12 fumbles with 5 lost, 56-58% completion pct. Inaccurate deep balls...To me, it shouldn't be that difficult to find a QB that doesn't need to be spectacular honestly, just hit the open guy consistently.
February 26th, 2020 at 1:29 PM ^
All this says for me is that ONCE again, Michigan does not have what is the most critical position in football to win anything at all. This is RIDICULOUS in year 5 of Jim Harbaugh who played QB at Michigan and in the NFL. He knows this. What makes it even MORE ridiculous is that now a QB who is not playing can actually transfer and play for someone else the next year like Burrow did for LSU. No excuses in terms of recruiting. Same old song an dance in Ann Arbor.
February 26th, 2020 at 1:32 PM ^
Go back to playing World of Warcraft you South Carolina meeger!
February 26th, 2020 at 1:34 PM ^
The fuck are you talking about? We lost a 2-year starter and have a multi-year backup replacing him, with another multi-year backup behind him. What do you expect to happen when a starter leaves a program? Is Harbaugh supposed to magically conjure up another multi-year starter?
February 26th, 2020 at 2:16 PM ^
I suppose nobody has ever been an All Big Ten QB or won a Heisman after learning a system sitting behind an experienced and proven upperclassmen. So tiring.
February 26th, 2020 at 1:44 PM ^
Shouldn't you let these kids actually play before your bury their careers at 19-20 years old?
Trevor Lawrence was an All American level player at 19 years old while Kurt Warner was bagging groceries at 27. Lawrence would have to be very, very fortunate to have half of Warner's career success.
In any case, there are real mental health issues in the sports world where people confuse hobbies / entertainment for real world issues. If your life has been defined by Michigan's QB performance over the last 5 years, then get your life priorities in order.
February 26th, 2020 at 2:06 PM ^
If your life has been defined by Michigan's QB performance over the last 5 years, then get your life priorities in order.
February 26th, 2020 at 1:54 PM ^
DMac was ranked higher in recruiting that pretty much everybody in this list. He's only lower on this list because the other guys played last season and he didn't.
February 26th, 2020 at 2:24 PM ^
I saw scfanblue was commenting, automatically knew the comment was going to suck, skipped what he wrote, saw all the downvotes, and felt good about my decision.
February 26th, 2020 at 3:15 PM ^
Dude, let me help.
They're not ranking them that low because they're saying they definitely do suck and will suck more than 8 of the QBs in the B1G this year. They're ranking them that low because THEY HAVEN'T PLAYED ENOUGH TO KNOW.
February 26th, 2020 at 1:31 PM ^
Brandon Peters gonna shock the world next year!!!!!
#IlliniN@ion #2020CFBChamps #PetersEaters #LovieisbestcoachinB10
February 26th, 2020 at 1:38 PM ^
the illini #2, matt robinson, might be the one who will be shocking the world. remember him, the one who led the illini back with 25 points against us after we'd gotten up? mark my worms....
(not a typo)
February 26th, 2020 at 1:41 PM ^
I'm a farmer. I know what I'm talking about. Plus Peters was one of my fave recruits back in 2016.
February 26th, 2020 at 3:16 PM ^
Found Bloomberg's burner account
February 26th, 2020 at 1:33 PM ^
Not concerned... I believe that either QB, especially DM, will be rated much higher after the season than the stiff's in front of them now. He's ranked low simply because he hasn't played much, and there are a lot of returning starters. I believe his talent and the talent of the players around him will conspire to move him up that list significantly.
I further think that the job is DMac's to lose. If Milton makes a push, he's going to have to be demonstrably, and consistently, better than DMac to get the nod. I'm fairly sure that the Wisconsin game might've been Shea's last start had Dmac played well without the head-hunting...
February 26th, 2020 at 2:19 PM ^
I further think that the job is DMac's to lose. If Milton makes a push, he's going to have to be demonstrably, and consistently, better than DMac to get the nod.
Sorry to pick on your entry; you had me laughing with your suggestion that one guy would have to be "demonstrably and consistently better...to get the nod." Um, duh?
I want to take the opportunity, though (probably to little or no avail), to check in with the board to see if any hard analysis has been done with regards to McCaffrey's performance versus Joe Milton's. There seem to be a lot of message board members who "think" and "feel" that McCaffrey has the edge, but based on what? A few garbage time moments that show up in hype videos? High school game footage? I can't recall having seen enough of either player to express thinks and feels about who I think "has the edge" or "a job to lose."
February 26th, 2020 at 3:29 PM ^
I say that from the fact that DMac was listed as #2 all year; that DMac was the first on the field to relieve Shea (for blowouts, injury, whatever); that coaches/insiders said that Milton was a distant #3 all year (from Spring through Bowl practices); because DMac was a highly rated croot and Milton was not (yeah, I know - too long ago to count anymore).
I don't particularly care who actually wins the job. I do care that he plays well.
February 26th, 2020 at 5:15 PM ^
Would you say that McCaffrey is the front runner?
February 26th, 2020 at 3:31 PM ^
I can't speak for all posters and their opinions, but there's been significant scuttlebutt from people around the program like Sam Webb, Craig Ross, and others that Dylan as of last season was in the pole position and they really like him as QB1.
Now none of those people are saying he has it locked up or that Joe doesn't have a chance to win the job, and almost all of that noise is now a couple months old. We'll see what happens over spring/summer but it seems like going into the winter is was more QB1 and QB2 than it was QB1A and QB1B.
I think the most likely scenario is that Dylan wins the job but we see more than backup minutes from Milton early in the season, but Joe is also the guy with the higher physical upside who could grow and mature into QB1 by fall camp.
Either way whoever wins the job in the offense should be putting up decent numbers and climb these silly preseason rankings. While I don't expect them to outperform Fields all year I'd be surprised if by offensive design alone our QBs dont outperform Jack Coan.
February 26th, 2020 at 1:35 PM ^
If Michigan really has the 9th best QB in the big ten, it's going to be a long season.
February 26th, 2020 at 1:42 PM ^
I look at his rankings like this:
1-8. 8 QBs that we know, that all (to varying degrees) have a track record of at least some success.
9-10. Michigan & Iowa QBs that remain rather unknown.
11-14. 4 QBs that we know, that all (to varying degrees) do NOT have a track record of some success.
McCaffrey or Milton will probably be better than 9th, but it is fair to consider that there is an unknown factor as of now.
February 26th, 2020 at 1:52 PM ^
I have no real opinion if these rankings are accurate. Probably better than 9th doesn't really give me the warm fuzzies either.
February 26th, 2020 at 1:57 PM ^
It's a pre-season prediction from a no-name sportswriter. The odds that it's accurate are about one in 87 billion.
February 26th, 2020 at 2:33 PM ^
That would be my preference.
February 26th, 2020 at 2:26 PM ^
DCaff and Milton have very little experience compared to the other QB's who actually started last year for their teams.
However, if by the end of the year Michigan truly does have the 9th best QB in the B1G, then yes, Michigan is in a world of problems. Not just for this season, but for recruiting and program outlook years ahead. You may even say goodbye to Jim Harbaugh
February 26th, 2020 at 1:40 PM ^
I didn't realize Peters had another year. Good for him. Kid got dealt a shit hand.
February 26th, 2020 at 1:45 PM ^
They are both a crapshoot...completely unproven against any real competition for anything other than specific packages. Can they actually read coverage, make decisions, handle pressure, move the team when it counts? We have no idea, although in all fairness we didn't know last year about Fields and he seemed to get the green light, but OSU's offense is a little more proven.
February 26th, 2020 at 1:58 PM ^
Your points are valid, but DMac replaced Patterson for competitive reasons against Wisconsin, and he had the full offense to use. He ran it well, until he was (almost) decapitated. A lot of people here believe he would have benched Shea had he finished that game strong. I think he'll do okay - but your questions are good, and they need to be answered successfully before anyone will know what we have at QB.
It's not any different from any other college team starting new players after last years starters graduate.
February 26th, 2020 at 7:43 PM ^
DMac replaced Patterson for competitive reasons against Wisconsin, and he had the full offense to use. He ran it well, until he was (almost) decapitated.
I'm not sure how effective he was. I wish I could go back and watch his plays, but the full game doesn't seem to be available on Youtube. All you see are a couple short completions to McKeon in the highlights. His numbers weren't great. He went 3/8 with like a 65 QBR. I think he'll have to show more than he has to date for UM to be a contender in the division.
It's not any different from any other college team starting new players after last years starters graduate.
Agreed, but many of the guys above him on that list have experience as a starter. I'm not sure the numbers are great for teams not named Bama, OSU, or Clemson when breaking in new starters. If UM simply falls in line with others similar that's a bad position to be in. Even if you try to extrapolate to a similar pedigree recruit on a similarly talented team like Sean Clifford of PSU from 2019...his numbers are basically what Patterson did in 2018. That's probably good enough to keep us pace chugging away 9 wins per year, but likely won't be enough to win the division unless OSU finds a way to lose 2 conference games.
February 26th, 2020 at 2:01 PM ^
If anyone’s looking for new podcasts to listen to, Barton’s ‘Cover 3’ with Chip Patterson is really good.
February 26th, 2020 at 2:30 PM ^
Are you Chip Patterson?
February 26th, 2020 at 2:40 PM ^
I'm Ron Burgundy?
February 26th, 2020 at 2:17 PM ^
The part of the list that I question is the ranking of Adrian Martinez. I think the author/author's of this list are putting a lot more stock in his freshman season than his last one. He played very poorly last year. I would rank him at the back end of the top 10, maybe just ahead of Jack Plummer.
Jack Coan might be ranked a tad too high but I think you could swap him with Sean Clifford all day long and have good reasons for both at each ranking. I have far less of a gripe with that than where Martinez is ranked.
February 26th, 2020 at 2:18 PM ^
McCaffrey could be a heisman finalist....
that would be pretty cool
February 26th, 2020 at 2:57 PM ^
If by "finalist" you mean eligible to win the award, then yeah, I could see it happening.
February 26th, 2020 at 2:18 PM ^
Click bait. Not going to read this stuff this offseason, whether it is positive or negative, it's only purpose is to get your click.
February 26th, 2020 at 2:28 PM ^
This article makes me sick. It's not about completion percentage, or arm strength, or protecting the ball. It's about whether or not your QB is a TRUE SPARTAN WARRIOR and in that regard Rocky Lombardi is Number ONE. Can Fields pound an entire bucket of beer at Crunchy's? Can Tanner Morgan (assuming that person is real) bang two b*tches in the men's bathroom at Rick's, and another at O'Malley's, all in the same night? Methinks not. So while you yellow and blue 'mos are talking about "seeing the field" or "selling the play action" or "check the scoreboard" my guy will be WINNING in the only ways that matter. SUCK IT.
SPARTAN NATION
February 26th, 2020 at 2:30 PM ^
I upvoted you so you had something positive happen in your life for a change.
February 26th, 2020 at 2:35 PM ^
Thanks brah, but as an FYI banging your mom was almost as POSITIVE and UPBEAT an experience for me as it was for HER.
SPARTAN NATION
February 26th, 2020 at 3:16 PM ^
"Brah"...Yep, you're a Spartan.
February 26th, 2020 at 8:30 PM ^
So you're saying that you were as unaware that it was happening as she was?
February 26th, 2020 at 11:37 PM ^
Brah, don't be making jokes about sexual assault. NOT FUNNY.
SPARTAN NATION
February 27th, 2020 at 5:26 AM ^
keep bringing it sparty-parody. good stuff.
and i'm guessing your therapist is on speed dial, yes?
February 26th, 2020 at 2:36 PM ^
You're my hero.