Update on Jake Rudock - WILL BE Transferring, MAYBE to Michigan
Here is the update (per Bruce Feldman).
QB Jake Rudock, who started 2 yrs at #Iowa, is transferring. He will visit #Michigan next wk,source told @FOXSports. As a grad, is elig. now
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) March 11, 2015
h/t Clint Brewster
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March 11th, 2015 at 10:12 AM ^
I feel about it.
Not down on his Iowa stats and the experience he brings to the table in regards to B1G...more concerned about:
(1) What this says about the QB's currently on the roster who would likely start if Rudock were not here.
(2) Impact on QB's such as Morris who could see this as a slap to the face and lead to transfer
(a) I know - there are those who will say "we don't want" if they don't want to say, yada yada
(3) Potential developmental delays to younger QB's who could benefit from playing time
(a) If Morris isn't the answer, I'd rather see Speight or Malzone get a shot rather than a one-year rental.
Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I'm not super excited for a "one-and-done" player.
March 11th, 2015 at 10:17 AM ^
March 11th, 2015 at 10:21 AM ^
you'd take short-term gains (r.e. wins next year) over potential long-term gains (r.e. wins for years to come)?
Just making sure I understand what you're saying here.
Plus, the "depth" you mention will be down a QB in 2016 and still have unproven commodities stepping in. Something to think about.
March 11th, 2015 at 10:26 AM ^
And Cardale Jones was unproven when he won OSU a National title.
March 11th, 2015 at 10:58 AM ^
This program needs to win now. We need momentum. We can't afford another bowl-less season. It's not like 2008. We are a program on the edge and we need to get off of it.
This is especially true given the way Harbaugh likes to recruit. There needs to be some positive buzz about the program to pull a kid away from USC. Not "be patient, wait until next year".
March 11th, 2015 at 11:35 AM ^
I never do this because I'm superstitious (and I'm not one of those unrealistic M fans who thinks we should win the NC every other year), but I truly believe that in the next four years we will have three 10 win seasons, purely because of our newly good coaches plus our natural recruiting.
March 11th, 2015 at 11:36 AM ^
we need to win big and win now. Most of the country has forgotten that Michigan was a dominant program for most of the 20th century.
The time to remind them is now.
March 11th, 2015 at 12:11 PM ^
I don't think people have forgotten what we used to be. No one's going to confuse us for Purdue. The issue is more that we're perceived as another Notre Dame - a fallen power that has been mediocre for awhile.
March 11th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^
My point was that people see Michigan as an aging fighter, well past his prime. Living off of past glories. They think we're a dinosaur, permanently relegated to 2nd tier (or worse) status.
Yeah, Ohio State and Alabama have a lot of past glories too. But on game day, they are not just trotting out ghosts. They are relvant now.
Is this guy better than the guys we already have? He didn't exactly light up the cornfield at Iowa. If he is markedly better than the QB's we already have, I would say that it would be a good thing to add him to our roster, but if he is a lateral move or would never see the field, then why waste a scholarship on him? You guys post like this guy would guarantee a nine or ten win season, but in reality, there are no guarantees.
Too often the philosophy when buiding a team is: Throw as much shit at the wall as possible and hope enough of it sticks to build a winning team, but in truth, you have to target quality which trumps "shit on the wall" every time. We have a tough schedule this year, but we have talent and a coaching staff second to none, if Harbaugh can find someone who can just manage the games, and not lose them,(Malzone?) then we will have a good turnaround season this year.
This comment is softer than baby thighs. Yeah - this Harbaugh guy must be throwing everything at the wall hoping for the best. What an amateur comment to make. Clearly if JH wants to bring a kid in for one year he will NOT be there for the fun of it. I'm embarrassed a fellow Michigan fan would even assert this. Maize and blue bleeder...go home, you're drunk. You can't be older than 13. Despite what the past few years have shown you, this is NOT a throw shit at the wall and see what happens program. Check in on JH's public history before you accidentally speak out loud in front of other people again...
March 11th, 2015 at 10:28 AM ^
I don't think it's an either or, regarding short term vs. long term gains. If Morris can't win the starting role this season, he might not ever be ready. In which case, the long-term gains you're suggesting M would be losing out on is based on guys being back-ups until they're RS sophomores or RS freshmen. Which is actually pretty normal and I don't think is a bad thing. Basically, Rudock (hypothetically) winning the starting job means both that the best player is playing in the short term and that M can get back to a more or less normal timeline for players to be groomed on the bench before taking over at QB.
Also, M has been looking forward to future seasons for years now. At some point, yes, you need for focus on winning games in the short term (and as I pointed out, you can do this without somehow sacrificing long term gains).
March 11th, 2015 at 10:31 AM ^
and your rational thinking!! LOL.
Well said, sir.
March 11th, 2015 at 10:29 AM ^
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March 11th, 2015 at 10:31 AM ^
The future is now. We have a two year window to do something until the poor recruiting results of 2014 and 2015 hit us hard in the 2017 season. I see big long term benefits to winning ten games in 2015, even if it is with a guy who will be gone next year. We need the momentum and we need confidence in the program again. If Harbaugh has a first year similar to Saban's or Pete Carroll's at USC, then the narrative is going to turn against him quickly.
March 11th, 2015 at 10:41 AM ^
The size?
March 11th, 2015 at 10:31 AM ^
Starting freshman quarterbacks is almost always bad m'kay? I'm all for kids getting a chance to develop in live situations, but most successful programs start a non-freshman. Malzone, Speight, and Gentry will have 3 or 4 years (if Malzone or Gentry rshirt) to play, ya know, like most QBs. Also, there is a non zero change that starting a freshman could do more bad than good if they are overwhelmed and lose their confidence - see Bellomy, Russell and/or Morris, Shane.
Bringing in Rudock is really only impacting Morris in the long-run. Honestly, it may give us a chance to redshirt him? That would create a huge back log of QBs, but, oh well? More the merrier and it would seem that Rudock would automatically be the best answer for 2015 if he came in.
You gotta pull the trigger if he's game.
March 11th, 2015 at 10:49 AM ^
March 11th, 2015 at 11:11 AM ^
March 11th, 2015 at 11:13 AM ^
It's not a given or even the most likely scenario that the 2016 QB situation will be worse if Ruddock wins the position in 2015. The terriblizing scenarios you describe could happen, but it is just as likely if not more that the youngsters stay, continue to develop and give more viable options in 2016. Plus, Malzone and Gentry could then well earn their RS and have potential 5th years here. Many positive long-term scenarios are enabled by a 5th year transfer as well as the skyfall you described.
March 11th, 2015 at 10:19 AM ^
Hoke, is that you?
March 11th, 2015 at 10:26 AM ^
We need to win games. Let the youngsters redshirt and learn. Winning cures all ills. Winning will effect recruiting! Elite recruits win games!
March 11th, 2015 at 10:21 AM ^
March 11th, 2015 at 10:22 AM ^
(1) Competition is never a bad thing.
(a) That is all.
March 11th, 2015 at 10:25 AM ^
the competition angle - no sweat (see what I did there? lol).
I just wonder if we are setting ourselves up for some early returns/success at the expense of long-term gain. That is all.
And I love this guy:
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
March 11th, 2015 at 10:29 AM ^
Yeah he adds a little 'tude to every post.
I'm OK with setting ourselves up for early success, and I'm not worried about long term success anymore. Because HARBAUGH.
March 11th, 2015 at 10:29 AM ^
(1) the only thing it says is Harbaugh wants as much competition as possible.
(2) If Morris thinks it's a slap in the face he has some growing up to do. No one should ever think their position is guaranteed based on what class they are or where they were on the depth chart last year.
(3) Development delays? Malzone and Gentry are likely to RS and Korn has to sit this yr anyway. If Rudock even got the starting job it's only one year.
(a) It shouldn't be about who we'd rather see on saturdays. It's about bringing in people to compete and playing whoever gives us a chance to win on that particular Saturday.
Harbaugh theme: Bring in everybody, play who gives us the best chance to win.
March 11th, 2015 at 10:38 AM ^
(1) I get the competition angle - see above
(2) Maybe slap in the face isn't the best way to put it - but picture yourself as a Junior who suddenly is sitting again...I get that he may never be the "sugar Shane" everyone expected out of High School - but how do you know with as limited of game exposure as he has had? What would you do in that situation? I'd keep competing, but they wouldn't bring Rudock in to sit...so "competition" may be a misnomer.
(3) Yes, you'd think Malzone & Gentry are likely to RS...but on this blog and other pages, Malzone has been getting props all over for his command of the offense - even as an EE. COULD he start this year? Under Harbaugh - all things are possible - so yes, there is potential DD there.
(a) Agreed.
March 11th, 2015 at 10:44 AM ^
I hear ya on the Malzone chatter, but if he wins out then it just means he beat one more guy to do it. If Rudock comes in it's not like he's taking away a scholarship from anyone either, well except a walk-on. As far as Shane goes, if you're in his shoes you work as hard as you can and if you don't earn the job in practice then you haven't earned the right to play in the game. It would feel like a Hoke mentality to just play him cause "it's his time". All these guys are going to earn the privilege to be a starter or get playing time.
March 11th, 2015 at 11:29 AM ^
No, they probably wouldn't bring him in if they didn't think he had a good chance to play. But they certainly wouldn't promise him the starting job either.
There are many different possible scenarios. It's obviously too early to know which are the most likely.The biggest possible win is that Rudock's clearly the best QB, even if it's better for the team if he's not. Upgrading that position is the single most critical factor in this team's success. Even if he's clearly second on the depth chart, that could be big. I'll be really happy if one of our current QBs looks ready in the fall. Expecting two (or three) to be is taking a real risk, at least at this point. Maybe this move allows Malzone to redshirt, rather than burn it as a backup.
The possible downside I see is that he doesn't work out and takes up a roster spot that could have gone to someone better who pops up.
I'm not worried about the lost experience for the other QBs. If they can't beat out Rudock, maybe they can't beat out O'Korn or a hotshot freshman in 2016 either. There is a risk that it slows down their development, but that should rarely outweigh the value of playing the better player. At QB there's always the added concern that throwing a player out there before he's ready may damage their development.
Potential hurt feelings should not be a factor. Nothing is being taken away from anybody. They've only been promised a chance to compete and they should expect the competition at Michigan to be fierce. There's no reason to believe it won't be a fair battle.
Harbaugh is bringing in guys to compete. If Ruddock doesn't win the job, Harbaugh will be fine with it. Just like he'll give O'Korn the opportunity to win it in 2016, but they'll get no deference (nor should they) just because they agreed to transfer. They're being brought in for one thing...the opportunity. If they end up sitting, its on them.
no football player should ever be guaranteed anything. He's a junior. Cool. If he's good enough to play, he will play. If he is not good enough to play, he will not play. That is the way that it should be and that is the way that it is under Harbaugh.
March 11th, 2015 at 10:38 AM ^
1 YEAR RENTALS ARE THE WORST!
Rudock is no Russell Wilson, by any standard, other than he is a grad transfer.
Shit man, grow a pair. This is D1 football at the University of Michigan. You care too much about feelings and mushy shit.
Be the best player on the damn team, earn the job and go win some football games.
Screw that sensitive stuff when it comes to competition in D1 athletics.
Gosh damn, this post is so soft. Of all schools too...MICHIGAN. A school that just watched its main rival go 3 QBs deep to a national championship and then brought all 3 back the next season.
This is what's wrong with us.
Sorry, but this fires me up...we act like Shane Morris is 7 years old. We coddle this kid like he's actually done something on the football field. He's never even thrown a touchdown pass has he? Why the fuck are we always coming to his defense like he's fragile and going to break?
I'm so glad our coaches don't have this menality.
Again, sorry to bag on this one post/poster - but enough is enough. The pussy shit has to stop. Shane Morris showed plenty of (too much) toughness in that Minnesota game last year...he's not going to shatter into pieces.
Let's play some football, at a high level. The buy your time/wait your turn/what about (insert name's feelings) mantra is dead.
thank you! it is football so grow a pair. if you can't win a starting job then work harder.
Well said. When you are at this level, you can expect to compete wherever you go. It's not like Michigan should be a safe haven from having to compete and win a starting job.
Nobody chould ever think "I'm good enough to start at QB for Michigan, but not good enough to beat out Iowa's second string transfer QB."
March 11th, 2015 at 10:22 PM ^
as a "one-and-done" player.
Rudock screams "competent game manager". And Harbaugh could win big next year with a "competent game manager". Maybe not B1G champ big, but in contention in November big. I'll take that.
Morris has the benefit of spring ball to give himself an edge. If he can't beat out a game manager, then that's a sign that the coaches don't trust him.
If Rudock comes, I'd say he's the plurality favorite to win the starting job at Utah, but I'd take the field against him.
March 12th, 2015 at 10:37 AM ^
this is the same line of thinking the previous HC used and Michigan fans are guily of. Get your ducks lined up years in advance, a team full of RS jrs and srs, and then we'll be poised for a good season, with the 2 seasons prior as casualties.
Head's up, this isn't 1995 anymore. Teams are winning with true freshman playing and an OSU QB situation.
Have to win now, feelings, and age of players be damned.
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One guy claimed up and down that it was happening. Somebody else said that Jake wanted it to happen but had to convince Harbaugh.