Scouting Report: 2016 Quarterbacks

Submitted by Magnus on

And here...the moment that four of you have been waiting for...the one...the only...(unless Michigan recruits more of them)...

2016 QUARTERBACK SCOUTING REPORTS!!!!!!!!!!1

Okay, but seriously. Over the past week, I've been looking at the quarterbacks Michigan has recruited throughout the 2016 cycle. This includes a couple guys that Hoke recruited but maybe have not necessarily been actively pursued yet by Harbaugh. I then went through and ranked the guys in order of their fit with Michigan/Harbaugh.

Have at it if you wish:

http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2015/02/scouting-report-2016-quarter…

JOHNNAVARREISMYHERO

February 13th, 2015 at 8:07 AM ^

I am a frequent visitor of your site.  Love the content and appeciate the time you put into it.   Thanks.

redsoxaa

February 13th, 2015 at 8:56 AM ^

Costello is visiting in a few weeks, and if Michigan passes the "winter" test then he will commit on the visit.  He would be the biggest recruit in the class given all his connections to other top athletes in CA.

Magnus

February 13th, 2015 at 9:01 AM ^

With the size of the class right now, I do not think Michigan should take two quarterbacks. If one of the current guys transfers, then yes, I would take both.

As of right now, my hope is that Costello visits soon and commits, which would presumably put an end to QB recruiting for 2016. 

M-Dog

February 13th, 2015 at 9:05 AM ^

If you are a pro-style QB, what programs are the "it" destination for you?  In other words, who is our main competition for the kind of QBs that Jim Harbaugh is going to go after?

Certainly schools like USC, Alabama, Georgis, Stanford.  Who else is at the top for Pro-style QBs?  

I would have to think with the hire of Jim Harbaugh, we are in the top five.  The fact that top Pro-style QBs are recruiting us, seems to verify this.

I'll admit I am a little nervous about a Pro-style offense because of past DeBordian sins, but I know that Jim Harbaugh does not run your father's Pro-style offense.  A definite advantage is that it gives you the pick of the cream of the Pro-style crop as more of college football moves to running spreads.  Jim Tressel would have recruited these guys, but I did not see any offers from Urban Meyer.   

Magnus

February 13th, 2015 at 9:08 AM ^

I think you hit most of them, although I might throw Duke in there because of David Cutcliffe. You also have to consider Wisconsin, which hasn't produced a ton of quarterbacks but does put you in a position to line up under center, work on your dropbacks, etc.

Magnus

February 13th, 2015 at 9:58 AM ^

He was previously committed and told that the staff would continue to recruit him, so I thought it would only be fair to include him.

That being said, I do not expect him to re-commit to Michigan, and I (like many others) have always thought that we could find a better QB for the 2016 class. His decommitment is a blessing in disguise, in my opinion.

EGD

February 13th, 2015 at 10:22 AM ^

Michigan really had turned into (pro-style) Quarterback U for a while toward the end of Carr's tenure.  Scott Loeffler was a very highly-regarded QB coach, and M had a raft of QBs in the League: established starters like Grbac, Collins, Griese, and Brady, fringe guys like Dreisbach and Navarre, and I don't know how you classify Henson.  It was really paying dividends on the recruiting front: Henne was a big-time recruit in the 2004 class, Mallet was another in 2006, and even some of the backups we'd signed during that era were pretty highly touted (Matt Gutierrez, Clayton Richard).   

I realize that all went away with Rich Rod's arrival, but I am optimistic that Harbaugh can get us right back to that status pretty quickly.

Danwillhor

February 13th, 2015 at 2:55 PM ^

but just realized that we had two major prospects choose baseball over us at some point in their career (Henson & the Big lefty in Richard). Then, many forget Gutz in the Henne years because of a random shoulder injury but that guy was REALLY good before he got hurt & never rebounded eslewhere. IIRC, he went to MD out west so not losing wasn't a huge deal but he not only never lost a HS game at QB but supposedly he'd never lost a game at QB on any level until he transferred out of UM at age 20ish. Carr & his old HS coach RAVED about the guys leadership/intangibles. Never had the chance to say it but I think Carr would say he was like another Brady. Then, IIRC, he was Brady's backup in NE for a year. That seems so recent but.....isn't......& I'm barely 30.

Magnus

February 13th, 2015 at 4:47 PM ^

Gutierrez went to Concord (CA) De La Salle and then transferred to Idaho State after Michigan. I, too, think he would have been a good quarterback for Michigan if not for his shoulder injury. If that injury doesn't happen, it's him throwing all those touchdown passes to Braylon Edwards in 2004, not Chad Henne. Who knows what would have changed?

Laser Wolf

February 13th, 2015 at 9:28 AM ^

Fantastic overview, Magnus. While Eason is the clear frontrunner in the class, Costello possibly bringing Crawford, Howard and Long in tow could be a major coup.

michiganfanforlife

February 13th, 2015 at 9:33 AM ^

I also enjoy visiting your site and I like how objective your reports are. I live in Indiana - should I go check the kid at Avon out this year? Also, if you got to pick your two favorites regardless of who's coaching them who would they be?

Magnus

February 13th, 2015 at 10:19 AM ^

If it's not too far out of your way, yeah, go ahead and check him out. He's a good high school quarterback, and who knows? You might see him on TV some day and be able to say that you watched him play in high school.

My two personal favorites after watching them are Eason (because he's really good) and Haskins (because he's so smooth).

Magnus

February 13th, 2015 at 11:15 AM ^

Georgia went really hard after him, and as a pro-style quarterback, Georgia has done a good job of producing those kinds of guys in recent years. If you look at Matthew Stafford and then Aaron Murray, those guys have been record setters, Stafford was a high draft pick, etc. Plus it's a chance to play in the SEC, where most of the teams are running some sort of spread element in their game.