Michigan Wolverines

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Devin Gardner has spent some time over the past few weeks working with a private quarterbacks coach, George Whitfield Jr.

As long as he doesn’t come back with any poor habits, Michigan offensive coordinator Al Borges is fine with that.

“I don’t really encourage it or discourage it,” Borges said. “I don’t want too much of it. Once they are here, we want them coached by the guys who are going to coach them.

“But guys are using that in the offseason because we can’t coach them.”

Borges knows Whitfield -- although he has not talked to him about Gardner -- and that has made him more comfortable with his starting quarterback staying fresh by working with an off-site guru.

Part of why Borges is fine with Gardner working with someone else comes from the fact that Borges can’t work with him at all right now because of NCAA rules. Meanwhile, Gardner wants to stay sharp as he enters his first full season as a starter.

Hence the trip to work with Whitfield.

“I don’t blame him,” Borges said. “His ambition is exciting.”

Borges has much to be excited about these days. He gets his second healthy scholarship quarterback on campus next week in freshman Shane Morris. The Warren, Mich., native has had the playbook for a while and has been to many Michigan practices since his commitment almost two years ago.

He has also worked with Borges at various camps over the past two seasons, which has given Morris a sliver of an idea of how he’ll be coached at Michigan.

“He’s not a complete neophyte,” Borges said. “But by the same token, he has not played college football and there will be some growing pains with that.”

But will Michigan find a third scholarship quarterback? The Wolverines are still looking but it appears to be less likely than before.

Borges, speaking after an hour-long stint on the Mott Hospital Takeover on WTKA-AM in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Friday, had a laundry list of things any sort of quarterback transfer would have to do to even reach Michigan. Graduation. Fitting in chemistry-wise. Having played in a similar system -- even if verbiage is different -- is also paramount.

There aren't many quarterbacks who can fit that description, especially ones who must understand the chances of them starting is minimal.

“At the end of the day,” Borges said, “that likelihood isn’t that great.”

Michigan coach Brady Hoke discusses his comments about Notre Dame's decision to end its series with the Wolverines after the 2014 season and more on Thursday's Mike & Mike on ESPN Radio.

Michigan should be pretty pleased by what it saw Thursday, when the Big Ten released the 2014 conference football schedule.

The Wolverines knew before the schedule was released they would be in the tougher division with Ohio State, Michigan State and Penn State. They likely knew they would be going on the road against Ohio State because that was what was due in the league’s top rivalry.

But as far as the rest of the schedule, Michigan can rejoice. No Wisconsin. No Nebraska. And for at least another season, the Brown Jug rivalry against Minnesota will endure.

Sure, there are three difficult road games -- Ohio State along with Michigan State and Northwestern -- but those games are all spaced out fairly well.

Michigan has a bye before Michigan State on Oct. 25. It has a break of a home game against Indiana between the Spartans and Northwestern on Nov. 8. And it then has a bye and Maryland before the finale against the Buckeyes on Nov. 29.

Yes, Michigan’s road slate is stronger than its home one -- add the last Notre Dame game for a while in the non-conference -- but it is manageable. There are not back-to-back weeks with rivalry games. There is not a single situation where Michigan will play two weeks in a row on the road.

Complete 2014 Michigan schedule

Aug. 30: Appalachian State
Sept. 6: at Notre Dame
Sept. 13: Miami (Ohio)
Sept. 20: Utah
Sept. 27: Minnesota
Oct. 4: at Rutgers
Oct. 11: Penn State
Oct. 18: Idle
Oct. 25: at Michigan State
Nov. 1: Indiana
Nov. 8: at Northwestern
Nov. 15: Idle
Nov. 22: Maryland
Nov. 29: at Ohio State
Dec. 6: Big Ten title game

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Two years ago, Michigan and Virginia Tech played in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The programs announced on Thursday that they will play again -- next decade.

The Wolverines and Hokies agreed to a home-and-home deal, playing at Michigan Stadium on Sept. 19, 2020, and at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va., on Sept. 11, 2021.

“I am pleased that [Michigan athletic director] Dave Brandon and I have been able to work out this agreement,” Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver said in a statement. “Michigan is the winningest college football program in the country, and it will be exciting to have the Wolverines come to Lane Stadium.”

It will be the first time the teams will play during the regular season. Michigan beat Virginia Tech, 23-20, in the 2012 Sugar Bowl. After having never played a Big Ten team in the regular season, the Hokies now have three scheduled for the future: Ohio State in 2014 and a home-and-home with Wisconsin beginning in 2016.

2012 record: 8-5

2012 conference record: 6-2

Returning starters: Offense: 6; defense: 6; kicker/punter: 3

Top returners:

QB Devin Gardner, WR Jeremy Gallon, TE Devin Funchess, LT Taylor Lewan, RT Michael Schofield, DT Quinton Washington, LB Desmond Morgan, LB Jake Ryan, CB Raymon Taylor, S Thomas Gordon

Key losses

QB Denard Robinson, WR Roy Roundtree, OG Patrick Omameh, C Elliott Mealer, DE Craig Roh, DT William Campbell, LB Kenny Demens, CB J.T. Floyd, S Jordan Kovacs

2012 statistical leaders

Rushing: Denard Robinson (1,266 yards)

Passing: Denard Robinson (1,319 yards)

Receiving: Jeremy Gallon* (829 yards)

Tackles: Jake Ryan* (88)

Sacks: Jake Ryan* (4.0)

Interceptions: Thomas Gordon* and Raymon Taylor* (2)

Spring answers

1. Defensive line fine: Michigan had to replace a four-year starter in Craig Roh as well as defensive tackle Will Campbell up front. It doesn’t seem like it will be an issue. Michigan has a potential star in Frank Clark at rush end as well as depth at the position with Mario Ojemudia and Taco Charlton. Keith Heitzman, for now, seems to have locked up a spot at strong side end, but there is a lot of talent there, too. The Wolverines have depth at all four spots and while competitions will continue into the fall, Michigan should be able to rotate at defensive coordinator Greg Mattison’s leisure.

2. Devin Gardner’s progression: After the way he played toward the end of last season, there was not much doubt about Gardner as the starter, but Michigan’s coaches appear happy with his growth throughout the offseason. He has developed as a quarterback the way the coaching staff has liked, and this is even more critical because he is the only healthy scholarship quarterback until Shane Morris arrives next month. Gardner's teammates believe in him and he is setting up for a big year.

3. Tight end weapons: Michigan still doesn’t have great depth at tight end, but what the Wolverines do have is a young group of guys who will become big targets for Gardner as the position evolves into a more featured role. Devin Funchess could have a breakout sophomore season and Jake Butt has a similar skill set. A.J. Williams slimmed down as well, perhaps turning him into more than just an extra blocker.

Fall questions

1. Who runs the ball: Michigan was never going to be able to answer this question in the spring with Fitzgerald Toussaint coming off a broken leg and freshmen Derrick Green and Deveon Smith still not on campus. But none of the running backs who participated in spring made a lasting impression on the coaches, meaning if he is healthy, Toussaint will likely receive the first chance at winning the job in the fall.

2. Can Jake Ryan be replaced: Michigan seems confident with its grouping of Brennen Beyer and Cam Gordon at strongside linebacker, but part of what made Ryan Michigan’s best defender was his ability to instinctively be around the ball. Whether or not Beyer or Gordon can do that in games remains to be seen. If the combination of those two can approximate that, Michigan’s defense should be fine.

3. Can the interior of the line hold up: Michigan is replacing both of its guards and its center. While the combination of redshirt sophomore Jack Miller at center and redshirt freshmen Ben Braden and Kyle Kalis at guard has a ton of talent, none have taken a meaningful snap in a game before. How they mesh with returning tackles Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield, along with how they connect with each other on combination blocks on the inside, could determine not only Michigan’s running success this fall, but also how many games the Wolverines win in Brady Hoke’s third season.

BRISTOL, Conn. -- Denard Robinson set all sorts of records at Michigan. He became the NCAA's career quarterback rushing leader. He broke multiple school records.

And throughout a tumultuous three years for Rich Rodriguez in Ann Arbor, he and his former left tackle Taylor Lewan are often looked at as bright spots during that time frame. Along the way, Robinson turned into a Michigan cultural icon with his shoelaces untied and dreadlocks flapping in the wind as he raced past defenders the past four seasons.

Robinson caught up with WolverineNation at ESPN Headquarters in Bristol, Conn., last week to discuss his career.

(Read full post)

Denard Robinson is heading back to Florida.

The former Michigan quarterback was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 135th pick in the 2013 NFL draft, the second pick in the fifth round.

The interesting thing is his projected position in Jacksonville. He played quarterback in college and was looked at as a wide receiver during a lot of pre-draft workouts. The Jaguars' Twitter account says they selected him as a running back from Michigan.

Robinson now continues to make the transition from record-setting spread option quarterback to professional hybrid -- something started when he aggravated the ulnar nerve in his right elbow against Nebraska on Oct. 27, 2012. Robinson sat for two games and returned in a role as a hybrid receiver, running back, quarterback with Devin Gardner as Michigan’s starter.

His healing process has been slow. He struggled to grip a football throughout the remainder of his Michigan career and early on in his professional transition. In his college career, he caught three passes for 31 yards.

Robinson set the NCAA record for career quarterback rushing yards with 4,495 and was the first player in FBS history to pass for 2,500 yards and rush for 1,500 yards in the same season in 2010.

He finished his Michigan career second in rushing yards, behind only Mike Hart, and third in career rushing touchdowns with 42. He is fourth in Michigan history in passing yards with 6,250 and fourth in touchdown passes with 49.

He has more total yards than any Michigan player, with 10,769, and scored 91 total touchdowns, more than any other Wolverine.

Robinson chose Michigan over Florida and UCF in his recruiting process. Robinson and Taylor Lewan are two of the better prospects former Wolverines coach Rich Rodriguez signed during his three years at Michigan.

Michigan went without a selection in the first three rounds of the NFL draft for only the fifth time since 1970 -- joining 1976, 1989, 2006 and 2009. The Wolverines went without a pick in the first four rounds for the first time since the 1968 NFL/AFL draft, when Rocky Roesma went to the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth round.

Other stories on Robinson:

• An oral history of how Robinson landed at Michigan
• Denard Robinson's legacy at Michigan
• Robinson doesn't receive the storybook finale
• Robinson transitions to Gardner on senior day

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Desmond Morgan spent two years fully on the outside, playing out of the comfort of the position he has known his entire life, having to learn a lot of nuances for the first time.

Instead of controlling things from the middle, he would be on the outside, sometimes matched up against speedier, shiftier slot receivers and regular wide receivers. In high school, he often had been bracketed by other linebackers. Here, for his freshman and sophomore seasons, he was in space.

Then Kenny Demens graduated and Morgan moved to the middle.

The move to middle linebacker suits Morgan, who had played there extensively in high school before coming to Michigan. But when he arrived in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines had Demens in the middle and while they liked the freshman, he wasn’t going to replace him in the middle.

Morgan’s move to the middle also coincides with the emergence of sophomore James Ross III on the weak side. Ross III had been pushing Morgan for playing time last season as a freshman and with a spot open, the shift made sense.

It has worked.

“Playing in space is something I definitely had to adjust to my first two years here because I wasn’t used to that in high school. I was more of an in the box kind of guy,” Morgan said. “Going back over to MIKE, I kind of feel a little bit more comfortable in a sense because of that.

“During the spring, it’s been an adjustment but it was something I kind of grew up playing.”

Morgan played exclusively in the middle this spring along with Joe Bolden. Ross III and Royce Jenkins-Stone played at the weak side. In many ways, the positions are similar and Michigan has stressed having guys who can learn both positions to aid in flexibility for different personnel groups and in case there are injuries.

There are differences, though.

Morgan will now have more pass coverage assignments against running backs and tight ends instead of receivers. He’ll have different responsibilities against the run after an 81-tackle, 5.5-tackle for loss season a year ago.

The biggest change will be in how much the 6-foot-1, 227-pound junior has to talk. He didn’t have to do much at all with Demens in the middle his first two seasons. Now, it is on him.

“Desmond showed what we’re looking for at the linebacker position in being more vocal, getting everybody set,” defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said. “His footwork has improved a great deal. His strength. He’s just starting to understand more and more what we expect from a linebacker.

“The next step for him has got to become a better blitzer. He has to beat somebody one-on-one when he’s blitzing.”

On the outside, especially with Jordan Kovacs coming down in run support as well the past two seasons, he didn’t need to do that as much. In the middle, he’ll be expected to add that to his abilities.

The key, though, is communication. If Morgan can’t get everyone set, the Michigan defense will be in trouble.

“You have to understand the game and understand the defense and what is trying to be accomplished and what the defensive coordinator is coaching,” Demens told WolverineNation earlier this year. “What we install, every time we install a defense, I’d ask coach Mattison what he was thinking with the defense, whether it was run or pass against this defense.

“He would tell me pass and I could lean on that and make the other guys on the defense aware it was going to be pass. Nine times out of 10, coach Mattison is right.”

That was the role Demens took over when Mattison and Brady Hoke arrived at Michigan. Now, for the Wolverines to have success in 2013, Morgan will have to understand those things just as well.

Michigan coach Brady Hoke discusses the state of Michigan football, the impact of linebacker Jake Ryan's injury and the emergence of quarterback Devin Gardner.