I watched every snap of Michigan football this past season and I personally felt that there should have been no concrete answer at the quarterback position coming into the 2014 college football season. Devin Gardner is decent, but had done little to convince me that he earned the job for his senior season. Apparently, head coach Brady Hoke is on the same page as me.
Per ESPN.com, the starting quarterback job will be up for grabs when the Wolverines open spring practice on the 25th of this month. Sophomore Shane Morris impressed in his first start at the Buffalo Wild Wings bowl, and it appears he is the main competition for Gardner moving forward.
“I thought [Morris] did a really good job of being composed. He did a great job with his preparation and I thought he represented himself well in that game,” Hoke told mlive.com. “I think he probably surprised some people with how athletic he is. … He surprised me even a little bit.
“The way he prepared I thought was really good. The way he performed, first time out being the starting quarterback, [was really good]. Are there things he needs to do better? Yes. Are there things he did well? Yes.”
We’ll see if Gardner has improved any since last season but I would personally have no issue with Shane Morris getting an extended look in spring practice. Being around the program and hearing the rumbles, I know that winning this season is imperative to Hoke’s job security. He’ll go with the quarterback that gives him the best shot to do so.