Michigan message boards are buzzing with a potential answer to a quarterback question that continues to pop up with each season heading into Jim Harbaugh's fourth year in Ann Arbor:
Will Shea Patterson be the answer for the Wolverines in 2018?
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Patterson on Monday announced he will transfer to Michigan. Ole Miss players have been granted the right to transfer without restrictions, given the NCAA penalties levied against the program, and Patterson expects to be eligible in 2018 according to a report from the Toledo Blade's Kyle Rowland.
— Shea Patterson (@SheaPatterson_1) December 11, 2017
This lines up, and it's reasonable to believe Patterson will be competing for the starting job heading into Harbaugh's fourth season. That leads to the second question:
Is this a good idea?
Yes. We can't say it enough. This isn't a just good idea — it's a great idea.
Patterson is a five-star quarterback with play-making ability who has 3,139 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions over 10 games the past two seasons. Michigan quarterbacks Wilton Speight, John O'Korn and Brandon Peters combine for 2,023 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. Patterson is an upgrade at the position.
Where is the downside? Here are three things Patterson's potential arrive would create in Ann Arbor.
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Depth
Why did Michigan go 8-4 this season? Harbaugh was forced to start three different three different quarterbacks, and none of those quarterbacks settled into the starting job. Peters, who will be a redshirt sophomore, showed the most promise in 2016.
If Patterson wins the job, he'd be eligible for two seasons — meaning Peters has the most to lose. Peters can at least make an opening statement in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1.
Michigan also has redshirt freshman Dylan McCaffrey, along with incoming recruits Kevin Doyle and Joe Milton arriving on campus. Even if one of those freshmen decide not to commit and Peters or McCaffrey transfers, Michigan has depth at the position.
Competition
Harbaugh won't just hand the starting job over to Patterson. We know the “meritocracy” speech by now. No matter what, the Wolverines will have a quarterback competition for the fourth consecutive season.
Jake Rudock won the job over Shane Morris in 2015, and Speight beat out O'Korn the last two seasons. There was uncertainty at the position each year, and no clear-cut answer. The lesson?
Michigan should have a starter in place heading into fall camp, considering the Wolverines open at Notre Dame on Sept. 1.
Development
One knock on Harbaugh during his three years at Michigan would be that he has had no clear-cut quarterback. He has relied on transfers such as Rudock and O'Korn and Speight, who was a Brady Hoke recruit. Peters is the first Harbaugh recruit to get significant time at quarterback.
Would Patterson disrupt that? Who cares? If he's the best option as a starter for two seasons and is eligible to play right away, then there isn't a good reason to pass that up. Consider this, too: Speight was recruited by Al Borges but worked with two different offensive coordinators in Doug Nussmeier and Tim Drevno, and two more passing game coordinators in Jedd Fisch and Pep Hamilton.
Incoming quarterbacks might have more stability in coaching. Continuity there would help.
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Best chance to win
It's about which quarterback gives Michigan the best chance to win in a prove-it year that features road games at Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State, along with home showdowns against Wisconsin, Nebraska and Penn State.
Patterson fits that description, especially when you consider Michigan will be a much more experienced team in 2018.
For the Wolverines, it's about catching Big Ten champion Ohio State and Urban Meyer, who has a 6-0 record in The Game. With Patterson, Michigan's depth at quarterback is at least comparable to Ohio State's stable of Dwayne Haskins, Joe Burrow, Tate Martell and incoming freshman Emory Jones. There isn't a lot of game experience on either side, and that's what will make the rivalry intriguing next year when it moves to Columbus.
But make no mistake, quarterback has been the difference in The Game for over a decade. With Patterson, Michigan would have the more experienced quarterback of the two schools for once. That was made clear one more time in a 31-20 loss this season. O'Korn missed wide-open throws. Haskins pinch-hit for J.T. Barrett and delivered a victory.
That might give the Wolverines a chance to accomplish some goals that haven't been met in the Harbaugh era.
Remember, Michigan hasn't won a Big Ten championship since 2004. The Wolverines haven't won a national championship since 1997, and Harbaugh's inability to finish higher than third in the Big Ten East is the most frequently submitted criticism on social media. That's why the message boards are buzzing.
Patterson is an answer for Michigan at quarterback. With him, they might be ready for something more.
