Gardner’s Time at Michigan

By Guest Writer Doug Ammon:

This time last year Devin Gardner was a second, sometimes third string wide receiver for the Michigan Wolverines. Gardner played quarterback throughout his high school years but when he arrived at Michigan he played sparingly because of the emergence of Denard Robinson. Playing less then 20 snaps in his first two years at the program Gardner figured his athletic attributes may be better suited at different position. Like Robinson, Gardner was a duel threat quarterback coming out of high school, more of a runner then a passer but someone that always wanted the ball in his hands. He figured that he could at least help at receiver, and still gain the Michigan football experience he desired.

Fast forward to the middle of last season, Robinson and his back up Russell Bellomy were both injured leaving a massive void at the quarterback position. The coaching staff turned to their then slot receiver Devin Gardner and asked him to step back into the role of quarterback. Gardner had faith in himself but had to relearn the entire quarterback playbook in a short period of time. The coaching staff put Gardner through a crash course of coordinator Al Borges’s offensive scheme, basically teaching Gardner the intricacies of the offense on the fly.

Gardner was able to perform well enough to get the Wolverines to a bowl game last year, the Outback Bowl where they played the mighty South Carolina defense. Michigan lost the Outback Bowl but Gardner put up some impressive numbers, going 18-for-36 with 214 yards passing and three touchdowns. More importantly they moved the ball well and Gardner appeared to be in complete command of the offense. The receiver had become a real collegiate quarterback.

Now, with a new season ahead the Wolverines are Gardner’s team. He has had a complete off-season to work with coaches, and the playbook to learn its in’s and out’s. His teammates say that Gardner is a true control freak when it comes to playing QB. He spends countless hours fine-tuning his game both in the film room and on the field making sure that he is in total command of what he is doing. The coaching staff even expanded the playbook for the upcoming season because of Gardner’s vast knowledge of the previous playbook.

Looking to the season ahead Gardner and the Wolverines should have a fairly methodical road to the Big Ten championship, which should be the team’s ultimate goal. Their schedule shapes up nicely as they do have to travel to Penn State but get Notre Dame and Ohio State at home. If the season plays out like the Wolverines would like it to we could see Michigan-Ohio State on back to back weekends, a tantalizing viewing experience for any college football fan.

Ultimately, the success of the Wolverines will come down to Devin Gardner. He is the driving force behind the offense, and he will be required to use all his athletic gifts to make the Michigan offense flow. No one is more excited about this than Gardner himself who relishes in the fact that he is now the official, flat-out, starting quarterback of the University of Michigan football team. He has put in the work now its time to see if he can produce on the field for an entire season, if he can Michigan will be a fascinating team to watch this season.

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