Go back the past decade of quarterbacks who have played for Michigan and the list is long. While I didn’t touch on EVERY quarterback that has played at least a snap in Ann Arbor, I focused more on the ones who appeared in double-digit games and did more than just come in to kneel or hand the ball off to the running back.

The number is nine and while nine isn’t a lot, for 10 years that is an average of one quarterback per year, and while we know that isn’t true, it has been for the past four years at least for the Wolverines.

The last great quarterback for Michigan was Chad Henne from 2004 to 2007. He was a solid starting quarterback who helped Michigan win a Big Ten title in 2004, tying with Iowa before there was a championship game that would decide the true winner. He broke records and still leads the university in career completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns.

The way he was a leader for his team and this school was impressive and while his NFL career hasn’t been stellar like another Michigan quarterback, Tom Brady, he still left a huge impact on the Wolverines during his four years at the school.

Here are the quarterbacks that have played for Michigan since Henne left and what they did for the team.

Things started out rough after Henne left as head coach Lloyd Carr retired and in came Rich Rodriguez to keep Michigan relevant. He did the opposite of that. With quarterbacks like Nick Sheridan and Steven Threet, Michigan was unsuccessful in winning games, going 3-9 in 2008.

2009 saw Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson debut and while Robinson did appear in 12 games that year, it was mostly for running plays as Forcier was the starter and had more of an arm compared to Robinson, Michigan would finish that year 5-7.

2010 we saw Forcier lose his starting job to Robinson and Robinson never looked back. Now when you are talking about solid quarterbacks at Michigan, Robinson is never brought up as one of the best. While he was a great leader and teammate, his throwing ability just wasn’t as good as his running skills and that is what made Robinson special. His speed and quickness were what got him the starting job and while he did lead the team to a bowl game, they would lose and Rodriguez was fired as head coach after a 7-6 record in 2010 and a 15-22 record in three years.

2011 rolled around and Brady Hoke was the new head coach. Things were looking up for the Wolverines as Robinson had another great year, whispers of Heisman were brought up, but were never solidified as again, Robinson was good, just not at that next level. He helped lead the team to a BCS Sugar bowl victory that year and that was the last time for years where Michigan would feel like they were on top of the world, despite not winning a national championship, finishing with an 11-2 record.

2012 saw Robinson again as the starting quarterback, but he would have to change to wide receiver due to a nerve injury in his throwing arm and he would be forced to retire from playing quarterback ever again. Michigan would finish the season 8-5 in a bowl loss to South Carolina.

2013 Devin Gardner was the starting quarterback and he played well, but the team overall wasn’t improving and fell to 7-6 as they lost to Kansas State in their bowl game.

2014 was Gardner’s last season as the starting quarterback for Michigan and it wasn’t a fun year for Wolverines fans. Michigan finished 5-7 and Hoke was fired.

2015 we saw Jim Harbaugh come back home and this is when the train of one year starting quarterbacks started for the Wolverines. It started with transfer quarterback Jake Rudock from Iowa. He helped Michigan finish with a 10-3 record, decimating Florida in their bowl game. Rudock would be a solid quarterback nobody expected to help this team and while it started off rough, he would find his groove and get fans excited for, but sadly he graduated and the position would see a new face come in.

2016 was the year of Wilton Speight at quarterback and it was Michigan’s best season in years. While they had the same record as they did in 2015, it was the ending that ruined it. Michigan choked against Iowa and a controversial call against Ohio State lost them the game and then they lost to Florida State in the Orange Bowl, without Jabrill Peppers and losing starting tight end Jake Butt to a torn ACL during the game.

2017 fans were happy with Speight and his performance, eager to see him return and after suffering a back injury against Purdue, Speight never would play again and the reigns were passed to John O’Korn. O’Korn saw playing time in 2016 when Speight was mildly banged up and in games where Michigan rested its starters later in the game. O’Korn was hyped up as another good transfer quarterback, this time from Houston, but in reality, it just never worked out well for O’Korn and he would later get benched for Brandon Peters and the team finished with an 8-5 record

2018 was supposed to be Speight’s return year since O’Korn graduated, but with rumors of Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson transferring to Michigan, Speight transferred to UCLA and Patterson transferred to Michigan. So far Patterson has done well for Michigan and Michigan is ranked 6th in the AP polls and is 6-1 heading into their matchup against Michigan State.

What Patterson has done in just seven games so far this season has surpassed what a majority of those quarterbacks since Henne have done in their career’s at Michigan. Now it isn’t fair to compare stats as some guys haven’t played as long as others, but the only repeated starting quarterbacks at Michigan over the last 11 years have been Henne, Robinson, Gardner, and Speight.

Speight didn’t play two full seasons due to injury, but Patterson has done better than Speight has. Speight had a great defense like Patterson does and while Speight might have the stronger arm, Patterson can keep plays alive with his feet and scramble, as Speight was more of a pocket passer.

Gardner and Robinson didn’t have the defense that Patterson has, so they were forced to play differently and were put in tougher situations, situations where they had to go out there and put up points and with not much help from the running game either, the game was on their hands, Patterson doesn’t have that type of pressure.

Robinson and Gardner are also dual-threat quarterbacks, and while Patterson can run well and keep plays alive with his legs, his main focus isn’t to run like it was with Robinson or have plays lined up like a QB draw to just run up the gut like with Gardner.

Patterson is reaching the ceiling of Henne and while some believe that Patterson will leave after the 2018 season to go to the NFL Draft, Patterson hasn’t been playing at that elite level to risk leaving for the NFL. The upcoming QB class is weak, and it could make Patterson look better, but coming back another year could do a lot for Patterson.

But draft talk isn’t the focus here, it’s being the best quarterback Michigan has had in a decade. Winning big games is what Patterson still has to do. He is 1-1 in big games this season, losing on the road to Notre Dame, but winning at home against Wisconsin. He has three guarantee big games left, against MSU, Penn State, and Ohio State. If Patterson can perform well in those three games, give the Wolverines a shot at the Big Ten Championship, and a College Football Playoff Appearance, possibly winning it all, he can cement his legacy above Henne and be one of the best quarterbacks to ever play at Michigan.

Patterson has shown leadership, good decision making, and poise since coming to Ann Arbor. Again, it helps that he has a solid defense to back him up, an improving offensive line that gives him plenty of time to make decisions, wide receivers who can make big plays, and running backs that can find the hole and break out for a big touchdown.

Michigan has all the right pieces this season but Patterson is the golden piece the Wolverines have needed for years. Harbaugh hasn’t had a better quarterback than Patterson, despite Rudock’s impressive 2015 season, he just isn’t at the same level as Patterson is. If you throw any of these other quarterbacks onto this team, for some you have a worse record, others the same, but the confidence this team has would be different if say Robinson was the quarterback, or Rudock, or Speight.

Patterson has just been the perfect fit for Harbaugh and what this university has needed. Now whether he stays another year or not is another conversation, as this team could be having another new starting quarterback in 2019, but Patterson has shown in just seven games that he IS a difference maker on this team and he can certainly lead this team to the promise land of winning it all and bringing Michigan back to a force to be reckoned with in college football.