Redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Milton will undoubtedly be the starter for the Michigan Wolverines’ football team this fall, having presumably beat out redshirt junior Dylan McCaffrey prior to the latter’s transfer.
The sample size on the field has been small for Milton during his two years in Ann Arbor, with only 11 career pass attempts under his belt. All reports out of practice, however, have indicated that Milton has taken a massive step forward not only from an on-field perspective, but also in his maturity and leadership qualities.
U-M offensive coordinator Josh Gattis echoed that exact sentiment on a zoom call this afternoon with reporters.
“If you asked me who the most improved players on the team are, I’d like to throw Joe into that mix,” Gattis revealed. “It’s not just from a physical standpoint, but leadership-wise and learning the offense as well.
"He’s blessed with a tremendous skill set with his arm and accuracy; he has every throw in the bag, plus an extra club you don’t necessarily need to carry all the time. I’d like to credit [quarterbacks] Coach [Ben] McDaniels and Coach [Jim] Harbaugh and the way they’ve developed that position.
“The spot was a little scary for us, losing a starter from last year [in Shea Patterson]. I challenged our guys going into the offseason to step up and lead the team, and [redshirt freshman] Cade [McNamara] and Joe have displayed a tremendous ability as leaders.
“Joe makes ‘wow plays’ every single day that would be ‘wow plays’ on Sundays as well. The biggest growth he’s shown has been his pocket presence — at 6-5, he can see over the top of guys.
“Joe worked out with people this offseason, both with [former U-M quarterback] Devin Gardner and in his hometown with his high school coach. He spent some time at offensive professional quarterback workouts and has used all kinds of avenues to get better.
"Joe has taken things perceived as negatives and turned them into positives.”
Gattis revealed the coaches have also placed a new responsibility on the plates of Michigan’s 2020 quarterbacks, one that is seemingly crucial but oddly wasn’t present on Patterson’s job list last season.
“Our quarterbacks have to be able to understand coverages and now play a part in our protection game,” he revealed. “They’re now involved in protection pickups, which is something we didn’t ask them to be involved in in the past.
“You’re always teaching so fast with spring football and training camp, but we were able to take our time this year and really use that to our advantage.”
Gattis was also asked if the offense will change at all with Milton now running the show, and he confirmed it won’t. He made it clear the U-M coaches aren’t going to simplify the offense just because there is a new signal-caller at the helm.
The cancellation of spring ball and the delay of fall camp has also allowed both Milton and McNamara to make tremendous strides, with Gattis stating numerous times today how pleased he’s been with the poise they’ve shown.
“Both Cade and Joe had some big-time throws yesterday,” the offensive coordinator noted. “They’ve had guys in their face and still deliver shots downfield. If you’re a defensive coach, you just say there’s nothing you can do to defend it because the ball placement is in the right place at the right time, or it’s over the top of the defenders.
“Both guys have done an exceptional job making those ‘wow throws.’”
Milton, in particular, has always been known for his cannon of an arm, with touch and accuracy not necessarily being present during the limited game action he’s received at Michigan.
“All our guys have all five fingers,” Gattis laughed when asked about the touch Milton has had on his passes in practice. “His accuracy has been exceptional. He knows how to throw a catchable ball.
"Joe has maintained the power with his arm though — he’s thrown three balls 70 yards in practice, though it’s hard to track a ball that far. He’s had pin-point accuracy on the throws and we’ve told the receivers not to stop running.
"Both he and Cade are right alongside each other in terms of the ‘wow throws’ they’ve made.”
The consistent praise for Milton from Gattis today wasn’t surprising, but the frequent references of how much McNamara has improved was a pleasant eye-opener. Serving as the clear backup to Milton, the redshirt freshman will need to be ready to go at a moment’s notice this season if anything happens to the redshirt sophomore starter.
“We don’t play with a game manager — we play with a true quarterback,” Gattis confirmed when asked if McNamara falls into the former category. “Cade has made as many big-time throws as Joe has, and knows how to anticipate throws and play on time.
"The first four days we came back, Cade was in a bit of a funk. He was in freshman mode where he was used to being on the scout team and not getting full speed reps. On about Day 5, I saw him make a throw in practice and hit it, and he nodded three times like he was playing a song in his head.
“Ever since then, he’s been on fire. Cade has gotten that mental confidence you need. He didn’t get many reps his redshirt year, throwing against the scout team defense. He didn’t have a spring ball to get ready and has now eased himself into this camp, and has done an amazing job.”
Notes
• Harbaugh has seldom named starters publicly heading into each of his five seasons at Michigan, especially at quarterback. Milton is the clear-cut favorite to win the job this fall, and Gattis was asked this afternoon if the club will deem him as the starter in a public manner prior to the Oct. 24 opener at Minnesota.
“That’s a little bit over my head because it’s Coach Harbaugh’s decision," he laughed. "Our competition is going very well and we’re keeping our quarterback battle open. We haven’t named starters in our building yet — I can’t even tell you who’s going to start at receiver.
"That’s across the board and I don’t think we’ll name any starters until the first game.”
• Gattis admitted today Michigan's quarterback room is now a little 'thin' in the wake of McCaffrey's transfer, but nevertheless wasn't about to take shots or criticize the redshirt junior when asked about his departure.
“We support all of our players and whatever decisions they make," the offensive coordinator said. "We’re focusing on the guys we have on our roster, but we still love and support Dylan.
"Every young man has a decision they have to make, and we get it. These are challenging times. It’s our job as coaches to support them 100 percent in whatever they choose.
"It’s the same with Dylan or [senior wideout] Nico [Collins] or [redshirt sophomore right tackle] Jalen [Mayfield] — we’ve had guys opt out. It’s just part of these times we’re in right now.”
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Listen and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Sign up for our newsletter, The Wolverine Now
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW, @AustinFox42, @JB_ Wolverine, Clayton Sayfie and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook
