Most Michigan fans assume that Shea Patterson is going to be the guy at quarterback but he's definitely not being handed the gig. Redshirt sophomore Dylan McCaffrey and second-year man Joe Milton are going to push Patterson all spring and potentially into the fall. New U-M quarterbacks coach Ben McDaniels talked about how the reps are being divided among the three and beyond so far this spring.
"They’re being shared amongst among a lot of the quarterbacks but Shea, Joe and Dylan are getting equal reps and they’re all fighting after it," McDaniels said. "Brandon [Peters] is getting reps and Cade [McNamara] is getting reps. It’s the spring. You want to see everybody take snaps and they all are certainly getting snaps."
With talks of U-M's offense shifting more toward run-pass option plays and zone read concepts Patterson looks like a more natural fit because of what he ran while at Ole Miss. McDaniels wouldn't quite agree to Patterson being the best suited to run that offense but he didn't deny that he's looked good so far this spring.
"I don’t know if he's a better fit or not but I just know he’s excited about what we have going on," McDaniels said. "He’s part of a quarterback room that is working hard and really excited to dig into the spring, be on the field and now practice — real football. It's not just talking about it in the building. Shea is excited and I’m excited for him."
McCaffrey is coming off of a collarbone injury that cut his season short last year but is back to full strength. McDaniels has only been dealing with the quarterbacks on a full time basis for a while and can't even tell that McCaffrey ever missed a beat.
"I wouldn’t say that there’s been anything that you would notice," McDaniels said of McCaffrey. "I don’t there was any curve there for him as he progressed through his rehab. He did a great job through rehab and he’s looked good to start the spring."
Milton also brings something to the table as the most physically gifted quarterback on the roster. He's likely still figuring things out behind McCaffrey and Patterson but he's got a lot of skills that could be exciting in U-M's new offensive scheme. However it shakes out, Michigan appears to be in great shape under McDaniels and with the aforementioned trio getting after it.
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