Shea Patterson to Michigan: Five Talking Points

SHEA PATTERSON IS REALLY GOOD AT FOOTBALL...

The level of talent he brings to the field is undeniable. Throwing on the run, making big plays out of nothing, using his strong arm to stretch defenses...I hear the term “a bigger Johnny Manziel” thrown around and that’s not a bad thing at the college level. He wasn’t a five-star, top QB in the nation for nothing.

HOWEVER. Why go after Shea when some observers compared his pocket presence to Tate Forcier? Or was that just because of the terrible Ole Miss offensive line that forced Shea to scramble for his life?

BUT WE DON’T KNOW IF HE WILL EVEN PLAY IN 2018 -

Everyone seems to believe the waiver will be granted by the NCAA to be eligible to play right away. But there is plenty of work to be done. If that waiver is granted, Michigan is going to have a monster quarterback competition.

THAT QB COMPETITION WILL BE INTENSE

A couple thoughts on that. First of all, Peters or McCaffrey or incoming Joe Milton might transfer or end up playing elsewhere, which would thin the competition a bit.

Second, Shea is still going to have to learn a complicated new offense, with different reads and routes. So he’s not a set-in-stone starter by any means.

But, yeah - going to be lots of competition for that starting spot. Best case scenario, Michigan has two stud QB’s (Peters, Shea) ready to play in 2018, with solid QB depth across the board. Worst case scenario, Peters or McCaffrey transfer as a screw you to Harbaugh, Shea is ruled ineligible, and Michigan is back to where it was.

QUESTIONS ABOUT HARBAUGH’S QB WHISPERING ABILITY WILL CONTINUE

Why go after Shea when you seemingly have a starter (Peters) ready to go and a highly touted backup and solid QB recruits?

What message does this send to recruits, that you’ll take a chance at disrupting team chemistry for some controversial transfers?

HARBAUGH WON ANOTHER NEWS CYCLE

Michigan fans (and many observers) of this situation view it as a huge win for the Wolverines, especially if the other Ole Miss stars decide to join Shea in Ann Arbor. Yeah, you can mock Michigan if you’d like (“why go after transfers if your recruiting is so good” “can’t develop your own recruits, mine as well pull in transfers”), but no one can argue that Greg Little and Shea Patterson aren’t legitimate high-end college football players.

But there are so many wrinkles to this situation, that we’ll be writing and arguing about the intricacies for months, so, thanks Harbaugh, you win again.