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4B - Football Saturday - September 27, 2008

September 27, 2008 - Football Saturday - 5B

TAKING THE REINS

At the NFL Scouting Combine toot
February, Adrian Arrington offered
two reasons why he was entering
the draft a year early.
Arrington, Michigan's second-
leading wide receiver last season, didn't want
to learn the spread offensive scheme under new
coach Rich Rodriguez.
Then Arrington bluntly offered his second
explanation: "There's no quarterback there right
now."
Ifoneofthetwohadn'tbeenthecase,Arrington
said he likely would have returned to Ann Arbor
for his final year of eligibility.
With Chad Henne's graduation and the trans-
fer of highly touted freshman Ryan Mallett to
Arkansas, Arrington wasn't the only person won-
dering about Michigan's quarterback situation
last spring.
And then super-recruit Terrelle Pryor chose to*
attend Ohio State in early March, and the starting
quarterback position at Michigan, the nextspot in
a legendary lineage, became a battle among three
unknowns who had a whopping one completion
between them.
For the past seven months, redshirt freshman
Steven Threet, redshirt sophomores Nick Sheri-
dan and David Cone, and even true freshman
Justin Feagin, have been put down, doubted and
made the punch line of jokes.
But no matter what the mediaor the public said
about them, one was going to be Michigan's start-
ing quarterback this season.
SECOND CHOICE
From the beginning, the odds were stacked
against Steven Threet ever playing for Michigan.
Threet came to Michigan's football camp in
June after his junior year at Adrian High School.
He went through workouts with Mallett, the five-
star prospect from Texarkana, Texas.
Unfortunately for Threet, a four-star recruit in
his own right, Mallett was Michigan's top quar-
terback target for that year's recruiting class, and
he had already committed.
"That was a great experience for him, and he'll
tell you to this day that he competed with Mallett
and was the better of the two quarterbacks," said
Phil Jacobs, Threet's coach at Adrian. -
So with Mallett already in the fold, Michigan
asked Threet to wait and see.
But with offers from a number of BCS-confer-
ence programs, including Wisconsin, Stanford,
Illinois and Georgia Tech, Threet decided not to
wait. In early July, he committed to the Yellow
Jackets.
"Steve was disappointed, because he wanted
to be a Michigan Man all along," Jacobs said. "He
fell in love with the recruiters and the position
coaches at Georgia Tech."
Threet graduated early from Adrian and
arrived at Georgia Tech in January 2007. But
soon after Threet arrived, both the coaches that
recruited him took jobs elsewhere.
Threet seemed to be Georgia Tech's backup
quarterback at the end of spring camp, behind.
then-junior Taylor Bennett. But in July of that
year, Threet announced he would transfer back to
the school he rooted for his whole life: Michigan.
He didn't take the decision to transfer lightly,

knowing it meant sitting
out a year no matter where
*he went.
Family played an impor-
tant role in Threet's deci-
sion. He talked through the
pros and cons with his father
and his older brother, Jay, who
played baseball at Purdue before
transferring to Bowling Green for
his last two seasons.
When he decided to return to
Michigan, Threet called Jacobs with
a message: " 'Coach, I'm going to go
back to Michigan, and I'm goingto beat
Mallett out for that starting job."'
UNEXPECTED COMPETITION
As it turned out, Mallett was out of the
picture before Threet even finished his red-
shirt year.
Rodriguez was hired on Dec. 18, 2007. Less
than a month later, Mallett enrolled in classes at
the University of Arkansas.
Mallett officially transferred because he
didn't think he would fit in Rodriguez's offensive
scheme, but there was speculation he wanted to
go to school closer to home.
Threet had a strong connection with former
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and his quarterbacks
coach Scot Loeffler, too. But he decided to be
patient with the transition.
"I think my experience at Georgia Tech kind
of helped me with that as well, kind of wait it out,
not be irrational about anything," Threet said.
"Let the system work. The coaches made it pretty

even if it meant toiling in relative anonymity for
four years.
"It was just the best combination of academics
and athletics that was available to me," Sheridan
said. "I couldn't pass up a place like Michigan."
Even though it seemed unlikely Sheridan would
ever see the field at Michigan, he worked as hard
as he could, improving every day and thriving on
the competition.
"What has been great for him is the fact that
he's been able to be in a program like the Uni-
versity of Michigan where the day-to-day, year-
round competition is so fierce that you can't help
but get better," Bill Sheridan said. "I'm convinced
that Nick is much better and much more devel-
oped than he ever would have been had he gone
to a Division-III school."
In fact, Sheridan had improved enough to
show Rodriguez that he had the skill set to be a
Division-I quarterback.
THE COMPETITION
In spring practice, the battle for the start-
ing quarterback spot developed into a two-man
race between Threet and Sheridan, splitting reps
equally with the first-team offense.
Threet had more size and arm strength. Sheri-
dan showed flashes of brilliance in the new
offense.
Quickly, the media threw questions at both
about the position battle. But as many tried to
square Sheridan and Threet against each other,
they only grew closer.
obvious that you don't have "It has been a difficult situation at times,",
to be the fastest guy on the Sheridan said. "Both of us badly want to play. You
team to play quarterback in put the team first. Fortunately, we're both very
this offense." unselfish and understand a bitter competition is
With Mallett gone, Threet's not going to help the team, and it's not going to
path to the starting spot was help either of us. I just try to help Steve out, and
certainly clearer. Threet had him the same for me."
even played in a similar offensive The pair spent a lot of time watching film
scheme under Jacobs at Adrian. But together over the summer, trying to understand
before the team started springrcamp, as much of Rodriguez's complex offense as they
another name popped up in conversa- could before fall camp started in early August.
tions. They developed a rapport that allowed them
At the men's basketball game against to keep their relationship light even as they com-
Ohio State in February, Rodriguez was peted for the starting job. They jokingly graded
asked about his two scholarship quarter- each other's press conference performances and
backs, Threet and Cone. took digs at each other's high school (Adrian and
The coach answered, and then he threw Saline are rivals in Michigan's Southeastern Con-
a third name in the mix: Nick Sheridan. ference).
"We obviously spend a lot of time together, in
SHORTEST DISTANCE, LONGEST ODDS the hotel, in meetings, in practice and what not,"
Threet said. "When it's time to be focused and get
In the grand scheme, Sheridan was an unlike- the job done, we do. But also, it's good that us, and
ly candidate to be a starting quarterback at Mich- David Cone as well, we're pretty good friends. So
igan. He walked onto the team, lacked the height it makes it a little bit easier."
of most Division-I quarterbacks and he wasn't
particularly fast or strong. FINDING A STARTER
The son of former Michigan defensive position
coach under Carr from 2002-2004 and current Neither Threet nor Sheridan stood out enough
New York Giants linebackers coach Bill Sheridan, in fall camp for Rodriguez to name a starting
Nick played quarterback at Saline High School, quarterback in the week leading up to the season
less than 10 miles from Michigan stadium. opener against Utah.
Sheridan didn't receive any scholarship offers When Michigan came out against the Utes
from Division-I schools coming out of high on Aug. 30, Sheridan, who was starting his first
school, but Carr invited him to walk on to the semester on scholarship, was behind center.
Michigan football team. He could have gone to a Threet stood on the sideline with a headset on,
Division III program and competed for a starting relaying the plays.
job. But Michigan was too good an opportunity, See QUARTERBACKS, Page 7B

Going into this season, quarterback was the biggest question mark for a
young Michigan team. This is the story of how two unlikely candidates
battled for the top spot and how one emerged as the starter.
By Nate Sandals I Daily Sports Editor

Photos (L-R): Rodrigo Gaya, Chanel Von Habsburg-Lothringen
and Said Alsalah