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Thursday, June 25, 2015

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS

Former greats, 
future stars join 
forces in all-QB 

camp at Big House

By ZACH SHAW

Summer Managing Sports Editor

Jedd Fisch huddled his team 

up. With a bit of the game under 
its belt, Michigan’s passing game 
coordinator was ready to push his 
team to the next level.

It wasn’t enough to just throw 

hard, 
he 

explained 
to 

the team. They 
needed 
to 
be 

selective, 
pick 

their spots and 
find a way to 
win.

“Let’s 
get 

creative, 
we’re 

quarterbacks!”

The 
group 

trotted back out 
to the field. There were no receiv-
ers, linemen, pads or even foot-
balls, but the intensity was in full 
bloom. These quarterbacks had a 
dodgeball game to win.

Welcome to Quarterback U.
Michigan has been known for 

years for its ability to produce suc-
cessful quarterbacks. Whether it’s 

the versatility of Rick Leach and 
John Wangler, the grit of Jim Har-
baugh, the precision of Elvis Grbac 
and Todd Collins, the cannons of 
Chad Henne and John Navarre 
or the creativity and charisma of 
Denard Robinson and Devin Gard-
ner, the Wolverines have been able 
to turn productive quarterbacks 
into professional athletes in each 
of the past five decades. That’s no 
coincidence.

It was also no coincidence that 

such tradition was on display Sat-
urday, with many Michigan greats 
on hand for the dodgeball, base-
ball and soccer festivities in Ann 

Arbor’s 
Aerial 

Assault, a camp 
dedicated solely 
to quarterbacks.

But the inau-

gural 
camp 

wasn’t just fun 
and games. The 
A4 camp kicked 
off the newest 
era of Quarter-
back U, in which 
Harbaugh 
and 

his staff will pull out every stop 
imaginable to mix old school and 
new school to concoct Michigan’s 
greatest leader yet.

That mission began in a big way 

Saturday, as the Michigan greats 
were joined by 15 NFL quarter-
backs such as Jay Cutler and Greg 
McElroy, “QB gurus” such as Ken 

Mastrole and Dowell Loggains 
and the Michigan coaching staff, 
littered with coaches with NFL 
and college experience.

“As many resources as you can 

possibly have,” Harbaugh said.

And while outsiders — and maybe 

a few campers — would laugh at the 
idea of playing baseball or dodgeball 
at a one-day camp for quarterbacks, 
the games had as much of a point as 
the fine-tuning or speeches about 
the position — as Michigan has said 
time and again that the most suc-
cessful quarterbacks are athletes 
who can learn to lead at anything, 
including other sports.

“You could tell some guys didn’t 

really know how to throw a base-
ball,” said Collins, who led the 
Wolverines in 1993 and 1994 before 
a 15-year NFL career. “I played 
three sports in high school and 
most of us were multi-sport ath-
letes, but now there’s an increase 
in specialization and most of these 
guys are training year-round.

“You need to be athletic to play 

quarterback.”

The campers also had to listen, 

because 
like 

everything else 
in his life, Har-
baugh made the 
camp 
a 
com-

petition. In his 
quest 
for 
the 

new model of 
Michigan quar-
terbacks, 
any 

dissenters were shown the door.

“Hopefully that doesn’t offend 

anybody that this will be a com-
petitive environment,” he said. “I 
hope everybody is OK with that. 
Because if you’re not, guess what? 
You’re playing the wrong position. 
You’re literally playing the wrong 
position if that’s an issue.

“You touch the ball every snap, 

so it’s important that you learn to 
win and do well. Most important-
ly, it’s important that you learn to 
compete and you embrace it.”

Ultimately, Michigan four-star 

2016 commit Brandon Peters suc-
ceeded in enough of the drills and 
competitions to win the all-around 
title. But the quest for a champion-
ship-caliber quarterback will rage 
well beyond the camp.

That’s why Michigan’s roster 

will boast at least 10 quarterbacks 
in the fall — more than any team in 
a power-five conference, because, 
to Harbaugh, you can’t put a price 
on a quality leader.

“While other positions don’t 

put quite as much pressure on the 

quarterback position, anybody can 
tell you that’s played the position, 
you should already know by now 
that playing quarterback matters. 
There’s a lot riding on it.”

Added Jack Harbaugh, who 

was the quarterbacks coach when 
Michigan 
began 
earning 
the 

label Quarterback U with Dennis 
Franklin in 1972: “The quarter-
back position is like no other posi-
tion — there’s only one of you. You 

have four defen-
sive backs, you 
have three or 
four linebackers, 
you have four 
defensive 
line-

men, but there’s 
only one quar-
terback.”

Saturday was 

only the beginning of Michigan’s 
quest, as the relentless recruiting 
tactics of Harbaugh and his staff 
won’t quit even if the results come.

The quarterback factory has 

been remodeled, and the result is a 
model unlike anything else in the 
country. No other school has had a 
camp like this, no other school has 
Michigan’s history and no other 
school has brought it all together 
on one field before.

“If you’re a quarterback leav-

ing high school, where else do you 
want to go to get to the NFL or 
maximize your talent than here?” 
Collins said. “I’m a little bit biased, 
but there’s truth to it.”

Years from now, Quarterback 

U graduates will litter the NFL. 
They’ll have the arm of Henne, 
the craftiness of Robinson, the 
toughness of Collins, the fire of 
Harbaugh and the desire to do 
anything it takes to win, no matter 
the level.

You can bet they’ll be damn 

good at dodgeball, too. Welcome to 
Quarterback U.

DELANEY RYAN/Daily

Michigan and NFL greats were on hand as coaches at Saturday’s “Ann Arbor Aerial Assault,” held at Michigan Stadium.
‘Quarterback U’ begins new 
stage at inaugural A4 camp

“Where else 

do you want to 
go to get to the 

NFL?”

“This will be 
a competitive 
environment.”

