As we all know, Devin Gardner is Michigan's top recruit at the quarterback position for 2010. He is a perfect fit for Rich Rod's offense and has comparable size and stats to another former "high profile" QB that decided to go to Ohio State a couple of years ago.
Devin stands at 6"4 and just under 200 pounds. As a high school junior he ran for 1,400 yards with 22 touchdowns and threw for 1,886 yards with 26 touchdowns. If your keeping score at home Devin accounted for 48 touchdowns as a junior, which is pretty amazing.
So what's not to like about this 4 star QB? Some recruiting services (similar to Terrelle Pryor's high school analysis) has questioned Gardner's throwing motion and accuracy. It seems Devin has taken that to heart and has attend just about every major football camp so far this Spring and Summer.
The latest was the Sound Mind/Sound Body Football Academy in Detroit. This camp is a showcase for the athletes in the Detroit area. Devin put on a show and the recruiting analysts took note:
The event was dotted with standout moments by numerous players, but none was more consistently dominant than Inkster's Gardner. He has staked his claim as the state's top player with outright dominance in camps and combines throughout the spring and summer. His Sound Mind/Sound Body performance was more of the same.
"We all know he's a great athlete and he showed that by doing very well at receiver in addition to quarterback," said Scout.com Midwest analyst Allen Trieu. "What has impressed me the most recently, though, is how much he has improved as a passer. His mechanics are like night and day from this time last year and his passes have much more zip. The work he has put in as a passer has paid off."
All that time spent honing his passing skills makes what he was able to do as a wideout all the more impressive. After each throw, Gardner stepped into the receiving line so he could take on the best defensive backs. One by one he called them out -- most notably Detroit Cass Tech's Dior Mathis and Detroit Renaissance's Hicks. By day's end, Gardner was viewed by most as both the top quarterback and top receiver in attendance.
It seems Gardner likes to play a little WR but it's nice to see him putting in a ton of hard work on the QB position this summer. In my opinion, I think it's important in RR's offense that the opposing defense respect the passing ability of the QB, so it can open up running lanes for big gains by the QB or the other running backs.
Most people anticipated that Gardner would redshirt his first year at Michigan but if he continues making strides like he has done this summer (and depending what Tate and Denard do this year) he might have a shot at some playing time in the Fall of 2010. Also look for Devin to pick up a 5th star on both Rivals and Scout this Fall.
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