Michigan Football Recruiting 2012: Out of Time to Find the Team a New QB

The Michigan Wolverines are a team that's on the rise with new head coach Brady Hoke. In his first season, they reached a BCS bowl and had a double-digit winning season for the first time since 2006.

It seems like the Wolverines are back on top of the college football world and will be competing for national championships in no time. Even their recruiting is doing well, as they've landed several of this year's top players and have quite a few others considering joining Michigan. 

There is one problem, though, and it is a big one.

The quarterback position has not yet been answered. Sure, Michigan is good heading into next season with senior Denard Robinson. He isn't a traditional quarterback and tends to make more mistakes than he'd like, but he wins games and makes plays with his feet.

But what do the Wolverines do when he graduates next year?

While Michigan is loading up on the defensive side of the ball and the offensive line, they have not picked up a quarterback this year. They've extended offers to some of this year's top prospects, including Gunner Kiel, but all of them have chosen a different program. 

The Wolverines don't have any more quarterback prospects out there that have an offer from Michigan. And really, there aren't really any quarterbacks left that are worth one.

That now means that Michigan will likely head into 2013 with quarterback Devin Gardner. He was rated a top quarterback in the 2010 class and has the talent to lead this team. Much like Robinson, he's a dual-threat, athletic quarterback who can kill you with his legs, but he also has a strong arm. He's capable of making all of the throws, but he lacks experience.

It's never comfortable going into a season with a quarterback as your starter who hasn't played much. To date, he's only thrown a total of 33 pass attempts for 176 yards and has one interception to his one touchdown pass. And you figure with Robinson returning next year and the Wolverines' expectations, he won't see much playing time next year, either.

Michigan did pick up a quarterback last year in Russell Bellomy, but even running back Vincent Smith has thrown more passes than him.

At the very least, the Wolverines need to bring in somebody else that will at least provide some type of competition for Gardner.

Maybe Gunner Kiel de-commits for a third time and hops on the Michigan bandwagon. Or maybe they get lucky like Wisconsin did last season and pick up a top quarterback who wants a transfer.

Whatever it is, this position needs to be addressed. 

Michigan has the head coach and the talent to really bring this program back to the glory days. Although the quarterback position may be what's holding them back.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]