The New Surprise Candidate for Michigan's Quarterback Job

On Tuesday, Michigan passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch declined to name a favorite in the Wolverines' quarterback race while meeting with the media following the team's fourth practice of the spring session.

On Wednesday, an unlikely front-runner may have emerged. And he's not even in Ann Arbor yet.

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports' report that Jake Rudock will be transferring from Iowa sent shockwaves through the Big Ten earlier this week and not just in Iowa City. Per Feldman, the former Hawkeyes quarterback's first visit will be to Michigan, where Jim Harbaugh is currently searching for his first signal-caller while at the helm of the Wolverines program.

With one season of eligibility remaining, Rudock will be able to play immediately as a graduate transfer wherever he winds up for the 2015 season. At Michigan, he could instantly become Harbaugh's top option on a roster full of players who have either been uninspiring or unproven thus far in their respective careers.

The 6'3", 208-pound Rudock was steady—and sometimes spectacular—in each of his previous two seasons as Iowa's starter. But despite Rudock throwing for 2,436 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions while ranking second in the Big Ten in completion percentage and fourth in passing efficiency last season, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz opted to open up a competition between him and C.J. Beathard following a 7-6 campaign.

And when Ferentz named Beathard the Hawkeyes' No. 1 quarterback six days after the team's loss to Tennessee in the TaxSlayer Bowl in January, the writing for Rudock was on the wall.

"We're all in agreement that the thing [that] gives us a best chance to move forward right now is to give C.J. the chance to be the starting quarterback, Ferentz said via Chad Leistikow of HawkCentral.com.

Tony Ding/Associated Press

Iowa is yet to confirm Rudock's transfer. And his expected visit to Michigan isn't scheduled to take place until next week, so this is far from a done deal. But should the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, St. Thomas Aquinas product wind up in Ann Arbor, he could provide a big boost to Harbaugh's attempt at jump-starting his alma mater.

A 3-star prospect and the 25th-ranked pro-style passer coming out of high school in 2011, Rudock led the Hawkeyes to an 8-5 record in his first season as a starter in 2013. While primarily a passer, the Sunshine State product also demonstrated mobility when necessary, rushing for five touchdowns in his sophomore season.

The progress he showed—or lack thereof—last season wasn't enough for Ferentz though, evidenced by Beathard's starting status heading into the season.

With the Wolverines, Rudock could step right back into a spot on the first string, especially if Fisch's words on Tuesday are any indication. While junior Shane Morris may be the perceived favorite to be Michigan's starting quarterback, Fisch said that's not the case at this point.

"Shane has a very strong arm, which everybody knows. He spins it well and he just has to understand that, really, that's not the most important thing," Fisch said after practice. "If you have a really strong arm, then you have a really strong arm. That's what you have. Now, it's a matter of 'what can you do with it?' How do you utilize it?"

As for redshirt freshman Wilton Speight, Fisch praised his size at 6'6" but admitted that his inexperience is apparent at times during practice. The same can be said for early enrollee and true freshman Alex Malzone, who Fisch said has shown a lot of promise—and a lot of youth.

"He should be a senior in high school right now," Fisch said of Malzone. "I remember my senior spring, I wasn't in college. He's got a lot going on. But he's handled it unbelievably well."

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Fellow true freshman Zach Gentry will join the current trio of Michigan scholarship quarterbacks competing for the starting job this summer, but like Malzone, he'll only be a true freshman. It remains unclear whether Rudock will be joining them in Ann Arbor as well, but should he, he'd do so as the team's most experienced quarterback.

Not that the Wolverine signal-callers have set the bar high, Morris' two starts the most of any current Michigan quarterback at the college level. And like Morris, Speights, Malzone and Gentry, Rudock too would be learning a new playbook under the direction of Harbaugh and Fisch, his status as a fifth-year senior presumably helping him make up any ground he may currently be losing in the spring.

"You'd love to always fast-forward the process," Fisch said. "But right now the process is what it is."

And what that is—it at least appears from the outside looking in—is a group of quarterbacks who are yet to inspire a whole lot of optimism for Michigan's new regime. The addition of Rudock could certainly change that, his experience helping make him the perfect stopgap quarterback in Harbaugh's first season, which could soon have a much higher upside than anyone originally expected.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.