QB situation going forward

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AuggieGopher

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Ill start this post out by stating that I am a huge fan of Marquise Gray because of his heart and the progression he has made thus far at QB. What I would like to discuss is with Phillip Nelson coming in December and hime being our prized recruit and Kills prototypical QB does he get a chance to start? Does Gray help the team more as a WR? is Phil redshirted? what happens to Shortell? Is leidner being recruited as a DE/TE? I feel that we have a bunch of good prospects at QB,which is a good problem usually. But with us thin at other positions does Jerry look to move people around?
 


Gray threw for almost 300 yards against the top passing defense in the country, I don't think Nelson should start over him.

Let's not start ANOTHER qb controversy before the player in question even signs his LOI
 

this is a nobrainer.... u rs nelson... quiese is the starter till he graduates... there is no reason for it to go any other way...
 

Depends on how important wins and losses are to you as opposed to long-term development. Gray gives us the best chance to win at QB and I think he should be the starter as long as he's here. I think Shortell will probably develop into a D-1 QB and should serve as back-up again next year and probably play an expanded role in certain formations and game situations. I would red-shirt Nelson and have him split time with Shortell as a freshman and see how things work out.
 


Red shirt Nelson. Unless he is better than Gray(which I highly doubt he will be). Unfortunately I don't see Shortell ever being better than a back up or change of pace QB. That's just a product of him being in this system that tailor's to running QB's. I did say awhile back that I thought Shortell would eventually be starting but with Gray's progression I don't see that happening.

50 pound: you mean when Nelson is a sophomore split time with Shortell?
 


Right, my bad I meant, did he mean redshirt freshman and not true freshman.
I was slightly confused by the wording. No big deal.
 

I feel like we are all going to say that Q is the obvious starter next year. Then, if we don't contend next year, when we have a first year starter in 2013, we are all going to look back and say "we should have started whoever last year." I am bookmarking this thread for 2013.
 



bleedsmaroonandgold said:
I feel like we are all going to say that Q is the obvious starter next year. Then, if we don't contend next year, when we have a first year starter in 2013, we are all going to look back and say "we should have started whoever last year." I am bookmarking this thread for 2013.
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Good for you. If Gray is the obvious choice to start, he will start, whether or not we are doing well. However if there are blowouts I would think Kill would put in Shortell to get him experience. Nelson should RS.
 


I don't think Shortell will switch positions ever, he is a QB (IMO).

This is a situation that almost every single good program in the country has.

I don't think it's really that complicated.
(1) Gray will be REALLY difficult to beat out next year.
(2) Shortell and Nelson will be (most likely) competing for the backup position. If Nelson is further along than Shortell, I don't think Nelson RSs. In our offense, there is a really good chance that Gray will need a breather and/or miss some time.
(3) If Leidner stays at QB right, he will RS. If he moves, it will be to either TE or DE (my opinion). Either of those are possibilities, but I think he will be RS and then evaluated. Kill liked something in the way he threw the ball, so i'd imagine that Leidner will spend at least a year taking snaps as a QB before we decide to move him or keep him there. Keep in mind that if Nelson doesn't RS, they won't even be in the same class.
(4) Foreman, I know very little about. He actually threw the ball better than I thought he would in the practices and spring game. I wouldn't be shocked if he gets moved though because he is a pretty athletic kid. However, his role could definitely end up being (in the future) as a sort of wildcat hybrid type QB that takes some hits off Shortell/Nelson. Northern Illinois used a kid (Jordan Lynch), who was a QB and ran the offense, but would come in to sort of spell Harnish (he wasn't their backup, he was like an advanced wildcat). They would usually run with him and he was a good runner, but he was a QB and a real threat to throw. This could be Foreman's future....but I don't know, he might be the best of the bunch...who knows.

Lastly, I don't think it's really wise to make broad judgments about players who are freshmen. I think it's impossible to tell what kind of QB Shortell is going to be. A true freshman QB is going to struggle a ton, it's a completely different game, much less a true freshman QB who is playing on a team that is struggling. So I wouldn't prognosticate about Shortell's future based on the Michigan game.
 





Unless Nelson is good enough to beat out Gray, which I would seriously doubt after watching the last 2 games, redshirt him. I would even redshirt him if he's better than Shortell, since I want Gray taking 90+% of the snaps next year. We can use Shortell in some situational packages and as Bob pointed out, use Foreman in the wildcat and some running plays.

Not to hijinx the thread, but the interesting question now becomes what happens to Alipate and Parish after the season?
 

I understand the sentiment about Gray staying at QB. But if (and I know its a big if right now) Nelson catches on to the offense and is ready to go, wouldnt it be smart of us to move Gray back to WR (a position of huge need once Dajon is gone). I would think this would be smart on the part of Gray too because he has a shot at being an NFL WR which he wouldnt have a shot as an NFL QB. I think Leidner will move to DE hes got the height that Kill likes and I believe he is a good athlete.
 

If Nelson signs, which it looks like he will HE WILL BE REDSHIRTED even if he is all world. Kill is trying to get the pgm built the right way, and that is not playing a true FR. QB.
 

I understand the sentiment about Gray staying at QB. But if (and I know its a big if right now) Nelson catches on to the offense and is ready to go, wouldnt it be smart of us to move Gray back to WR ...
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This would, in my opinion, be a very foolish decision. Even if Nelson is "as advertised" moving Gray back to WR would serve no purpose at all. I would have thought Gray's efforts Saturday in East Lansing would have put an end to such thinking.
 

Just start whoever is better. I have a hard time thinking that a freshman will be better than MG, and that a RS would be best for the program. Unless the kid is Luck or something, give him another year.
 

gopherbadgerman said:
Just start whoever is better. I have a hard time thinking that a freshman will be better than MG, and that a RS would be best for the program. Unless the kid is Luck or something, give him another year.
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Even Luck redshirted. I have a hard time seeing how moving Gray to WR and playing Nelson as true freshman could be the best option. Possible I guess, but highly doubtful.
 

gopherbadgerman said:
Just start whoever is better. I have a hard time thinking that a freshman will be better than MG, and that a RS would be best for the program. Unless the kid is Luck or something, give him another year.
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Redshirt him even if he is Luck. Remember, Luck was a highly regarded recruit and Harbaugh still redshirted him. I have a tough time believing Luck wasn't at least better than the backup QB his true freshman year, in fact, I think I read that he was the best QB the day he stepped foot on campus. Yet, he was redshirted. Seems to me it hasn't hurt his development, nor the development of Stanford's football program.
 

If Gray's future in the NFL is WR, why would he even want to play QB as his stock would lessen. If Nelson has the talent to start and redshirts, do you think Gray willingly takes one for the team and plays QB? That is possibly a life changing decsion on Gray's part.
 

Gray's not moving back to receiver, and there won't be a true freshman QB in the country next year better than MarQueis Gray.
 


There is a lot of love for Nelson on these boards but I think it is way to early to be talking about him being a starter in year one. He has not set foot on campus yet, or faced a college defense. I have never seen him in person but I have read and seen all the great publicity about him. He may be the real deal, but keep in mind he is playing against Minnesota HS competition which means he is only facing off against players that are D-1 caliber every once and a while. Chances are no matter how much ability he has he is going to need a year or two to adjust to the college game and the uptick in competition.
 

MNVCGUY said:
There is a lot of love for Nelson on these boards but I think it is way to early to be talking about him being a starter in year one. He has not set foot on campus yet, or faced a college defense. I have never seen him in person but I have read and seen all the great publicity about him. He may be the real deal, but keep in mind he is playing against Minnesota HS competition which means he is only facing off against players that are D-1 caliber every once and a while. Chances are no matter how much ability he has he is going to need a year or two to adjust to the college game and the uptick in competition.
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+1
 

I love the zaniness of the speculation on this board. Just 2 months ago after the first game, Many were saying how Gray should moved back to WR in favor of true Freshman Shortell. Now after 2 games of solid play, Gray is the "guaranteed starter" through the end of next season. Making the post even better is the speculation about how we are going to manage the impending QB controversy because of our highly regarded stable of QB prospects entering the program.

How about we just take a deep breath and
A) enjoy the progress that Gray has made
B) appreciate the new talent that is coming to the program
C) be grateful we have options at QB and don't have to pray for a semi-pro to drop in our lap (i.e. Bucky)
D) not worry about hypotheticals and let the coaches decide next season, since that is what they are paid for in the first place
 

MNGopher3409 said:
If Gray's future in the NFL is WR, why would he even want to play QB as his stock would lessen. If Nelson has the talent to start and redshirts, do you think Gray willingly takes one for the team and plays QB? That is possibly a life changing decsion on Gray's part.
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NFL teams will tend to draft talented guys even if they expect to change their position. Look at Antwan Randle-El. A great QB at Indiana (worse program than us by a long shot). He had a very successful career as a WR and KR in the NFL. Gray could very likely be a similar player. Gray is clearly the best QB and offensive player on the team. Leave him where he is.
 

discochris said:
NFL teams will tend to draft talented guys even if they expect to change their position. Look at Antwan Randle-El. A great QB at Indiana (worse program than us by a long shot). He had a very successful career as a WR and KR in the NFL. Gray could very likely be a similar player. Gray is clearly the best QB and offensive player on the team. Leave him where he is.
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Agree. If he's drafted, they'll draft him based on athletic ability and regardless of position played in college. Even more so than Randle-El, I would compare Gray's collegiate career to that of Patrick Crayton's. A phenomenally gifted athlete who was recruited and signed as a QB, but spent his first three years at Northwestern Oklahoma State as a WR/PR/KR, and then moved to QB for his senior season. Drafted by the Cowboys in the 7th round in 2004 based upon his athleticism, and used by the Cowboys as a WR and returner....and here he is seven years later, still drawing NFL paychecks while now catching passes from Phillip Rivers. A pretty good gig, and that might very well be the type of career path that Marquies has to look forward to. Gray's got great size as a WR, he's got good wheels and he's a big, strong kid.
 

I am with the people that feel Gray has proven to be the starter for his senior season. Max is a good back-up and will improve. For the future of Nelson and the Gophers, they need to red-shirt Nelson by all means.

Gray has aready shown his value as a WR to NFL scouts. It will only improve his stock if he continues to grow as a QB and becomes a better defense reader and decision maker. Put good decision maker as QB at WR and it is a good mix.
 

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