The tweet I posted about my top 5 Harbuagh era QB's seemed to be quite controversial, so I decided to make an explanation. Below I will break down 1-5 and why I ranked them there.
5) Jake Rudock
A lot of people feel that Jake should have been rated higher which is understandable. He led the 2015 squad in Harbaugh's first year to a 10-3 season that was capped off with a Citrus Bowl victory. Harbaugh's only bowl victory at Michigan. He threw for over 3,000 yards which is something no other QB has done in the Harbuagh era either. I have great respect for Jake but he also played for just one year at Michigan and went 0-2 vs MSU and OSU. Maybe he should've been higher but I decided to put him at 5.
4) Wilton Speight
Wilton is a very controversial QB in the eyes of Michigan fans. But he had a great year in 2016. He threw 18 TD's and over 2,500 yards. He also beat MSU and had the team kn the brink of beating OSU at the shoe despite playing hurt in that game. He really only played one full season and wasn't the same after his injury which is why I kept him at 4. There was a point though in the 2016 season where Harbaugh mentioned him as a heisman candidate which many people forget about.
3) Shea Patterson
I decided to put ashes at 3 because he was a starter for 2 full seasons and had an undefeated 2-0 record vs MSU. He also brought the team to a NY6 bowl. Shea was consistent in his time as a starter and posted a 19-7 record. You could argue that he scored enough points against OSU to win but his defense didn't give him much help in his two matchups against them. I feel like he was underrated and under appreciated. She's always gave Michigan his all and laid the groundwork for where Michigan is at today. For that I put him at 3rd.
2) CadeMcNamara
Cade brought Michigan from its rock bottom in 2020 to glory in 2021 beating OSU for the first time in a decade and the first Big Ten Championship since 2004. He also gave Michigan their first CFP berth. People say he was just a game manager which may be true. But when the moment called for it he always came through in the clutch. Like the Penn State game for example. Cade turned this Michigan program around and is a true Michigan man. He may not have been flashy but he got the job done. He was mistake free and consistent. Most importantly, he was a champion. For that reason, I put him at 2.
1)JJ McCarthy
JJ led the team to its first undefeated regular season since 1997 and beat OSU in the shoe for the first time in over 20 years. Need I say more? He also won a big ten championship and took the team to the CFP. The season didn't end with his best performance but JJ proved that he is a winner and a champion. He is a great leader for this team and always stays calm. He made so many clutch plays throughout the year and most of the time avoided turnovers. His game at Ohio State where he torched their secondary and also made plays with his feet's makes him number 1 for me. He did something we haven't seen from a Michigan QB in a long time.
Hopefully this helps clear up why I ranked the guys where I did! Thank you for all the interactions on my tweets! I hope everyone enjoys the debates and conversations.
GO BLUE!