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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — One thing we know about presumed Michigan starting quarterback Joe Milton is that he has an absolute cannon for an arm.
Two weeks ago, Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis spoke about Milton’s arm strength and why it’s imperative for receivers to not give up on the pass when the ball is in the air.
“I think so far, he’s thrown three balls at 70 yards out there,” Gattis said. “With a ball going like that, 70 yards, it’s hard to track a ball traveling that long – and it’s been pinpoint accuracy on each one of the throws where I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve told the receivers, ‘Don’t stop running.’”
And the ball is in the air for quite awhile, to hear it from Wolverines wideouts. Sophomore receiver Mike Sainristil explains.
“For example, yesterday, he threw me a post route,” Sainristil said. “The first thing I told myself is, ‘OK, Joe’s in the game. No matter what, just keep running, because the ball isn’t landing short.’ And as I’m tracking the ball, I’m like, ‘This has to be the highest ball I’ve ever seen thrown in awhile.’ The ball was just in the air hanging. And I was just asking myself, ‘When is this ball gonna drop? Where is it gonna drop?’ And I just (put my) head down, kept running.”
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Having a ball hang in the air presents a different kind of challenge for the Wolverines wide receivers. They can’t give up on the ball, but they can have a difficult time tracking it as they continue to stretch out their routes.
That said, don’t expect to see many throws land short this fall if Milton is indeed under center. That’s certainly the expectation for those inside Schembechler Hall.
“It’s definitely tough to track when the ball is that high and you just don’t know where it’s gonna land and when it’s gonna land,” Sainristil said. “Coach Gattis just tells us to keep running and don’t expect it to fall anytime soon when five is in the game.”
We’ll know just how challenging it is for the Michigan receivers to track and reel in Milton’s deep passes come Oct. 24, when the Wolverines head to Minnesota for the 2020 season opener.
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