Tag: Dylan McCaffrey

Dylan McCaffrey transfer destination revealed

With Ed McCaffrey serving as Northern Colorado’s head coach, Dylan McCaffrey will reunited with his father via the NCAA transfer portal.

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From the time that it was reported and when he actually entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal, a whole college football season unfolded before our eyes.

It was the day that the Big Ten pulled the plug on the 2020 season when Michigan redshirt junior Dylan McCaffrey was revealed to have intent to seek his fortunes elsewhere, as he didn’t intend to stay in Ann Arbor. However, McCaffrey stayed enrolled at Michigan, and didn’t formally enter the NCAA transfer portal until earlier this month.

Despite the delay, where he will end up happened to be something of a foregone conclusion of sorts. With his father, Ed McCaffrey, serving as the head coach of Northern Colorado, the progeny, Dylan, announced that he will be joining his dad at UNC.

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McCaffrey leaves Ann Arbor with his degree in hand and has two years of eligibility remaining. As far as his career with the Wolverines, he never quite got significant playing time, coming in either as a backup quarterback or a change of pace, as he sat behind Wilton Speight, John O’Korn, Brandon Peters and Shea Patterson during his tenure at U-M.

This past offseason, a starting job was up for grabs, but reports indicated that he was bypassed by both Joe Milton and Cade McNamara.

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Dylan McCaffrey (finally) in NCAA transfer portal

Despite his decision to transfer going public in Sept. 2020, it took until Jan. 2021 for the Michigan football QB to start transfer process.

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It only took four months, but it’s finally happening.

On Sept. 16, 2020, it became all but evident that Joe Milton had won Michigan football’s starting quarterback job at the outset of the pending year, because former backup quarterback and potential starter Dylan McCaffrey was set to transfer. Only, that declaration happened, without any action behind it.

McCaffrey essentially opted out of the 2020 season, as he remained in classes and continued to attend the University of Michigan. There were some who asked whether or not that meant McCaffrey could find himself back in the fold. After all — one is not a transfer until they have transferred, name in portal or not. And McCaffrey never entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.

That changed on Thursday, with McCaffrey finally entering the NCAA transfer portal.

McCaffrey was still listed on Michigan football’s published roster in 2020. However, the Wolverines will move forward without him, with Joe Milton, Cade McNamara, Dan Villari and J.J. McCarthy as the scholarship quarterbacks on the team.

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Reports: QB Dylan McCaffrey opting out of 2020 football season, will seek transfer

According to multiple reports, Michigan football QB Dylan McCaffrey is seeking a transfer.

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As Ohio State seems likely to get opt-out Wyatt Davis and maybe Shawn Wade back, Michigan appears to be losing more players than the two it’s lost already.

We already covered Nico Collins signing with super-agent Drew Rosenhaus, but quarterback Dylan McCaffrey appears ready to transfer.

First reported by SI’s Michigan site:

Meanwhile, we first reported Sept. 5 that redshirt sophomore Joe Milton is Michigan’s first-string quarterback. Nothing has changed over the last 10 days. In fact, if the season started this weekend, we’d expect Milton first and redshirt freshman Cade McNamara the backup.

What does that mean for redshirt junior Dylan McCaffrey? Our sources indicate he is exploring his options after losing the head-to-head with Milton to be the starter.

And confirmed by The Detroit News’ Angelique Chengelis:

Michigan quarterback Dylan McCaffrey is opting out of the upcoming season and is looking to transfer, a source close to the situation confirmed to The Detroit News on Wednesday.

This news comes on the heels of the Big Ten announcing it will start a nine-game season Oct. 23-24.

If you’ve been listening to the Locked On Wolverines podcast for any length of time this year, you’ve heard us say that we’ve had more than one person indicate that Joe Milton was Michigan’s best chance to win at the quarterback position. Now it appears we’ll see that in earnest this fall.

McCaffrey, along with his parents, Ed and Lisa, marched in the protest on Sept. 5. His mother Lisa was particularly instrumental in organizing the parents along with Melissa Hutchinson and Peach Pagano.

In his Michigan career, McCaffrey played in 10 games and went 18-of-35 for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns.

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Opinion: Wisconsin’s most likely loss this regular season

After looking through the updated Big Ten only schedule for this season, there appears to only be one real test for the Wisconsin Badgers this year, the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan was not the powerhouse that it has tried to be last season because injuries, as well as a lack of depth at key positions, caused the Wolverines to finish the season at a mediocre 6-3. 

After looking through the updated Big Ten only schedule for this season, there appears to only be one real test for the Wisconsin Badgers this year, the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan was not the powerhouse that it has tried to be last season because injuries, as well as a lack of depth at key positions, caused the Wolverines to finish the season at a mediocre 6-3. 

With an entire offseason to get healthy on both sides of the ball, Michigan can return to pushing for the number one spot in the Big Ten East behind perennial powerhouse Ohio State. This season, the Wolverines will be returning Dylan McCaffrey from injury to be the future of this team that has been talked about since his commitment. McCaffrey is an excellent dual-threat quarterback, that with the right weapons, could be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten this season behind Tanner Morgan and Justin Fields. 

Luckily, McCaffrey will have Ronnie Bell returning this season as well. Last year, Bell had a solid season filling in for the injured Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black, despite the insecurity at the quarterback position over the course of the season. He earned 758 yards and one touchdown with an outstanding average of 15.9 yards per catch in 2019. Bell can be a threat downfield and in the return game this season against Wisconsin. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Michigan will also be returning two of the top defensive lineman in the Big Ten in Aiden Hutchinson and Kwity Paye. These two are also ranked highly nationally and could provide matchup problems for the inexperienced Wisconsin offensive line this season. Another player returning for Michigan is defensive back Ambry Thomas, who is a favorite by many to be First-Team All-Big Ten this season. Thomas had a great year last year with 30 solo tackles, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions, and three pass deflections and will likely continue to improve in his senior season. 

Michigan is losing a lot of talent at wide receiver this season because of the transfer of Tarik Black to Texas and the loss of Donovan Peoples-Jones to the NFL, but the return of much of this team from injury will make Michigan the biggest threat to Wisconsin next year. The Wolverines have a stout defense with a scheme that has shut down the running attack of the Badgers in the past, and if Dylan McCaffrey can efficiently lead the offense with Ronnie Bell and Zach Charbonnet, this team could give Wisconsin a run for its money at “The Big House” in September.  

How Michigan’s QBs are handling competition during stay-at-home

How the Wolverines are still working despite the shelter-in-place orders.

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Michigan is in something of a precarious situation with shelter-in-place going on, as it doesn’t have a returning starting quarterback.

While the contenders — fourth-year Dylan McCaffrey, third-year Joe Milton and second-year Cade McNamara — all have had time in Josh Gattis’ system and two of the three have seen playing time in their careers, none has been the out on the field for the first snap.

So how do the Wolverines conduct a true evaluation, considering spring practice was canceled due to the novel coronavirus?

Head coach Jim Harbaugh chimed in on Thursday, speaking with Rich Eisen on his show via telephone, saying that it’s an open competition, and he’s sure that they’ll be ready to duke it out once they all get back to campus.

“We’ve got some guys we really love,” Harbaugh said. “They’ve been champing at the bit. When I say there are guys that are excited to get back to working out at the team and back to practicing, but our quarterbacks in particular, they’re champing at the bit, which is better.”

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They’re not just biding their time, however, according to Harbaugh.

As injured players do, the squad has been getting mental reps, learning the playbook and preparing as much as they can in the interim. Some of that is team-led while Harbaugh has also implored them to get some work in on their own.

We’ve seen Joe Milton, in particular, in videos working with former Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner at his Young Go Getters camps, with wide receiver Ronnie Bell in tow. But what have the others been doing?

Harbaugh elucidated on the subject, noting how the team has been preparing the signal callers in the interim and how they’ve been asked to train while they’re apart from the team.

“Specifically with the quarterbacks, we’ve been having Zoom meetings,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve been installing football and I told the guys, ‘Hey, learn the system the best you can. Be an expert at it when we do get back together. Also, be in the best shape of your life and throw the football. Get out and throw it every day.’ And each guy, going through the quarterbacks in my mind here, each one has done that and taken advantage of that and gotten guys to throw to.

“Dylan McCaffrey has been throwing with his brothers, Christian and Luke in Denver. Joe Milton has been in Orlando and then he came back to Ann Arbor. He’s got a bag of balls and finding guys to throw with. Cade McNamara has got his brother (who’s) gonna be an incoming freshman at wide receiver. They’re champing at the bit, what you can do and getting coached. Ben McDaniels has been coaching them every day, they’re on the installation, been going over footwork, all kinds of stuff. So I know those guys are champing at the bit.”

Perhaps there’s a silver lining here, too, in terms of Harbaugh having had NFL experience.

His first year in San Francisco, the season was in peril due to a lockout, though it was resolved with time to spare. However, much of the typical league offseason activity was a victim of the larger contract dispute.

Harbaugh tells Eisen that he’s learned a bit from that in terms of how to be flexible, while constantly evaluating the quotidian as well as the bigger picture.

“I have been doing a little bit of that, Rich, drawing on a little bit of 2011 when there was the lockout,” Harbaugh said. “So there are some similarities. The things I’ve drawn from it are you gotta really consider everything, day-by-day, week-by-week. Plan for the different scenarios and there’s gonna be a lot of them. You’re gonna learn more as it goes on and you don’t know when exactly when you’re gonna start. But also try to be creative and proactive so you can be as productive as possible.”

While the NCAA opened things back up with an anticipated June 1 date for voluntary workouts, Harbaugh and Michigan have to continue to wait, as the state of Michigan’s safer-at-home order doesn’t expire until June 12.

Watch the entire interview below:

Where ESPN ranks Michigan’s QB situation in 2020 college football

The worldwide leader ranks the best QB situations in college football, and Michigan makes the top 25.

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The ‘worldwide leader’ was apparently quite bullish on the Wolverines under Shea Patterson a year ago.

ESPN doesn’t just do traditional team power rankings, but also a quarterback power ranking (honestly, this is the first we’ve heard of it — we would think it’s new if there wasn’t a ‘last year’s ranking’ attached), denoting the top 25 best situations in all of college football.

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Given the depth on the roster — perhaps Michigan’s best situation in recent memory — the Wolverines made the top 25, but whereas last year the maize and blue were just outside the top 10, now they’re down near the bottom.

Understandable given that whoever is under center is relatively inexperienced.

ESPN: ($)

24. Michigan Wolverines

2019 ranking: 12
Returning starter: No

Scouting the Wolverines: A good-but-not-good-enough stretch under coach Jim Harbaugh underscores Michigan’s glaring need for an elite quarterback. While Ohio State and Penn State are producing record-setting players, Michigan is still searching for a superstar under center.

Perhaps it will be Dylan McCaffrey or Joe Milton, who will compete for the top job after Shea Patterson’s departure. Both have a year of experience with coordinator Josh Gattis, although McCaffrey saw more game action in 2019. McCaffrey has two more seasons of eligibility and brings a true dual threat to the backfield. Milton boasts a huge arm, though, and some both within and outside the program peg him as the quarterback with the highest ceiling. He has three years of eligibility left.

If neither player pans out, Michigan has a commitment from J.J. McCarthy, ESPN’s No. 2 junior quarterback and No. 23 overall player.

We second the notion about Milton’s upside — countless people have indicated such to us ever since he got on campus.

But, that’s the exciting part of this upcoming season: whoever takes that first snap at Washington, whether it be McCaffrey, Milton or McNamara, they’ll have earned it over the others. Michigan’s QB situation will certainly rise up those power rankings as a result of the competition.

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Rivals predicts Michigan’s quarterback battle

Rivals.com’s Mike Farrell shares what he thinks will happen in the Wolverines quarterback competition.

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The competition will begin in earnest shortly, with spring ball around the corner. With big shoes to fill considering Shea Patterson put up 5,661 yards in just two seasons with the Wolverines — he’s seventh already in team career passing — whether it’s Dylan McCaffrey or Joe Milton taking over, they’ll be eager to replicate and exceed their predecessor.

Given that this is the first time since Wilton Speight was named the starting quarterback in 2016 that whoever is under center will already know the playbook, as there was no turnover on that front with Josh Gattis returning for his second year as offensive coordinator, the Michigan offense has a chance to really take off, even with a new quarterback.

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Rivals’ Mike Farrell weighed in on what he believes will happen this fall, and who will be the man to take the field at Washington for the Wolverines come September.

The skinny: It is debatable if Shea Patterson ever fully reached the expectations of Michigan fans after his transfer from Ole Miss, but either way it is always interesting when a program must replace a multi-year starter at quarterback. While spring and summer practices will determine everything, Dylan McCaffrey is the early frontrunner after backing up Patterson during the last two seasons. However, his lack of actual playing time does leave the door open for both Joe Milton and Cade McNamara. Plenty of eyes will be on Ann Arbor this off-season to see if any of the three can distance themselves from the pack.

Farrell’s take: McCaffrey is the guy here for now as he’s more polished and game ready than Milton or McNamara. Don’t let the last name fool you, this isn’t a freak athlete like his brother Christian McCaffrey but he’s a more than capable starter in a pro-style offense who can move around some. Patterson was solid but never reached the heights expected as he latched onto his first read too often and struggled with confidence. McCaffrey will eventually be an upgrade.

We’re not ready to predict a starter between the two or Cade McNamara — any of the three could win.

However, we are more intrigued at the moment with Milton’s upside. He not only can run like McCaffrey can, but he has a cannon arm.

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Regardless, Michigan’s offense should be in good shape this upcoming season, even with a new quarterback and four new starters on the OL, because for the first time in some time, not only is there consistency in coaching, but there’s a lot of high-level playmakers ready to step in capably at the vacant positions.

And none more important than the QB position.

Josh Gattis discusses Michigan’s quarterback competition

How the Wolverines offensive coordinator is approaching the battle at the most important position on the field this spring.

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While the Wolverines will have to fill out with six new starters on the offensive side this spring and fall, all eyes will assuredly be on one position:

Quarterback.

With two-year starter Shea Patterson having exhausted his eligibility, the maize and blue will have a new man under center running the offense. And it’s impossible at this juncture to name a front-runner. It might even continue to be impossible after spring ball and through much of fall camp.

Call it an embarrassment of riches, that Michigan now has multiple QBs capable of leading the charge — whether it be Dylan McCaffrey, Joe Milton or even Cade McNamara. But the biggest thing is finding a guy who will come in and consistently make plays. Given that none of the above has starting experience at the college level, it’ll be a challenge for not just the players, but offensive coordinator Josh Gattis in narrowing it down.

Speaking with Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast, Gattis noted that they have to find a way to make things equitable for the competitors, as to properly judge their competence.

It’s the only way that the team will truly be able to determine the new starter.

“The biggest thing we gotta do is we’ve gotta maintain a system that’s gonna be fair, that’s gonna give all the quarterbacks on the roster equal opportunity to push themselves and apply themselves to be able to compete for the job,” Gattis said. “It’s often a challenge during the season because when you have a starter in the past, your backups don’t always get a fair amount of reps – they’re getting them with the twos, with the threes. But they’re not given the same opportunity as the starter, whereas compared to in spring ball, we’ve gotta develop a system of reps and opportunities to allow the quarterbacks on our roster to compete with a fair amount of opportunity of reps. Whether that’s splitting time with the ones, splitting time with the twos by rotation.”

Part of the issue is the development of McNamara, Gattis notes.

While most think of it as a two-man race between McCaffrey and Milton, McNamara has earned the right through what he showed in practice a year ago. If it was a two-quarterback race, it would be an easier proposition, Gattis says.

He explains more about the importance of giving them each a chance to compete and going from there.

“It’s something we’ve gotta be able to manage, and it’s a challenge when you have multiple quarterbacks,” Gattis said. “If the job was just coming down to just two guys, then obviously it’s just a two-way system. We feel Cade has developed. We feel Joe has developed. We’re really excited to see Joe, excited to see Dylan. We gotta figure out a way to get those guys an equal amount of opportunities to show what they can do and lead this team in the direction we need them.”

Michigan football 2020 mini preview

Michigan football takes on Alabama in the Citrus bowl next week, but it isn’t too early to take a small look into the 2020 season.

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While there still is another game on the schedule for the 2019 Michigan football team, that doesn’t mean it’s too early to talk about the 2020 season. It’s December and that season doesn’t start until next September, so while this preview won’t be an in-depth edition, it’ll still get your mind onto what the future could bring next season.

Michigan will have some players leaving due to the NFL or graduation, but the losses aren’t as huge as they were heading into 2019. The biggest group that will need some work is the offensive line as at least three players are graduating, while a fourth could declare for the NFL.

While the 2019 season schedule was tough, 2020 seems to be even more daunting with Michigan’s toughest games on the road. Overall, things will change in nine months, but for now, this is going off of what we know right now and what we can predict in December before things look differently in July and August.

2020 Football schedule

  • Week 1 @ Washington
  • Week 2 VS. Ball State
  • Week 3 VS. Arkansas State
  • Week 4 VS. Wisconsin
  • Week 5 VS. Penn State
  • Week 6 @ Michigan State
  • Week 7 @ Minnesota
  • Week 8 VS. Purdue
  • BYE
  • Week 10 VS. Maryland
  • Week 11 @ Rutgers
  • Week 12 VS. Indiana
  • Week 13 @ Ohio State

When looking at this schedule, the first big challenge is playing Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State, and Minnesota four straight weeks. While two of those are at home, those games won’t be pushovers. Wisconsin won’t have running back Jonathan Taylor anymore so that could be an easier game, but nobody knows yet.

Penn State could have another solid year and be a contender in the Big Ten East. Michigan State will either have a rebound year after going 7-6 this season or another poor season that will force head coach Mark Dantonio to retire. All that depends on what he does in the off-season this year. Minnesota could be a daunting challenge after their impressive 2019 season as well.

The opening game against Washington will be without their head coach Chris Petersen, who resigned after the regular season ended as he is transitioning to an advisory role for the university, along with starting quarterback Jacob Eason, who declared for the NFL draft after their bowl win over Boise State this month.

Then finally you end up against Ohio State on the road and if it’s anything like it has been the last two years, Michigan will most likely get knocked around unless something major happens to the Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day. Michigan has a chance to go between 9-3 and 11-1 next season, it just depends on how they can do on the road against good competition.

Next, which players you might have to keep your eye on next season…

dylan mccaffrey michigan throwing

1. QB Dylan McCaffrey

After stepping onto the field for a banged-up Shea Patterson at quarterback, Dylan McCaffrey wowed fans and coaches against Notre Dame in 2018. He didn’t put on a show, but he went 4/6 for 22 yards and had three carries for 10 yards. Since then, some fans have been clamoring for McCaffrey to be the starting quarterback over Patterson.

That dream will most likely come true next season as McCaffrey will probably be the starting quarterback. How will he do? He’s done well so far in his limited time on the field for the Wolverines. In his career so far, McCaffrey is 18/35 for 242 yards with three touchdowns, along with 23 carries for 166 yards and two touchdowns.

McCaffrey seems to use his legs more than Patterson, but his arm talent is impressive itself. He’s had a full year as the backup under the offense run by offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, and another year learning more of the playbook could see McCaffrey shine.

2. LB Cam Mcgrone

After taking a redshirt last season, linebacker Cam McGrone saw some playing time this season. The playing time was due to starting linebacker Josh Ross getting injured and McGrone saw the opportunity to impress the coaches and to not be looked at as a backup but as a starter.

His movements and skills reminded people of former starting linebacker and first-round pick Devin Bush. His quickness to get behind the offensive line and make an impact on the play was impressive. His tackling ability was there and he could read plays well.

McGrone so far has 59 total tackles, eight and a half tackles for loss, two and a half sacks, and a forced fumble this season. A full season as a starter could be huge for him and if McGrone gets more time as a starter in practice and he’s learning more, he could be a big star on the defensive side of the ball in 2020.

3. OT Andrew Stueber

Like I said earlier, the biggest group getting affected in 2020 is the offensive line. Starting left tackle Jon Runyan Jr., left guard Ben Bredeson, and right guard Michael Onwenu are all graduating. Center Cesar Ruiz is also receiving high marks as a junior for the NFL, so if he decides to declare, Michigan could only have Jalen Mayfield as the returning starter from the 2019 season.

Before the 2019 season, one of the starting job battles as at right tackle between Mayfield and Andrew Stueber. Stueber played in 2018 when right tackle Juwann Bushell-Beatty went down with an injury and Stueber did well. Stueber seemed to be just above Mayfield in the battle before the season started, but then Stueber went down with an ACL tear and his season was over and the job went to Mayfield

2020 will see Stueber return and he and Mayfield will now work together as the starting tackles, with Stueber most likely starting at left tackle. If Ruiz returns, then Michigan will have three experienced offensive lineman starting next year with inexperienced guards. If Ruiz leaves, the entire interior will be inexperienced. Stueber’s return will be huge and a boost for an offensive line that will need all the help they can get next year.

Finally, three freshmen who could make a splash their first year on campus…
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