Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez isn’t going to tell his quarterbacks who the starter is in the Wolverines season opener until the night before the game.
Sophomores Denard Robinson and Tate Forcier and true freshman Devin Gardner will be told who’s starting against Connecticut by Friday, Sept. 3, or Rodriguez “may tell them sooner.” The rest of the team won’t know until close to kickoff the next day.
Forcier started all 12 games last year, but Robinson and Gardner have given the incumbent a run for his money. Rodriguez has said that it’s anybody’s job to win and that even Gardner, who enrolled early in the spring, has a legitimate chance to start week one.
“Every day I kind of wonder, ‘Who’s going to separate themselves?’ ” Rodriguez said Wednesday. “That has been an ongoing process. With three guys, this is a unique situation. I’ve been in the past, several times, with two right in the middle of it.
“It may seem frustrating and everybody wants to know, but as long as they get better every day and eliminate the mistakes tomorrow that they had today or yesterday, then we’ll be okay.”
Rodriguez had planned to give more snaps to one or two quarterbacks by this time in camp, but wasn’t able to because of how close the competition is. Rodriguez made it clear he thinks the noise around the quarterback situation isn’t so important.
“I think we’ve probably put too much thought into it,” Rodriguez said. “I think everybody’s worrying about it too much. I know there’s the philosophy, ‘You’ve got to have one guy.’ Why?”
With less than two weeks until the season opener, Rodriguez maintains that he thinks all three are capable of leading the offense.
“What I want to do is have any of the three play at a high level when they’re in there,” Rodriguez said. “If they’re able to do that and execute the offense, then all three will play. We’ll see.”
No one’s running away with it: The quarterback position isn’t the only spot with tight competition in camp for the Wolverines.
“The competition at running back is clearly unsettled,” Rodriguez said.
Sophomore Vincent Smith, junior Mike Shaw, redshirt sophomore Mike Cox, redshirt freshman Fitzgerald Toussaint and true freshman Stephen Hopkins are all battling for the job.
But there are a few question marks surrounding the group. Vincent Smith is healthy after suffering an ACL tear at the end of last season, and Toussaint has missed some time recently due to minor injuries.
Rodriguez said Toussaint is dealing with a “neck stinger” and a sore knee. Toussaint did not participate in practice on Wednesday. Rodriguez said that he hopes Toussaint is back in a few days.
Another question is Shaw’s availability. He is taking a summer class which could affect his eligibility this fall.
“He’s been half the time with us and football and the other half of the time studying for the class,” Rodriguez said.
No one has stood out and taken the job in camp. But Rodriguez would like to not have to rely on just one, but multiple guys to pick their play up and carry the load.
“Who the top two, three guys are will play,” Rodriguez. “And some of them, maybe certain plays they do better than others, we’ll get them in the game for.”
See you next year, Troy: Rodriguez announced that senior cornerback Troy Woolfolk had surgery Tuesday to repair an injury suffered in practice on Aug. 17. Woolfolk suffered a dislocated ankle and a broken fibula.
“Everything went well with the surgery, and it certainly looks like he’s lost for the season,” Rodriguez said. “From our reports from the doctors, the surgery went well. He’s got quite a bit of rehabilitation. But they don’t see any reason why he can’t be 100 percent this time next year.”
The senior still has the option to redshirt this year and play in 2011 as a fifth-year senior. Rodriguez thinks Woolfolk will return for a fifth year.
“I believe so,” Rodriguez said. “It’s his decision of course. But Troy loves football. And he’s got a tough road ahead of him in rehab. As tough as he is, and as hard as he works, he’ll be able to come back even stronger.”