Devin Gardner

Devin Gardner (born December 14, 1991) is an American football quarterback who previously played wide receiver for the Michigan Wolverines football team. During the fall of 2009, he was rated as the No. 1 dual-threat high school quarterback in the United States by Rivals.com and the No. 5 quarterback by ESPNU. He verbally committed to Michigan's 2010 recruiting class in the spring of 2009 and enrolled at the University of Michigan in January 2010.

After switching from quarterback to wide receiver at Michigan at the beginning of the 2012 season, Gardner switched back and took over for starting quarterback Denard Robinson after the latter injured his elbow.

Detroit Jesuit High School
As a sophomore in 2007, Gardner played football for the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy. He missed five games during his sophomore year because of disciplinary issues, but returned for the final four games of the season. Gardner described the problems he experienced in his sophomore year as a turning point: "I had never sat out before, and that hurt a lot. It was a bad feeling, and I did a lot of growing up. I just knew I had to get better."

Inkster High School
After his sophomore year, Gardner transferred to Inkster High School in Inkster, Michigan. He was Inkster's starting quarterback under head Coach Greg Carter, who led Detroit's Saint Martin de Porres High School to three state championships.

As a junior in 2008, Gardner led Inkster to a state title game and was responsible for 48 touchdowns, 26 passing and 22 rushing. He also compiled 3,287 yards of total offense with 1,886 passing yards and 1,401 rushing yards. He also helped lead Inkster's basketball team to the state semifinals in March 2009.

As a senior in 2009, Gardner again led Inkster to the state finals game. In the second game of the season, Gardner compiled 340 yards passing and 101 yards rushing against East Kentwood High School. The highlight of Gardner's senior season came in Inkster’s final regular season game against Steubenville High School in Steubenville, Ohio. Inkster needed a win to advance to the playoffs, and Steubenville had a 60-game home winning streak. Steubenville led 29-28 with 1:19 left in the game. With 39 seconds left, Gardner threw a 63-yard touchdown pass for the win. Gardner described the game-winning drive against Steubenville as follows:"'First I threw an out and we got out of bounds. (Receiver) Jonathan Taylor got hurt and so he had to come out. Another receiver came in and we did just a regular ol' route. We didn't do nothing special, but they all jumped the out route and left the fly on the outside wide open. I just threw it to (Vorheese Zanders) in between the safety and corner and he made a big play. He made one guy miss, another guy fell down, and he scored.'" Gardner accounted for 330 yards (275 yards passing, 55 rushing) and five touchdowns (four passing) in the win over Steubenville.

After the win over Steubenville, Gardner led Inkster to four straight wins in the playoffs, including a 51-19 win over Edsel Ford High School (Dearborn, Michigan), a 50-28 win over Thurston High School (Redford, Michigan), and a 35-7 win over Southgate Anderson High School. Gardner led Inkster to its second straight state finals game. Inkster averaged 31 points per game in the 12 games before the final, but lost 27-6 against Lowell High School in the Division 2 title game. Gardner compiled only 134 passing yards in the title game and minus-26 rushing yards after being sacked three times.

In an interview with ESPN in the fall of 2009, Gardner described his passion for the quarterback position: "With me, you better prepare for everything you think could happen because anything can happen when I've got the ball in my hands. I've got the ball in my hands every play, and it's my show."

Combines and rankings
After compiling impressive statistics as a junior, Gardner was invited to a number of combines and camps in the Summer of 2009. In June 2009, Gardner participated in the Nike camp in Champaign, Illinois. In July 2009, Gardner participated in the Elite 11 quarterback camp at Soka University in Aliso Viejo, California, as one of the 12 invited quarterbacks. Gardner earned counselor awards for best footwork and work in the classroom at the Elite 11 camp. After watching Gardner perform at the Elite 11, JC Shurburtt wrote for ESPN.com that, "Gardner has also surprised many. His hustle, leadership and athleticism add up to a tremendous maturity that will help him compete early for playing time in Ann Arbor." Barry Every, national analyst for Rivals.com, ranked Gardner as the top overall quarterback at the Elite 11 camp based on long-term potential and the ability to win football games, and added, "He may not be as big or fast as current Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, but he is a close second."

In September 2009, Gardner was ranked at the top quarterback prospect in the United States by Rivals.com. He was ranked as the No. 4 quarterback nationally by Scout.com and the No. 5 quarterback in the ESPNU 150. In November 2009, Allen Trieu of Scout.com said of Gardner:"'He is considered one of the top handful of quarterbacks in the country and is firmly entrenched as a five-star prospect. As far as upside goes, I don't see many quarterbacks that have his potential. He has improved as a passer, but I think what is overlooked is that he has gotten faster and has broken longer runs. We've also seen several times where he has put this team on his shoulders and pulled out victories in tough situations.'"

Many recruiting experts have compared Gardner to Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor. The two have similarities, like size and running style.

Under Armour All-America Game
At end of his senior year in high school, Gardner played in the Under Armour All-America Game in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The game is an all-star contest for high school seniors. Gardner threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to help the White team win the contest. On the touchdown pass, Gardner rolled right and found Darius White (a Texas Longhorns commitment) on a third-and-goal play in the fourth quarter. Gardner shared quarterback duties for the White team with Nick Montana (son of Joe Montana) and Phillip Sims (an Alabama commitment). After his appearance in the All-America Game, Gardner said, "It was the greatest experience of my life. Even greater than the Steubenville win that (Inkster) had (during the regular season) -- which was a monumental for the city of Inkster and the state of Michigan, even. This is just another monumental event."

Former NFL head coach Sam Wyche coached the opposing Black team and praised Gardner after the game. Wyche said, "Devin is going to be a big-time player at Michigan. He and Phillip Sims are guys to me that are going to come quickly to the scene. Devin has a great smile. He is going to sell a lot of product for somebody. He's got a great personality. He's smart -- you can change directions with him and it doesn't bother him at all. He is ready to go."

Commitment to Michigan
In the spring of 2009, Gardner gave an early verbal commitment to Michigan. His high school football coach, Greg Carter, noted, "He told us that he was going to commit to Michigan. He's versatile and he fits that offense perfectly. He can throw the ball and he also can run the football. So I think it's a good choice for him." Gardner explained his choice as follows: “I feel great, like there was no other place that I would be able to be as comfortable as I am now at a different school. It was just the only decision that I could think of. When I go up there it’s like a family atmosphere. Sometimes at other schools it seems sort of fake if you will but at this school I felt like they were real. The big thing was that I was their first choice. They wanted other guys but expressed to me I was their top guy and that’s the biggest factor.”  Despite the early verbal commitment, other schools continued to pursue Gardner – particularly as his ratings increased in the Summer of 2009. Gardner received offers from more than 15 colleges, including Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Oregon, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Iowa, Florida and LSU. Questions about his commitment were raised after Michigan’s freshman quarterback Tate Forcier had a solid season in the fall of 2009, but Gardner remained committed to Michigan. He reported that his second choice was Florida and his third was LSU.

The Detroit Free Press wrote in September 2009 that Gardner’s “dual-threat abilities make him an ideal candidate to run Rich Rodriguez’s version of the spread offense. Inkster coach Greg Carter expected Gardner to thrive at Michigan: “We definitely have a similar offense. A lot of the things they do may be what made them think he could do well there. We run the spread, have four receivers at times, sometimes three receivers and two backs. So we play similar. … There was nothing we put in that he couldn’t handle.”

2010 season
Gardner was one of seven members of Michigan’s 2010 recruiting class to enroll early in January 2010, along with Stephen Hopkins, Austin White, Christian Pace, Jerald Robinson, Ricardo Miller, and Jeremy Jackson.

In December 2009, Tom Luginbill, national recruiting director of ESPN Scouts Inc., said he believed Gardner would compete for Michigan's starting quarterback job in 2010. Luginbill said, "There's no doubt he's got the physical tools to do so." When the Detroit Free Press asked Gardner in December 2009 whether he saw himself starting as a freshman, Gardner said, “Of course I see myself doing that.” Asked about Michigan’s 2009 starting quarterback, Tate Forcier, Gardner said, “A great player, a tough player and a funny guy. I think he’s going to be great competition for next year.” In January 2010, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez noted, "In order for Devin to play -- and I don't even want to discount him because Devin's a very competitive guy -- but you're going to assume that Tate and Denard don't take a step forward." In February 2010, Rodriguez added, "We want guys who want competition, and we're going to foster that. Devin will give some competition to those other guys."

Gardner played in two games his Freshman season. He ended up completing seven of ten passes for a total of 85 yards and one touchdown. Gardner also rushed for a total of 21 yards on seven rushing attempts, and finished with one rushing touchdown.

2011 season
In Gardner's second season at Michigan, he appeared in eight of thirteen games completing 11 of 23 passes for one touchdown, and rushing for a total of 53 yards with a total of one rushing touchdown. Devin Gardner played as a backup behind starting quarterback Denard Robinson, for a second straight year. Gardner was featured mostly in offensive coordinator Al Borges' "deuce formation" featuring Denard Robinson in either the slot receiver position, or at running back, and with Devin Gardner at the quarterback position. Gardner also played in games where he wasn't in the deuce formation. He played against Northwestern, Michigan State, and Illinois due to an injury to Robinson, and he played against Nebraska, and Minnesota due to a large margin of score (won against Minnesota 58-0, and against Nebraska 45-17.) Gardner's touchdown pass to Martavious Odoms in Michigan's game against Illinois sealed a victory for the Wolverines.

Despite Devin Gardner playing very little snaps compared to Robinson, Devin said on Thursday, January 13, 2012, that he has no plans to transfer. "I'm going to be back next year...I'm always happy to be a Michigan Man. I want to get my degree at Michigan and be a part of the Michigan family."

2012 season
In Gardner's third season, he was converted to wide receiver. Through the first four games of the season, he was the team's leading receiver with 11 receptions for 195 yards and three touchdowns.

Following an injury to Robinson's throwing arm in the eighth game of the season against Nebraska, Gardner returned to the quarterback position. He received his first start as Michigan's quarterback against Minnesota on November 3, 2012. Gardner ran for a touchdown and completed 12 of 18 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns as Michigan defeated the Golden Gophers, 35-13. Four of the touchdown drives were longer than 75 yards.

Gardner started his second game at quarterback on November 10, 2012, against Northwestern. Gardner led the team to a fourth quarter comeback and a 38-31 overtime victory. He ran for 47 yards and two touchdowns and completed 16 of 29 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns. With two second remaining in the game, Roy Roundtree caught a 53-yard pass from Gardner to set up a game-tying field goal. Gardner scored the winning touchdown in overtime on a one-yard run.

In the final home game of the 2012 season, Gardner accounted for a career high six touchdowns in a 42-17 victory over Iowa. Gardner completed 18 of 23 passes for a career high 314 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 37 yards and scored three touchdowns. Gardner became the second quarterback in Michigan history to account for six touchdowns in a game, Steve Smith having accomplished the feat twice in 1981 and in 1983. His total of 314 passing yards against Iowa ranks 16th all-time in Michigan's record book for a single game.