In the wake of Michigan hiring former West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez (and his spread offense), quarterback Ryan Mallett has decided to leave the school after only his first year.
“He’s on his way home,” Jim Mallett told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “We don’t know where he’s going to go yet, but we need to do something quick. We’re going to visit three, four or five schools.”
The former Texas Class 4A offensive player of the year may end up at Tennessee, which is considering hiring former Michigan offensive coordinator Mike DeBord and quarterbacks coach Scott Loeffler.
Losing Mallett is big for Rodriguez and Michigan. Mallett is a prototypical drop back passer with an NFL arm and a huge ceiling. Rodriguez is currently trying to recruit hotshot high school quarterback prospect, Terrelle Pryor, to run his spread option attack, but if he can’t land him, the Wolverines might have a huge setback. Changing offensive schemes – especially when it’s going from a pro-style to a spread – isn’t like turning a light switch on and off.
