Once thought to be an almost lock to Ohio State, Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner appears set to pledge his football services next season for the University of Michigan.  Early in the recruiting process it seemed as if Gardner would commit to the Buckeyes as soon as they gave him an offer... he is still waiting on that offer.  Instead the Buckeyes have gone in a different direction with their #1 target being Westlake Village, CA quarterback and son of an NFL hall of famer, Nick Montana.  Gardner is thought ot be a perfect fit for Rich Rodriguez's zone-read offense.  Gardiner has extreme athletic ability and with that alone should challenge for playing time the moment he steps on campus despite the Wolverines signing two quarterbacks in their most recent recruiting class of 2009, Tate Forcier (5-11, 184lbs) out of San Diego, CA and Deefield Beach's Denard Robinson (6-0, 180lbs).  Many expect Forcier to be the leading candidate to take over the quarterbacking duties for the Wolverines this upcoming season with the transfer of last year's starting quarterback Steven Threet and the recent broken leg to the only other Michigan quarterback with any starting experience, Nick Sheridan. 

Gardner has been compared by many to Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor in terms of his ability to fit in the zone-read offense.  He has a strong arm but needs work with this throwing motion and especially with his footwork.  This could be the reason why Ohio State never offered Gardner in the first place instead hoping to land the more mechanically sound Nick Montana.  There is no doubting Gardners upside however and if he is developed correctly he could be a really good one for the Maize and Blue with a season or two under his belt. 

For the Buckeyes the quarterback position is one of growing need for the 2010 recruiting class but not quite as important as many Ohio State fans think.  Currently the Buckeyes have three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster with starter Terrelle Pryor leading the way.  Backup quarterback, and former Pittsburgh Pirate minor league prospect Joe Bausherman is more than an adequate backup and it a lot better than people give him credit.  Incoming freshman Kenny Guiton is a decent prospect but he is a pretty big project for the Buckeyes so he fits in well at the third position on the depth chart.  With both Pryor and Bausherman being true sophomores and Guiton being a freshman the Buckeyes seem to be quite content making Nick Montana their #1 target at quarterback in the class of 2010.  The Buckeyes also like Tampa, FL prospect Christian Green (6-2, 200lbs).  There is no doubting Green's athletic abilities vaulted him to be the 37th ranked player in the Rivals.com class of 2010 but his surprisingly good arm also is appealing.  Unfortunately for the Buckeyes it seems that Green is really leaning towards Florida State at this point leaving Montana as the main target for the Buckeyes.

Would a quarterback like Nick Montana or Devin Gardner be nice for the Buckeyes?  Sure it would... is it absolutely needed that the Buckeyes sign a quarterback?  Surprising the answer is no, not necessarily yet.