Devin Gardner And The Battle For The #12 Jersey

In a flurry of jersey announcements over the past few days, the look of the team has changed quite a bit for fans.  Most of the players will be the same, but their look and legacies will look a little differently for the future.  The biggest announcement, Roy Roundtree being awarded with the #21 Legacy jersey, is pretty significant, but the one that is perhaps the most interesting is the change of Devin Gardner's jersey number.

Gardner, Michigan's backup quarterback since before the 2010 season, has been known to fans by his spectacular talents and by his famed #7 jersey.  He wore the number in high school and continued that tradition when he arrived on campus in the Spring Game in 2010.  The jersey had been worn by many famed Michigan athletes, but was probably best known as of late for being the jersey of Michigan's starting quarterback from 2004-2007, Chad Henne.  Henne holds Michigan's school records for passes completed, passing yards, and passing touchdowns and was only one of three true freshman quarterbacks to start his first game on campus.

Gardner seemed to fit in well with the #7 jersey of Henne.  He was an incoming 5* quarterback recruit and seemed destined for great success under center.  However, with recent news that he's moving to #12, there has been a lot of debate regarding the move and Gardner's future role with the team.  Is this a sign of the position change that has received much speculation?  Is Gardner officially becoming a wide receiver?  Along with this, wasn't Michigan's 2013 quarterback recruit Shane Morris promised the #12 jersey when he arrived on campus?  He, after all, wants the jersey because of his deep admiration of Tom Brady and because like Gardner, he wore the jersey in high school.

Do I think this is a sign of something much deeper?  Not really.  Jersey changes happen all the time and this is no different.  Although it is uncommon to change a player's number of Gardner's age and fame within the program, it's not anything shocking.  Roy Roundtree's number change was obviously something that was significant from its special place in Michigan football history, but it, like Gardner's change, doesn't symbolize long-term change for Michigan.

I do think there could be a possiblity of some future move to add a Legends patch to the #7 jersey for Henne, but that's not something that's going to occur anytime soon.  They have a lot more jerseys to address before they get around to guys like Henne, although his Michigan career was incredible.  I point this out because there may be a desire to make sure the jersey is only worn by quarterbacks.  If Gardner is splitting time next season between quarterback and wide receiver or only playing wide receiver, this may be viewed as something that could tarnish the jersey's legacy in the future.  This is definitely a possibility, but I don't think it's that likely.

So, if this wasn't the reason, why would the coaching staff give Gardner the #12, when Shane Morris seemed to have been promised the jersey?  Well, first, Morris isn't even on campus until fall of 2013.  The team doesn't need to be bending over backwards to be pleasing a high school recruit.  They need to be doing what's best for Team 133, not Teams 134 or 135.  Plus, Gardner would have more seniority even if Morris was on campus.  It's just not something that makes sense.

Overall, these frequent jersey changes are a bit surprising, but I really don't see them as that significant in the grand scheme of things.  It will be fun to see all the changes this fall, but for all we know, it could just be a random whim of Gardner to get #12.  Maybe Roundtree asked him to wear it because he was changing jerseys, or Gardner wanted to 'freshen' things up.  Something like this seems a lot more believable than a massive athletic department overhaul.  Either way, fans don't need to panic about a non-traditional number changing.  I'd focus more on the team's chances next year than a random jersey switch.

Bleeding Maize And Blue

I'm sure every fan has that moment in their lives when they became a Michigan fan. You might've grown up with your family having a history of Blue Bloods, or chosen to attend UofM out of high school. When it comes down to it, everyone has their own tale. So, for this article I'm going to give you a little background on mine, and hopefully some of you will share your stories below or via Twitter.

I grew up in Nashville, Michigan. Go ahead--look it up on Google Earth, and you'll see it does exist. That little village is in the prime area of Sparty country. It's located about 45 minutes SW of Lansing. Growing up I wasn't into any college sports, or sports at all for that matter. I remember kids being fans of the Tar Heels and Seminoles and Spartans but I didn't put much effort into caring. I do, however, remember watching Chris Webber during the national title game in 1993. I remember not so much of the time-out, but just the colors themselves. Keep in mind I was 13 at the time!

Fast forward to 2001, which is when I met my wife. I moved out to Howell in 2002 and got a job in a fireplace warehouse, and I met one of the staunchest Michigan fans out there. To this day, he is still my friend and fellow fantasy football player, but it is because of him that my passion has grown to what it is today.

In 2003, he took me to my first Michigan football game against Purdue. Walking in through the gates, and down into our seats; I knew I was hooked. I had chills going up my spine before the game even started. If you remember, this was the last year Navarre played and we lost in the Rose Bowl at the end. I've been to a few games since: the 3OT thriller against MSU, and Henne's first game as a starter against Miami of Ohio. A few games during the RichRod era (whom I loathed) and went to see the blowouts against Purdue and Nebraska's first game at the Big House. Through the ups and downs of the program, I have always remained steadfast in my support of Big Blue.

Now as I stated earlier, I grew up in MSU country. Went to school with a lot of their fans, and most I still consider friends to this day. Right now, I despise anything green. I hardly have any in my wardrobe and my own 5-yr old says "Yuck, I don't like green" (Yes, we've trained him well). I also don't own much red either but I guess since I grew up where I did, I dislike green a shade more than scarlet red. Not to say I have any kind feelings towards Ohio.

This is my story and why I bleed maize and blue.  So, tell us your story about when you started bleeding maize and blue.  Even fan has a story, let's hear yours!


Photo Credit: AnnArbor.com