clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Tate Forcier Ruled Ineligible For 2011 Gator Bowl: Michigan Loses Its Key Back-Up QB

By Maize n Brew Dave
We'll always have Illinois, but Tate Forcier may have thrown his last pass for Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
We'll always have Illinois, but Tate Forcier may have thrown his last pass for Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Well... this really sucks. A day or two after a wonderful interview with Angelique Chengelis, Michigan football's Tate Forcier had another (unintended) announcement for the Michigan Football faithful: he's ineligible to play in the 2011 Gator Bowl. Michigan announced yesterday that Forcier "did not meet university standards and is ineligible to participate."

Forcier was apparently put on a plane and sent back to Ann Arbor from Florida. Freshman Devin Gardner has been named the backup for the Gator Bowl against Mississippi State. As Ann Arbor Dot Com points out, Forcier has bookended the 2010 Michigan Football season with bad news for the Wolverines. Combine this with the rumor reported by MGoBlog that:

I do have a credible-seeming email in the inbox about Montana getting a big time I-A QB transfer from a "west coast kid not on the west coast," FWIW, but even if that points to Forcier no names are in it. Since Forcier has a redshirt available it would seem to make more sense for him to transfer to another D-I school.

it would seem that Forcier's days at Michigan are numbered. It's really too bad, but that jut seems to be the way the cookie has crumbled for the talented, but enigmatic California signal caller.

In terms of Michigan's New Year's Day matchup with Mississippi State, Forcier's departure from the squad means that Devin Gardner may be called into action as Michigan's primary backup in the event that Denard Robinson misses any time during the Gator Bowl. Forcier's ineligibility may also have a lasting impact on Devin Gardner's remaining eligibility as a Wolverine. Michigan has been lobbying for a medical red-shirt for Gardner, who suffered a lower back injury earlier in the season and hasn't see game action since the start of the year. If Gardner touches the field on New Years his probable red-shirt is gone.

Just one more entry on the long list of improbable and frustrating hurdles that Michigan has faced (and will have to overcome) this season.

Next Up In Michigan Football