Michigan Football: 3 things to watch during 2019 spring game

ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 04: The Michigan Wolverines players celebrate winning the LITTLE BROWN JUG with fans after defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 33-10 after a college football game at Michigan Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 04: The Michigan Wolverines players celebrate winning the LITTLE BROWN JUG with fans after defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 33-10 after a college football game at Michigan Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

3. Shea Patterson evolution in 2019?

The 2018 campaign for Shea Patterson at Michigan wasn’t completely awful he was a Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award finalist, a Davey O’Brien semifinalist, Maxwell Award semifinalist and received the Team Offensive Player of the Year award.

As in every sport, there is always room for improvement. His total yards and touchdowns were pretty decent considering it was his first year under Jim Harbaugh.

We’ll see Patterson use that big arm Saturday. Harbaugh should let the horses run and show the country what he has been cooking in Ann Arbor since the end of last season. We all know he’s been hot on the recruiting trail with new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.

Patterson threw for 2,600 yards and 22 passing touchdowns. He also ran for 273 yards and two more scores. It’s safe to say he has a lot of room to grow in this offense. Especially, now that Gattis is in town. Patterson is the ideal quarterback for this revamped offense. As shown throughout his college career, he can both run and pass the ball from under center. His skill set will be greatly utilized in 2019.

We see an evolution for Patterson coming this fall. He will contribute a lot more under Gattis and maybe we will see flashes of that during the last portion of the spring game on Saturday.

The sky is the limit for this young quarterback heading into his senior season. We couldn’t be more excited to see what he can bring to the field. Gattis’s offense seems to play into quarterbacks who can use their legs effectively. We all have seen Patterson lean on that skill set during the 2018 campaign.