Michigan QB Devin Gardner Talks Football and the Amazing Life Lessons it Has Taught Him
Former Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner recounts competing behind Denard Robinson, his first start at Minnesota, his Young Go-Getters program for young quarterbacks, and his views on paying college athletes and the Big Ten's canceled season.
About This Episode
Devin Gardner was the starting quarterback for the University of Michigan from 2012 to 2014. He has since played for both the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers before leaving the NFL. He now works as a commentator for Fox Sports and runs the Young Go-Getters which works to develop aspiring quarterbacks with a dream to go far.
In this episode of the Open Mike Podcast, Devin goes through the highlights of his football career and explains the choices he made along the way. They discuss the recent cancellation of Big Ten Football and how it will affect the players as well.
Show Notes
- Introducing today’s guest, Devin Gardner
- Devin’s background
- How did being told your GPA wasn’t good enough effect you?
- How did you end up at University of Detroit Jesuit High School anyways?
- You were the best dual-threat quarterback in the world, how did you deal with that pressure?
- How were you recruited to play for U of M?
- Did anyone ever offer you off-the-books incentives to join their team?
- What is your take on paying college athletes?
- Why did you switch jersey numbers?
- Was that the year that you got off the bench?
- What was your first thought when Denard Robinson hurt his elbow?
- Did you play the next game as Quarterback?
- Did they not want to pull you from receiver?
- Practicing at Minnesota’s Stadium in the freezing cold and support from Denard Robinson
- How did it feel to throw your first touchdown pass in that game?
- When did you become number 98? Why?
- What did you wear as a professional player?
- Did you get a degree in social work?
- What is Young Go-Getters?
- What is your goal for the organization?
- Are you making money from this?
- What do you do for Fox Sports? What about your podcast?
- Why didn’t you transfer to another college and start for their team?
- How has Harbaugh been as a coach?
- Big Ten Football won’t be happening. Do you think it was the right call?
- Check out Devin Gardener on Twitter and Instagram!
- Thank you for watching this episode of the Open Mike Podcast!
FAQs
-
How did Devin Gardner earn his first start at quarterback for Michigan?
Gardner says he volunteered to play wide receiver early in the 2012 season after Roy Roundtree had minor knee surgery, and played receiver for the first half of the season. When starter Denard Robinson hurt his elbow against Nebraska, the backup quarterback began the next week’s practice with the first team; after that backup was hurt, Gardner took all the first-team reps and made his first start as Michigan’s quarterback at Minnesota.
-
What is the Young Go-Getters program that Devin Gardner runs?
Gardner says he started Young Go-Getters to help quarterbacks develop, beginning with four kids he calls underappreciated, and it works with receivers too. He says the work is as much about how players think and treat others as about football. Among the kids he worked with, one was offered a University of Michigan scholarship in seventh grade, one became Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Football in Michigan, and Elon Mitchell earned a full scholarship to Army.
-
What is Devin Gardner's opinion on paying college athletes?
Gardner says “there’s no possible way that you can have a multi-billion dollar industry and not pay the workers,” especially in a sport as dangerous as football, while schools profit from jerseys and video games. He notes that a player could have to sit out the first four games of a season for accepting a hamburger, and says that, at a bare minimum, each player has their own likeness.
-
Why did Devin Gardner say he'd choose Michigan again despite not starting right away?
Gardner says he would do it all over again. He says many kids choose schools for the wrong reasons; he didn’t choose Michigan for the coach but for what it could be for him after football, because “you have to live and be a person on this planet a lot longer” than you get to play. He credits his high school coach with laying out realistically what he was up against.
-
What does Devin Gardner think about the Big Ten football cancellation?
Gardner says he can’t say they made the right decision. He points to people who work in 100,000-seat stadiums and mom-and-pop shops that rely on football season, and to players such as a senior who needed a final season for a chance at the next level. He cites Joe Burrow, who he says might have been a fifth- or sixth-round pick or undrafted after his junior year, but played his senior season “lights out” and became the number one pick in the NFL draft.
Keep Listening
More Episodes
Ep 65
Aug 20, 2020
Candidate for State Rep Shares Allegations of Theft and Fraud at the Ballot Box
with Brenda Hill & Nicole Small Watch Episode
Ep 64
Aug 18, 2020
Can this Detroit Dad Reduce Crime by Convincing Men to Start Helping Raise Their Children?
with Michael Phillips Jr. & Romell Holmes Watch Episode
Ep 63
Aug 11, 2020
