Bull Futures: Collin Michael

Bull Futures is a series of pieces about players who have given a verbal commitment to Buffalo this season.

When Zach Maynard left Buffalo the Bulls entered a period of Quarterback uncertainty from which they have yet to emerge. This past season the team relied on the transfer of a third string Quarterback from Cincinnati who was in the process of being moved to a wide out. The season before that three players got a shot at the spot and none of them looked up to the role.

This spring, once again, several Bulls will battle for the starting Quarterback Job. The guy with the Poll position is Alex Zordich, right behind him might be Jerry Davis and bringing up the rear are Western New York phenom Joe Licata and his fellow classmate Tony Daniel.

That is five Quarterbacks going into spring ball. There is a senior who has had his shot and is athletic enough to contribute elsewhere, in the same manner that Alex Dennison has done by moving to Tight End. A junior who looked slightly better than that senior for a few games in 2010. And there is a couple of red shirt freshmen who have not proven themselves at this level.

Needless to say things will probably be very muddy after spring camp. This season, more than any in recent history, there is space for an incoming freshman to make a move during the summer months.

Incoming Quarterback Collin Michael is talented enough to make that move. Many regard Michael as the best Quarterback who has ever cast his lot in with Buffalo and given some of the interest he was getting in 2010 they might be right.

All that stood between the Lexington Quarterback and a thick stack of big time offers was an ill timed injury. He had been visited by a host of AQ programs including the buckeyes while he prepared for his Junior season. During that season a serious knee injury sidelined him for months and gave some of the programs looking at him a reason to pause.

His recovery went well enough to garner offers from Temple and Central Michigan before the prep season even started but it was the institutional assets at Buffalo that lured Collin to western New York:

"They have a top medical school and that's what I'm planning on going into. The academic reputation is amazing and I don't think a lot of people know that. I also considered Temple and Central Michigan, and both are great schools. I have a chance to play early, so we will see how things go."

His reported 40 speeds are north of five seconds but those were taken while he was just getting back onto the field. Still, you don't bring in a Quarterback like Micheal for his mobility and even at 100 percent this is not a guy at his best tucking the ball in and taking off.

He can throw on the run, he can throw across his body, and he can put it into tight areas with impressive accuracy. Even before his injury he was never anything but a solid pocket passer.

During his senior season Micheal finished the season going 86-192 for 1230 yards with nine touchdowns and nine picks. The numbers don't pop but he was recovering from injury and he played some stiff competition.

The biggest sign that his injury might be behind him are the five rushing touchdowns he put up scores despite "taking it easy" on the knee.

Collin has a solid arm and an impressive frame but he has yet to look like he has completely recovered from his knee injury. He also needs a little coaching on his Mechanics but the upside he has, being nearly physically perfect for the position, make this an exciting addition to the Buffalo roster.