Devin Gardner set records as Michigan QB; Where is he now?
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (BVM) – Former Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner is known for being a difference-maker on the football field. The 6-foot-4 Inkster High School product made his name as a top signal caller for the Wolverines. And he’s taken on a new role though remains a big part of the game.
Highly touted prospect
Gardner joined the Michigan program as a highly touted prospect in 2010. There is good reason why.
Prior to that, he led the Inkster Vikings to a state final his senior year. Gardner posted 1,930 passing years along with 15 scores that fall. Plus he added 991 yards on the ground with 12 TDs.
He steered his squad to a second-place finish the year before. His 2008 stats were quite impressive. As a high school junior, he connected on 98 throws for a total of 1,886 yards and 26 TDs by air. His ground game was even more potent that season. He recorded 1,401 yards with 22 rushing TDs.
In addition, he garnered a Parade Magazine All-American honor. Gardner drew first-team all-state distinction each of those seasons. His eye-popping play would continue in maize and blue.
With the Wolverines
Gardner led the Wolverines offense for two years, from 2013-14. He’s currently fourth all-time at Michigan in passing yards (6,336) and total offense (7,252 yards) as well.
The Michigan man ranks sixth in program history with 44 TDs tossed. What’s more, he tallied 916 rushing yards and 24 ground scores over his college career. To add, he also logged four starts at the wide receiver spot during his time in Ann Arbor.
In 2013, he would etch his name into the school’s record books. Gardner passed for a school-record 503 yards vs. Indiana that year and finished with another Wolverines record with 584 yards of total offense in the same game. He also registered three rushing TDs in that contest.
OTD in 2013, Devin Gardner and Jeremy Gallon set UM single game records in total (Gardner) and receiving (Gallon) yards #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/8nJAoXdOXB
— Wolverine Sports TV (@WolvSportsTV) October 19, 2020
Pro career
The Michigan grad earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts in Afro-American and African studies then enrolled in a Master of Social Work Program.
After his college football career, Gardner moved ahead to the pros. In 2015, he saw brief stints with the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Following that, he joined the Nojima Sagamihara Rise in the X-League of Japan. He stayed with them from 2016-17. From that point, he moved to Canada for a season and suited up for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders. Since then, he hasn’t veered far away from the football field.
In the booth
Gardner was part of the guest coaching staff for the first two years of the A4: Ann Arbor’s Aerial Assault QB camp. Additionally, he became a member of the FOX commentating crew in 2021. Further, Gardner even won an Emmy for his work with Bally Sports earlier this year. Besides that, he linked with the Detroit Lions’ broadcast bunch to provide preseason analysis.
Safe to say, he’s still got a bright future in football.
