Stop me if you've heard this one before, but this one is "special." This one is different. This one isn't just the next one, he's the one that'll finally live up to the hype.
Or at least that's the narrative that's building once more in Ann Arbor, leaving a once-bitten, twice-shy fanbase unsure of what to do. It's not just coming from outside the football building, either. It's coming from inside Schembechler Hall, too.
Joe Milton hasn't yet been named Michigan's starting quarterback for this upcoming fall season. But he's unquestionably the one who will be when Jim Harbaugh makes it official, based on everything we've seen _ Dylan McCaffrey's opt-out decision with an eye on transferring was the most recent clue _ and everything we keep hearing.
From teammates, from former players, even former rivals _ Urban Meyer called him a "Cam Newton lookalike" _ and now from the guy who has the most at stake, too, as Michigan's offensive coordinator Josh Gattis weighed in with some lofty praise Wednesday.
So what is it about Milton that has everyone so convinced that he's the answer to a question fans and critics alike have been asking throughout Harbaugh's tenure as Michigan's head coach?
"I think it's everything," Gattis said Wednesday on a video conference call. "I think it's him learning the offense, it's him taking control and command. And every day out there, he makes some type of 'wow' play. And those 'wow' plays are not just 'wow' plays in college football, they'd be 'wow' plays on Sundays."
For now, though, the concern is less about the "wow" and more about the how when it comes to Milton leading the Wolverines as a first-time starter. Namely, how will the redshirt sophomore play on Saturdays this fall, beginning with that Oct. 24 road opener at Minnesota? How ready is he, really?
