O'Brien Leaves Maryland; Is Wisconsin In His Future?

by John Veldhuis on Feb 13, 2012 2:20 PM CST in Wisconsin Badgers Football

MADISON, Wis. - Stop me if you've heard this one before. A notable ACC quarterback is planning on transferring after earning his degree, and is apparently interested in Wisconsin. But this time, it's not Russell Wilson.

Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien is planning on transferring after the Terps released him from his scholarship, according to the Baltimore Sun. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound O'Brien took a step back in his sophomore season, after breaking out as a freshman and winning the ACC's Rookie of the Year award.

Reports flew that O'Brien did not mesh well with new Maryland coach Randy Edsall, who led the Terps to a 2-10 season in his first year in College Park. O'Brien threw for 1648 yards in 2011, posting a paltry 7-10 touchdown to interception ratio. That's a far cry from his first year as a starter, where he threw for 2438 yards and 22 touchdowns.

The Sun report mentions that Wisconsin, Stanford, Michigan State, and Vanderbilt all could be options for the redshirt sophomore, who could play immediately after joining a team. In addition, O'Brien has two years of eligibility left, meaning his transfer would be more than just a one-year stopgap move.

The report does not mention the interest level of any of the listed teams, but the Badgers will probably inquire with O'Brien about his interest level. After Wilson exhausted his eligibility, the Badgers are left with a similar situation at quarterback that they had before his arrival last year. The position is low on experience, and injury questions mar the viability of the older players.

Time will tell if the Badgers end up bringing in another transfer quarterback. They already missed out on the Dayne Crist transfer, but the Badgers just might be able to find another veteran quarterback in their hour of need.

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I'd take him

He’s not a stud, but he’s pretty good and he’s only entering his Junior year. Having a shit team around him didn’t help anything for him, that could explain his regression and overall struggles.

Tajh Boyd and Dre' Ellington are the future.
Brandon Jennings; Just keep waiting people.

by BlackPack-fan on Feb 13, 2012 4:07 PM CST reply actions

I'm curious

Why can he play right away? Thought all transfers had to sit a year unless they graduated. He wouldn’t have graduated yet would he?

by Chuck Schwartz on Feb 13, 2012 6:45 PM CST reply actions

He's apparently on track to graduate in the spring

So he’d have gotten a degree in three years.

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If it made sense, it wouldn't be the BCS.

by John Veldhuis on Feb 13, 2012 7:03 PM CST up reply actions

I'm impressed.

by Chuck Schwartz on Feb 13, 2012 7:17 PM CST up reply actions

He must have a lot of AP credits or something.

As a side note, he was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. Maybe he’ll transfer to the Gophers? LOL JK.

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by Adam Tupitza on Feb 13, 2012 9:37 PM CST up reply actions

Must've worked hard in the classroom if he's already done with his degree.

That’s an endorsement in and of itself. If he can come in and provide some stability at the position until Bart Houston is really ready to take over that’d be awesome. Even if he’s not Russell Wilson, he seems like less of a step back than some of the other options, and he’d be available for more than one year if need be. The Badgers should definitely give him a long look, it costs them nothing.

Baseball, you can't get here soon enough.

by Tepo6688 on Feb 13, 2012 7:18 PM CST reply actions

You're right it costs nothing to look at him

But if Wisconsin does take him, it will further fuel the perception that ‘the Badgers can’t develop their own quarterback so they have to poach any half-decent quarterback that’s on the market.’ Still, upgrading the talent at the QB position is tempting.

Bucky's 5th Quarter - All Badgers, all the time.

by Adam Tupitza on Feb 13, 2012 9:41 PM CST up reply actions

I'd rather have poached QBs than no QBs.

And once Bart Houston is ready and sets every passing record in the history of football, that reputation will be put to rest.

Baseball, you can't get here soon enough.

by Tepo6688 on Feb 13, 2012 10:26 PM CST up reply actions

If he's interested, it's a no-brainer

Weak as our D was last year, we can’t afford a step backwards on offense if we want a shot at another Rose Bowl.

Besides, maybe we establish a pipeline where all the best ACC QB’s come to spend their last year or two at Wisconsin, like a rite of passage. The ACC could be our farm system. :)

by BadgerInDC on Feb 14, 2012 8:19 AM CST reply actions 1 recs

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