Steven Threet
Encyclopedia
Steven Charles Threet is a former American football
quarterback
who played for both Michigan and Arizona State
. He is currently a Student Assistant on the Arizona State football team's staff. He was most recently the starting quarterback for the Arizona State Sun Devils
. During the 2010 season, Threet completed 208 of 336 passes for 2,553 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He passed for a career-high 391 yards and three touchdowns against Northern Arizona in September 2010.
He threw for 4,824 yards and 49 touchdowns as a high school player in Adrian, Michigan
, and was ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 9 quarterback prospect in the nation in the Class of 2006. Threet committed to Georgia Tech
and enrolled early there in January 2007.
After the coaches who had recruited him left the program, Threet announced in July 2007 that he was transferring to the University of Michigan
and head coach Lloyd Carr
. Carr was replaced before the 2008 season by Rich Rodriguez
. After sitting out the 2007 season under NCAA transfer rules, the redshirt freshman Threet would go on to start at quarterback in eight of Michigan
's 12 games.
Later that same year, Threet transferred to Arizona State University
, citing the incompatibility of his playing style as a traditional pro style dropback passer with the spread offense of Rodriguez. After sitting out the 2009 season, Threet had two years of eligibility remaining with Arizona State
. On August 30, 2010, Arizona State head coach Dennis Erickson
announced that Threet would be the starting quarterback for the coming season.
, and graduated from Adrian High School. During his senior year in high school, he accumulated 1,896 passing yards and threw 20 touchdown passes. He also had had 1,528 passing yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior. In all, he threw for 4,824 yards and 49 touchdowns in three seasons at Adrian High School.
As a high school senior, Threet was four-star prospect and the No. 9 quarterback prospect nationally according to Rivals.com. He was also named to The Detroit News
Division II All-State first team. In August 2006, Detroit Free Press
sports writer Chris Silva wrote that Threet "has the brains of a Steven Q. Urkel
and an arm of a young Peyton Manning
. He can audible at the line of scrimmage, like NFL star Peyton Manning, and absorb a playbook faster than Urkel could memorize physics formulas. Threet had Ivy League
schools such as Harvard
and Princeton
clamoring over his smarts and skills."
Threet had offers from several major schools, including Wisconsin
, Stanford
, Illinois
, North Carolina State
, Indiana
, Cincinnati
and Georgia Tech
.
reported that "Threet appeared to take the lead over Calvin Booker for the No. 2 quarterback spot," completing 7 of 11 passes for 51 yards and a touchdown while working with the No. 1 offense.
, he had also recruited five-star quarterback Ryan Mallett. Threet called his former high school coach and left a message saying, "Coach, I'm going to go back to Michigan, and I'm going to beat [Ryan] Mallett
out for that starting job." In a July 2007 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Threet explained his decision: "The biggest thing is that the two coaches that recruited me took jobs at other schools, and that happened after I got there. People have been asking if it was homesickness, or classes were too hard, or if it was all the competition at Tech. It was not any of those at all. I had a 3.76 grade-point my first semester, and the competition (at Michigan) is as good or better."
Threet had been ineligible after his transfer from Georgia Tech. During the 2007 season
, the majority of the snaps were taken by senior Chad Henne
. However, Henne was sidelined by injury enough that Mallett received a considerable amount of playing time, appearing in 11 games (to Henne's 10) and attempting 141 passes (to Henne's 278). Carr, who had recruited both Mallett and a year later, Threet, was set to retire as head coach and Rodriguez was brought in to begin as head coach for the 2008 season. Mallett believed Rodriguez's offense to be unsuitable for a pocket passer, and so transferred to Arkansas
. Michigan's quarterback job was up for grabs. Threet would battle to become the team's starting quarterback along with former walk-on redshirt sophomore Nick Sheridan and redshirt sophomore David Cone
. First-year Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez tabbed Sheridan the Michigan
starting quarterback to begin the 2008 season although Threet would see action in Michigan's season opener against Utah
, entering the game as a substitute and closing the 25-10 deficit before eventually losing, 25-23. He recorded 132 yards on 14-32 passing along with one touchdown and zero interceptions. Threet was slated for his first career start at Michigan in the following game against Miami (Ohio)
, although Sheridan would also see playing time. On the first offensive play for Michigan, Threet completed a screen pass to Martavious Odoms
that was good for 50 yards. On the fifth play, Threet faked a handoff to Sam McGuffie
and ran nine yards for a touchdown. Threet finished with six completions on 13 attempts for 63 yards and no touchdowns, although Michigan evened its season record at 1-1. Threet also started in a 35–17 loss against Notre Dame
in the third week of the season. According to The Michigan Daily, "Threet's breakout start" came on the road against Notre Dame when he went 16-of-23 for 175 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. In its game coverage, the paper reported, "Redshirt freshman quarterback Steven Threet played with poise, leading the Wolverines to 330 total yards."
After a bye week before the team's fourth game, Threet was named the starter again and would lead Michigan to their second biggest comeback in school history and the team's biggest win of the season. Michigan trailed #9 Wisconsin
19–0 with three minutes left in the third quarter and then scored 27 unanswered points in 13 minutes to take a 27–19 lead. After a poor performance in the first half, Threet led the team to 247 yards of total offense and 27 points in the second half. In the third quarter, he led the Wolverines on an 80-yard, 14-play drive ending with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Koger. Not known for his mobility, Threet's most impressive play was a 58-yard run in the fourth quarter that set up Michigan's game-winning touchdown. After the game, Rodriguez said Threet's run "surprised a lot of people, maybe even himself." Quarterback coach Rod Smith said of Threet's second-half performance, "He's a competitor. He's got some heart. He'll fight you, which is what I want. That's a start, you know what I mean? We'll keep working on the rest."
In the sixth game of the season, Threet started against Toledo, but he was injured and sat out the second half of the game, which Michigan lost 13–10.
Starting in a 35–21 loss Michigan State
, Threet completed 13 of 27 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown pass to go along with a career-high three interceptions.
In a start against Purdue
later in the season, Threet threw two touchdown passes for the second time, including a 51-yard touchdown pass to Darryl Stonum. Michigan scored a season-high 42 points against Purdue, but the defense gave up 48 points in the game.
Threet missed two of the last three games of the season due to a shoulder injury. He did not make the trip to play against Ohio State
. However, by the end of the season, The Michigan Daily wrote that "Threet has stepped up as a capable signal-caller ... And now, fans can take a measure of relief — Michigan has a quarterback."
One of the low points of the 2008 season for Threet came after the loss to Michigan State when Michigan's offensive coordinator Calvin Magee
publicly criticized Threet's performance as "inconsistent, like it always is." Asked later about Magee's comments, Threet said:
The Michigan Dailys sports editor, Dan Feldman, later questioned the wisdom of Magee's public criticism of the team's starting quarterback. Feldman opined that Threet had been impressive and concluded, "Whatever happens from here, credit Threet for handling a difficult season with class."
Threet would start a total of eight games, four more than Sheridan's season total. The team recorded its worst season ever after posting a 3-9 record and stopping the country's longest streak of consecutive bowl appearances at 33. He ended the season with 102 completions on 200 attempts for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns. He also threw seven interceptions. In the off season, Rodriguez would sign quarterbacks Tate Forcier
and Denard Robinson
on National Signing Day
. In February 2009, Threet released a statement saying, "I have decided to transfer from the University of Michigan. I have requested and received my release. I do not yet know where I will continue my collegiate career, and have no further comment until that decision is made."
As a 6-foot, 6-inch, traditional pocket passer, Threet had not fit into the Michigan offensive scheme under first-year head coach Rodriguez, whose spread offense emphasizes mobile quarterbacks. On announcing his transfer to Arizona State, Threet said:
. Interviewed by The Michigan Daily, Threet explained his choice of Arizona State over Oregon State: "The first thing I looked at for any school I was going to go to was the offense they run and the coaching staff. Arizona State, I feel it fits me offensively with the type of offense they run, it's a pro-style offense. I get along very well with the coaching staff, I feel like they will be able to help me get better every day in practice and throughout the season and help me develop."
Under transfer rules, Threet was required to sit out the 2009 season, but had two years of eligibility remaining.
said that that was only because Threet won a coin flip. At the time, Threet said, "I'm very excited, but I'm just a competitive person. Anytime I go out to practice, I'm trying to compete with whoever I'm playing against whether it's last year on the scout team or this year trying to win the starting job."
Throughout August 2010, Threet was in close competition with Brock Osweiler for the starting quarterback position. In an interview with The Arizona Republic
, head coach Dennis Erickson also praised Threet's progression: "Every quarterback I've been around it just takes awhile to get used to what you're hanging your hat on and what we're doing offensively. He's got a quick release, and he has a hell of an arm. He just needs to continue to get more accurate."
On August 30, 2010, Erickson announced that Threet would be the starting quarterback in the Sun Devils opening game against Portland State. In a short statement, Erickson said that Threet "was the most consistent throughout fall camp."
In the second game of the 2010 season, Threet led the team to a 41-20 win over Northern Arizona. Threet set career highs with 33 completions and 391 passing yards in the game. He also threw three touchdown passes and two interceptions and completed passes to eight different receivers.
Through the first two games of the 2010 season, Threet completed 47 of 70 passes for a 67% completion rate and five touchdowns.
The next few games had their ups and downs for Threet, a very close 20-19 loss at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, started a downward spiral for the Sun Devils in 2010. In this game Threet went 21 of 33 for 211 yards with 0 TD and 0 INT. Many believed that the Sun Devils outplayed Wisconsin, Threet played well in the game but it started a trend of what-ifs for the Sun Devils season.
Threet finished the 2010 season with 2,553 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
On February 23, 2011, Threet announced his retirement from football due to repeated concussions.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who played for both Michigan and Arizona State
Arizona State Sun Devils football
The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
. He is currently a Student Assistant on the Arizona State football team's staff. He was most recently the starting quarterback for the Arizona State Sun Devils
2010 Arizona State Sun Devils football team
The 2010 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Sun Devils were led by head coach Dennis Erickson in his 4th season. They played their home games at Sun Devil Stadium and are members of the Pacific-10...
. During the 2010 season, Threet completed 208 of 336 passes for 2,553 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He passed for a career-high 391 yards and three touchdowns against Northern Arizona in September 2010.
He threw for 4,824 yards and 49 touchdowns as a high school player in Adrian, Michigan
Adrian, Michigan
As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
, and was ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 9 quarterback prospect in the nation in the Class of 2006. Threet committed to Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
and enrolled early there in January 2007.
After the coaches who had recruited him left the program, Threet announced in July 2007 that he was transferring to the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and head coach Lloyd Carr
Lloyd Carr
Lloyd H. Carr is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 through the 2007 season. Under Carr, the Wolverines compiled a record of 122–40 and won or shared five Big Ten Conference titles...
. Carr was replaced before the 2008 season by Rich Rodriguez
Rich Rodriguez
Richard A. "Rich" Rodriguez is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arizona. Rodriguez previously served as the head football coach at Salem University , Glenville State College , West Virginia University , and the University...
. After sitting out the 2007 season under NCAA transfer rules, the redshirt freshman Threet would go on to start at quarterback in eight of Michigan
2008 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2008 college football season. The team's head football coach was Rich Rodriguez. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
's 12 games.
Later that same year, Threet transferred to Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, citing the incompatibility of his playing style as a traditional pro style dropback passer with the spread offense of Rodriguez. After sitting out the 2009 season, Threet had two years of eligibility remaining with Arizona State
Arizona State Sun Devils football
The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
. On August 30, 2010, Arizona State head coach Dennis Erickson
Dennis Erickson
Dennis Erickson is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Arizona State University until November 28, 2011, a position he had held since the 2007 season. In 2008 the Arizona Board of Regents had approved a contract extension to keep Erickson at Arizona...
announced that Threet would be the starting quarterback for the coming season.
Early years
Threet was born in Adrian, MichiganAdrian, Michigan
As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
, and graduated from Adrian High School. During his senior year in high school, he accumulated 1,896 passing yards and threw 20 touchdown passes. He also had had 1,528 passing yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior. In all, he threw for 4,824 yards and 49 touchdowns in three seasons at Adrian High School.
As a high school senior, Threet was four-star prospect and the No. 9 quarterback prospect nationally according to Rivals.com. He was also named to The Detroit News
The Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
Division II All-State first team. In August 2006, Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
sports writer Chris Silva wrote that Threet "has the brains of a Steven Q. Urkel
Steve Urkel
Steven Quincy Urkel, generally known as Steve Urkel or simply Urkel, is a fictional character on the ABC/CBS sitcom Family Matters, portrayed by Jaleel White...
and an arm of a young Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
. He can audible at the line of scrimmage, like NFL star Peyton Manning, and absorb a playbook faster than Urkel could memorize physics formulas. Threet had Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
schools such as Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
clamoring over his smarts and skills."
Threet had offers from several major schools, including Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers football
The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
, Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
, Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
, North Carolina State
NC State Wolfpack football
The NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference....
, Indiana
Indiana Hoosiers football
The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:...
, Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bearcats football
The Cincinnati Bearcats football program represents the University of Cincinnati in a college football. They compete at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level as members of the Big East Conference. The Bearcat football program is one of the nation's oldest, having fielded a team as...
and Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
.
Georgia Tech
Threet committed to Georgia Tech in July 2006 and enrolled early in January 2007. His high school coach recalled, "He fell in love with the recruiters and the position coaches at Georgia Tech." Soon after Threet arrived at Georgia Tech, both of the coaches who had recruited him took jobs elsewhere. During spring practice in April 2007, The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...
reported that "Threet appeared to take the lead over Calvin Booker for the No. 2 quarterback spot," completing 7 of 11 passes for 51 yards and a touchdown while working with the No. 1 offense.
University of Michigan
In July 2007, Threet announced he would transfer to the University of Michigan. While Lloyd Carr was still head coach at Michigan2007 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2007 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2007 college football season. This was Lloyd Carr's final season as Michigan head coach. The 2007 season began with a stunning loss to Appalachian State, but the Wolverines won eight straight games after...
, he had also recruited five-star quarterback Ryan Mallett. Threet called his former high school coach and left a message saying, "Coach, I'm going to go back to Michigan, and I'm going to beat [Ryan] Mallett
Ryan Mallett
Ryan Mallett , nicknamed "Big Tex", is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League , taken in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks...
out for that starting job." In a July 2007 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Threet explained his decision: "The biggest thing is that the two coaches that recruited me took jobs at other schools, and that happened after I got there. People have been asking if it was homesickness, or classes were too hard, or if it was all the competition at Tech. It was not any of those at all. I had a 3.76 grade-point my first semester, and the competition (at Michigan) is as good or better."
Threet had been ineligible after his transfer from Georgia Tech. During the 2007 season
2007 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2007 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2007 college football season. This was Lloyd Carr's final season as Michigan head coach. The 2007 season began with a stunning loss to Appalachian State, but the Wolverines won eight straight games after...
, the majority of the snaps were taken by senior Chad Henne
Chad Henne
Chad Steven Henne is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League.He graduated from Wilson Senior High School and attended the University of Michigan...
. However, Henne was sidelined by injury enough that Mallett received a considerable amount of playing time, appearing in 11 games (to Henne's 10) and attempting 141 passes (to Henne's 278). Carr, who had recruited both Mallett and a year later, Threet, was set to retire as head coach and Rodriguez was brought in to begin as head coach for the 2008 season. Mallett believed Rodriguez's offense to be unsuitable for a pocket passer, and so transferred to Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
. Michigan's quarterback job was up for grabs. Threet would battle to become the team's starting quarterback along with former walk-on redshirt sophomore Nick Sheridan and redshirt sophomore David Cone
David Cone
David Brian Cone is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1986-2003 for six different teams. Cone pitched the sixteenth perfect game in baseball history. He also set the MLB record for most years between 20-win seasons. He was a member of five...
. First-year Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez tabbed Sheridan the Michigan
2008 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2008 college football season. The team's head football coach was Rich Rodriguez. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
starting quarterback to begin the 2008 season although Threet would see action in Michigan's season opener against Utah
2008 Utah Utes football team
The 2008 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team, coached by 4th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham, plays its home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium...
, entering the game as a substitute and closing the 25-10 deficit before eventually losing, 25-23. He recorded 132 yards on 14-32 passing along with one touchdown and zero interceptions. Threet was slated for his first career start at Michigan in the following game against Miami (Ohio)
Miami RedHawks football
The Miami University RedHawks, known as the Miami Redskins before 1996, are a NCAA Division I FBS college football program that competes in the Mid-American Conference...
, although Sheridan would also see playing time. On the first offensive play for Michigan, Threet completed a screen pass to Martavious Odoms
Martavious Odoms
Martavious Rashhud Odoms is an American football wide receiver playing his senior season in 2011 for the Michigan Wolverines football team. Martavious established the Michigan record for receptions by a freshman for the 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team and was the Big Ten Conference leader...
that was good for 50 yards. On the fifth play, Threet faked a handoff to Sam McGuffie
Sam McGuffie
Samuel Terrence McGuffie is a college football running back for the Rice Owls. He played his freshman season at Michigan.-High school career:...
and ran nine yards for a touchdown. Threet finished with six completions on 13 attempts for 63 yards and no touchdowns, although Michigan evened its season record at 1-1. Threet also started in a 35–17 loss against Notre Dame
2008 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 2008 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2008 college football season. The team's head football coach is Charlie Weis. The Irish play their home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana...
in the third week of the season. According to The Michigan Daily, "Threet's breakout start" came on the road against Notre Dame when he went 16-of-23 for 175 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. In its game coverage, the paper reported, "Redshirt freshman quarterback Steven Threet played with poise, leading the Wolverines to 330 total yards."
After a bye week before the team's fourth game, Threet was named the starter again and would lead Michigan to their second biggest comeback in school history and the team's biggest win of the season. Michigan trailed #9 Wisconsin
2008 Wisconsin Badgers football team
The 2008 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers were coached by Bret Bielema and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin....
19–0 with three minutes left in the third quarter and then scored 27 unanswered points in 13 minutes to take a 27–19 lead. After a poor performance in the first half, Threet led the team to 247 yards of total offense and 27 points in the second half. In the third quarter, he led the Wolverines on an 80-yard, 14-play drive ending with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Koger. Not known for his mobility, Threet's most impressive play was a 58-yard run in the fourth quarter that set up Michigan's game-winning touchdown. After the game, Rodriguez said Threet's run "surprised a lot of people, maybe even himself." Quarterback coach Rod Smith said of Threet's second-half performance, "He's a competitor. He's got some heart. He'll fight you, which is what I want. That's a start, you know what I mean? We'll keep working on the rest."
In the sixth game of the season, Threet started against Toledo, but he was injured and sat out the second half of the game, which Michigan lost 13–10.
Starting in a 35–21 loss Michigan State
2008 Michigan State Spartans football team
The 2008 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 2008–2009 college football season. The team's head coach was Mark Dantonio. The Spartans played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan...
, Threet completed 13 of 27 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown pass to go along with a career-high three interceptions.
In a start against Purdue
2008 Purdue Boilermakers football team
The 2008 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University in the Big Ten during the 2008–2009 college football season. Joe Tiller, in his 12th and final season at Purdue, was the team's head coach. The Boilermakers' home games were played at Ross-Ade Stadium in West...
later in the season, Threet threw two touchdown passes for the second time, including a 51-yard touchdown pass to Darryl Stonum. Michigan scored a season-high 42 points against Purdue, but the defense gave up 48 points in the game.
Threet missed two of the last three games of the season due to a shoulder injury. He did not make the trip to play against Ohio State
2008 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes football team competed in football on behalf of the Ohio State University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio...
. However, by the end of the season, The Michigan Daily wrote that "Threet has stepped up as a capable signal-caller ... And now, fans can take a measure of relief — Michigan has a quarterback."
One of the low points of the 2008 season for Threet came after the loss to Michigan State when Michigan's offensive coordinator Calvin Magee
Calvin Magee
Calvin Magee is a former professional American football player who played tight end for four seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1985 to 1988...
publicly criticized Threet's performance as "inconsistent, like it always is." Asked later about Magee's comments, Threet said:
"I guess I feel like that's a difference of philosophy from the previous staff. Granted, coaches do different things to get the most out of their players. Some people close to me were upset that a coach would call me out in front of the media, but you know, in the end it didn't really matter to me. And to be honest, my play in the Michigan State game was inconsistent. Is it right to say that at the press conference after the game? I mean, we had just lost a big rivalry game, so I would chalk most of that up to emotions after a big game like that."
The Michigan Dailys sports editor, Dan Feldman, later questioned the wisdom of Magee's public criticism of the team's starting quarterback. Feldman opined that Threet had been impressive and concluded, "Whatever happens from here, credit Threet for handling a difficult season with class."
Threet would start a total of eight games, four more than Sheridan's season total. The team recorded its worst season ever after posting a 3-9 record and stopping the country's longest streak of consecutive bowl appearances at 33. He ended the season with 102 completions on 200 attempts for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns. He also threw seven interceptions. In the off season, Rodriguez would sign quarterbacks Tate Forcier
Tate Forcier
Robert Patrick "Tate" Forcier is an American college football quarterback. He was a starting quarterback for the 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team ahead of Denard Robinson and Robinson's back up for the 2010 Michigan Wolverines football team before leaving the program in January 2011...
and Denard Robinson
Denard Robinson
Denard Xavier Robinson , nicknamed Shoelace, is an American football player who is playing his junior season for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team. He started at quarterback in all 13 games for the Michigan Wolverines football team in 2010...
on National Signing Day
National Signing Day
National Signing Day most commonly refers to a day in February, usually on the first Wednesday of that month, which is the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college football with a school that is a member of the NCAA, the main governing body for...
. In February 2009, Threet released a statement saying, "I have decided to transfer from the University of Michigan. I have requested and received my release. I do not yet know where I will continue my collegiate career, and have no further comment until that decision is made."
As a 6-foot, 6-inch, traditional pocket passer, Threet had not fit into the Michigan offensive scheme under first-year head coach Rodriguez, whose spread offense emphasizes mobile quarterbacks. On announcing his transfer to Arizona State, Threet said:
"I like the pro style offense and the coaching staff at Arizona State. My career has been filled with ups and downs and coaching changes aren't easy. I was at Georgia Tech for two weeks when they changed coaches. Michigan had the same coaches for like 30 years and then they change. When Coach [Lloyd] Carr retired I wanted to transfer, but I took Coach [Rich] Rodriguez at his word about the offense. I tried to stick it out. I tried to help Michigan win. But in the end the offense didn't fit me. They have a run first offense at every position. What they want is Pat White and that's not me."
Transfer to ASU
In April 2009, Threet announced his decision to transfer to Arizona State UniversityArizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
. Interviewed by The Michigan Daily, Threet explained his choice of Arizona State over Oregon State: "The first thing I looked at for any school I was going to go to was the offense they run and the coaching staff. Arizona State, I feel it fits me offensively with the type of offense they run, it's a pro-style offense. I get along very well with the coaching staff, I feel like they will be able to help me get better every day in practice and throughout the season and help me develop."
Under transfer rules, Threet was required to sit out the 2009 season, but had two years of eligibility remaining.
Competition for starting quarterback
In March 2010, Threet started for the first unit in Arizona State's spring game, though head coach Dennis EricksonDennis Erickson
Dennis Erickson is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Arizona State University until November 28, 2011, a position he had held since the 2007 season. In 2008 the Arizona Board of Regents had approved a contract extension to keep Erickson at Arizona...
said that that was only because Threet won a coin flip. At the time, Threet said, "I'm very excited, but I'm just a competitive person. Anytime I go out to practice, I'm trying to compete with whoever I'm playing against whether it's last year on the scout team or this year trying to win the starting job."
Throughout August 2010, Threet was in close competition with Brock Osweiler for the starting quarterback position. In an interview with The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic is a daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. It was ranked tenth in US daily newspapers by circulation in 2007.-Early years:The newspaper was founded...
, head coach Dennis Erickson also praised Threet's progression: "Every quarterback I've been around it just takes awhile to get used to what you're hanging your hat on and what we're doing offensively. He's got a quick release, and he has a hell of an arm. He just needs to continue to get more accurate."
On August 30, 2010, Erickson announced that Threet would be the starting quarterback in the Sun Devils opening game against Portland State. In a short statement, Erickson said that Threet "was the most consistent throughout fall camp."
2010 season
In the season opener for Arizona State, Threet led the team to a 54-9 win over Portland State. Threet completed 14 of 21 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran with the ball three times for 24 yard and garnered a passer rating of 184.17. His 239 passing yards were the most ever in a debut performance by an Arizona State quarterback.In the second game of the 2010 season, Threet led the team to a 41-20 win over Northern Arizona. Threet set career highs with 33 completions and 391 passing yards in the game. He also threw three touchdown passes and two interceptions and completed passes to eight different receivers.
Through the first two games of the 2010 season, Threet completed 47 of 70 passes for a 67% completion rate and five touchdowns.
The next few games had their ups and downs for Threet, a very close 20-19 loss at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, started a downward spiral for the Sun Devils in 2010. In this game Threet went 21 of 33 for 211 yards with 0 TD and 0 INT. Many believed that the Sun Devils outplayed Wisconsin, Threet played well in the game but it started a trend of what-ifs for the Sun Devils season.
Threet finished the 2010 season with 2,553 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
On February 23, 2011, Threet announced his retirement from football due to repeated concussions.