Jim Harbaugh won’t announce starting quarterback vs. Florida

If you want to know who will be Michigan’s starting quarterback on Saturday against Florida, don’t ask Jim Harbaugh.

One of the more interesting games on the first full Saturday of the 2017 college football season has the No. 11 Michigan Wolverines taking on the No. 17 Florida Gators in Arlington, Texas. Some luster has been taken away by at least 10 Gators’ players being suspended for the game, but head coach Jim McElwain has declared that Feleipe Franks will start under center.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was oddly secretive about even releasing his 2017 roster, before finally relenting on Wednesday. Even with Wilton Speight as the favorite to be the Wolverines’ starting quarterback after holding the job last year, a competition took place through fall camp.

Harbaugh was asked about the quarterback situation during an appearance on 97.1 The Ticket Thursday morning. And just as predictably, he took an arrogant high road.

“Not revealing that to you this morning,” Harbaugh told the “Jamie and Stoney Show” on 97.1 The Ticket.

Harbaugh also said he has told the players who will start Saturday against Florida. Speight seems like the favorite, with John O’Korn and Brandon Peters the other two candidates.

Keeping the season-opening starting quarterback under wraps is nothing new for Harbaugh during his tenure at Michigan. Speight’s status was a mystery to fans and media until right before last year’s season opener, and Speight said the team did not know who would start the 2015 opener until Jake Rudock ran onto the field.

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Under the veil of maintaining a competitive advantage, college coaches in particular love to wait to declare a starting quarterback leading into a season opener or any other game if circumstances leave that door open. Harbaugh is not the only one to do it when speaking to the media over the last few days, but he will probably get some of the most attention.