There were rumors yesterday that Charlie Strong and the Louisville staff had ceased their pursuit of Zach Mettenberger. The rumors reached a crescendo at the time when Mettenberger was supposedly on his visit to Louisville according to numerous sources. While there is still not definitive proof on the subject I feel pretty confident in saying that U of L is out of the picture for Mettenberger at this point. A point of view shared by the good folks over at Card Chronicle.
Now the question for UC fans isn't "would you consider having this kid in the program?" But what to make of this situation if/when it comes to fruition. According to Mettenberger himself he has an offer in hand from Butch Jones.
Things are turning around for former UGA QB Zach Mettenberger, who confirmed exclusively with kelinjohnson.com on Tuesday, that he has at least two scholarship offers on the table: One from the University of Cincinnati under Head Coach Butch Jones and Offensive Coordinator and Quarterback Coach Mike Bajakian
I don't really have a problem with giving this kid a second chance in the Red and Black. A change of scenery and environment would do him some good and UC has an established pedigree for providing second chances to players who sought a new environment. Most of them go on to become successful on and off the field. For example Alex Daniels was booted from the University of Minnesota under more dire circumstances. He came to UC became a stand up guy and was never a problem for the coaches and a leader for the younger players. I don't see any reason why Mettenberger would be unable to turn it around given the chance.
It is interesting that UC is pursuing another QB. There are going to be 5 QB's on the roster going into fall Zach Collaros, Chazz Anderson, Brendon Kay, Munchie Legaux and Cody Kater. That in and of itself is not an issue. But pursuing another QB is enlightening when it comes to Brendon Kay. This staff must have serious doubts about Kay's ability to contribute in any meaningful way in the wake of his injuries. He say out fall camp each of the past two years and was limited this spring as well. If the staff doesn't think Kay can contribute down the line then it makes more sense to pursue Mettenberger who after sitting out his transfer year would be in the same class as Kay. The other overlooked angle to this story is John Jancek. He is one of the new additions to this staff, one of the few guys who didn't follow Jones from Central Michigan. His previous employer? Georgia. Where he helped recruit a strong armed quarterback from Watkinsville, Georgia to play for the Dawgs. His name? Zach Mettenberger.