Navarre headed to Michigan when Barnett left NU

By Mark Schneider

It would hardly be an understatement to say that senior quarterback John Navarre has become a memorable part of Michigan’s football tradition. He is only the second player in school history to start in the Wolverines’ season opener all four years. He has attempted more passes than any other person to wear the maize and blue, and teammates now refer to him as the ultimate team leader.

But had things gone according to plan, Navarre never would have gone to Michigan in the first place. Instead he would have stuck with his No. 1 choice: Northwestern.

Five years ago Navarre appeared to be the prized recruit of the Wildcats’ incoming freshman class and one of the biggest pickups in the program’s history. A four-sport athlete at Cudahy High School in Cudahy, Wis., Navarre displayed such extraordinary athleticism on the football field that he was named a top-100 player in the country by Prep Football Report and was the magazine’s No. 5-ranked pro-style quarterback. NU offered Navarre a scholarship, and in return he made a verbal commitment to join the Cats.

But Navarre’s word was not as strong as his arm.

Concerned by growing rumors that NU coach Gary Barnett was entertaining a job offer from Colorado, Navarre sought confirmation that Barnett would still be with the Cats when the quarterback arrived in Evanston. When NU failed to give Navarre such assurance, he withdrew his commitment and chose Michigan instead.

“Everything seemed to be signed, sealed and delivered,” Navarre’s high school coach Carey Venne said at the time. “When we found out that (Barnett) was taking interviews from Colorado, the security was lifted. John was violated.”

Barnett did bolt to Colorado, leaving his replacement, Randy Walker, with the difficult task of

trying to secure NU’s recruits. By then Navarre was long gone.

“I called John Navarre and he didn’t want to talk to me. He had already de-committed,” Walker said. “It was a difficult time for anyone that committed to Northwestern.”

While Navarre’s departure was disappointing, Walker and his staff prevented it from being a total loss. The scholarship that would have gone to Navarre was instead used to entice a tough, mobile quarterback from Notre Dame to transfer to NU. His name was Zak Kustok.

The arrival of Kustok would not be the last of Navarre’s indirect contributions to NU, however. In the Cats’ thrilling 54-51 win over the Wolverines in 2000, Michigan had a chance to come back and tie the game on the last play with a 57-yard field goal. But Navarre, the holder at the time, let the snap slip through his hands, sealing the victory for NU.

Navarre would soon produce dividends for the Wolverines, however. He became the full-time starter in 2001 and responded to the challenge, throwing for 2,435 yards and 19 touchdowns. He bettered that performance the following year as a redshirt junior, posting 2,905 passing yards and 21 touchdowns.

This season promises to be Navarre’s best statistical campaign yet, as he boasts an efficiency rating of 131.5 and ranks second in the Big Ten in both total offense and passing yards. He has thrown for 2,494 yards and 19 touchdowns with two games remaining.

Despite the gaudy numbers, Navarre has often been heavily criticized by media and fans for his failure to lead the Wolverines to a Big Ten title. Michigan finished with a 6-2 conference record in both 2001 and 2002 and lost to rival Ohio State each year. Contempt for Navarre in Ann Arbor, Mich., after losses has been so intense that it prompted a few sympathizers to create a mock front page on their Web site. The headline read, “John Navarre blamed for offense, defense, kicking game, Iraq, 9/11, everything else.”

Navarre has said throughout the 2003 season that something would be missing if he were to finish his collegiate career without winning a Big Ten championship.

But, despite the heavy burden placed on Navarre by himself and the Michigan faithful, he maintains that he has not regretted his decision to pass over what would have been a less-scrutinized experience at NU.

“I’m definitely glad I’m here,” Navarre said. “I’ve had a great time and it’s worked out the way I’ve hoped.”

Now firmly rooted at Michigan, Navarre gives little thought to what might have been at NU.

“I couldn’t tell you how that would have went,” Navarre said. “I don’t know if I would still be playing quarterback. I could be playing right tackle.”