Lloyd Carr Advised Recruit To Choose Iowa Over Michigan In 2008

Former Michigan Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr advised a quarterback recruit to choose Iowa in 2008, soon after Rich Rodriguez was hired to replace the retiring coach, according to a report.

John Wienke, currently a punter for Iowa, had originally committed to Carr and the Wolverines in 2007 as the top quarterback recruit in Illinois. His pro-style of playing fit perfectly into Carr's system but when the coach retired following the 2008 Capital One Bowl and Rich Rodriguez was hired, the former coach advised Wienke to choose Iowa instead.

"When Coach Carr retired, he was the one - I actually always liked Iowa - but he told me probably to go with Iowa," Wienke said. "That's probably the next-best thing that was going to be for me with my style of play."

Wienke would redshirt his freshman year and was a backup with James Vanderberg behind Ricky Stanzi for two seasons. Vanderberg won the starting job in 2011, with Wienke backing him up. Wienke, now a senior, is now fighting for the punter's job and is not listed on the quarterback depth chart.

With Carr retiring and Rich Rodriguez bringing in a new offense, the Wolverines saw a number of recruits and players depart the system, including Ryan Mallett, Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington. The Wolverines would finish 3-9 in 2008 and 5-7 in 2009.

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