Ann Arbor Pioneer quarterback Nader Furrha will play for Michigan next year as a preferred walk-on after turning down scholarships from several Division-2 schools. Photo courtesy of Nader Furrha

Growing up across from Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Nader Furrha dreamed of playing on the big stage in the Big House in front of more than 100,000 people each week.
But despite an excellent high school career at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School, the best Furrha could get from Michigan was an offer to come aboard as a preferred walk-on, meaning he would get a spot on the team with no financial assistance at first.

From there, Furrha had a choice: he could either go to a Division-2 powerhouse like Grand Valley State or Saginaw Valley State and be the big man on campus with a scholarship, or he could go to Michigan, where he would have to fight and scrap against higher-ranked prospects for playing time.

For Furrha, whose family is of Palestinian descent, the choice eventually became clear.

“I could see going to one of those other schools, but it’s nothing like Michigan. It’s Division I football, you know, the Big Ten.”

The fact that Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez is a former walk-on who found a great deal of success also played a big role in Furrha eschewing scholarship dollars for a chance to play for the maize and blue.

U of M walk-on quarterback Nader Furrha

“He reminded me that he was a walk-on and he gives walk-ons a fair chance so that was a big deal for me,” he said.
Michigan also runs the spread offense and is short on quarterbacks who are a good fit.

Scout.com recruiting analyst Topher Smith gave his assessment on Furrha after watching his film.

“Furrha is a good fit at quarterback for any spread offensive system. He’s got a strong arm and is very accurate with great touch on his throws,” Smith said.

“He’s doesn’t have elite speed, but is fast and quick enough to make plays with his feet.”

Furrha will enroll in June at Michigan as long as he keeps his grades up and then go through summer conditioning before making a push for a quarterback spot in the fall.

He’s doing everything in his power to prepare, working out five days a week in addition to throwing footballs four days a week at a local gym.

Smith talked about what Furrha needs to do to get playing time.

“His knock right now is he’s got to put weight on and be able to keep that speed,” said Smith about Furrha, who is currently about 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds.

“But with quarterback depth razor thin at Michigan, Furrha will get his fair shake when he enrolls in June for summer workouts.”

If Furrha does become a contributor, he could eventually earn a scholarship much like Nick Sheridan, the former walk-on from Saline High School who earned a scholarship last year playing quarterback for the Wolverines.

And even if he doesn’t get noticed initially, Furrha knows to keep working. He was moved to safety at Pioneer High School during his sophomore year after having played quarterback since he played pee wee football. But Furrha eventually convinced the coaches that quarterback was his best spot and the rest was history, as Furrha led Pioneer to a 7-2 regular season record and a playoff spot as a senior.

If the quarterback spot doesn’t work out for him at Michigan, he says he’d be willing to play anywhere. He also knows he’ll be getting a top-notch education and that the chance to run out onto the field and touch the Go Blue banner in front of more than 100,000 people will be worth it.

“My whole family is excited, it’s always been a dream and now it’s a reality. I want to do big things.”