Maybe the mystery is finally over, if the Twitter account @QBForce — the account for the Forcier family — can be believed.

Over the last few weeks, there's been plenty of speculation about whether or not sophomore quarterback Tate Forcier would stay with the University of Michigan football program. Granted, it certainly wasn't the panic that the Wolverine fan base invested in the "will-he-stay, will-he-go" drama surrounding the man who sent Forcier to the bench, fellow soph Denard Robinson, who actually carried his Heisman campaign through most of the regular season before it lost momentum — unlike Forcier in 2009.

But the fans — and beat writers — were still interested. Enough so that the topic came up at new head coach Brady Hoke's introductory press conference. While Forcier had been dismissed from the team prior to the bowl game, some attributed that to the quarterback's on-again, off-again, love/hate (or maybe more appropriately, "hug/sulk") relationship with deposed head coach Rich Rodriguez.

Instead of answers, however, Michigan AD David Brandon insisted he couldn't give too many details, since it was an academic matter. Tate's father, Mike, insisted numerous times that his son wanted to stay at Michigan, and that the matter had just been incomplete grades in classes, not failing ones.
Seems like the cat's finally out of the bag now, thanks to a string of tweets late Wednesday night.

I'll string them all here, in chronological order:

"Immediate Press/Sports Release: January 20, 2011 — Robert "Tate" Forcier University of Michigan Sophomore Quarterback ...
"Why do we all wait until we are at our lowest point to seek God's help? ...
"I've been kicked, pushed, knocked down, publicly berated, belittled, emasculated and more. ...
"There are plenty of legitimate reasons to give up for feel the victim. ...
"The humility of it all is indescribable and that is exactly my point. ...
"I had to reach rock bottom in order to see the light, and for that, I am thankful. ...
"It was not until then, I realized that it was my lack of accountability and maturity and not to pass blame. ...
"I do hope all my young fans forgive me and benefit from my lessons that I have learned. ...
"Be grateful for what you have and be humble for your successes. ...
"Don't wait to ask God into your life as he will help you see things clearer. ...
"In summary, I believe, I will become a better student and a person of stronger character from these experiences at Michigan. ...
"I can proudly state, 'I worked hard on the practice field, in the film room at at meetings' after all, football is my passion. ...
"I had fun celebrating with the fans. ...
"I even competed hard while injured as a true freshman through the last (8) games in 2009, but I always played the game giving it my all. ...
"I am proud to have been part of Michigan Football history and will always cherish the memory. ...
"The last few weeks I worked extremely hard to catch back up. ...
"I really wanted to stay. I was not giving up on Michigan, but in the end, it was made clear they had given up on me. ...
"With that being said, it's time for me to go. ...
"I promise the Michigan family and fans I will make you proud again. ...
"Tate Forcier #5 - A Michigan Man Forever - Go Blue ..."


Forcier was an instant sensation for Michigan as a true freshman, leading the Wolverines to a 4-0 start, and a national ranking. The freshman earned rock-star status, too, earning early mention for the Heisman Trophy. Things went downhill from there, however, as the Wolverines lost seven of their final eight games, and Forcier's relationship with Rodriguez seemed to deteriorate.

There were rumors of a possible transfer last summer, as well, when Robinson, Forcier and even true freshman Devin Gardner were locked in a wide-open battle for the starting quarterback job. When Robinson earned the start in the 2010 opener, and led U-M to a 30-10 win over Connecticut in spectacular fashion, the rumors resurfaced, as Forcier appeared to sulk on the bench.

Rumors have already mentioned Montana as a destination for the quarterback, who has a redshirt season remaining. Both of Tate's older brothers — Jason (U-M) and Chris (UCLA) — transferred from their first collegiate stop. The text of Chris Forcier's press release, when he transferred to Furman, can be read here.