Ex-Michigan QB will visit UH next week

Former Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier said he will take "an official" recruiting trip to Hawaii next week.

He said he was offered the trip Thursday during an hourlong conversation with UH coach Greg McMackin.

Forcier said he was told UH offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich is on vacation and "won’t be in until next week, otherwise I would be there tomorrow."

One of the nation’s top high school prospects in 2009, Forcier started every game for the Wolverines as a true freshman. He ceded the job to Denard Robinson last season. He was academically ineligible for the Insight Bowl in December, and left the Wolverines shortly after that.

Forcier became a "free agent" after deciding not to transfer to Miami, citing "trust" issues.

Forcier contacted UH coaches last month. He said yesterday that UH, San Jose State and Nevada were his final choices.

"I want to go to (Hawaii) and make sure I meet all of the coaches," Forcier said. "If that’s the school I want to go to, I want to make sure it’s the right fit. … Hawaii will be my first official visit. It might be my last. I have to go with how things go. If it feels right, I’m going to make my decision."

Forcier said he is completing online classes to meet NCAA requirements. He said he wants to make a decision this month. UH’s training camp begins Aug. 4.

Forcier said it appears that UH will be a match.

He said a former high school coach and an uncle live on Oahu.

"To have that kind of support down there makes it so much more interesting to me," Forcier said. "I didn’t have that support in Miami. I didn’t know anybody down there."

Forcier said former quarterback Colt Brennan, who played at two schools and overcame legal problems before transferring to Manoa, is a family friend.

"Colt turned a negative into a positive by going to Hawaii and making a name for himself," Forcier said. "Colt has nothing but good things to say about Hawaii and the coaching staff. … I want to go to a school where I can trust the coach. McMackin seems like a player’s coach to me."

Forcier acknowledged the criticism he received after leaving Michigan.

"As much as the media can bring you up, they can bring you down," Forcier said. "I want to be a comeback story. … There aren’t too many times you can get a second chance. I want to take advantage of that. Hawaii is a great place to get a second chance. … The (UH) coaches told me the people (of Hawaii) accept you for who you are. If you’re humble and work hard, they won’t say anything negative about you."

In accordance with NCAA transfer rules, Forcier will be allowed to practice but not play in games this coming season. After that, he will have two years to play two seasons.

"Hawaii has two senior quarterbacks," Forcier said. "I can go there, sit out for a year, learn the offense, get acclimated to the area, learn from the two seniors. I can take in everything, and try to be as good as I possibly can be."