"I thought s**t I could go home and be a starter": When Tom Brady discussed tough choice between staying at Michigan or taking up Cal's QB1 offer

Tom Brady started his college football career with the Michigan Wolverines as the seventh QB on the depth chart. He continued to develop his talent and skills and was named as the starting QB of the team in 1998. The retired seven-time Super Bowl champ was the Wolverines' QB1 during the last two seasons.

Tom Brady almost chose to transfer from the Michigan Wolverines in search of better prospect in his second year. During a September 2023 interview with Patrick Bet-David, Brady opened up about how the California Golden Bears reached out to him to offer him the starting QB role.

Brady also talked about how he had a word with then-head coach Lloyd Carr and how he helped influence the tough decision between transferring and staying with the Wolverines.

"I almost thought about leaving Michigan," Brady said. "In my second year, I got a call from Steve Mariucci (then Cal head coach) at Cal and he said, 'Tom, if you come here, you can start for us. And you're going into your third year. If you leave Michigan, you can come here and start for us.'"

Brady continued:

"And of course, Cal was one of my great choices. I thought s**t I could go home and be a starter. And I walked into Coach Carr's office.

"And I said, 'Coach, what's my situation like.' And he said, 'Brady, I want you to stop worrying about what all the other players on our team are doing..... You came here to be the best. I want you at this program. And if you're gonna be the best, you got to beat out the best.'" (14:00 onwards)

Tom Brady decided to play out his collegiate career with the Michigan Wolverines. He was then selected as the 199th pick by the Patriots in the 2000 NFL draft.

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Tom Brady was devastated after mentor Greg Harden's death

In September, Tom Brady's Michigan mentor Greg Harden died. Harden was a former administrator and mental coach at the program who had played an important role in Brady's life.

Following the news of his death, Brady shared a heartfelt message on social media:

"I'm so sad to hear the news of Greg's passing. I'm heartbroken as he was a dear friend and mentor. There are so many beautiful qualities Greg had endeared him to so many people over his years at Michigan.

"He meant the world to me and I could never have had the success I had without the time, energy, love and support he had given me. He will be truly missed."

Tom Brady may not have had the best start to his college football career, however, he went on to showcase that hard work and dedication can lead to success. He is now recognized as the undisputed GOAT of the NFL.