Monday, January 5, 2009

2004 Recruiting: Tight Ends and Wide Receivers

The recruiting class of 2004 has run out of eligibility. It's sad to see some of these guys go. Others...not so much. Here's part two of a breakdown of the 2004 recruiting class.

Wide Receivers

Adrian Arrington: 6'4", 180 lbs. - Cedar Rapids, IA - Rivals: ****
Arrington was a strong contributor to Michigan's team for a couple years. He played as a true freshman but then suffered an injury that caused him to redshirt as a sophomore. When he returned in 2006, he was the second option in the passing game to Mario Manningham. Arrington reminded many Michigan fans of the steady stream of big, athletic receivers at Michigan - Amani Toomer, Mercury Hayes, David Terrell, Marquis Walker, etc. He had the athleticism and the big play ability of those players, but never passed Manningham for team supremacy. Quarterback Chad Henne often looked to Arrington on fades and jump balls near the end zone, and Arrington responded with excellent, acrobatic catches. He would have been the #1 receiver in 2008 if he had waited around, but he was scared off by the graduation of Henne and the transfer of Ryan Mallett to Arkansas. Without an established quarterback to throw him the ball when he would have been a senior, Arrington took a chance on the NFL and was drafted in the seventh round.
Career statistics: 100 receptions, 1285 yards, 14 TD's

Doug Dutch: 5'11", 204 lbs. - Bowie, MD - Rivals: ****
Dutch was rather highly regarded coming out of high school, ranking as the #10 wide receiver and #98 player overall for Rivals. Unfortunately for Michigan fans, Dutch never became a significant contributor. He redshirted as a freshman and then spent two years attempting to become a reliable wide receiver. He caught four passes for 34 yards as a redshirt freshman and returned a couple punts for nine yards that same year. Going into the 2007 season, Dutch accepted a position switch to cornerback due to Michigan's shortage of defensive backs. He made one tackle against Notre Dame in 2007 but played sparingly for the rest of his career. Simply based on his recruiting ranking, Dutch was one of the biggest few disappointments of the Carr recruiting years.
Career statistics: 4 receptions, 34 yards; 2 punt returns, 9 yards; 1 solo tackle

Keston Cheathem: 6'3", 195 lbs. - Pomona, CA - Rivals: ***
Cheathem was recruited as Rivals' #44 wide receiver. Cheathem lasted only one season in Ann Arbor after being converted to safety. He then returned closer to home and played at Fresno City Community College for two seasons before transferring again to Bowling Green State University. He played two seasons at BGSU, but caught only two passes for 32 yards.
Career stats (at Michigan): None.

Position grade: C+. In a traditional Michigan offense, Arrington could have been the reincarnation of Marquis Walker or Jason Avant. Michigan did a good job of getting him on board and he would have been great, if not for the change in offensive philosophy. Cheathem turned out to be a wasted scholarship, and Dutch was only slightly better than that.

Tight Ends

Mike Massey: 6'4", 225 lbs. - Cleveland, OH - Rivals: ****
Massey was the #5 strongside defensive end in the 2004 class, but Michigan used him at tight end from day one. But when I say "used him," I mean they put him on the field occasionally throughout his career but really didn't do anything with him. Perhaps Massey would have served himself and the team better by being kept at defensive end. He was always a little too tentative to be a good blocker and lacked the speed and agility to be a areal threat in the passing game. He was beaten out by the hot-headed and mistake-prone Carson Butler and the 2008 true freshman Kevin Koger and tallied only 20 receptions throughout his career. Mike's older brother, Pat, was a captain of the Michigan squad in 2005, but neither player really stood out as an excellent football player; both were respected for their leadership, though. And all the girlies think Mike is hot, so there's that.
Career statistics: 20 receptions, 161 yards, 2 TD's

Position grade: C-. The class did produce a starter, but that position was generally considered a weakness and was eventually lost.

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