Review of 2007 Recruiting: Cornerbacks

Donovan Warren

THE ROSTER
Doug Dutch, RS Jr.
Morgan Trent, RS Jr.
Brandon Harrison, Jr.
Zion Babb, RS Fr.

Hit the jump to see whom Michigan recruited and how they fared in their careers.


THE RECRUITS
James Rogers
High school: Madison Heights (MI) Lamphere
Ratings: Rivals 3-star, #68 athlete
College: Michigan
Other notable offer: Colorado
Scoop: Rogers came to Michigan as an athlete (wide receiver/cornerback) and played in garbage time immediately in 2007, recording 6 tackles, 1 pass breakup, and 1 fumble recovery from the cornerback position. He switched to wide receiver in 2008, and he had one catch in three separate games (Illinois, Michigan State, Penn State) for a total of 64 yards (21.3 yards/catch); he also returned 1 kickoff for 24 yards and made 2 tackles. He found himself back at corner as a junior in 2009, making 7 tackles. He finally became a starter in 2010 and had a decent season with 40 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions (returned for 34 yards), and 3 pass breakups. He went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft and has bounced around the Arena Football League, NFL practice squads, and the CFL since then.

Donovan Warren

High school: Long Beach (CA) Poly
Ratings: Rivals 5-star, #3 CB, #25 overall
College: Michigan
Other notable offers: Ohio State, UCLA, USC
Scoop: Warren was thought to be a heavy USC lean until just prior to signing, when he and the state of Michigan's Ronald Johnson basically traded themselves for each other - Warren chose Michigan over the Trojans, and Johnson spurned the home-state Wolverines for USC. Warren started eleven games for Michigan as a freshman and was named to several Freshman All-America teams after posting 52 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble, and 6 pass breakups. He started at cornerback (plus one game at safety) as a sophomore in 2008, notching 52 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, and 5 pass breakups. As a true junior in 2009, he became an All-Big Ten player with 66 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 11 pass breakups. He chose to leave Michigan after his junior season and was not selected in the 2010 NFL Draft after posting some subpar workout numbers. He spent some time with the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears but never made it past the practice squad.

Troy Woolfolk
High school: Sugar Land (TX) Dulles
Ratings: Rivals 3-star, #44 CB
College: Michigan
Other notable offers: Houston, Nebraska
Scoop: Woolfolk is the son of former Michigan running back Butch Woolfolk and was eventually joined in the 2007 class by high school teammate Brandon Herron, a linebacker. Troy played in eight games as a true freshman, making 5 tackles and 2 pass breakups at corner. As a backup cornerback again in 2008, he made 9 tackles, mostly on special teams. As a junior in 2009, he started half the time at free safety and half the time at cornerback, making 46 tackles and 1 pass breakup. He was counted on to be a leader in the secondary in 2010, but a broken ankle in August started off a devastating defensive backfield season that included lots of freshmen and unready players being forced into action while Woolfolk redshirted. He returned as a fifth year senior in 2011, when he started ten total games (6 at cornerback, 4 at safety) and totaled 30 tackles and 2 pass breakups. He was not drafted in the 2012 NFL Draft and did not have a professional football career.

THE TARGETS
Dionte Allen
High school: Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #5 cornerback, #40 overall
College: Florida State Ohio State
Other notable offers: Miami, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State
Scoop: Allen redshirted at Florida State in 2007 and then made 2 tackles as a redshirt freshman in 2008. He played a little more in 2009, when he made 15 tackles and forced a fumble. A lack of playing time led to a transfer to Ohio State, so he had to sit out the 2010 season while playing on the scout team. For unknown reasons, he never played for OSU despite his presumable eligibility in 2011. He was not drafted in the 2012 NFL Draft, and it appears his career is finished.

Marcus Gilchrist
High school: High Point (NC) T.W. Andrews
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #6 cornerback, #42 overall
College: Clemson
Other notable offers: Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame
Scoop: Gilchrist was a backup corner as a freshman, making 18 tackles and averaging 29.8 yards on four kickoff returns. He started one game as a sophomore and had 17 tackles, 1 pass breakup, and a few miscellaneous returns. He became a starter at strong safety as a junior in 2009 and played the most defensive snaps on the team, ending up with 96 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 3 forced fumbles, and 5 pass breakups. As a senior in 2010, Gilchrist moved to corner and made 60 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, .5 sacks, 1 interception, and 8 pass breakups; he was also the primary punt returner (23 returns, 233 yards) and kickoff returner (23.3 yards/return). He was drafted in the 2nd round (#50 overall) by the San Diego Chargers in the 2011 NFL Draft and became a starter in 2013; he has 204 career tackles, 3 sacks, 4 interceptions, and 15 pass breakups

Anthony Gildon
High school: Westlake Village (CA) Oaks Christian
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #8 cornerback
College: Oregon
Other notable offer: USC
Scoop: Gildon made 1 tackle during his freshman season in 2007, and his 1 pass breakup came against Michigan that year. He redshirted in 2008 due to injury. As a backup and part-time starter in 2009, Gildon made 7 tackles and 1 pass breakup. He then started for the first half of his redshirt junior season in 2010 before injury caused him to lose playing time, ending up with 18 tackles and 2 pass breakups. He became a full-time starter in 2011, which he ended with 24 tackles, 1 interception, and 5 pass breakups. Gildon went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft and his playing career appears to be finished.

Gary Gray

High school: Columbia (SC) Richland Northeast
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #9 cornerback, #79 overall
College: Notre Dame
Other notable offers: Florida, Florida State, South Carolina
Scoop: Gray redshirted as a freshman in 2007. As a redshirt freshman in 2008, he made 15 tackles, 2 interceptions (returned for 65 yards), 2 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery before leaving the team at the end of the year for personal reasons. He returned in 2009 and became a starter during the second half of the year, making 28 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 pass breakup. He became a full-time starter in 2010, making 66 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 5 pass breakups. As a fifth year senior in 2011, he made 67 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 5 pass breakups. He was not selected in the 2012 NFL Draft and it appears his career ended after a tryout with the Detroit Lions.

Joe Haden
High school: Fort Washington (MD) Friendly
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #3 ATH, #59 overall
College: Florida
Other notable offers: Georgia, Ohio State
Scoop: Haden started immediately in 2007 and made 63 tackles and 1 interception on his way to becoming a Freshman All-America. He made 87 tackles and 3 interceptions (including an 88-yard touchdown return) as a sophomore in 2008 when the Gators won the national championship. He became a First Team All-American in 2009 when he made 68 tackles, 3 sacks, and 4 interceptions. Haden was picked in the 1st round (#7 overall) by the Cleveland Browns in the 2010 NFL Draft. In five professional seasons, he has 307 tackles, 2 sacks, 16 interceptions (1 touchdown), 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, and 87 pass breakups. He went to the Pro Bowl in 2013 and 2014.

Cris Hill
High school: Highland Springs (VA) Highland Springs
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #17 cornerback
College: Virginia Tech
Other notable offers: Florida, Ohio State, Tennessee
Scoop: Hill redshirted in 2007. Mainly a special teams player in 2008, he made 15 tackles. As a backup again in 2009, he made 11 tackles, .5 tackles for loss, and 1 pass breakup. He made 5 tackles and 2 pass breakups in 2010. As a fifth year senior in 2011, he finally became a part-time starter and totaled 34 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, and 7 pass breakups. He went undrafted in 2012 NFL Draft and his career appears finished after a short time on the Buffalo Bills' practice squad.

David Ross
High school: Compton (CA) Dominguez
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #15 cornerback,
College: Oregon State
Other notable offers: Cal, Nebraska, Oregon
Scoop: Ross redshirted in 2007 and then made 1 tackle as a redshirt freshman in 2008. He played on special teams in 2009 but did not tally any stats. He transferred to Portland State for the 2010 season and became a starter, notching 39 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 4 pass breakups. As a fifth year senior in 2011, he made 29 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception (returned for 23 yards), and 4 pass breakups. He was not picked in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Chaz Thompson
High school College: College of the Siskiyous
Ratings: Rivals 3-star CB
College: Louisville
Other notable offers: Cal, Oklahoma State
Scoop: Thompson was a junior when he joined Louisville in 2007 but redshirted anyway. As a redshirt junior in 2008, he returned 3 kickoffs for 34 yards (11.3 yards/return) and made 1 tackle. He became a starter as a fifth year senior in 2009 and made 63 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 2 pass breakups. He was not selected in the 2010 NFL Draft.

DeMarcus Van Dyke
High school: Miami (FL) Pace
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #16 ATH
College: Miami
Other notable offers: Florida, Florida State, Ohio State
Scoop: Van Dyke started eight games as a freshman in 2007, making 14 tackles altogether. A two-game starter in 2008, he made 16 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 pass breakup. As a junior in 2009, he started another eight games and had 30 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 interception, and 3 pass breakups. Then he started three games as a senior in 2010, making 20 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 interceptions (returned for 74 yards), and 5 pass breakups. Despite never locking down a starting job, he was picked in the 3rd round (#81 overall) by the Oakland Raiders in the 2011 NFL Draft after he ran a 4.28 forty at the Combine. He made 13 tackles, 1 interception, and 4 pass breakups as a rookie in 2011, but he was cut by the Raiders and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers for 2012 and 2013, making 6 tackles during those seasons. He has bounced around to the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings practice squads since then but has not played in a game since 2013.

CONCLUSIONS
Michigan actually did a pretty good job evaluating these guys. Only a couple guys flopped (Allen, Ross), and several became starters and went on to the NFL. Aside from the pipe dream of reeling in a bunch of superstars, the Wolverines did about as well as anyone could reasonably expect in any given year. Warren was a plus starter (who should have stuck around for his senior season), Woolfolk was a solid contributor who could have done more if not for the ankle injury, and Rogers was a decent two-way player who I thought was underutilized at Michigan - and even so, a season of 40 tackles and 3 interceptions isn't bad for perhaps your third-best cornerback recruit in the class.

Biggest miss: Haden. He was a star from the moment he set foot on campus and developed into a Pro Bowl player at the NFL level. Michigan was one of his final seven schools, but he never visited campus.

Biggest bust: Allen. Michigan fans bemoaned the loss of in-stater Allen to Florida State at the time, and he was a top-40 player to Rivals. Ultimately, he did not do anything noteworthy in college. Other than Ross, who chose to play his final two seasons at a lower level, Allen accomplished the least on this list despite arguably being the best prospect.

Best in class: Haden. It's hard to argue with his success, as he was an All-American, won a national championship, was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Sporting News, got drafted #7, and has become a two-time Pro Bowler.