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| Chris Fox (right) with Jourdan Lewis, Dymonte Thomas, Derrick Green, and Jake Butt at the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. |
After committing to Michigan in February of 2012 (LINK), Fox was on his way to playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl as a high school senior but could not participate. As we have also seen with Ondre Pipkins, ACL tears for big guys can be very damaging. Fox was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #9 offensive guard, and #110 overall in 2013. Believe it or not, he was just Michigan's seventh-highest ranked recruit behind Derrick Green, Patrick Kugler, Dymonte Thomas, Shane Morris, Kyle Bosch, and David Dawson.
Michigan took six linemen and 27 total players in the 2013 class. Two of the linemen (Fox and Kyle Bosch) have left the program, and three total players (toss in wide receiver Csont'e York) have departed for various reasons.
Fox's departure, which I had been expecting since the spring, is the second of the two medical hardships I had previously mentioned; the other was Pipkins, whose transfer to Texas Tech apparently goes against the grain of Michigan's medical staff, who thought he should probably hang up the cleats. There are still other players who will probably not be on the fall roster, although all but Dennis Norfleet have been listed on Michigan's summer camp roster. The loss of Fox is also a reason that Michigan is looking to take such a large offensive line class in 2016. With Ben Bredeson, Devery Hamilton, Michael Onwenu, and Erik Swenson already in the fold, the Wolverines could potentially still take two more linemen in this class.
I think it reallly goes to show, if its a bad ACL injury for a really big man chances are good their career is over. I wonder how Drake Johnson will fare after two of them.
ReplyDeleteSame knee?
DeleteWhen you say this: " There are still other players who will probably not be on the fall roster", have you heard inside rumblings that you can't divulge or are you just making an educated guess based on numbers?
ReplyDeleteNumbers aren't an issue. There are guys who don't appear to be returning, though.
DeleteSomething no one seems to have mentioned with Pipkins is that he may have needed a redshirt for this year to rehab stuff and then been healthy to play in 2016 but the coaches weren't willing to give the 5th year scholarship. Not sure why he couldn't just stay for the year, graduate with his class and then go the 5th year transfer route, there was no need for the scholarship in 2015.
ReplyDeleteHe only appeared in five games each of the past two seasons, he's had knee problems, and he's had concussion problems. If he's not going to play this year, then the football scholarship should go to a football player (like, say, Jack Wangler or Kyle Seychel or Kenny Allen or Bo Dever). Medical hardships are in place for people who are no longer capable of playing football, which is the situation Fox is in.
DeleteFrom what I can tell (and I have no insider knowledge), it's the case that the doctors legitimately don't think Pipkins should play any more. Doesn't he have a history of knee and back injuries, multiple concussions, and there were rumors of arthritis? Sounds like it wasn't an issue of just being given enough time to rehab. Especially considering UM doesn't need the numbers this season.
DeleteIt sounded like his options were take the medical, end his career, and graduate from UM with his cohort. Or find a place where doctor's will OK him rehabbing a year and taking a shot at a 5th year.
Ondre wanted to play this year and thought he was healthy. Michigan disagreed.
DeleteMichigan did not offer him the option to rehab for a year - they could have, but did not. The question is if health is the legitimate motivation or if it's football related. The football-related motivation is pretty clear. Nobody knows for sure which 'side' is right, but the people in the Michigan side have been consistent and on-message.
I remember being excited when Fox signed. Thought he had pretty good agility for a huge guy, especially based on his DL film. Knee and ankle injuries are obviously tough for 300+ pounders to bounce back from.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that Harbaugh will perhaps have less patience with kids nursing multi-year injuries while on countable scholarship. Have heard that he made it clear to Drake Harris that he would not be re-habbing a hamstring issue for 3 or 4 years while on the active roster.
and rightfully so...pretty sure most team members would agree with his stance. football scholarships should be reserved for 85 guys actively working as hard as possible to help the team win games and make impacts on the field.
Deleterehabbing an injury for a year is perfectly fine, it happens everywhere all the time - but spending multiple years on rehabbing recurring or similar injuries eventually becomes too much and theres a point where moves must be made.
harbaugh seems like a fair dude but hes also a tough guy who wants to win. he understands the value of each scholarship and has a pretty solid feel for managing rosters (and thank the lord after hokes general incompetence). im guessing harris totally understood harbaughs position. just as fox obviously does not harbor any ill will considering hes staying on as student assistant while earning his degree.
the individuals success and happiness is important but molding men is vital and ultimately its all about the team
Hearing how good Tolbert is vs. Wellman and how the players now rave that they're in the best shape of their lives, it's tough not to think that the ACL plague that hit us could at least be partially attributed to suboptimal strength and conditioning. I think Matt Falcon will be a good barometer, a kid who comes in with a pre-existing ACL tear much like Fox.
ReplyDelete