Review of 2009 Recruiting: Wide Receiver

 

Jeremy Gallon

The 2009 recruiting class was Rich Rodriguez's first full recruiting class in Ann Arbor. Ultimately, not one of Michigan's targets turned into a standout receiver on a national level, and the most productive player was Michigan's own diminutive Jeremy Gallon.

THE ROSTER

• LaTerryal Savoy (RS Sr.)
• Greg Mathews (Sr.)
• James Rogers (Jr.)
• Junior Hemingway (RS So.)
• Darryl Stonum (So.)

THE RECRUITS

Jeremy Gallon
Ratings: 4-star, #12 ATH, #244 overall
High school: Apopka (FL) Apopka
College: Michigan
Other notable offers: Auburn, Iowa
Scoop: Gallon's usage steadily increased throughout his career, starting with a redshirt in 2009, 4 catches in 2010, then 31, 41, and 89. Though he made some great players in 2012 with the combination of Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner behind center, his career really took off in 2013, when he and Gardner developed a special chemistry that resulted in 1,379 yards and 9 touchdowns. Gallon also averaged 7.1 yards/return on 47 punt returns and 20.6 yards/return on 32 kickoff returns. He was taken by the Patriots in the 7th round (#244 overall) in 2014 but never played in the NFL.

Cameron Gordon
Ratings: 4-star, #43 WR, #317 overall
High school: Inkster (MI) Inkster
College: Michigan
Other notable offers: Iowa, Minnesota
Scoop: Gordon was brought in with the promise to get a chance at wide receiver, so he redshirted in 2009 while figuring out that he wasn't a receiver. The crack defensive staff at Michigan thought he should then be a safety, so they put him there in 2010, where he made 77 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, and 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown. When Brady Hoke was hired in 2011, Gordon moved to a better spot at outside linebacker. By 2013 he made 40 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks. Altogether, his college career saw him make 138 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 fumble return TD. Gordon went undrafted in 2014 but spent parts of two seasons with the Patriots and Chiefs, including winning a Super Bowl with New England while on injured reserve.

Je'Ron Stokes
Ratings: 4-star, #11 WR, #94 overall
High school: Philadelphia (PA) Northeast
College: Michigan Bowling Green Norfolk State
Other notable offers: Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Penn State
Scoop: Stokes made just 3 catches for 27 yards over two seasons at Michigan before transferring to Bowling Green. After sitting out a season due to transfer rules, he made 15 catches for 114 yards and 1 touchdown for the Falcons. For his final year of eligibility in 2013, he transferred to Norfolk State to play with his brother, quarterback Malik Stokes, and ended up making 15 catches for 158 yards and 1 touchdown.

Hit the jump for a look at the rest of Michigan's quarterback recruiting efforts in 2009.

THE TARGETS

Kenny Bell
Ratings: 4-star, #40 WR, #309 overall
High school: Rayville (AL) Rayville
College: Alabama
Other notable offers: LSU, Nebraska
Scoop: After redshirting in 2009, Bell proceeded to make 50 career catches for 879 yards and 6 touchdowns over the next four years. He was not drafted in 2014 and did not play professionally.

Shaquelle Evans
Ratings: 4-star, #10 WR, #92 overall
High school: Inglewood (CA) Inglewood
College: Notre Dame
Other notable offers: Oklahoma, Oregon, USC
Scoop: Evans made 7 catches for 61 yards as a freshman in 2009 but decided to transfer closer to home at UCLA. He sat out 2010 due to transfer rules (back when those were a thing), and made 126 catches for 1,895 yards (15.0 yards/catch) and 14 touchdowns over the next three years. He was picked in the 4th round (#115 overall) by the Jets and played four years in the NFL with the Jets, Jaguars, Patriots, and Cowboys. As a professional, he made 122 catches for 2,119 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Willie Haulstead
Ratings: 4-star, #36 WR, #291 overall
High school: Titusville (FL) Titusville
College: Florida State
Other notable offers: Auburn, Purdue, South Carolina
Scoop: Haulstead made 42 catches for 628 yards (15.0 yards/catch) and 6 touchdowns during a career at FSU that was shortened by concussions.

Braxton Lane
Ratings: 3-star, #139 WR, #1121 overall
High school: Tyrone (GA) Sandy Creek
College: Oregon Cincinnati
Other notable offers: Auburn, Kentucky
Scoop: Lane was drafted in the 7th round of the MLB draft out of high school and went to play three minor league seasons before returning to college football, signing with Cincinnati in 2012. He spent two seasons fighting for playing time at safety before quitting football prior to the 2014 season.

Jamal-Rashad Patterson
Ratings: 4-star, #19 WR, #140 overall
High school: McDonough (GA) Henry County
College: Stanford
Other notable offers: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida
Scoop: Patterson - who coincidentally was recruited by Jim Harbaugh to Stanford - made 25 catches for 375 yards (15.0 yards/catch) and 2 touchdowns throughout his four-year career.

Dewayne Peace
Ratings: 3-star, #104 WR, #876 overall
High school: Brenham (TX) South Grand Prairie
College: Arizona Blinn Junior College Houston
Other notable offers: Kansas, Oklahoma State
Scoop: Peace, who was committed to Michigan at one point, signed with Arizona but ended up at Blinn Junior College, where he made 10 catches for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2010. He transferred to Houston and made 13 catches for 105 yards in 2011 and then broke out with 54 catches for 603 yards (11.2 yards/catch) and 2 touchdowns in 2012. Unfortunately, his career ended when he was deemed to be academically ineligible for his fifth year in 2013.

Nu'keese Richardson
Ratings: 4-star, #6 WR, #59 overall
High school: Pahokee (FL) Pahokee
College: Tennessee Coffeyville Community College
Other notable offers: Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia
Scoop: Richardson was used immediately as an offensive and special teams threat. He averaged 22.5 yards/return on kickoffs and 11 yards/return on punts, as well as making 8 catches for 102 yards and 1 touchdown, as a freshman in 2009. He also added 6 carries for 58 yards. Unfortunately, he was arrested nine games into his freshman season and then started on a somewhat downward spiral, transferring to Coffeyville Community College and then the University of Pikeville in 2013, where he made 39 catches for 588 yards and 3 touchdowns, adding 1 punt return TD. He got a shot with the Indianapolis Colts in 2014 but has been arrested several times since then, and his football career is finished.

Lamar Scruggs
Ratings: 4-star, #37 WR, #294 overall
High school: Neptune Beach (FL) Fletcher
College: South Carolina North Carolina Central
Other notable offers: Auburn, Clemson, Florida
Scoop: Scruggs redshirted in 2009 and then made 3 catches for 53 yards in 2010. He transferred to North Carolina Central in 2011 but did not record any statistics that year. But in 2012 and 2013, he combined for 39 catches for 426 yards 2 touchdowns.

Travante Stallworth
Ratings: 3-star, #91 WR, #724 overall
High school: Leesville (LA) Leesville
College: Auburn
Other notable offers: Tulsa
Scoop: Stallworth was a bit player throughout his career at Auburn, making 21 catches for 300 yards (14.3 yards/catch) and 1 touchdown over four years.

Todd Thomas
Ratings: 4-star, #29 WR, #230 overall
High school: New Berlin (NY) Beaver Falls
College: Pitt
Other notable offers: Iowa, Miami, Ohio State, West Virginia
Scoop: Thomas signed with Pitt in 2009 but did not qualify academically, so he took a prep year and signed with Pitt again in the 2010 class. After redshirting in 2010, he spent a year in 2011 learning linebacker before playing heavily for three seasons. Eventually checking in at 6'2" and 230 lbs., he made a career 204 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and 1 blocked punt returned for a touchdown. He did not play in the NFL after college.

Bryan Underwood
Ratings: 3-star, #69 WR, #526 overall
High school: Cleveland (OH) Cleveland Heights
College: North Carolina State
Other notable offers: North Carolina, West Virginia
Scoop: Underwood delayed his enrollment at NCSU before launching a solid career there in 2010. Altogether, he made 97 career catches for 1,326 yards (13.7 yards/catch) and 14 touchdowns, plus 24 career rushing attempts for 241 yards (10.0 yards/carry) and a 75-yard touchdown. (I also found video of an unfortunately play where he was incorrectly ruled out of bounds on an 82-yard touchdown.) He was not drafted into the NFL.

Rantavious Wooten
Ratings: 4-star, #30 WR, #232 overall
High school: Belle Glade (FL) Central
College: Georgia
Other notable offers: Auburn, Florida, LSU, Miami
Scoop: Wooten had a decent career in Athens, making 64 career receptions for 888 yards (13.9 yards/catch) and 11 touchdowns over five years. He was not taken in the 2014 NFL draft.

CONCLUSIONS

Biggest miss: Shaq Evans. Evans was a good college player, but he had the same fate as many out-of-region players who sign with schools in the midwest. After spending one year at Notre Dame, he returned to UCLA for the remainder of his career. It's hard not to believe that the same type of thing would have happened if he signed with Michigan. Either way, he was by far the most productive and sought after talent that Michigan pursued in the class, considering he was the only one to play in the NFL.

Biggest bust: Nu'keese Richardson. Richardson was the #59 player in the class and had 8 catches to show for it at the FBS level. Obviously, off-the-field issues got in the way of his success. It's sad to see talented players waste their talent on poor decisions, but on the flip side, somebody out there got an opportunity to succeed because of his mistakes.

Best in class: Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery was a 6'3", 214 lb. receiver who was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #13 wide receiver, and #110 overall in the class. In three years at South Carolina, he had 3,042 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns. In the 2012 NFL Draft, he was taken in the 2nd round (#45 overall) by the Bears, playing four years there before spending four years with the Eagles. Altogether, he has 475 catches for 6,786 yards and 46 receiving touchdowns. At this point Jeffery is a free agent after having some injury issues.