Josh Furman, Ex-Wolverine

Josh Furman blocked this punt against Nebraska in 2011

Safety Josh Furman, who would have been a fifth year senior in 2014, has decided to leave the program one year early, joining running back Thomas Rawls and defensive tackle Richard Ash in departing.

Furman committed to Michigan in December 2009 over teams like Oklahoma and Virginia Tech. I did not write a commitment post for him at the time, as the blog was still in its infancy stages. However, I did write a scouting report on him the previous month. At the time, I assumed he would bulk up and turn into a linebacker, and once he signed with the Wolverines, I thought he would play on the weakside. You may notice that I questioned his coverage abilities and said he would be too stiff to play defensive back in college. Players who move back in a defense (from DE to LB, or from LB to S) tend to struggle more, and Furman is no exception. He had the potential to be a quality linebacker for the Wolverines, but he turned into a below average safety.

Furman never added the weight to become a linebacker and finished his Michigan career as a 6'2", 202 lb. safety. With starting safety Thomas Gordon suspended to begin the year, Furman made his first career start in the opener and went on to start three games this past season. Altogether, he finished with 11 tackles and 1 pass breakup on the season. In 30 games played over his career, he totaled 29 tackles and the 1 pass breakup. Most of those tackles came on special teams coverage, which was perhaps the best trait he provided to Michigan during his career.

It is unclear where Furman will end up, but most players end up transferring closer to home. Perhaps he'll end up at Maryland or Temple, or he might even move down a level to play in the FCS. He's the 19th member of the 27-man 2010 class to depart before running out of eligibility.

Michigan is left rather thin at safety with Furman's departure and the graduations of Thomas Gordon and Courtney Avery. The Wolverines return one starter in the form of junior Jarrod Wilson, but other contributions will have to come from untested players like redshirt sophomore Jeremy Clark, sophomore Dymonte Thomas, sophomore Delano Hill, position switchers, or freshmen. My initial expectation is that Wilson and Thomas will be the starters at safety next season.

Richard Ash, Ex-Wolverine

Richard Ash (#54)

Rising fifth year senior nose tackle Richard Ash was granted a transfer release and will not return to Michigan in 2014. His destination is unclear at this point, but I would expect him to end up at a MAC level school or at the FCS level.

Ash committed to Michigan in December 2009 after flipping his commitment from West Virginia. He was a 263 lb. player coming out of high school, and I assumed that he would chisel his body into becoming a 5-tech defensive end or perhaps a 3-tech tackle. However, he was 300 lbs. when he arrived on campus, which is obviously a ways away from his high school weight. Recruiting analysts mentioned that he was a better player when he was 240 or so as a junior, so his weight when he arrived in Ann Arbor was an immediate red flag to me. Ash settled in at nose tackle for the duration of his career, but he never made an impact on the field. After redshirting as a freshman, he appeared in 14 games from 2011-2013 and finally made his first (and only) career tackle in the regular season finale against Ohio State.

This departure leaves Michigan somewhat thin at nose tackle with last year's starter Quinton Washington graduating and presumed new starter Ondre Pipkins coming off a torn ACL. Other options include redshirt sophomore Willie Henry, redshirt freshman Maurice Hurst, redshirt sophomore Ryan Glasgow, redshirt freshman Henry Poggi, and incoming freshmen Brady Pallante and Bryan Mone. Henry has shown the most promise, but he played 3-tech defensive tackle last season. Regardless of which players are on the two-deep at nose tackle, there will likely be some reshuffling on the defensive line. Ash may not have seen significant playing time in 2014, but he was an insurance policy in case of injury.

Along with safety Josh Furman (I'll have a separate post for Furman), this is the nineteenth (19th!) player to depart from the 27-man class before exhausting his eligibility. Courtney Avery, Jibreel Black, Drew Dileo, and Jeremy Jackson played all four years, so the only remaining members are QB Devin Gardner, P Will Hagerup, TE Jordan Paskorz, and LB Jake Ryan.

Thomas Rawls, Ex-Wolverine

Thomas Rawls (#38) is transferring to Central Michigan

Soon-to-be senior running back Thomas Rawls will not be a senior at the University of Michigan. He has decided to transfer to Central Michigan, which is something that I've quietly been suggesting for a while.

Rawls was a late addition the 2011 recruiting class, needing some late academic success to propel him toward a scholarship at Michigan. He was probably headed to CMU if not for the offer to play in Ann Arbor, so this development is approximately three years in the making. My commitment post from February 2011 suggested that Rawls would be in over his head a little bit in the Big Ten, and I gave him a TTB Rating of 68. I always believe that Rawls was too slow and lacked elusiveness, and he didn't break as many tackles as a 5'10", 217 lb. running back should.

Rawls played sparingly during his three seasons as a Wolverine behind a variety of mediocre-performing running backs like Fitzgerald Toussaint (who did have a good year in 2011), Vincent Smith, Derrick Green, and De'Veon Smith, among others. His most productive season was as a sophomore in 2012 when he had 57 carries for 242 yards (4.2 yards/carry) and 4 touchdowns; that year included his career highlight, a 63-yard touchdown run late in a blowout win over Illinois. This past season, he had 3 carries for 12 yards and 1 touchdown in the season opener against his future team, but he never saw another snap again at running back and was relegated to special teams duty. He finished his Michigan career with 73 carries for 333 yards (4.6 yards/carry) and 5 touchdowns, plus 1 catch for 6 yards.

This leaves Michigan with four tailbacks on the roster for 2014: redshirt junior Justice Hayes, redshirt sophomore Drake Johnson, and sophomores Derrick Green and De'Veon Smith. The Wolverines have recently sent out offers to Sarasota (FL) Booker's Marlon Mack and Minneapolis (MN) Washburn's Jeff Jones, but neither appears to be even planning to visit Michigan, even though Mack decommitted from UCLA as soon as the Wolverines offered him. It would appear to make sense for Michigan to grab a running back before National Signing Day in a couple weeks, but things are quiet on that front right now. The last time Michigan skimped on an important position in a recruiting cycle, they didn't take a quarterback in the 2012 class, which left them in a bind when Denard Robinson and Russell Bellomy got injured at various points.

Rawls is the eighth member of the 2011 class to depart prior to exhausting eligibility, joining Chris Barnett, Greg Brown, Tamani Carter, Kellen Jones, Antonio Poole, Tony Posada, and Chris Rock.

Mike Jones, ex-Wolverine

Mike Jones (#27)

Rising fifth year senior linebacker Mike Jones has left the football program.  Already with his undergraduate degree, Jones would be eligible to play at another FBS school in 2013 if they offer a graduate program that Michigan does not offer.

Jones committed to Michigan on August 1, 2008, as a part of the 2009 class; he picked Michigan over offers from Auburn, Central Florida, North Carolina, and South Florida.  He came from Orlando (FL) Edgewater as part of Rich Rodriguez's attempted raid on the state of Florida, a few years after Lloyd Carr landed wide receiver Greg Mathews from the same school.

As purely a special teamer in 2009, Jones made 3 tackles in seven games.  He played in just two games as a sophomore before succumbing to injury, totaling just 1 tackle; he received a medical redshirt (which preserved his eligibility for 2013).  As a redshirt sophomore in 2011, Jones made 4 tackles.  He followed that up by playing in all thirteen games as a redshirt junior in 2012, but he failed to accrue any statistics.  Altogether, Jones made 8 total tackles in 29 games.

Jones, who claimed a 4.5 forty coming out of high school and was noted for his speed, never seemed physically capable of keeping up with Big Ten athletes.  He always seemed a step or two slow, and he didn't have the bulk to be a serious option at middle linebacker - a position where speed isn't required for success. Jones added weight consistently, going from 203 lbs. as a freshman to 226 lbs. this past season, but small-ish linebackers need to be faster than he was.  For the past couple off-seasons, I have had a feeling that Jones might not return because I wondered if he would ever find a role; that time finally came.

Since Jones was going to run out of eligibility after the coming year, his departure does not affect the 2014 recruiting class.  He was also not expected to be on Michigan's two-deep in the fall, having dropped behind younger players at MIKE (junior Desmond Morgan, sophomore Joe Bolden) and WILL (sophomores James Ross and Royce Jenkins-Stone).  Jones was also not particularly productive on special teams, so the team likely won't feel much of an impact on the field.

For stories on other former Wolverines, check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

Marvin Robinson, ex-Wolverine

Marvin Robinson (#3) attempts a tackle on Michigan State's Keshawn Martin

Rising senior safety Marvin Robinson has left the football program.  He will presumably transfer somewhere to finish out his football career, but his destination is unknown at this time.

A member of the 2010 recruiting class, the Winter Haven (FL) Lake Region product committed to Michigan in April 2009, choosing the Wolverines over Florida, Georgia, Ohio State, and USC, among others.  He was a 4-star and the #20 outside linebacker to Rivals, who thought that he would be too slow and stiff to play safety at the next level.  Perhaps they were right.

Robinson mostly appeared on special teams as a true freshman and made 3 total tackles.  As a sophomore in 2011, he earned a start against Notre Dame, making 7 tackles in that game and 9 on the season; he ended up in the coaches' doghouse and didn't see the field much for the rest of the year.  In his junior season, he was once again mainly a contributor on special teams and made 9 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.  He finished his Michigan career with 21 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.

As you can see in the commitment post linked above, I thought Robinson would be a good college player.  However, he did not seem to progress much in his pass coverage.  In the past year or so, I had succumbed to the idea that he would be able to help in run support, but not so much on passing downs.  Last season he was surpassed on the depth chart by freshman Jarrod Wilson, and it looked like Wilson would be the starting free safety with incumbent FS Thomas Gordon bumping over to the strong safety position.  Robinson likely would have been relegated to special teams backup strong safety.  Others vying for that backup SS role will be redshirt junior Josh Furman, redshirt freshman Jeremy Clark, and some true freshmen.

Robinson is the 17th member of the 27-man class of 2010 to depart early.  The only players remaining from that class are DT Richard Ash, CB Courtney Avery, DT Jibreel Black, WR Drew Dileo, Furman, QB Devin Gardner, P Will Hagerup, WR Jeremy Jackson, TE Jordan Paskorz, and LB Jake Ryan.  This departure will not affect the size of the 2014 recruiting class, since Robinson was scheduled to run out of eligibility after the upcoming season, anyway.  Instead, it opens up a scholarship for a walk-on guy like FB Joey Kerridge, WR Joe Reynolds, etc.

Check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia for stories and updates on other players who left early.

Kaleb Ringer, ex-Wolverine

Kaleb Ringer

Redshirt freshman linebacker Kaleb Ringer has left Michigan's football program, reportedly for the fertile football lands of Ferris State.  Ringer was a member of the 2012 recruiting class and committed in April 2011, choosing the Wolverines over teams like Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa, and Louisville.  Brady Hoke and his staff recruited him as a weakside linebacker.

Ringer suffered a knee injury as a senior in high school and missed a large chunk of his final prep season, presumably because of that injury.  He enrolled early in January 2012 and played in the spring game but ended up having surgery on the knee, which knocked him out of the regular season and caused him to take a redshirt.  As a thickly built linebacker - who in my opinion lacked something in the quickness department - Ringer moved from the weakside to the middle linebacker position for spring practices here in 2013, and he did play a little bit in the spring game.  It's unclear at this point why he is leaving the program, but junior Desmond Morgan and sophomore James Ross seem to have locked down the middle and weakside linebacker positions, respectively.  At best, Ringer probably could have been a special teamer and the third string MIKE for the upcoming year, behind Morgan and sophomore Joe Bolden.

In perhaps my most accurate TTB Rating so far, I updated Ringer's rating just before National Signing Day 2012 to reflect a 39 for Ringer, which indicates a "Below average backup or special teams contributor."  You can see in the comments on that thread that I had an inkling about the potential for Ringer not to last four years at Michigan.  He is the first casualty from the 2012 class.  Before dropping him to a 39, I had initially rated Ringer as a 64, so I was not expecting him to be a major player in Michigan's lineup.

The loss of Ringer doesn't really hurt Michigan for the 2013 season, since he was not expected to be in the two-deep.  Linebackers often make decent special teams players because they have a good combination of speed and physicality, but that was probably his best chance to get on the field this year.  However, this does further impact the numbers at linebacker, which also took a hit when redshirt junior Jake Ryan tore his ACL in spring practice.  A unit that was expected to be rather deep this season is now down two men.  Beyond the 2013 season, Ringer could very well have been stuck behind Morgan in 2014 and Bolden for another season after that, so we might be looking at 2016 before he would have had a serious shot at playing time; by then he would have been a fifth year senior.  In a slightly odd development, Michigan brought in four linebackers in 2012 (Ross, Bolden, Ringer, and Royce Jenkins-Stone), and all three remaining players will be true sophomores this year.

Michigan needed to get down to the scholarship limit of 85 prior to the season, and this puts them at the limit.  With fifteen seniors scheduled to play their final season in 2013, Michigan is looking at a 2014 recruiting class of 15; that number will surely increase, and word is that the coaches are already recruiting for a 16-man class.  Perhaps they already know of another player or two who are on the way out, and there have already been rumors of a third player to be on his way.  You may remember that I mentioned a few months ago that I had heard rumors of a few players who might depart - well, Ringer and Ken Wilkins were two of the names that heard.  We'll see if the third one develops.

Anyway, Ringer's departure may explain the fairly recent offer to East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis linebacker Kyron Watson.  Some insiders have suggested that Michigan would take Clairton (PA) Thomas Jefferson SAM prospect Chase Winovich or  middle linebacker prospect Watson, but I believe the Wolverines might take both if they want to come.  The coaches clearly offered Watson with the knowledge that they needed a SAM, so the plan is either a) take a SAM and a MIKE or b) move Michael Ferns III to SAM if Watson commits.  Winovich will visit this coming weekend, and Watson plans to visit the following weekend.

Ken Wilkins, ex-Wolverine

Defensive tackle Ken Wilkins

Defensive tackle Ken Wilkins has left the team.  Wilkins just finished his redshirt sophomore season, but he had yet to play a single down at Michigan.

Wilkins committed to Michigan in June 2009 as a member of the 2010 class.  Rich Rodriguez recruited him as a "Quick," the OLB/DE hybrid that Craig Roh played at one time.  As you can see from my commitment post (link), I always had doubts about whether Wilkins had the athleticism to pull off that kind of role.  Wilkins redshirted in 2010, and by spring 2011 he was playing strongside end for Brady Hoke.  Wilkins eventually grew into a 6'3", 294 lb. nose tackle, but the weight wasn't good weight.  Reports indicated that he lacked intensity on the field and in the weight room, struggling to stay low; that was evident in the limited practice film and in his spring game performance.  He was not expected to contribute much in 2013, since rising sophomore Ondre Pipkins had already surpassed him, Wilkins' classmate Richard Ash has earned some playing time, and the coaches seemed more excited about redshirt freshman Willie Henry, too.

Wilkins is the 16th member of the 27-man class of 2010 to depart early, joining Cullen Christian, Demar Dorsey, Stephen Hopkins, Carvin Johnson, Conelius Jones, Antonio Kinard, Ricardo Miller, Christian Pace, Jerald Robinson, Davion Rogers, Terrence Talbott, Terry Talbott, Ray Vinopal, Austin White, and D.J. Williamson.  Michigan is still technically above the 85-scholarship limit for the coming season, so Wilkins' departure does not really affect the size of the 2014 recruiting class.

Jerald Robinson, Ex-Wolverine

Jerald Robinson did not catch this.

Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jerald Robinson has left the football program.  A 6'1", 215-pounder, he played sparingly over the past couple seasons, making just 5 receptions for 69 yards, all in 2012.

It is unclear whether he left for a better playing opportunity elsewhere or if he didn't get along with the coaching staff, but he has often been at odds with the coaching staff(s) since coming to Michigan.  As a freshman in 2010, he was one of the players who had to "earn his wings" from head coach Rich Rodriguez - a group of players that also included Tate Forcier and Austin White, neither of whom made it through the 2010 season.  Since then reports have persisted that he lacked the dedication and work ethic to be a significant contributor, even though many departing seniors pegged him for a future breakout star because of the catches he would make in practice.

Those plays never showed up in games, though.  Looking back at his high school career, he was always a guy who lacked speed and caught the ball in his body.  You can view his highlights and watch him make body catch after body catch, get caught from behind, and catch short passes over the middle where he gets caught and tackled rather immediately.  Some people - including me - thought he might be better off playing safety.  He had a few opportunities this past season to catch balls that were outside the frame of his body, but the only ones he seemed to reel in were those that hit him near the numbers.

Rodriguez's 2010 recruiting class has now been whittled down to 12 players after initially being 27, Michigan's largest class in the Rivals/Scout era of recruiting.  Rodriguez took just 9 offensive players in that class, and only 3 remain - quarterback Devin Gardner and wideouts Drew Dileo and Jeremy Jackson.  By way of comparison, just 6 of 20 recruits from the 2011 class have left the program; and 8 out of 20 recruits from Lloyd Carr's last full class left the program early.  So while 40% of Carr's final full class left the program before exhausting their eligibility, 56% of Rodriguez's last full class are gone before three full years have passed.

EDIT: This brings the number of available scholarships in 2013 to a whopping 25.  Wide receivers remaining on the team next year will presumably include seniors Drew Dileo, Jeremy Gallon, and Jeremy Jackson; sophomore Amara Darboh; redshirt freshman Jehu Chesson; and incoming freshmen Jaron Dukes, Da'Mario Jones, and Csont'e York.

For news on other former Wolverines, check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

Stephen Hopkins, Ex-Wolverine

Spring 2010: Walk-on Phil Monolo, Stephen Hopkins, Michael Shaw, coach Fred Jackson,
Fitzgerald Toussaint, John McColgan, and Vincent Smith

Junior fullback Stephen Hopkins has left the football program.  He tweeted that he would get his degree from Michigan.  Hopkins was recruited by former Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez to play tailback in the spread offense, but he was just occasionally effective as a runner.  As a freshman in 2010, he had 37 carries for 151 yards (4.1 yards/carry) and 4 touchdowns.  When Brady Hoke arrived in 2011, that signaled a move to fullback for Hopkins, who proceeded to run just 11 times for 43 yards (3.9 yards/carry) as a sophomore, along with 1 catch for 28 yards.  Hopkins played as a blocking fullback in 2012 but never touched the ball.  Altogether, he ends his Michigan career with 48 carries for 194 yards (4.0 yards/carry) and 4 touchdowns, with that 1 reception for 28 yards added on.

Hopkins's departure is one of the losses that I had heard to be rumored last offseason.  Hopkins seemed not to be thrilled with the fullback's role in the offense, since he came to Michigan to be a tailback.  He decided to give it one more go in 2012, but his commitment seemed to be iffy.  He lost playing time to a less physically talented player in the form of redshirt freshman Joey Kerridge, and not touching the ball all year likely bothered him.  By comparison, Kerridge had 1 reception for 12 yards against Nebraska and was targeted a couple more times throughout the year, in particular on a wheel route against Notre Dame.  Hopkins did a poor job of blocking in the Ohio State game, and it seemed like he wasn't really giving 100%.

Hopkins's departure leaves just two fullbacks on the roster - Kerridge and freshman Sione Houma.  Sophomore Thomas Rawls might have the ability to contribute some at fullback, and 2013 recruit Wyatt Shallman has some potential there, too.  However, this shouldn't be a huge concern, because the fullback position can often be filled by walk-ons and position-switchers.

This is the 14th member of the 2010 recruiting class to depart early from Rich Rodriguez's largely doomed class.  The class of juniors and redshirt sophomores is already down by more than 50%, and a couple remaining members of that same class have yet to see the field (Jordan Paskorz, Ken Wilkins).  However, this opens up a 24th scholarship for the class of 2013.  The coaches are expected to take at least 25 commitments in February.

David Dawson, Ex-Wolverine

David Dawson (#55)

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech offensive guard David Dawson decommitted from Michigan on Sunday morning.  He had been flirting with visiting other schools - particularly Florida - for months, and he has decided to visit Gainesville this coming weekend.  During the summer, quite a stink was caused when he was at The Opening in Oregon and mentioned that he wanted to visit Florida.  The coaches put a stop to that flirtation at that point, and some people assumed that would be the end of it.  However, Dawson's comments about that incident and his attitude in general made me think that he would continue to be one to watch.

Head coach Brady Hoke has a policy that any players committed to Michigan shouldn't visit other schools; if they do, their scholarship offer will be rescinded.  Obviously, Dawson broke that commitment when he decided to visit the Gators.  I have no problem with Hoke's policy at all.  He wants guys who are 100% committed to Michigan.  At the same time, I hold no ill will toward Dawson for wanting to look around - kids making the biggest decisions of their lives should consider all their options before they're past the point of no return.  Unfortunately, he made a decision for Michigan before he was 100% sure.

As you might have concluded from my past posts and comments (see his commitment post), I'm not a huge fan of Dawson's abilities.  Obviously, some of the recruiting services disagree with me, as he's a top 250 prospect to all four major recruiting services; I gave him a TTB Rating of 67 (a.k.a. an average Big Ten starter).  I think he could have earned a starting job later in his career at Michigan, but I didn't see a path toward stardom for him.  In that respect, this shouldn't be a huge loss for Michigan.

However, now the Wolverines will have to regroup and go after another offensive lineman to fill the class.  All of Michigan's offensive line offerees have committed elsewhere except Laremy Tunsil, who's not considering Michigan.  Lemont (IL) Lemont offensive tackle Ethan Pocic and New Lenox (IL) Lincoln-Way West offensive tackle Colin McGovern were both very high on Michigan before committing to LSU and Notre Dame, respectively.  Those are the two offerees that I would keep an eye on to see if they reconsider their choices.  If the coaches are expanding their recruitment, options could include Penn State decommitment Dorian Johnson, Canton (MI) Canton offensive guard Cameron Dillard, or Huber Heights (OH) Wayne offensive guard Lovell Peterson.

Michigan now has 22 commitments in the class of 2013.

Tamani Carter, Ex-Wolverine

Tamani Carter at the spring game

Head coach Brady Hoke announced at Media Day that redshirt freshman defensive back Tamani Carter has left the team.  No reason was given, and no future destination is known at this point.

Carter committed to Michigan in January 2011, the first guy to commit to Michigan after Hoke was hired.  He came from Pickerington (OH) Central, the same program that will send defensive end Taco Charlton to the Wolverines in the class of 2013.  Carter was a somewhat low-level recruit that Michigan stole from the Minnesota Gophers.  ESPN had him ranked as a 2-star, a designation that seems to be given less and less in the last year or two.  I gave him a TTB Rating of 62 when he was recruited and I ranked him #78 in the 2012 Season Countdown, so not much was expected of him.

Carter redshirted last season and missed a chunk of spring practice because he was involved with Josh Furman's legal issues.  Carter was unlikely to play much (or at all) this season.  Both starters at safety return, and a couple highly touted recruits are waiting in the wings (Furman and Marvin Robinson).  Michigan also brought in three freshman safeties, one of whom (Jarrod Wilson) leapfrogged Carter on the depth chart in the spring.

Michigan now has 22 scholarships to give for the class of 2013, though the class is expected to reach a size of 24 or more.  By the way, Carter was the player I alluded to when I mentioned in a mailbag post that an underclassman might leave the team.  He is the sixth member of the 20-person class of 2011 to leave the team after Chris Barnett, Greg Brown, Kellen Jones, Tony Posada, and Chris Rock.

How will the recent departures affect Michigan in 2012?

Darryl Stonum is Michigan's biggest off-season loss

Several football players have left Michigan's program this offseason, including four announced departures during Friday's spring practice press conference.  Here I'll rank the departures from most important to least:

WR Darryl Stonum: Stonum was booted out of the program for yet another run-in with the law.  He had several alcohol-related offenses throughout his college career and was suspended for the entirety of the 2011 season, which would have been his senior year.  Instead, he took a "redshirt year" and everyone hoped he would mature and jump back into a starting role for 2012.  In 2010 he had 49 receptions for 633 yards and 4 touchdowns.  He probably could have approximated those numbers again in 2012 because he would have been the most proven and most physically talented wide receiver on the roster.  The Wolverines lost Junior Hemingway, Martavious Odoms, and Kelvin Grady to graduation, who combined for 46 receptions, 908 yards, and 7 touchdowns.  Now the top two wideouts going into 2012 seem to be the 5'8" Jeremy Gallon (31 receptions, 453 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Roy Roundtree (19 receptions, 355 yards, 2 touchdowns).  The loss of Stonum will hurt Michigan significantly.

C Rocko Khoury: Khoury was considered to be in the mix for the starting center job in 2012.  He had been the top backup at the position for the past two seasons, and with David Molk's graduation, there was an opening.  Most of the buzz this offseason indicated that Ricky Barnum was the front-runner for the position, and perhaps that was because the coaches knew for a while that Khoury would not return.  I would be interested to know why Khoury is done at Michigan.  Did he burn out?  Did he assume he would lose the battle with Khoury?  Will he continue his career elsewhere?  The answers to those questions are unclear.  It is clear, however, that the Wolverines are dangerously thin at center now.  Barnum - who has a history of getting injured -  is practically guaranteed to start at center, and the backup is redshirt freshman Jack Miller, who was listed at 263 lbs. last season.  Other options are Elliott Mealer, who has played guard and tackle in his career and taken some practice; walk-on Joey Burzynski; or one of the true freshmen, although none of them was expected to play center when recruited.  Considering Barnum's injury history, one or more backups are practically guaranteed to play at some point.

WR Terrence Robinson: Robinson was a virtual non-factor as a wide receiver (1 reception for 43 yards in 2010), but he turned into a bit of a special teams coverage demon in 2011.  He made a total of 6 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery on punt and kickoff coverage teams.  Some insiders believed that he even had a good shot at contributing on offense, based on comments that some of the coaches had made.  Robinson's role can likely be filled on special teams, however, and history suggests that any offensive output would probably have been minimal.

RB Michael Cox: Cox contributed very little in Michigan's 11-2 season last fall; the most he did was return a couple short kickoffs.  He had 19 career carries for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns, most of which came in 2009.  While Cox gave flashes that he might have been the most physically talented running back on the roster, rumors persisted that he struggled to learn the playbook and had some attitude issues.  He did play very well whenever he got a chance to show his skills, but all indications seemed to be that he would be see only limited duty again in 2012.  Of the six players listed here, Cox is the only one who has announced plans to continue his career elsewhere; he will transfer to UMass and play football for the upcoming season.

LB Isaiah Bell: Bell had been moored to the bench for the last three seasons.  He was likely destined to continue that role as a benchwarmer, and his departure should have virtually no effect on the team.

LS George Morales: Much like Bell, Morales hadn't seen the field yet in his career.  The Wolverines have a couple long snappers already on the roster, one of whom (Jareth Glanda) won the starting short snapper job last season for field goals and extra points; there are also a couple kids entering school as part of the 2012 class who might be able to help if needed.

Michael Cox is transferring to UMass

According to Wolverine Nation, running back Michael Cox will be graduating at the end of the semester and transferring to UMass, where he will go to graduate school and play football.  UMass will be playing its first season in the FBS after moving up from the FCS level.  They will be a member of the Mid-American Conference . . . and they happen to be playing at Michigan on September 15th of the upcoming season.

So Michigan fans haven't seen the last of Michael Cox.

Darryl Stonum, ex-Wolverine

Michigan's class of 2008 participants in the Under Armour All-America Game:
Darryl Stonum, Christian Wilson, Dann O'Neill, and Brandon Moore.

Wide receiver Darryl Stonum was booted off the team today.  I'm not going to go through his litany of legal issues, but he had some alcohol- and probation-related offenses in the past that caused him to be suspended for the entirety of the 2011 season.  Head coach Brady Hoke hoped that the suspension would give Stonum a chance to get his life in order, but that obviously wasn't the case.

Stonum's final season of eligibility would have been 2012, so he leaves with one year remaining.  He had 76 career receptions for 1,008 yards and 6 touchdowns in his three years of play, with a school single-season record of 1,001 kickoff return yards (94 of which came on a TD return against Notre Dame) in 2009.  It's unclear whether he will try to enter the NFL Draft or whether he will transfer to a lower division and play college ball next season.  My guess is that he will end up at an FCS school and try to make it to the NFL in 2013.

Michigan is now even thinner at wide receiver, a position that couldn't really afford further attrition.  Junior Hemingway, Martavious Odoms, and Kelvin Grady have played their final year at Michigan, leaving rising senior Roy Roundtree, rising junior Jeremy Gallon, rising junior Jeremy Jackson, rising junior Drew Dileo, and a bunch of young'ns who haven't seen the field at all; class of 2012 receivers Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh will have an even better chance of play this fall than they previously had.  Gallon is tiny, Jackson is slow, and Dileo is a little of both, so there's no clear-cut successor at the outside receiver position.

There are some more potential options in the class of 2012, with Cincinnati (OH) Moeller's Monty Madaris and Westlake Village (CA) Oaks Christian's Jordan Payton both flirting with Michigan.  Madaris had potentially eliminated Michigan from contention, but this opens the door to playing time a little quicker.  Meanwhile, Payton is "committed" to the California Golden Bears, but their lead recruiter Tosh Lupoi just left for the Washington Huskies and Payton is rethinking his pledge.  Of course, there's also the potential for more receivers to grab offers from Michigan or for the coaches to bank the scholarship for 2013.  However - and I questioned this at the time - Brady Hoke chose to bank a scholarship for 2012 instead of taking class of 2011 receiver Devin Lucien, who chose UCLA instead.  Lucien redshirted this past season for the Bruins, but he would have been another option for Michigan in 2012.

(I just happened to find the above picture interesting for its irrelevance to Michigan now.  Stonum was a huge disappointment and got booted, Wilson de-committed for North Carolina and now is a mediocre Tarheel H-back, O'Neill transferred to Western Michigan, and Brandon Moore has been an ineffective backup TE who has 2 career receptions.)

Carvin Johnson, ex-Wolverine

Carvin Johnson against UConn in 2010

Sophomore safety Carvin Johnson has left the team.  Since he played eight games in 2011, he will likely have to sit out the 2012 season due to NCAA transfer rules.  However, his destination is currently unknown.

Johnson started three games at outside linebacker as a freshman in 2010, making 18 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 pass breakup.  It looked as if Johnson would be in line for significant playing time once again in 2011, but he was passed up by redshirt sophomore Thomas Gordon, among others.  While Johnson played in eight games this season, he was used sparingly and had only 14 tackles and 1 pass breakup to his name.

When he was recruited by Rich Rodriguez, Johnson held offers from Louisiana Tech, Minnesota, Northern Illinois, Tulane, Tulsa, and Utah.  LSU also reportedly made a run at him late in the recruiting process.  Most transfers seem to end up closer to home, so places such as Louisiana Tech or Tulane might be likely destinations for the native of Metairie, LA.

Johnson is the eleventh member of the 27-person class of 2010 to exit from the program.

Are these things connected?

Was Cullen Christian lonely?

Today at MGoBlog, Brian posted an e-mail from a former walk-on who said:

I talked with Bruce Madej for a while as well as Paul Schmidt.  I was surprised to learn that RR did not force freshman/sophomores to live in the dorm.  The only players who HAD to live in the dorm were the early enrollees, and they only had to stay there until after spring semester. Think about that. An 18 year old kid is going right from living at his folks place and attending high school to instantly living on his own, with rent and phone bills, gas bills, grocery shopping, etc ALL THE WHILE trying to maintain his athletics AND play for a demanding coach. There's no way an 18 year should be put in that situation. It's overwhelming.  Schmitty told me that was the first thing he told Hoke when he arrived.  Hoke immediately switched the policy back to freshman and sophomores MUST live in the dorm.

I found this interesting, since this information comes on the heels of some crippling attrition that included true freshman starter Ray Vinopal and highly rated cornerback Cullen Christian.  In an article on The Wolverine, Christian was quoted as saying:

I didn't come up here for the new coaching staff. So when Coach Gibson left, it got crazy; I wanted to be with somebody who recruited me, somebody who knows me and knows what I'm about.  That's why I picked Michigan in the first place, and if it was a different coaching staff, I wouldn't have committed there. It's a good school with a big name and everything, and they reeled me in. The main thing was Coach Gibson; that was the big thing in getting me to Michigan. I didn't really like it up here.  I didn't like the campus, and really, I've miserable since I've been up here. I think it was just about me and what I'm used to being around; there's a difference between living in Pittsburgh and Ann Arbor. A big difference. A lot of kids like it here, and some don't. It just wasn't for me.  So once the coaches left, there wasn't much holding me here. I was like, 'Why am I here? I don't know these coaches and they didn't recruit me.

The combination of these things makes me wonder if Rodriguez's rule about living situations had anything to do with the departures of Vinopal and Christian, among others.  I did not realize that the players were allowed to live elsewhere on campus, and obviously, it's difficult to know exactly how many freshmen in the past couple years took advantage of living off campus.  It had always been my understanding that freshman and sophomore athletes were required to live in the dorms, and I figured that was just the way of the world forever and ever.

But I do ascribe to the notion that living in a dorm is a key part of the maturation process for college students. I am not naive enough to think that kids can't get in trouble when living in the dorms.  However, it does alleviate some of the stress of buying groceries, paying bills, meeting new people, etc.  When students are forced to live in such close quarters, there are surely clashes of personalities, dustups, etc.  But long-lasting friendships are also forged.  I know many people whose friendships with their freshman year roommates turned into relationships that lasted beyond college.

Christian and Vinopal very well could have ended up transferring whether they lived in South Quad/West Quad or not.  But when Christian says, "Once the coaches left, there wasn't much holding me here," I start to wonder how many friends he had.  What should have been present is a strong bond with one or two of his teammates, guys who could have repeated the mantra "Those who stay will be champions" or fellow freshmen who were also struggling to climb their way up the depth chart.  We often hear recruits or recruits' mentors saying, "Don't go somewhere just because of the coaches, because they could be gone in a year."  That's exactly what happened to Christian, and now he'll be starting anew as a Pitt Panther.

Regardless, Brady Hoke has apparently returned to making freshmen and sophomores live in dorms, so all is right in the world.  Unless kids start transferring in droves.  Then we can blame it on something else.

Tate Forcier, ex-Wolverine . . . for now

See you later, Tate.  Or not.

During Wednesday's press conference to introduce new head coach Brady Hoke, athletic director David Brandon was asked about the status of Tate Forcier, Michigan's starting quarterback in 2009 and backup in 2010.  Brandon responded that Forcier is "no longer with the program."

Some reports indicate that Forcier is no longer at Michigan due to flunking out during the fall semester.  Mike Forcier, Tate's father, stated that his son did not flunk out of school. Regardless, he was ineligible for the Gator Bowl against Mississippi State.  Forcier is supposedly enrolled at a community college in the hopes of re-applying to the University of Michigan.  If Forcier were to be reinstated to U of M for the fall semester, he would not lose a year of eligibility, as far as I know; he would be a true junior for the 2011 season.

Forcier is a 4-star recruit from San Diego who enrolled early in January 2009 to take the position vacated by Steve Threet (transferred to Arizona State) and Nick Sheridan (relegated to the bench).  He immediately seized the starting position and  held onto it for his entire season freshman.  The team went 5-7 and Forcier finished 165-for-281 (58.7%) for 2050 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

Some reported immaturity and the meteoric rise of classmate Denard Robinson sent Forcier to the sideline for the majority of 2010.  He originally responded poorly to the benching, entertaining thoughts of a transfer when true freshman Devin Gardner overtook the sophomore Forcier for second place on the depth chart during the 2010 opener against Connecticut.  However, Forcier's third-place spot on the depth chart turned out to be maturity based rather than performance-based, and he eventually overtook Gardner.  Forcier saw spot duty in several games, but really showed out when Robinson was injured against Illinois.  Forcier finished out the second half of the 67-65, triple-overtime victory.  He ended the season 54-for-84 (64.3%) for 597 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.

I was excited about Forcier when he was recruited back in 2009.  I thought he had a chance to be a version 2.0 Rich Rodriguez quarterback, the type who would throw the ball a lot, run a little bit, and hand off to some as-yet-undiscovered superstar Rich Rodriguez running back.  But . . . uhhh . . . none of that really happened.  Forcier turned out to be a little too headstrong for his own good, throwing passes he had no business throwing, scrambling with the ball loosely held in one arm, taking his starting job a little too lightly, and ultimately losing his spot on the football team.  He still has potential to be a decent quarterback if he matures - both on and off the field.  But I also won't be surprised if he fades into the background like both of his quarterback brothers (Jason, who was a backup at Michigan and Stanford; and Chris, who played at UCLA and Furman).

Forcier's departure almost guarantees that new coach Brady Hoke will need to recruit one or more quarterbacks for the Class of 2011.  Even if Forcier finds himself back on Michigan's campus in the fall, the quarterback position would remain thin with only three scholarship players.  While Hoke has promised to incorporate Denard Robinson's skills into the offense, I expect that Michigan will try to find a pro-style quarterback before National Signing Day.

Who fits and who doesn't?

Quarterback Denard Robinson might struggle in a Brady Hoke offense

After Lloyd Carr retired in 2007, Rich Rodriguez was hired and struggled to turn Carr's pro-style personnel into a spread-style offense.  Steve Threet and Nick Sheridan didn't light the world on fire in 2008, and Tate Forcier was decent for a freshman in 2009.  But the quarterbacks and other offensive players didn't hit their Rodriguez-level spread until 2010, when Denard Robinson temporarily vaulted into the lead of the Heisman Trophy race.  That leap was short-lived, since Rodriguez was ousted and replaced by Brady Hoke in January 2011, signifying a return to a pro-style offense.

I really had no reason to watch or study San Diego State University's offense during the football season, but I've since watched some highlights and read some accounts of Hoke's offensive schemes.  Since no assistant coaches have been announced yet, it's impossible to say for sure what schemes will be run.  However, here are some thoughts based on what I've seen from SDSU's 2010 offense.

It's Michigan all over again.  Lloyd Carr-style Michigan, at least.  Multiple tight end sets, two backs in the backfield, play action with deep posts, a little bit of shotgun spread, I-formation, etc.  Yep.  You've seen it before.

Quarterbacks.  Both of SDSU's quarterbacks were 6'4"-6'5" and 210-215 lbs.  This does not bode well for Denard Robinson, who is approximately 6'0" and 193 lbs.  Additionally, Robinson's best asset is his ability to run, not to drop back and read defenses.  My initial reaction is to expect that Robinson will transfer, perhaps to Pitt, where former Michigan offensive coordinator Calvin Magee has alighted.  He could go to Pittsburgh, sit out 2011, and have two years of eligibility to play quarterback.  In my opinion, the best chance Hoke has to retain Robinson is to make a pitch for Robinson to become a running back or wide receiver.  I think most people realize that Robinson's NFL future lies in a position other than QB, so perhaps Hoke can convince him to begin that position change now.  The rumor is that Tate Forcier has flunked out of the University of Michigan, so that leaves sophomore/redshirt freshman Devin Gardner to helm Michigan's offense.  I do not expect Gardner that would look elsewhere, and he could potentially be a four-year starter for Hoke.  Gardner is more suited to play in a pro-style offense than Rodriguez's spread, in my opinion, so this could be a positive change for him.

Running backs.  This might be partially due to the talent available at Ball State and San Diego State, but Hoke doesn't seem to mind using smaller running backs.  One might think that he would revert to the 6'1", 220 lb. running backs that Michigan used to employ in the 1990s and early 2000s, but that won't necessarily be the case.  I think each of the running backs on the current roster should be compatible with Hoke's offense if they so choose.

Fullbacks.  Michigan fans shouldn't necessarily expect the bruising, blocker-only fullbacks that Lloyd Carr often used.  Don't think Kevin Dudley or Obi Oluigbo.  Think B.J. Askew.  Senior John McColgan could fit here as a blocker, but guys like Stephen Hopkins or Michael Cox would likely be more effective.

Tight ends.  Michigan's current tight ends shouldn't have a hard time fitting in with Hoke.  He likes to involve the tight end in the passing game (SDSU's starter had 29 receptions and averaged 11+ yards a catch), and both Kevin Koger and Brandon Moore are athletic, pass-catching types.  Ricardo Miller has reportedly changed positions to become a tight end, as well.

Wide receivers.  In the short-term, Michigan should be fine at wide receiver.  Hoke ran a West Coast style offense that uses bigger wide receivers.  The likes of Darryl Stonum, Roy Roundtree, Je'Ron Stokes, D.J. Williamson, Jerald Robinson, and Jeremy Jackson should be fine.  A couple of those guys aren't exactly big, but they're big enough and the top few guys are good enough to be successful.  Martavious Odoms played outside in 2010, even though he's more of a slot receiver.  I do think Odoms could be a factor at WR because of his athleticism, blocking, and chutzpah, but he's probably not the type of wideout that Hoke will recruit.

Slot receivers.  Yeah, this is the position that will likely be phased out at Michigan.  That's not to say that we should expect Jeremy Gallon, Terrence Robinson, Kelvin Grady, or Drew Dileo to get cut.  Every team out there seems to be able to use one or two of those types of guys to return punts and kicks, be a change-of-pace runner, or play in the slot.  But there won't be a need to keep so many of those types of kids on the roster.  I wouldn't be surprised to see some attrition from this position.  I hope that none of these guys transfer, so don't take this the wrong way, but it might make sense for a guy like Gallon or Robinson to go elsewhere.  Gallon would have two years of eligibility remaining since he redshirted already; Robinson would only have one if he went to an FBS school, but he could play immediately in the FCS.

Offensive line.  Michigan's offensive linemen beefed up for the 2010 season, and I don't think the transition will be much of a problem for them.  We might see them adding a little more bulk for 2011 - especially Taylor Lewan - but it's not like Rich Rodriguez was playing 260-pound linemen.  Michigan might be a little undersized at center for a couple years, but David Molk is the strongest offensive lineman on the team and Christian Pace should have another year to add weight.  But guys like Lewan, Patrick Omameh, Ricky Barnum, Elliott Mealer, and Rocko Khoury should be just fine.

Summary.  Offensive attrition should be minimal as far as numbers go.  Michigan might lose a quarterback, and I would understand if a running back/slot guy or two decided to try his hand elsewhere, but the transition from Rodriguez's spread to Hoke's pro-style offense shouldn't be as much of a culture shock as Carr-to-Rodriguez.  However, just looking at the quarterback position, the performance might suffer in the short-term while Hoke hones the skills of whichever quarterback(s) sticks around.

Davion Rogers, ex-Wolverine

Davion Rogers

Freshman linebacker Davion Rogers has left the football program.  He was a 3-star recruit from Warren, OH.  The reason for his departure hasn't been officially released, but he had some NCAA Clearinghouse issues when trying to qualify for Michigan and rumor is that he never fully qualified.  Rogers was on campus and practicing with the team, but he had not played yet this season.

You can read my commitment post here, but Rogers was not expected to contribute to the team this season.  He's 6'6" and about 200 lbs., so he had a lot of physical development left before he could contribute at the college level.  However, he is an excellent athlete who would have been an asset to the team in the coming years.

This is the fifth Wolverine to depart since fall practices began.  He's also the fifth member of the Class of 2010 who has failed to reach October of freshman year.  My frustration with Rich Rodriguez's inability to recruit and retain players has been well documented on this blog, and this is yet another potential nail in the coffin for Michigan's defense in the coming two or three years.  Freshmen littered the two-deep at Michigan already, and that trend will continue in the coming years due to all these transfers/non-qualifiers.  Rodriguez has offered veiled complaints about the lack of defensive depth left by the Lloyd Carr regime, but no less than 11 defensive recruits signed during Rodriguez's tenure (Class of 2008 through Class of 2010) have already departed.  That means 31.4% (11/35) of defensive recruits brought in during that time have already left.

My unofficial calculations suggest that Michigan's 2011 recruiting class will have room for approximately 22 players (10 unused scholarships, 12 departing seniors).  For a reference point, a few months ago the class size was supposed to be 14 or 15.  You might think that Michigan's defense has been bad over the past couple seasons, but help won't be on the way anytime soon if Michigan keeps hemorrhaging recruits.

Anthony Lalota, ex-Wolverine

Buh-bye.

Defensive end Anthony Lalota has been released from his scholarship to the University of Michigan. The 6'4", 270 lb. lineman committed to Michigan from The Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey. Buried on the depth chart behind redshirt junior Ryan Van Bergen, true freshman Jibreel Black, and converted tight end Steve Watson, the redshirt freshman apparently gave up on seeing the field and asked for his release.

Lalota came to Michigan as part of the Class of 2009. He was a late addition to the football program at The Hun School, having only started to play as a junior. He played offensive tackle and defensive end in high school, and Scout had him ranked as a 4-star offensive tackle prospect at one point. Despite being listed by recruiting sites as big as 6'6" and 260 lbs., he measured in at 6'4", 235 lbs. prior to his true freshman season. He added 35 lbs. in between his freshman season and redshirt freshman season, but the writing appeared to be on the wall by the time the 2010 season rolled around. When you're fourth on the depth chart at a position lacking depth, it would be frustrating.

For what it's worth, I've never been a fan of Lalota's game. My analysis of him after his participation in the Army All-American Game in January 2009 went like this:

I am not very impressed by Lalota's skills. He's a recent convert to football, having not played until his junior year of high school. So significant improvement may still be forthcoming. However, he is very raw as a defensive end and usually tries to beat offensive tackles by bull rushing with 100% effort. I love the effort and that hard work could turn him into a very good player, but at 6'6" and 260 lbs., he reminds me of former Michigan player Pat Massey, which is generally not considered to be a good thing by Michigan fans. As far as I saw, he didn't make any plays in the game, and I wouldn't expect him to play significantly at Michigan for at least a couple years.

Lalota was very mechanical coming out of high school. He played defensive end like an offensive tackle. His lateral mobility was virtually nil, and he lacked great football instincts. I actually would have liked him more for a 3-3-5 defense than I did for the 4-front that Michigan employed at the time he was recruited. Regardless, he seemed overrated to me as a high 4-star prospect. Like many football recruits, the services looked at his size (which was obviously exaggerated) and his decent straight-line speed and said, "Hey, this guy is going to be good." They just didn't account for the fact that football is a sport played by athletes, not just big dudes who happen to not be crippled.

As for the impact of Lalota's transfer on the team itself, it once again hurts Michigan's APR (just like Vladimir Emilien . . . and Austin White . . . and Justin Turner . . . and numerous others). The number of guys transferring out of the University of Michigan borders on ridiculous. No, wait - it is ridiculous. Michigan was nearing the danger line prior to the season. Since then, four additional guys have left the team. I once again have to point out that I'm not impressed with Rich Rodriguez's retention rate. Many of these guys don't seem to be giving the football program much of a shot at Michigan before bailing out. I understand being frustrated about playing time, but he's a redshirt freshman. What liar told him he would be able to start for a Big Ten team by his second year in college? Whoever that liar is, I hope Anthony Lalota doesn't trust him anymore.

Meanwhile, Michigan's Class of 2011 just went from 18 to a size of 19. Guys like Anthony Zettel, Deion Barnes, James Adeyanju, and Ray Drew could take Lalota's spot. Michigan already needed one defensive end in the class. Since both Van Bergen and Watson are redshirt juniors (and Watson might be a longshot to return for a fifth year), I expect Michigan to take at least one more defensive end in the class, maybe two.