Review of 2008 Recruiting: Offensive Line

Review of 2008 Recruiting: Offensive Line


May 23, 2018

Patrick Omameh (image via Giants Wire)

THE ROSTER

Tim McAvoy (RS Jr.)
David Moosman (RS Jr.)
Mark Ortmann (RS Jr.)
Cory Zirbel (RS Jr.)
Perry Dorrestein (RS So.)
Bryan Nowicki (RS So.)
Steve Schilling (RS So.)
Zac Ciullo (RS Fr.)
Mark Huyge (RS Fr.)
David Molk (RS Fr.)

Hit the jump for a summary of Michigan’s offensive line recruiting in the 2008 class.

THE COMMITS

Ricky Barnum
High school: Lakeland (FL) Lake Gibson
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #5 C
School: Michigan
Other notable offers: Florida, South Carolina, West Virginia
Scoop: Barnum redshirted in 2008, and he played left tackle, left guard, and right guard throughout his career; altogether, he started 16 total games at left guard, with his other appearances coming as a backup. He was not drafted in the 2013 NFL Draft but spent a bit of time with the Washington Redskins in an attempt to make the team. He played a little bit in the AFL, but he is now coaching high school football in Florida.

Rocko Khoury
High school: Traverse City (MI) West
Ratings: Rivals 3-star, #41 OT
School: Michigan
Other notable offer: Michigan State
Scoop: Khoury redshirted in 2008 and started just one game in his career, which was the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech following the 2011 season. He did not return for a fifth year in 2012 and his career ended.

Elliott Mealer
High school: Wauseon (OH) Wauseon
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #24 OT, #213 overall
School: Michigan
Other notable offers: Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern
Scoop: Mealer was in a devastating car accident as a senior in high school and redshirted as a freshman in 2008. He would play sparingly throughout his career before starting 13 games at center as a fifth year senior in 2012. He went undrafted in 2013 and did not play again.

Patrick Omameh
High school: Columbus (OH) St. Francis DeSales
Ratings: Rivals 2-star SDE
School: Michigan
Other notable offers:
Scoop: Omameh redshirted in 2008 and was First Team All-Big Ten at right guard by his final season in 2012. Overall, he started 41 straight games at right guard and played in 45 total contests. He has bounced around the NFL after going undrafted in 2013, but he has found a way to start 45 games in that stretch while playing for the 49ers, Buccaneers, Bears, and Jaguars; he signed with the Giants prior to the 2018 season.

Dann O’Neill
High school: Grand Haven (MI) Grand Haven
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #10 OT, #49 overall
School: Michigan Western Michigan
Other notable offers: Florida State, UCLA
Scoop: O’Neill redshirted in 2008 and transferred prior to the 2009 season, sitting it out while waiting to play for the Western Michigan Broncos. He started 23 games at WMU and was Third Team All-MAC in 2012. He went undrafted in 2013 and did not have any kind of pro football career.

Kurt Wermers
High school: Crown Point (IN) Crown Point
Ratings: 3-star, #37 OG
School: Michigan
Other notable offers: Indiana, Iowa, UCLA
Scoop: Wermers redshirted in 2008, and then announced he would transfer to Ball State because he didn’t fit in at Michigan. In truth, he was reportedly academically ineligible to continue at Michigan. He never played a down at Ball State, either.

THE TARGETS

Mike Adams
High school: Dublin (OH) Coffman
Ratings: Rivals 5-star, #1 OT, #3 overall
School: Ohio State
Other notable offers: Tennessee
Scoop: Adams started 25 games throughout his career and was named First Team All-Big Ten as a junior in 2011. He was a 2nd round pick (#56 overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012. He started 21 games in the NFL with the Steelers and the Chicago Bears, but he has not played in the NFL since 2016.

Michael Brewster
High school: Orlando (FL) Edgewater
Ratings: 5-star, #4 OT, #12 overall
School: Ohio State
Other notable offers: Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, USC
Scoop: Brewster was a four-year starter at Ohio State, and he made 49 total starts throughout his career. He was a finalist for the Rimington Award, an All-American, and a First Team All-Big Ten performer as a junior in 2010. He went undrafted in 2012 and ended up starting ten games over a few seasons with the Jaguars, Dolphins, and Saints. He is now out of the NFL.

Braxston Cave
High school: Mishawaka (IN) Penn
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #4 C, #192 overall
School: Notre Dame
Other notable offers: Indiana, Michigan
Scoop: Cave started 35 games throughout his career and played in 48 total. He made the practice squads of the Browns, Patriots, and Lions, but he never played in an NFL game and has not been on a roster since 2015.

Lane Clelland
High school: McDonogh (MD) Owings Mills
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #19 OT, #182 overall
School: Notre Dame
Other notable offers: Florida State, Nebraska
Scoop: Clelland redshirted in 2008, played some on special teams in 2009 and 2010, and even tried the defensive end position in Notre Dame’s 3-4 defense at one point. After tearing his ACL, he did not play in 2011 and beyond.

Vaughn Dotsy
High school: Ventura (CA) St. Bonaventure
Ratings: Rivals 3-star, #46 OG
School: Arizona
Other notable offers: Florida, LSU
Scoop: Dotsy played in four games at Arizona in 2008 and then started nine games in 2009. After starting two games in 2010, his career ended due to back problems.

Bryce Givens
High school: Denver (CO) Mullen
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #12 OT, #98 overall
School: Colorado Colorado State-Pueblo
Other notable offers: Florida, Texas, UCLA
Scoop: Givens redshirted in 2008 before starting eight total games over the 2009-2010 seasons. He had multiple run-ins with the law and was suspended from Colorado, which resulted in him transferring to Colorado State-Pueblo, where he did not last, either. He is out of football.

Josh Jenkins
High school: Vienna (WV) Parkersburg
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #10 OG, #204 overall
School: West Virginia
Other notable offers: Florida State, Ohio State, Pitt
Scoop: Jenkins started 37 games as a Mountaineer, but he went undrafted in 2013. He was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Seahawks, and he did not get another opportunity in the NFL.

Lucas Nix
High school: Jefferson Hills (PA) Jefferson
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #9 OT, #39 overall
School: Pitt
Other notable offers: Tennessee, Wisconsin
Scoop: Nix played in six games as a backup during his 2008 freshman season, and he started 33 games after that. He went undrafted in 2012 but went to the Raiders as an undrafted free agent. He started ten games with the Raiders but has not played in the NFL since 2015.

Deon’tae Pannell
High school: Birmingham (MI) Groves
Ratings: Rivals 3-star, #57 OT
School: Penn State
Other notable offers: Michigan State, Wisconsin
Scoop: Pannell started 19 games at Penn State before going undrafted in 2012, after which he was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent. He did not see any regular season action in the NFL.

Graham Pocic
High school: Lemont (IL) Lemont
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #23 OT, #211 overall
School: Illinois
Other notable offers: Florida, Penn State, Tennessee, Wisconsin
Scoop: Pocic redshirted in 2008 before starting 36 games (34 at center, 2 at right tackle) throughout his career. He went undrafted in 2013 and spent some time with the Rams and Steelers, but he is out of football.

Trevor Robinson
High school: Omaha (NE) Elkhorn
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #1 OG, #37 overall
School: Notre Dame
Other notable offers: Nebraska
Scoop: Robinson started 40 games throughout his career in South Bend before going undrafted in 2012. He spent five seasons in the NFL with the Bengals, Chargers, and Falcons, starting 26 total games in that time. He retired prior to the 2017 season.

Zach Schlink
High school: Peoria (AZ) Centennial
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #14 OG
School: Arizona State
Other notable offers: Arizona, Oklahoma
Scoop: Schlink started one game in 2008, but injuries forced him to call it a career before he ever played again.

David Snow
High school: Gilmer (TX) Gilmer
Ratings:
School: Texas
Other notable offers:
Scoop: Snow started 32 games total at center and right guard during his four seasons at Texas, including a First Team All-Big 12 nod. He went undrafted in 2012 and started two games in the NFL over three seasons with the Steelers and Bills.

Kevin Zeitler
High school: Milwauke (WI) Lutheran
Ratings: Rivals 3-star, #39 OG
School: Wisconsin
Other notable offers: Minnesota, Purdue
Scoop: Zeitler started 36 games at Wisconsin during his career, all at right guard. He was First Team All-Big Ten as a senior in 2011, parlaying that into becoming a 1st round draft pick (#27 overall) by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012. He has started 87 games since then, including last season, his first with the Cleveland Browns.

CONCLUSIONS

Biggest miss: Kevin Zeitler. Zeitler probably wouldn’t have turned into what he became if he had chosen Michigan instead, because Wisconsin has done a much better job of developing linemen over the last decade or so. But at least we now know he had the potential to be a first round pick, which was not quite so obvious when he was the #39 offensive guard in the class.

Biggest bust: Bryce Givens. He was a top-100 player, got in a bunch of trouble, and found himself playing D-II ball within a few years. The sad thing for him is that he appeared to actually have some talent that translated to the college level, because he got on the field early.

Best in class: Tyron Smith. Smith became the #9 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft after spending three years at USC, and he has since been a five-time Pro Bowler. Back in 2008, he was a 5-star, the #6 offensive tackle, and #15 overall out of Moreno Valley (CA) Rancho Verde. Michigan didn’t pursue him and wouldn’t have landed him, anyway, but the Wolverines would have had quite a tackle tandem with Smith and then Taylor Lewan in the 2009 class.

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