Ex-Wolverines: Class of 2006

Tag: Justin Boren


22Jan 2017
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Ex-Wolverines: Class of 2006

Justin Boren (image via MVictors)

In an attempt to whittle down the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia at the top of the page, I’m going to split up the 8,000 words there into several individual posts. The Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia will still remain at the top of the page, but it will be limited to active collegians and then have links to each of these posts of older players or classes that have matriculated out of football.

Justin Boren – Offensive guard – Pickerington (OH) North
Boren was the son of ex-Michigan linebacker Mike Boren.  He was born and bred to be a Wolverine.  Freshman offensive linemen are almost guaranteed to redshirt, but he played as a freshman, even starting when guard Rueben Riley was injured.  Boren was a solid starter for Michigan in 2007.  But when Lloyd Carr departed after the 2007 season and Rich Rodriguez was hired, Justin and his family butted heads with the new regime.  Some stories have suggested that Boren couldn’t handle the physical requirements of the new strength and conditioning staff.  The story I believe to be true is that Lloyd Carr had promised to offer the Borens’ younger son, Zach, a scholarship.  However, Zach was a fullback and Rich Rodriguez doesn’t offer scholarships to fullbacks – he fills that position from walk-ons.  That perturbed the Borens enough to send Justin to Ohio State, the school that Zach would also attend.  Justin sat out the 2008 season and started at left guard for OSU in 2009.  Boren was named All-Big Ten in 2010 for Ohio State. He went undrafted in 2011, but spent time on the practice squads of the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, and Denver Broncos.
Current status: Out of football

Hit the jump for the rest of the players who left Michigan from the class of 2006.

read more

15Dec 2014
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The Transition Effect: Carr to Rodriguez

Ryan Mallett

With an upcoming coaching transition, there has been some concern that players will take flight to greener pastures. When Michigan went from a pro-style scheme to a zone read option scheme in the off-season between 2007 and 2008, some offensive players headed out the door. Not much of that can be attributed to the spread. Every team loses players in the off-season. Sometimes players are sick of standing on the sideline, sometimes they get homesick, and sometimes they butt heads with the coaches. Here’s a look at what the transition from Lloyd Carr to Rich Rodriguez cost Michigan going into 2008 and beyond.

Decommitted due to coaching transition: John Wienke, Christian Wilson
Wienke, a pro-style quarterback, decommitted in favor of Iowa, where he never saw any significant time. Wilson ended up committing to North Carolina due to the fact that Rodriguez’s offense didn’t leave a ton of room for fullback/H-back types. Wilson played but never made a huge impact for the Tarheels.

Transferred to other FBS teams between regimes: Justin Boren, Ryan Mallett
Offensive guard Justin Boren would have been a junior starter in Rich Rodriguez’s first season, but some alleged frictions between Rodriguez and Boren’s family led to his departure. Boren transferred to his home state Ohio State Buckeyes program, where he eventually started and became an undrafted free agent; he never played in an NFL game despite making the practice squad with a couple teams. Meanwhile, his right guard position was taken by David Moosman, who turned out to be a decent but forgettable piece up front for the Wolverines. Theories differ on Mallett, a touted quarterback who transferred closer to home at Arkansas. Some say he was already on his way out the door because of butting heads with Carr; others say he realized he wouldn’t fit into Rich Rodriguez’s offense. Either way, he was replaced by walk-on Nick Sheridan and Georgia Tech transfer Steve Threet, both of whom were subpar passers and poor fits for Rodriguez’s scheme. After the 2008 season,

Left early for the NFL Draft: Adrian Arrington, Mario Manningham
Arrington blew up in his final game, a bowl win over Florida, which might have sealed the deal. His 882 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns in 2007 as the #2 option behind Manningham were impressive, although he slipped into the Draft in just the 7th round, making just 9 receptions in a short NFL career. Manningham had some issues following rules/laws and seemed to be headed for the door after a stellar three-year career; he possibly would have been a 1st round pick if not for a marijuana charge, and instead fell to the 3rd round. He was picked by the Giants and has had a solid but injury-marred career with 2,849 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns.

Transferred to other FBS teams after giving Rodriguez a chance:* Toney Clemons, Vince Helmuth, Dann O’Neill, Steve Threet
Clemons spent a year trying to wedge himself into the slot receiver role for Rodriguez, a role he was ill suited for because he was not very quick or elusive. Clemons had been recruited by Lloyd Carr as an outside wide receiver, and he transferred to Colorado for that reason. He had a decent career for the Buffaloes and managed to get drafted. Helmuth was brought in as a Lloyd Carr fullback, eventually moved to defensive tackle under Rodriguez, and then transferred to Miami-OH, where he never played, either. O’Neill spent a year redshirting and then transferred to Western Michigan, where his lack of lateral mobility was less of a hindrance; he started for several years for the Broncos. Threet got kind of a raw deal. After enrolling early at Georgia Tech in January 2007, he transferred to Michigan over the summer and redshirted during the season, hoping to follow Chad Henne as the starter for the Wolverines. Then when Rodriguez got hired, Threet and walk-on Nick Sheridan split playing time before Threet lit out for his third school, Arizona State. He had to sit out the 2009 season to transfer, and then concussions caused him to end his football career early.

Left early for the NFL Draft after giving Rodriguez a chance:* Carson Butler, Donovan Warren
Butler was unhappy with his role as a tight end in Rodriguez’s offense, so he made a mid-season switch to defensive end, finishing with 2 catches, 17 yards, and 5 tackles. He tested the waters of the NFL but was ultimately unsuccessful.  Warren left after his third season in Ann Arbor, hanging around through 2009. It’s unclear whether a different coach could have kept him around for a fourth season, but Warren was All-Big Ten and made 4 picks in 2009, after which he made an ill-advised attempt at making it in the NFL. He was not drafted and spent a few years bouncing around practice squads.

CONCLUSIONS
If Michigan changes systems to a spread or, say, a triple option, some transfers can naturally be expected. That change seems unlikely based on what we have been hearing, but anything is possible. The one guy who seemed like a possible early entrant into the draft (Devin Funchess) is gone already. The quarterbacks are mostly pro-style guys, so that would present a challenge if Michigan wanted to run any kind of option-type stuff. Michigan has been running a lot of zone schemes, so a loss of linemen would not seem to be a huge risk, regardless of the coach. The receivers are mostly big, pro-style guys who could get squeezed out if the new coach wanted to put tiny slot guys out there in spades. Michigan’s stable of tight ends would likely not be happy with a move to a spread, though A.J. Williams will be a senior and Jake Butt could be just a year away from heading to the NFL; the biggest flight risks there would probably be the young guys, Ian Bunting and Khalid Hill, who would still have time to redshirt for a year and make an impact elsewhere.

*There were some other transfers (Sam McGuffie, Marell Evans, Kurt Wermers, etc.) that seemed to have less to do with Rodriguez and more to do with homesickness, academic difficulties, etc.

23Aug 2011
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Review of 2006 Recruiting: The Offensive Linemen

Trent Williams was the #4 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft

THE RECRUITS
Justin Boren
High school: North High School in Pickerington, OH
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #1 OC; Scout 5-star, #7 OL
Other notable offers: Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma
College: Michigan Ohio State
Scoop: Boren committed to Michigan and was just the fourth true freshman offensive lineman to start a game for Michigan in the modern era.  He started 1 game in 2006 and played in 4 others at offensive guard.  He replaced center Mark Bihl in 2007 and started all 13 games, 8 at center and another 5 at offensive guard.  After Rich Rodriguez was hired in December 2007, Boren and his family (which includes a father who played football at Michigan and a mother who ran track at Michigan) disliked the new regime and Justin transferred to hated Ohio State.  He sat out the 2008 season and redshirted.  Boren started 24 games at Ohio State at offensive guard from 2009-2010 and was named First Team All-Big Ten both seasons.  He went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft and is currently fighting for a spot on the Baltimore Ravens roster.

Perry Dorrestein
High school: Central High School in Plainfield, IL
Ratings: Rivals 3-star, #43 OT; Scout 3-star, #81 OL
Other notable offers: Illinois, Nebraska, Northwestern
College: Michigan
Scoop: Dorrestein had some middling offers coming out of high school, but chose the highest profile school on the list.  He redshirted as a freshman in 2006 and played sparingly as a redshirt freshman in 2007.  He started 4 games in 2008, 8 games in 2009, and 10 games in 2010.  He was a serviceable spot starter, but lacked the athleticism and strength to be a high performer.  Dorrestein went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Stephen Schilling
High school: Bellevue High School in Bellevue, WA
Ratings: Rivals 5-star, #2 OT; Scout 5-star, #3 OL
Other notable offers: California, UCLA, USC, Washington
College: Michigan
Scoop: Schilling was an all-everything high schooler who took some time to adjust in college.  He redshirted as a freshman in 2006, a year in which he suffered not only a shoulder injury but also a bout of mononucleosis.  But by the beginning of 2007, he was on his way to becoming a four-year starter.  He was overmatched at right tackle as a redshirt freshman in 2007 and had a mediocre season under Rich Rodriguez in 2008.  For the 2009 campaign, Schilling moved to left guard and remained there through 2010.  Overall, he started 49 games in his career, missing only the 2008 Ohio State game due to injury.  He was named Michigan’s top offensive lineman from 2008 through 2010 and earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in both 2009 and 2010.  He was drafted in the 6th round (#201 overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Justin Anderson
High school: Irwin County High School in Ocilla, GA
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #7 OG, and #100 overall; Scout 4-star, #21 OG
Other notable offers: Georgia Tech, Nebraska
College: Georgia
Scoop: Anderson failed to qualify in 2006 and didn’t attend Georgia until January 2007.  He redshirted as a freshman but rebounded by starting 7 games at offensive tackle and getting some freshman awards as a redshirt freshman in 2008.  Anderson started only 5 games as a redshirt sophomore in 2009 and then switched to defensive line prior to the 2010 season.  He had 1 tackle from his DT position in 2010 before undergoing season-ending surgery for turfo toe.  For 2011 he’s listed at #1 on the depth chart to start at right offensive tackle.

Jim Barrie
High school: Berkeley Prep High School in Tampa, FL
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #15 OT; Scout 3-star, #58 OL
Other notable offers: Florida State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee
College: Florida
Scoop: Barrie redshirted as a freshman in 2006.  He played in 1 game as a redshirt freshman in 2007, but suffered a knee injury in August 2008 that essentially ended his playing career.  He dressed out for a couple games at the end of the 2008 season, but received a medical scholarship after the year was over.

Marcus Gilbert
High school: St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #13 OT; Scout 4-star, #32 OL
Other notable offers: Auburn, Florida State, Miami
College: Florida
Scoop: Gilbert played sparingly in 2006 and thus received a redshirt.  He was a frequently used backup as a redshirt freshman in 2007, seeing action in 13 games and starting 1 game.  He was once again a backup in 2008, playing in 13/14 games.  Gilbert started the final 27 games of his career at Florida in 2009 and 2010 and he was a 2nd round pick (#63 overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2011 NFL Draft. 

Daron Rose
High school: Jefferson High School in Tampa, FL
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #2 OT; Scout 4-star, #32 OL
Other notable offers: Florida, Notre Dame, South Carolina
College: Florida State
Scoop: Rose began his college career at Florida State, where he played in two games as a freshman before receiving a redshirt.  As a redshirt freshman in 2008, he started 11 of 13 games at offensive tackle but did not play particularly well.  Due to undisclosed reasons, he did not return to FSU for the 2009 season and announced a transfer to South Florida.  However, he never joined USF’s program and instead attended North Alabama.  He started 6 games for North Alabama in 2010 and remains on their roster for the 2011 season.  He’s projected as the starter at right offensive tackle.

Conner Smith
High school: Colerain High School in Cincinnati, OH
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #4 OG; Scout 5-star, #4 OL
Other notable offer: Oklahoma
College: Ohio State
Scoop: Smith redshirted in 2006 and remained a permanent backup throughout his career.  Prior to his redshirt senior season in 2010, Smith changed positions from offensive guard to defensive tackle.  However, he failed to accrue any statistics and went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Alex Stadler
High school: Liberty High School in Bealeton, VA
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #12 OT; Scout 4-star, #33 OL
Other notable offers: Boston College, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech
College: Alabama
Scoop: Stadler redshirted in 2006 and transferred to Liberty University prior to the 2007 season.  He started 16 games total in 2008 and 2009, earning Second Team All-Big South honors for his play in 2009.  Stadler was slated to be the starting left guard in 2010, but it’s unclear whether he played out his eligibility or not.  He went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Joe Thomas
High school: St. Edward’s School in Lakewood, OH
Ratings: Rivals 3-star, #43 OG; Scout 4-star, #12 OL
Other notable offers: Michigan State, Ohio State, West Virginia, Wisconsin
College: Pittsburgh
Scoop: Thomas played as a true freshman in 2006, starting 7 games at offensive guard for injured starter John Simonitis.  Thomas started 7 games once again in 2007 before suffering his own injury.  As a junior in 2008, he started all 13 games.  It’s unclear whether he played out his eligibility in 2009, but he went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Bartley Webb
High school: Springdale High School in Springdale, AR
Ratings: Rivals 3-star, #29 OT; Scout 4-star, #52 OL
Other notable offers: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas
College: Notre Dame
Scoop: Webb redshirted in 2006 and then played 1 game as a redshirt freshman in 2007.  He then suffered a career-ending shoulder injury and acted as a student coach until he graduated.  Most recently he was a video assistant at Middle Tennessee State University.

Sam Young
High school: St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Ratings: Rivals 5-star, #1 OT; Scout 5-star, #2 OL
Other notable offers: Florida, Miami, Penn State, Stanford, USC
College: Notre Dame
Scoop: Young was one of the best linemen in the country coming out of high school, and his college career started off with an immediate starting gig as a freshman, when he earned Freshman All-America honors.  He started all 50 games of his college career.  After his senior season, he was a 6th round pick (#179 overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2010 NFL Draft and played in 2 games as a rookie.

CONCLUSIONS
It was not a stellar year for Michigan’s talent identification in 2006.  At a school that has regularly produced NFL linemen for decades, most of these guys went kaput quickly or are in the process of ending mediocre careers.  And obviously Justin Boren turned out to be more trouble than he was worth, even though he ended up having a decent career in Columbus.

Biggest miss: Marcus Gilbert.  He was the highest draft pick of the bunch, going in round #2.  Gilbert was probably going to be a backup LT for the Steelers, but he recently injured his left knee and it’s unclear how much time he will miss.  The Wolverines could have used some good offensive linemen on a team that started journeyman-type starters such as Mark Ortmann, Perry Dorrestein, and Mark Huyge in recent years.

Biggest bust: Conner Smith.  As much as I would like to say Boren was the biggest bust, Smith was a consensus, elite blue chipper who saw the field only rarely in college.

Best in class: Trent Williams.  It’s tough to pick this category for linemen, because stats are scarce and it takes a long time for even the good ones to develop.  Just going by draft status, though, the former Oklahoma Sooner was the highest NFL draft pick from the 2006 lineman class, having been picked #4 overall by the Washington Redskins in 2010.  Other notable players from the 2006 class are Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung (#6 to the Seahawks in 2010) and Wisconsin’s Gabe Carimi (#29 to the Bears in 2011).

8Aug 2011
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Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia Update

The Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia is really interesting to me. I’m not sure why that is because ex-wolverines don’t impact Michigan Football whatsoever, and in many cases, the players have spurned Michigan in one way or the other. On the other hand, I find the case study aspect interesting, and I like to know whether or not the players would have made an impact at Michigan if they had stayed.
Here’s an update on a few players. For a complete ex-wolverine list, go here. As always, please email/comment with any info/updates.
Justin Turner

Turner reportedly enrolled at Notre Dame College of Ohio after leaving West Virginia during the 2010 season, which Justin was scheduled to sit out due to transfer rules. But an assistant coach at the junior college said enrollment never happened: “we thought for sure he was going to enroll, but then he dropped off the map.” The coach also heard that Turner may attend “a college in California” but wasn’t sure about the credibility of what he had heard.

Demar Dorsey

After being denied admission to Michigan, Dorsey enrolled in Grand Rapids Community College. Coach Andrews, the school’s defensive coordinator, said that Dorsey chose GRCC because he knew several of the players on the team who are from Florida and, as a child, Demar even played little league football with a couple of his GRCC teammates. Despite a rocky start, Coach Andrews said that Dorsey has attended all of the team’s voluntary workouts this summer and is slotted to see action as a defensive back and kick returner this fall, but he doesn’t expect Dorsey to see any action on the offensive side of the ball.
Also of note, Coach Andrews recently spoke with Chris Singletary, who indicated that Michigan would still be interested in Dorsey if he continues to demonstrate positive behavior and invest in academics. For reasons unknown to Coach Andrews, Oregon is Dorsey’s current “leader” although Dorsey hasn’t had any recent contact with the University. “Maybe it’s because they were just in National Championship game; maybe it’s because he likes their uniforms,” Coach Andrews speculated half-jokingly.

Conelius Jones

After failing to academically qualify at Michigan, Cornelius enrolled at Marshall University, a former member of the MAC and a current member of Conference USA. A Marshall blog posted an article that says Jones had more academic problems at the University, but the writer then added an emboldened “Edit” bit at the end of the page that says Conelius just wanted to be closer to home. Either way, it doesn’t look like Jones will be continuing with his football career.

Justin Boren

Perhaps my least liked ex-wolverine, Boren signed on to play for the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent immediately following the NFL lockout.
Tate Forcier

Although most people seem to be disinterested with the Forcier saga, I find it fascinating for a couple reasons. Firstly, had he kept his academic house in order, I would have enjoyed seeing the role he might have played in the Borges offense. Secondly — the first half of 2010.
So if you don’t already know the story, Forcier reportedly committed to play for Miami (FL) but backed out because the school was too far from home. He then showed interest in Hawaii–which is a similar distance away from his San Diego home–but was denied enrollment due to issues with his Michigan transcript. Here’s to hoping he lands on his feet.
7Jul 2011
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2006 Offer Board

QUARTERBACK (9)
David Cone – Statesboro, GA (Michigan)
Mitch Mustain – Sprindale, AR (Arkansas)
Neil Caudle – Hoover, AL (Auburn)
Tim Tebow – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Florida)
Matthew Stafford – Dallas, TX (Georgia)
Pat Devlin – Exton, PA (Penn State)
Dexter Davidson – Coconut Creek, FL (Pittsburgh)
Nick Stephens – Flower Mound, TX (Tennessee)
Taylor Potts – Abilene, TX (Texas Tech)

RUNNING BACK (6)
Carlos Brown – Franklin, GA (Michigan)
Brandon Minor – Richmond, VA (Michigan)
Cameron Smith – Snellville, GA
Knowshon Moreno – Middletown, NJ (Georgia)
Aaron Gant – Orchard Lake, MI (Ohio State)
Chris Wells – Akron, OH (Ohio State)

WIDE RECEIVER (9)
Greg Mathews – Orlando, FL (Michigan)
Damian Williams – Springdale, AR (Arkansas)
Chris Slaughter – Fort Valley, GA (Auburn)
Percy Harvin – Virginia Beach, VA (Florida)
Tony Wilson – Daytona Beach, FL (Georgia)
Derrell Johnson – Youngstown, OH (Iowa)
Robby Parris – Cleveland, OH (Notre Dame)
Chris Bell – Norfolk, VA (Penn State)
David Ausberry – Lemoore, CA (USC)

TIGHT END (6)
Dedrick Epps – Richmond, VA (Miami)
Will Yeatman – San Diego, CA (Notre Dame)
Jake Ballard – Springboro, OH (Ohio State)
Andrew Quarless – Uniondale, NY (Penn State)
Nate Byham – Polk, PA (Pittsburgh)
Dorin Dickerson – Imperial, PA (Pittsburgh)

OFFENSIVE TACKLE (9)
Perry Dorrestein – Plainfield, IL (Michigan)
Stephen Schilling – Bellevue, WA (Michigan)
Alex Stadler – Bealeton, VA (Alabama)
Jim Barrie – Tampa, FL (Florida)
Marcus Gilbert – Fort Lauderdale, FL (Florida)
Daron Rose – Tampa, FL (Florida State)
Bartley Webb – Springdale, AR (Notre Dame)
Connor Smith – Cincinnati, OH (Ohio State)
Sam Young – Fort Lauderdale, FL (USC)

OFFENSIVE GUARD (3)
Justin Boren – Pickerington, OH (Michigan)
Justin Anderson – Ocilla, GA (Georgia)
Joe Thomas – Parma, OH (Pittsburgh)

CENTER (0)

DEFENSIVE END (8)
Greg Banks – Denver, CO (Michigan)
Brandon Graham – Detroit, MI (Michigan)
Adam Patterson – Columbia, SC (Michigan)
Quintin Woods – Flint, MI (Michigan)
John Paul – Immokalee, FL
Micah Johnson – Fort Campbell, KY (Kentucky)
McKenzie Matthews – Syracuse, NY (Pittsburgh)
Jason Adjepong – Carteret, NJ (Virginia Tech)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE (8)
John Ferrara – Staten Island, NY (Michigan)
Jason Kates – Harrisburg, PA (Michigan)
Marques Slocum – New Berlin, NY (Michigan)
Corey Peters – Louisville, KY (Kentucky)
Dexter Larimore – Merrillville, IN (Ohio State)
Jason Pinkston – Pittsburgh, PA (Pittsburgh)
Butch Lewis – Aurora, CO (USC)
Neil A’asa – Big Rapids, MI (Utah)

LINEBACKER (9)
Obi Ezeh – Grand Rapids, MI (Michigan)
Cobrani Mixon – Cincinnati, OH (Michigan)
Jonas Mouton – Venice, CA (Michigan)
Quintin Patilla – Flint, MI (Michigan)
Akeem Hebron – Gaithersburg, MD (Georgia)
Toryan Smith – Rome, GA (Notre Dame)
Thaddeus Gibson – Euclid, OH (Ohio State)
Michael Morgan – Dallas, TX (USC)
Joshua Tatum – Oakland, CA (USC)

CORNERBACK (3)
Jai Eugene – Destrehan, LA (LSU)
Ken Tinney – New Berlin, NY (Michigan State)
Darrin Walls – Pittsburgh, PA (Notre Dame)

SAFETY (8)
Steve Brown – Columbus, IN (Michigan)
Jamar Hornsby – Jacksonville, FL (Florida)
Myron Rolle – Princeton, NJ (Florida State)
Asher Allen – Tucker, GA (Georgia)
Reshad Jones – Atlanta, GA (Georgia)
Taylor Mays – Seattle, WA (USC)
Antwine Perez – Camden, NJ (USC)
Franchot Allen – New Berlin, NY (West Virginia)

KICKER (1)
Bryan Wright – Salem, OH (Michigan)