Ex-Wolverines: Class of 2013

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23Dec 2019
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Ex-Wolverines: Class of 2013

Shane Morris

If you’ve read this blog for long, you know I love to look back at past recruiting classes and – in some cases – what could have been. The 2013 class was extremely volatile, with elite recruits busting, players getting kicked off the team, and transfers galore.

TRANSFERS

Kyle Bosch – Offensive guard – Wheaton (IL) St. Francis
Bosch came from Wheaton (IL) St. Francis and committed in February of 2012. As a true freshman in 2013, he was forced into action due to injuries and underperformance by his elders. He started three games late in the year but was eventually replaced. In 2014 he played the final offensive snap of the season opener, and then it was reported that he was taking “an indefinite leave of absence” from the team that was related to a personal issue. He tweeted that he would return the following semester, but he ended up transferring to West Virginia. At WVU he started all 26 games at offensive guard in 2015 and 2016, along with another eleven in 2017, and he was First Team All-Big 12 in 2016. He was not drafted in the 2018 NFL Draft, and after spending some time with the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, he is no longer on an NFL roster.
Current status: Out of football

David Dawson – Offensive guard – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Dawson took a roundabout path to Michigan by committing to the Wolverines, testing then Michigan coach Brady Hoke’s policy of not allowing visits to other schools, decommitting by visiting Florida, and then recommitting to Michigan. He redshirted in 2013 and then played as a backup offensive guard in twelve games throughout his career with the Wolverines. Following his redshirt junior year in 2016, he announced he would take a graduate transfer spot at Iowa State, but he left the Cyclones within a couple weeks of arriving. The 2017 season was spent helping out the Belleville (MI) Belleville football team, and he transferred to Grand Valley State University for the 2018 season. He started all twelve games for the Lakers in 2018.
Current status: Out of football

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22Dec 2019
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What I’ve Been Reading: Gunslinger

I just finished reading Gunslinger by Jeff Pearlman. As a football fan, I had a weird roller coaster of emotions with Favre. My favorite team was always the Lions, but my second favorite team generally depends on who plays for that squad, what coaches I like, etc. When I was a nascent football fan in the early 1990s and collecting sports trading cards, I opened up a pack of Stadium Club football cards only to find a “Brett Farve” error rookie card. I was a rare thing at that time: a Falcons fan. Because of Deion Sanders. (I liked Deion Sanders so much that I wore #21 on my baseball uniform.)

I was a Brett Favre hipster: I liked him before everyone else did.

Then he got traded to the Packers. And with the Lions as my #1 team, I wasn’t quite as big of a fan of Favre. But Barry Sanders vs. Brett Favre was a heck of a thing to the watch during intradivision games.

Without naming names I also have a connection to someone that played a role in Favre’s life. So when the book came out, I wanted to know more.

Favre is flawed; whether he’s a flawed hero depends on one’s perspective and definition of the word. He led a pretty crazy life, and the book does a good job of showing the chinks in his armor, from his womanizing to his cockiness to his substance abuse. I think it also does a good job of illustrating his toughness and love for the game, as well as the pressure he was put under at various stops.

Overall, it’s a solid piece of writing by Pearlman. Biographies can be a little bit dry, but he kept things interesting.

What else I’m reading: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, Black List by Brad Thor

21Dec 2019
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Citrus Bowl Preview: Rush Offense vs. Alabama Rush Defense

Shane Lee (image via Touchdown Alabama)

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Michigan is #81 in rush offense after twelve games with 150 yards per contest. As a team they average 3.98 yards per carry, which is 89th in the nation, but they’re tied at #37 for touchdowns (26). Freshman Zach Charbonnet had double-digit carries in five out of the first eight games, including weeks five through eight; however, redshirt freshman Hassan Haskins has double-digit attempts in six out of the last seven games. Haskins (561 yards, 5.5 YPC, 4 TD) doesn’t have breakaway speed but does a good job of getting downhill and squaring up his shoulders. Charbonnet (642 yards, 4.7 YPC, 11 TD) has shown a good nose for the goal line in short yardage situations. Michigan’s offensive line is healthy going into the bowl game. All five players earned some sort of all-conference designation, and the left side is anchored by seniors Jon Runyan, Jr. and Ben Bredeson. Altogether, they have disappointingly been unable to push around opposing defensive lines not named Illinois or Notre Dame. Right tackle Jalen Mayfield shows flashes of excellence and superb athleticism, but he’s also prone to some mental mistakes.

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