Derrick Green
As expected, rising senior running back Derrick Green is transferring from Michigan. Green will be a graduate transfer and eligible to play immediately wherever he goes. One potential destination is Florida, where he would be reunited with offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, who made Green the team’s leading rusher when he was offensive coordinator at Michigan in 2014. At no other point before or since has Green approached that level of trust and playing time.
Hit the jump for more on Green’s career.
Green committed to Michigan just before National Signing Day in 2013 (LINK). He arrived at Michigan overweight and out of shape, and that affected his quickness, speed, and athleticism as a freshman. He finished that year with 83 carries for 270 yards (3.25 yards/carry) and 2 TDs. As a sophomore in 2014, he took over the starting job and was perhaps on his way to a 1,000-yard season when he broke his collarbone in game six; he ended the season with 82 carries for 471 yards (5.74 yards/carry) and 3 TDs. This past season, he played in nine games and had 47 carries for 157 yards (3.34 yards/carry) and 2 TDs. He finishes his Michigan career with 212 carries for 898 yards (4.2 yards/carry) and 7 TDs. He also caught a total of 3 passes for 33 yards.
I have to say that my initial reservations about Green were warranted. Maybe I got caught up in the hype of landing the “#1 running back in the class.” For example, I wrote a post titled “A History of #1 Rated Tailbacks” in January of 2013 (LINK) that suggested Green would have a good career. My rationale for his high ranking at the time of his commitment was that Michigan was putting together some highly ranked offensive line recruiting classes, and a 230 lb. bowling ball of a running back would do well behind the hogs up front, in similar fashion to past Wisconsin running backs like Ron Dayne, John Clay, P.J. Hill, etc. As for his running skill itself, I was never extremely impressed. I randomly encountered Derrick Green and his high school team in a 7-on-7 tournament prior to his senior year, and he really struggled to catch the ball on the few occasions when his QB bothered to throw him the ball. That was a red flag in itself, but his high school film never showed him creating running lanes for himself. He was a big boy with pretty good speed, and nobody could tackle him. That was his big advantage in high school, but you need to be able to break tackles and/or make sharp cuts and/or outrun people at this level of college football. Green was largely unable to do most of those things.
Michigan is down to 88 allotted scholarships for the 2016 season (LINK). At least three more players from the recruiting class or the current roster need to depart for Michigan to get down to the 85-scholarship limit.
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I played against chris fuamatu ma’afala in high school many many moons ago and that’s what i envisioned…. a big, powerful, sucks to tackle kind of man child. Too bad it never turned out that way. I hope he finds success wherever he goes…
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You write: “Doug Nussmeier…made Green the team’s leading rusher when he was offensive coordinator at Michigan in 2014. At no other point before or since has Green approached that level of trust and playing time.”
Not true: Derrick Green was the starter by the OSU game in 2012, under Al Borges.
Nussmeir was the second offensive coordinator to elected to start Green over Smith, and Johnson.
Borges actually thought enough of him to start him over Toussaint, who is the starting RB on an NFL playoff team. (Due to injury but hey if Mike Cox gets credit for playing in the NFL when a half dozen Giants got hurt, Toussaint gets to be an NFL playoff starter.)
I don’t think much of Borges but I respect Nussmeir. That both wanted to start Green was the basis for me thinking he would start again last summer.
I don’t think Green is very good but I think he’s far from being the blind, fat, slow, uncoordinated, under-coached failure that most M fans want to make him out to be. Nussmeir is a solid OC at an elite SEC program and he is (apparently) trying to coach Green again. That should say something.
Green is a capable back. He played 3 years at Michigan, graduated, started a bunch of games, and slogged behind the worst run-blocking OLs in memory at Michigan. I think Michigan has better options now, but I also wouldn’t be surprised at all if he ran for 1,000 yards at Florida next year.
Good luck to him.
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First of all, Green wasn’t even around in 2012. You mean 2013. And secondly, I was talking about being the team-leading rusher for the season. Starting one game and finishing as the team’s #3 rusher (behind Toussaint and Gardner) doesn’t count.
I mean, Mike Cox gets credit for playing in the NFL because he played in the NFL. Facts are facts. So sure, Toussaint started a playoff game.
Green’s not very good. He might find success if he goes somewhere that can open up holes. We’ll see.
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Well, I think being named the starter by season’s end of your freshman year over a veteran who ended up an NFL starter qualifies as “approaching” being a leading rusher, but whatever. Green had one year (this year) where he wasn’t starting, probably since pee wee football. So the “before or since” comment is an exaggeration, even if you want to put some very narrow/specific parameters around it.
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Hopefully Green finds a home somewhere with a strong OL that allows him to build momentum so he can use his skills.
I do question what you mean by “rising senior” since he has done nothing but fall on the depth chart all year.
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“Rising senior” means he’s a junior heading into his senior year.
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The great irony of this situation is that Michigan looks like it very well could have a quality run-blocking OL next year for the first time since 2011. Just when the ship could be righted for Green, he is shipping out.
I don’t think Michigan will miss him. With Smith, Johnson, and Isaac all back there aren’t too many carries to go around. But if Smith was to go down I think Green is probably as good as those other two guys on 1st and 2nd down type carries.
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