THE ROSTER
- John Thompson (RS Sr.)
- Brandon Logan (Sr.)
- Austin Panter (Sr.)
- Obi Ezeh (RS So.)
- Jonas Mouton (RS So.)
- Marell Evans (So.)
- Brandon Herron (RS Fr.)
Hit the jump for a look at the recruits.
THE RECRUITS
Kenny Demens
High school: Detroit (MI) Country Day
Ratings: 3-star, #15 ILB, #351 overall
College: Michigan
Other notable offers: Iowa, Michigan State, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Scoop: Demens redshirted in 2008 and sat behind Obi Ezeh. He became a special teamer in 2009, a part-time starter in 2010, and a full-time starter in his final two years. He finished his career with 266 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 1 interception. He went undrafted in 2013 but spent three years with the Arizona Cardinals, with whom he made 15 career tackles.
J.B. Fitzgerald
High school: Princeton (NJ) West Windsor-Plainsboro South
Ratings: 4-star, #12 OLB, #110 overall
College: Michigan
Other notable offers: Iowa, Maryland, Rutgers
Scoop: Fitzgerald played special teams his first year on campus and slowly rose through the ranks, reaching a pinnacle of three starts with 22 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 1 sack in 2010, Rich Rodriguez’s last year. But the Brady Hoke era saw Fitzgerald take a step back in 2011, when he made just 12 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. He finished his career with 58 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. He did not play in the NFL.
Taylor Hill
High school: Youngstown (OH) Cardinal Mooney
Ratings: 3-star, #37 OLB, #413 overall
College: Michigan Youngstown State
Other notable offers: West Virginia, Wisconsin
Scoop: Hill reportedly was immediately homesick upon moving to Michigan and transferred back to Youngstown State, sitting out the 2008 season. He made 65 tackles in 2009 and then quit playing football.
Marcus Witherspoon
High school: Absecon (NJ) Holy Spirit
Ratings: 4-star, #23 OLB, #239 overall
College: Michigan Rutgers
Other notable offers: Clemson, Florida, Tennessee
Scoop: Witherspoon was a very talented linebacker who didn’t make it through the NCAA Clearinghouse to enroll at Michigan. He transferred to (or enrolled at) Rutgers and sat out the 2008-2009 seasons but did not continue his football career after 2009.
THE TARGETS
Devonta Bolton
High school: Norcross (GA) Norcross
Ratings: 4-star, #16 ATH, #234 overall
College: Alabama
Other notable offers: Clemson, Florida, Georgia
Scoop: Bolton signed with Alabama but ended up going to JUCO. This was back in the days when Alabama could oversign (they signed 32 players in 2008), so losing a few kids to JUCO or academic ineligibility was a risk they were willing to take.
Will Compton
High school: Bonne Terre (MO) North County
Ratings: 4-star, #17 ATH, #319 overall
College: Nebraska
Other notable offers: Iowa, Missouri, Notre Dame
Scoop: Compton redshirted in 2008. He became a starter in 2009, but he didn’t really come on until 2011 (82 tackles, 6 TFL) and 2012 (110 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3 sacks, 1 INT). He was named a team captain for his final college season. Altogether, he made 247 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery, and that 1 interception that he returned for a TD against Georgia. He went undrafted in 2013 but carved out a solid NFL career. He has 310 tackles, 1 sack, 3 interceptions, and 12 pass breakups in a career with the Redskins, Titans, and Raiders.
Marcus Dowtin
High school: Fork Union (VA) Fork Union
Ratings: 4-star, #20 OLB, #160 overall
College: Georgia
Other notable offers: Clemson, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia
Scoop: Dowtin went to Georgia and made 17 tackles as a freshman. He had remarkably similar stats in both his sophomore and junior seasons, finishing with 57 tackles each year. He finished his Georgia career with 131 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and 1 interception and transferred to FCS North Alabama for his senior year. He went undrafted in 2012 but ended up making 10 tackles with the Jets, Bills, and Giants over the next three seasons. He is now out of football.
Steven Filer
High school: Chicago (IL) Mt. Carmel
Ratings: 4-star, #8 OLB, #88 overall
College: Notre Dame
Other notable offers: Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State
Scoop: The U.S. Army All-American did not live up to expectations in college. Over four years he made 38 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. He was not drafted, and his football career fizzled after college.
Darius Fleming
High school: Chicago (IL) St. Rita
Ratings: 4-star, #6 OLB, #63 overall
College: Notre Dame
Other notable offers: Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma
Scoop: Fleming was a part-time starter his first two years on campus before becoming a full-time starter in 2010. He made 157 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 7 pass breakups throughout his college career. He was taken in the 5th round (#165 overall) by the San Francisco 49ers in 2012, but all 10 of his career tackles came with the Patriots in 2014 and 2015, his final years in the league. He is now out of pro football.
Shayne Hale
High school: Monroeville (PA) Gateway
Ratings: 4-star, #2 WDE, #67 overall
College: Pitt
Other notable offers: Ohio State, West Virginia
Scoop: Hale redshirted as a freshman and played sparingly through his fourth season on campus. Finally, in his fifth year, he became a part-time starter and finished that year with 36 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 forced fumble. Career stats: 40 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 sacks. Almost literally, he only contributed for one out of five seasons. He was not drafted in 2013 and is out of football.
Sam Maresh
High school: Champlin (MN) Champlin Park
Ratings: 4-star, #14 ILB, #244 overall
College: Minnesota Iowa Central Community College
Other notable offers: Arizona, Iowa State
Scoop: Maresh signed with Minnesota out of high school, and during his physical, they found a heart issue. After having heart surgery, a tumor was found in his leg a year later. He ended up at Iowa Central, but I don’t think he ever really played college ball.
Jonathan Meyers
High school: Greenwich (CT) Greenwich
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #18 ILB
College: Princeton
Other notable offers: Florida
Scoop: A Florida legacy, Meyers chose to go to Princeton to play football and lacrosse. He was injured in game one of his freshman year, and from that point forward, he stuck with lacrosse.
Marcus Robinson
High school: Homestead (FL) Homestead
Ratings: 4-star, #3 WDE, #75 overall
College: Miami
Other notable offers: Florida, Florida State, LSU, USC
Scoop: Robinson arguably had his best year as a freshman, even though he was pretty consistent overall. He started off with 35 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks. By the end of his career, he had totaled 107 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, 4 pass knockdowns, and 1 fumble recovery returned 53 yards for a touchdown. He was not drafted in 2012.
Tarik Rollins
High school: Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna
Ratings: 3-star, #45 OLB, #536 overall
College: Clemson
Other notable offers: South Carolina, Wisconsin
Scoop: Rollins redshirted in 2008 and then did not play at all in 2009. By 2010 he had transferred to Louisville, but he never played a down of major college football.
Andrew Sweat
High school: Washington (PA) Trinity
Ratings: 4-star, #11 OLB, #103 overall
College: Ohio State
Other notable offers: Notre Dame, Penn State
Scoop: Sweat was mostly a special teamer and backup during his first three years on campus. He broke into the regular starting lineup as a senior in 2011, making 72 tackles and 5 tackles for loss. His final career stats included 133 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 3 interceptions. He was not drafted in 2012 and retired shortly after getting a cup of coffee with the Browns.
Jonathan Willard
High school: Loris (SC) Loris
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #24 OLB
College: Clemson
Other notable offers: Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee
Scoop: Willard slowly improved throughout his college career. He made 204 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 7 pass breakups from 2009-2012. He was not drafted in 2013 but had an opportunity with the Tennessee Titans. He did not make the team, but he did make the news for pulling a family from a burning car (LINK).
Christian Wilson
High school: McKees Rocks (PA) Montour
Ratings: 4-star, #5 ATH, #125 overall
College: North Carolina
Other notable offers: Clemson, Virginia Tech
Scoop: Wilson, who was listed as an athlete, was looked at as a guy who could play fullback/H-back/linebacker. When Rich Rodriguez took over at Michigan at the end of 2007, the H-back position was less of a factor, so Michigan wanted Wilson to play linebacker. He stuck with offense and picked North Carolina. He made 22 catches for 188 yards and 1 touchdown over four years at UNC, playing fullback and tight end. He was not drafted in 2012.
Mike Zordich
High school: Youngstown (OH) Cardinal Mooney
Ratings: 4-star, #16 OLB, #143 overall
College: Penn State
Other notable offers: Ohio State, Oklahoma
Scoop: Zordich was the son of someone who would become very involved with Michigan down the road: Mike Zordich, who would eventually become the Wolverines’ cornerbacks coach in 2015. The younger Zordich was a running back/linebacker who primarily played fullback in college, although he became a tailback in his senior year. He ended his college career with totals of 115 carries for 384 yards (3.3 YPC) and 9 touchdowns; 22 catches for 200 yards; and 19 total tackles. He spent a couple seasons on practice squads in the NFL but never played in a regular season game.
CONCLUSIONS
Biggest miss: Will Compton. Overall, this was not a great attempt to recruit linebackers. Nobody turned out to be an elite college player, and several were busts or borderline busts. Compton has had a nice career, but a lot of college and NFL fans probably don’t know his name.
Biggest bust: Take your pick on a couple of top-100 players who didn’t produce much, either Steven Filer or Shayne Hale. Both were highly touted and put together career totals that look like one so-so season. This was pretty ugly altogether for all the high-profile guys that were pursued.
Best in class: It turns out this was just not a good class for linebackers. The three 5-stars (Arthur Brown at ILB, Nigel Bradham and Etienne Sabino at OLB) didn’t live up to their billing, and the linebackers taken high in the draft around 2011-2013 all seemed to be from 2007 or 2009. Alabama’s Dont’a Hightower (235 tackles, 21 TFL, 5 sacks, 2 INT in college) probably turned out to be the top guy. He was a 1st rounder (#25 overall) to the New England Patriots in 2012 and has 481 tackles and 23 sacks with the Pats since then.
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