Shawn Conway, ex-Wolverine . . . sort of
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| Michigan fans won’t be seeing these hops on the football field anytime soon. |
I received a message from a reputable source a couple weeks ago that this would happen, but it was being kept on the down-low. Now it has become public. Class of 2011 wide receiver recruit Shawn Conway will not qualify by NCAA Clearinghouse standards. He still plans to play football at Michigan in the future, but he’ll have to attend junior college before doing so.
I am not counting on Conway playing at Michigan anytime in the future. I am certainly a fan of his abilities, but junior college players rarely are recruited or accepted to Michigan. Conway would have to earn his associate’s degree at said junior college before even having a shot to transfer to the Ann Arbor campus. Michigan is historically a difficult school into which to transfer, which is why not many JUCO recruits are pursued by the coaching staffs. The last JUCO transfer to get into Michigan was linebacker Austin Panter in 2007, but he was the first since the early ’90s. It is possible, however, that since Conway knows he wants to attend Michigan, he can find a JUCO academic program whose credits will transfer to U of M. I’m not holding my breath, though.
This leaves Michigan with zero outside wide receivers in the 2011 recruiting class. It has been apparent that the coaches wanted at least two receivers in the class, and the news about Conway was probably the reason that Michigan offered California wide receiver Devin Lucien in recent weeks. It might also be why Justice Hayes was welcomed into the fold with such open arms when he decommitted from Notre Dame a couple weeks ago; Hayes is more of a slot receiver, but has the size and ability to play outside, too.
Conway is the second subtraction from the 2011 class within a week. Over this past weekend, quarterback Kevin Sousa changed his verbal pledge from Michigan to Wake Forest. This also continues a disturbing trend of Rich Rodriguez recruiting academic question marks. Class of 2009 cornerback Adrian Witty failed to qualify, and four players disappeared from the Class of 2010 due to grade issues (Demar Dorsey, Antonio Kinard, Conelius Jones, and Davion Rogers).
I expect that Michigan will continue to recruit Lucien and North Carolinian Kris Frost, who doubles as a linebacker prospect. Florida slot receiver Prince Holloway is also a potential option.
