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| Jerald Robinson did not catch this. |
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jerald Robinson has left the football program. A 6’1″, 215-pounder, he played sparingly over the past couple seasons, making just 5 receptions for 69 yards, all in 2012.
It is unclear whether he left for a better playing opportunity elsewhere or if he didn’t get along with the coaching staff, but he has often been at odds with the coaching staff(s) since coming to Michigan. As a freshman in 2010, he was one of the players who had to “earn his wings” from head coach Rich Rodriguez – a group of players that also included Tate Forcier and Austin White, neither of whom made it through the 2010 season. Since then reports have persisted that he lacked the dedication and work ethic to be a significant contributor, even though many departing seniors pegged him for a future breakout star because of the catches he would make in practice.
Those plays never showed up in games, though. Looking back at his high school career, he was always a guy who lacked speed and caught the ball in his body. You can view his highlights and watch him make body catch after body catch, get caught from behind, and catch short passes over the middle where he gets caught and tackled rather immediately. Some people – including me – thought he might be better off playing safety. He had a few opportunities this past season to catch balls that were outside the frame of his body, but the only ones he seemed to reel in were those that hit him near the numbers.
Rodriguez’s 2010 recruiting class has now been whittled down to 12 players after initially being 27, Michigan’s largest class in the Rivals/Scout era of recruiting. Rodriguez took just 9 offensive players in that class, and only 3 remain – quarterback Devin Gardner and wideouts Drew Dileo and Jeremy Jackson. By way of comparison, just 6 of 20 recruits from the 2011 class have left the program; and 8 out of 20 recruits from Lloyd Carr’s last full class left the program early. So while 40% of Carr’s final full class left the program before exhausting their eligibility, 56% of Rodriguez’s last full class are gone before three full years have passed.
EDIT: This brings the number of available scholarships in 2013 to a whopping 25. Wide receivers remaining on the team next year will presumably include seniors Drew Dileo, Jeremy Gallon, and Jeremy Jackson; sophomore Amara Darboh; redshirt freshman Jehu Chesson; and incoming freshmen Jaron Dukes, Da’Mario Jones, and Csont’e York.
For news on other former Wolverines, check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.
