Tag: Ex-Wolverines

What Could Have Been . . . Austin White

Former Michigan running back Austin White has enrolled at Central Michigan University and joined the football program there.  White was a part of the Class of 2010 and enrolled at Michigan in January 2010, but he clashed with the coaches and got into some trouble over the summer.  White was one of the players who had to “earn his wings” in fall camp, and the two parties decided to go their separate ways prior to the season.

Visit the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia page to find updates on former Michigan commits/players like Dewayne Peace, Sam McGuffie, Ryan Mallett, Shavodrick Beaver, Pearlie Graves, DeQuinta Jones, Dann O’Neill, Bryce McNeal, Kevin Newsome, Toney Clemons, Cobrani Mixon, and Quintin Woods.

Demetrius Hart, ex-Wolverine

Demetrius Hart (#3) got going when the going got tough

Florida running back Demetrius Hart decommitted from Michigan and will likely take his talents to Tuscaloosa.  Hart is a 4-star back and roundly regarded as one of the top few backs in the country.  Here’s his commitment post from a couple months back.  Hart committed when Michigan was 5-0 but stated several times that Rich Rodriguez’s murky coaching future was weighing heavily on his decision.  Well, Michigan finished 7-6 and got plastered by Mississippi State in a bowl game, so perhaps Hart saw the writing on the wall.

As I’ve said a few times since his commitment, Hart would have been a luxury.  While I don’t want to understate his talent, he would have been added to a team that already has 6 scholarship running backs.  It would not have been impossible for him to leap to the front of the pack, but if players like Fitzgerald Toussaint, Michael Shaw, and Michael Cox can stay healthy and learn the playbook, they should be impactful runners, too – in limited carries this season, both Toussaint and Cox averaged more than 9 yards per attempt.

This leaves Michigan with approximately 7 scholarships to fill between now and February.  I would not be surprised to find another running back in this class, such as Thomas Rawls or Devondrick Nealy, but it’s not a pressing need with this roster. 

What could have been . . . Jordan Barnes

Linebacker Jordan Barnes, a former Michigan commit

Jordan Barnes, who committed to play linebacker at Michigan in the 2009 class, has resurfaced on the college football radar.  Barnes planned to be a Wolverine, but Michigan’s coaches “lost his phone number” (in other words, they stopped communications and strongly hinted that Barnes should go elsewhere).  Barnes got the hint and committed to Oklahoma State instead.  But after redshirting in 2009, Barnes left the team and enrolled at Western Oklahoma State College, which doesn’t have a football program.  Standing 6’1″ and 240 lbs., Barnes has signed a junior college Letter of Intent to play football for the Toledo Rockets in 2011.

For more recaps of former Michigan commits or players who left Michigan early, check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia tab at the top of the page.

Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia update

Anthony Lalota

Defensive end Anthony Lalota, who transferred from Michigan earlier this week, is now headed to Rutgers to play football.  Since he has not played for Michigan this season, he will only have to sit out the 2010 season and will be eligible for the Scarlet Knights in 2011.  Hopefully his career at Rutgers turns out better than that of Marcus Witherspoon, a Class of 2008 prospect who failed to qualify at Michigan and then bombed out of the Rutgers program.

Elsewhere, rumor has it that 2010 Michigan commit Conelius Jones has dropped out of prep school.  He was supposed to attend prep school in an effort to enroll at Michigan in January 2010, but that ship seems to have sailed.  Hopefully he can get things straightened out and play football somewhere, but it probably won’t be at Michigan.

Other updates are in the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia at the top of the page, but keep in mind that the page is a work in progress . . . especially because it’s an amorphous, ever expanding fount of information.

Steve Threet, ex-Wolverine

Coming out of high school in 2007 as the #9 pro-style quarterback in the nation, he went to Georgia Tech. It’s still unclear why he didn’t continue his career as a Yellowjacket, but he transferred to Michigan after winter semester, supposedly to be the heir of the heir of Chad Henne. And that’s exactly what he was. Henne graduated after the 2007 season and Ryan Mallett was anointed the starter…until Mallett decided to transfer to Arkansas. Suddenly, a team that had four 4- and 5-star quarterbacks on its roster in summer 2007 (Henne, Mallett, Threet, and Jason Forcier, who transferred to Stanford) was down to one.

The rumor is that Threet will end up at North Dakota State. I feel bad for Threet in a way, because this is not the way he saw his dream unfolding. At the same time, his notion of commitment is suspect. If he does indeed attend North Dakota State, that will be his third school in three years. I never heard a bad thing about the kid’s attitude while he was at Michigan, other than that he was having a hard time picking up the offense. He’s a hard worker, and he’s been through a lot. Hopefully he’ll be successful at North Dakota State and be the second coming of Matt Gutierrez.