Tag: Ex-Wolverines

Ray Vinopal, ex-Wolverine

Ray Vinopal makes a tackle against Illinois

Safety Ray Vinopal, who just finished his freshman season at Michigan, has left the team due to personal reasons.  Coach Brady Hoke did not elaborate on the reason for Vinopal’s departure.

When Vinopal was recruited out of Cardinal Mooney (Youngstown, OH) last year, I was not a fan.  I pegged him as a probable backup and special teamer, but Vinopal ascended to the starting free safety role halfway through the season.  His rapid ascension was at least partially due to the ineffectiveness of early-season starter Cam Gordon; the departures of Vlad Emilien and Justin Turner; and injuries to J.T. Floyd and Troy Woolfolk.  My guess is that one of the latter three would have moved ahead of Vinopal at free safety once Gordon proved he wasn’t up to the task.  And yet we saw #20, a 2-star recruit, find his way into the starting lineup.

Vinopal exceeded my expectations, but his play was nothing special.  He ended the season with 33 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, and 3 pass breakups.  He made a couple decent plays throughout the season (a pick against Bowling Green, a critical tackle on Mikel Leshoure of Illinois), but he was outmatched by the majority of Michigan’s 2010 opponents – too small, a step too slow, or both.

Regardless of his shortcomings, he may have been the frontrunner for the starting free safety job in 2011.  Now Michigan will probably be in the same position it has been for the past few seasons – starting a very inexperienced youngster at the secondary’s most critical position.  It was Jordan Kovacs, Mike Williams, and Woolfolk in 2009, Gordon and Vinopal in 2010, and . . . someone else in 2011.  Options include sophomores Carvin Johnson, Marvin Robinson, and Cullen Christian; freshman Tamani Carter; or a converted cornerback like Woolfolk or Floyd.  The situation is less than ideal.

As for the 2010 recruiting class, this is yet another blow to its quality and numbers.  Twenty-seven kids signed National Letters of Intent in February 2010, and only 21 remain.  Safety Demar Dorsey (now at Grand Rapids Community College), quarterback Conelius Jones (Marshall), linebacker Antonio Kinard (Miami), linebacker Davion Rogers (Youngstown State), and running back Austin White (Central Michigan) preceded Vinopal in leaving the program.

Vinopal has not announced a destination, although rumors have floated around that he might be headed to play at Pitt.  His former position coach at Michigan, Tony Gibson, is now the cornerbacks coach for the Panthers.  For those of you who are wondering, Pittsburgh is about one hour and fifteen minutes from Vinopal’s hometown of Youngstown.  Ann Arbor is three hours and thirty minutes away.

Marell Evans, Wolverine (again)

#9 Marell Evans is back on the team

At the coaches’ pre-spring press conference yesterday, it was officially noted that linebacker Marell Evans has returned to Michigan’s team.  This isn’t news for anyone who paid attention to various Facebook and Twitter posts, which revealed that he had been working out with the team in the offseason.  This is the same Marell Evans who transferred away from Michigan back in 2009, and I can’t remember the last time a Michigan player enrolled at a school, transferred away, and then transferred back.  This is truly a unique situation.

Anyway, in his sayonara post, I wrote, “It’s unclear where Evans will wind up, but most kids who transfer seem to end up closer to home and at a slightly smaller program.”  Sure enough, Evans transferred to Hampton University, which is approximately 1.5 hours away from his home in Varina, Virginia (just outside Richmond).  As far as I can tell, he played sparingly in 2009 and not at all in 2010.

So let’s recount the career of Evans:

• 2007: Burns his redshirt running downfield on special teams
• 2008: Starting SAM linebacker for the Utah game; backup SAM/WILL for rest of year
• 2009: Moved to outside linebacker in spring; transferred to play linebacker at Hampton
• 2010: Sat out the 2010 season for reasons that are unclear
• 2011: Transferred back to Michigan with one year of eligibility remaining

What Could Have Been . . . Tate Forcier

Former Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier

Tate Forcier has decided to become a Miami Hurricane

.  On top of pulling in former Michigan commits Dallas Crawford, Matt Goudis, and Antonio Kinard, coach Al Golden now has a former starting QB.

The ACC seems like a better fit for Forcier.

For more updates on former players and former commits, check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

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.