Poll Results: Who will be Michigan’s leading receiver in 2011?

Tag: Jerald Robinson

6Jul 2011
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Poll Results: Who will be Michigan’s leading receiver in 2011?

Roy Roundtree

Roy Roundtree: 48%

Junior Hemingway: 38%
Je’Ron Stokes: 4%
Martavious Odoms: 2%
Darryl Stonum: 2%
Drew Dileo: ~0%
Kevin Koger: ~0%
Jerald Robinson: ~0%
Vincent Smith: ~0%
Other: ~0%

Roundtree was the obvious choice here, since he’s Michigan’s reigning receiving champ.  He had 72 receptions for 935 yards and 7 touchdowns a year ago and made the media’s All-Big Ten second team.  But this spring was a bit of an eye-opener, I think, because he wasn’t the star of the show.  Roundtree was often running with the second team offense and, although nobody else caught more, he only had 1 catch (for 12 yards) in the spring game.

Hemingway was the obvious #2 choice here, too.  He was Michigan’s third-leading receiver last season, grabbing 32 passes for 593 yards and 4 touchdowns.  While his number of receptions was well below those of the top two guys last year (72 for Roundtree, 49 for Stonum), he averaged over 18 yards a catch, compared to their combined 13 yards per reception.  Hemingway is the more prototypical wideout for Michigan (a big leaper with so-so speed), but he’s missed time in each of the last three seasons due to injury.

Je’Ron Stokes was a bit of a surprise to finish third in the voting.  I would have expected Odoms or Stonum ahead of him.  Stokes only has 3 catches for 27 yards in his first two seasons.  The new coaching staff could bring with it a new pecking order, but I think Stokes is a bench player until the four senior receivers depart.

Odoms has progressively lost ground since his freshman year, going from 443 yards in 2008 to 272 yards in 2009 to 241 yards in 2010.  Part of that loss of production last season was due to missing six games because of injury.  He’s small at only 5’8″ and 175 lbs., but his willingness to block might propel him to a starting role.  As long as he stays healthy, I would guess he’ll see an uptick in yardage this coming season.  But he hasn’t led the team in receiving since his freshman year, and I doubt that’s going to change.

Stonum is going to have a difficult time digging himself out of the hole that he created for himself.  He’s been in trouble with the law on multiple occasions, and his Michigan career is in jeopardy because of it.  He’s currently in limbo on “indefinite suspension” and should miss at least a couple games.  Punishing kids for breaking the law ought to come in the form of missed playing time during the year, not in the offseason.

Dileo, Koger, Robinson, and Smith probably aren’t viable options.  I figured I would throw them up there just in case a good number of people expected something I didn’t, but voters’ thoughts seem to be mostly in line with mine.  Kudos to the one person who voted for Vincent Smith, though.  Dare to be different.

7Jul 2010
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2010 Countdown: #58 Jerald Robinson

Name: Jerald Robinson
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 191 lbs.
High school: Canton South High School in Canton, OH
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #83
Prediction for 2010: Regular reps at wide receiver

One of several early enrollees on offense, Robinson is perhaps the most likely to earn playing time this fall. He earned solid reviews throughout the spring for his ability to run routes and make plays downfield, and he’s the most athletic of the freshman wideouts. With only a few returning wide receivers, at least one freshman will play.

Despite not enrolling early last year, freshman Je’Ron Stokes played sparingly, beginning with the first game of the year. Including Stokes, the Wolverines played five scholarship wide receivers last year – Greg Mathews and Laterryal Savoy, both of whom graduated; and Junior Hemingway, Darryl Stonum, and Stokes. If that number were to stay the same in 2010, two freshman would have to play. However, that need for freshman contributions may be mitigated by the fact that Roy Roundtree and Martavious Odoms may have the option and versatility to play outside, rather than just the slot. All things considered, expect to see Robinson on the field in the fall.

27Jun 2010
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2010 Countdown: #74 Jeremy Jackson


Name: Jeremy Jackson
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 196 lbs.
High school: Huron High School in Ann Arbor, MI
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #17
Prediction for 2010: Redshirt

I struggled with where to put Jackson on the list. There’s no question in my mind that at least one of the freshman receivers will play this season (Jackson, Ricardo Miller, or Jerald Robinson), perhaps more. Darryl Stonum and Junior Hemingway are the likely starters, but there’s not much after that.

But I’ve never been a fan of Jackson’s playmaking ability. As the son of running backs coach Fred Jackson, he’s probably learning the offense quickly and is technically sound. He’s tall and can probably grab some jump balls. But golly gee, he looks super slow in every video I’ve ever seen of him – game film, spring practice video, etc. Not only might that be a problem for getting downfield, but I even doubt whether he can be an effective blocker at this point. I feel like Big Ten cornerbacks would just dance around him to make a tackle. So out of the three freshman wideouts, I think Jackson is the least likely to play this season.

3Mar 2010
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2010 Recruiting Grades: Wide Receiver

Jerald Robinson. #4. The red, white, and silver #4. Uhhh…the guy catching the ball. Yeah, him.

The Wolverines picked up three wide receivers in the class of 2010 (slot receivers will be a separate category). At one point in the process, Michigan had six commitments from guys who were recruited to play either wide receiver or slot, so Rich Rodriguez obviously thought the team was lacking at the position. This despite the fact that Michigan only lost Greg Mathews and Laterryal Savoy in 2009, and they shouldn’t lose anyone in 2010.

The first commitment came from Ricardo Miller, a 6’2″, 208 lb. wideout from Dr. Phillips in Orlando, FL. So intent to play at Michigan, he and his family moved to Ann Arbor to attend Pioneer High School. Miller was considered by many Michigan fans to be at least a 4-star prospect, with the chance to be a 5-star. Unfortunately, many of them hadn’t seen him play at that point. Miller is a big receiver with a magnetic personality; he was even credited by Rodriguez as an ace recruiter. What he lacks is elite speed. He might even lack above average speed.

A couple days later, running backs coach Fred Jackson’s son, Jeremy Jackson, announced his commitment to Michigan. Jackson stands 6’3″ and 194 and attended Huron High School in Ann Arbor. In a slightly alarming trend, Jackson also lacks great speed, perhaps even more so than Miller. In fact, both Miller and Jackson are so big and so . . . not fast that there has been much discussion that they could move to tight end.

Jerald Robinson, from Canton South in Ohio, waited until February 2010 to commit. He’s a 6’2″, 175 lb. receiver, although when I first evaluated him, I really thought he would be a candidate to play safety in college. He’s not exactly a blazer, although he’s faster than Miller and Jackson. Like Jackson, though, he’s decent at going into traffic.

Projections: At this point, I think all three of these players will stick at wide receiver – no tight end for Jackson or Miller, and no safety for Robinson. That being said, I do not think any of the three will be assuming the crown of Michigan’s Next Great Receiver. At least one will almost surely play in the fall, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see two of them on the field; Rodriguez isn’t shy about burning redshirts, for the most part. Robinson is the most likely to be an impact player in the passing game. He possesses the best speed and big play ability. The other two will have to prove their worth early on by blocking in the running game.

Grade: C. I’m not a big fan of this class of receivers. All three players have good qualities, but they also lack elite physical talent. In an offense that revolves around getting its players in space, Rodriguez took several early commitments from guys who might struggle to get open. And if they do get open, they might not be able to do much with the ball. Laterryal Savoy earned a starting job in 2008 by being the best blocking receiver on the team, but it’s somewhat disturbing to think that perhaps the best thing that comes out of this class is . . . a couple Laterryal Savoys.

6Dec 2009
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Recruiting Roundup: Wide Receivers and Slot Receivers

Kenny Shaw

So far the most successfully recruited position group for the 2010 class has been wide receivers and slot receivers. In total, Michigan’s coaches have secured six commitments from that group. Four of them are wideouts (Ricardo Miller, Jeremy Jackson, D.J. Williamson, and Jerald Robinson); the other two are slots (Drew Dileo and Tony Drake).

Five of those commitments came very early on in the process, and I have maintained since then that not all of these wide receivers would end up signing with Michigan in February. Whether someone is slow-played into decommitting, doesn’t qualify, or chooses another school instead, not all six of these kids will end up wearing a Michigan uniform. Fitting with that theory, recent rumors suggest that slot receiver Tony Drake has yet to qualify for admission to the University of Michigan. Although cornerback Adrian Witty from the Class of 2009 did eventually qualify, he had to sit out the 2009 season; the coaches will surely try to avoid a similar situation in 2010.

The only two uncommitted receivers who have Michigan offers are Kenny Shaw (Orlando, FL) and Chris Dunkley (Pahokee, FL). Dunkley received an early offer from Michigan, but he never had much interest in coming to Ann Arbor. Shaw, on the other hand, is still being actively recruited by the Wolverines. His former teammate is none other than Ricardo Miller, who has perhaps been Michigan’s best recruiter. I expect that Shaw will end up staying down south, but there’s a possibility that he could take the spot of Drake (if the latter fails to qualify) or another wide receiver who might decommit.