Wolverine Weekend: Another Player Bites the Dust

Michigan signed 27 players to their 2010 recruiting class.  3 were not able to enroll due to admissions/academic issues and now one who enrolled early is gone as well.  It seems Austin White might have been kicked off the team.  Here is RR's statement:  "Austin White is no longer in the program. So, we wish him well, we'll help him in that regard, but we're - he's no longer part of the Michigan football family."

A couple of thoughts; this does happen at a lot of programs.  Guys are high school stars and going to college and being a D1 athlete means you need to be committed to more then 40+ hours a week of school and preparation.  Some 18 year old kids are not ready for that. 

Some are saying that Austin had broken a few team rules and was given a second chance to "shape up" and didn't.  You saw the signs of that during the BTN Michigan Preview when Austin didn't have his helmet wings. 

Depth is not an issue at RB so it won't effect this years team.  What is a bit concerning is the loss of 4 players who signed LOI's in February.   That means RR and staff need to change their policy of offering players who are not 100% expected to make it academically.  Michigan now has to consider passing on borderline kids.   Not all borderline kids, but a class should not have more then one or two.

This is also the second loss of a player in Fall Camp.  Justin Turner quit after Day 1 and now Austin White (we believe) has been kicked off the team.  9/4 can't come soon enough or we are going to need to hire Mary J. to sign "No More Drama" for this Wolverine Program.

Maybe next week will be a quiet week.

White is a Wolverine: Michigan Football picks up it's 16th commitment for 2010

Question: Your one of the top running backs out of the state of Michigan in 2010. You have brothers currently on the Michigan State Football team. You were the recent MVP at the Nike Camp and have offers from Iowa, Wisconsin, MSU, LSU, Purdue, and Illinois. Your high school helmet has a spartan on it. Which school do you pick?

Answer: Michigan Wolverines

Austin White is a 4 star running back from Scouts from Livonia Stevenson in Michigan. He is listed at 6"0 190 pounds and runs a 4.5 in the 40. Austin has been very productive as a high school player; as a sophomore he rushed for nearly 1,700 yards and 30 touchdowns. As a junior, he rushed for 1,610 yards with 28 touchdowns also catching 21 passes for 310 yards and 4 more touchdowns. Austin is a good fit for RR's spread offense and is Michigan's 16th verbal commitment to the 2010 class.

As always here is the write up from Varsity Blue:

Recruiting Notes:
The commitment of White completes the in-state switcheroo between Michigan State and the Wolverines, which saw Nick Hill commit to the Spartans. Coming into the recruiting season, Hill had been considered a strong Michigan lean, while White has serious family ties in East Lansing and was expected to end up there. However, as the recruitments got underway, White became more and more interested in the Wolverines. Throughout the spring, he started leaning towards Michigan, and enjoyed his visit for Michigan’s summer camp.


Player Notes:
Scout is a bit higher on Austin than Rivals, ranking him as a 4-star prospect and the #17 RB in the class (Rivals has him at 3 stars and #32). He has good vision, quick feet, and surprising ability to catch the ball out of the backfield for a high school prospect. He’s an upright runner who needs to get lower to avoid injury, though adding bulk in the weight room will help in that regard as well. White may not be coming in strictly as a running back, however. This summer, he played in the defensive backfield in 7-on-7 competitions, where he reportedly impressed. If he doesn’t foresee immediate playing time on offense, he may opt to try his hand on the other side of the ball

• Devin Gardner is invited to the Elite 11 QB Camp along with 2 other state of Michigan QB's: Robert Bolden and Joe Boisture.

• Al Glick gave close to 9 Million dollars to Michigan for it's new indoor practice facility. They most likely are going to name it after him. They better! For $9 Million they should throw in a free luxury box as well.