The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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football recruiting issue thrives from contact.��� Smith, Green and running back/ fullback Wyatt Shallman are part of a trio of backfield players in the Wolverines��� 2013 class. The coaching staff believes that their skills are complementary. And next year could be big. The Wolverines struggled to find a consistent ground game last year, and fifth-year senior Fitzgerald Toussaint, the team���s leading returning rusher, is trying to come back from a severe ankle injury sustained in last year���s Northwestern game. Smith certainly doesn���t lack for experience. The 5-11, 218-pound running back earned the starting job at Howland as a freshman and didn���t look back from there, rushing for an incredible 6,750 career yards, a Trumbull Country record, and 82 total touchdowns. ���Well, it���s a good feeling,��� Smith said of the record. ���I was really happy with what my line did this year.��� As a senior, he rushed 167 times for 1,883 yards (11.3 yards per carry) and 27 scores, earning the Associated Press Ohio Division II Offensive Player Of The Year award. His numbers were even better the year before, when he rushed for 2,150 yards on 189 carries (11.4 yards per rush) with 26 touchdowns. ���There���s always room for improvement,��� Smith added. ���I want to get that up a little more.��� Despite his gaudy offensive num-