The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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football recruiting issue Mike Farrell said of the nation���s top back. ���He���s built like a college running back now,��� Farrell said. ���He���s got tremendous straightaway speed, really good vision. He���s turned into a one-cut runner, and that���s the type of guy you want when he���s 230 pounds, built like he is and strong like he is. You don���t want him to dance at the line of scrimmage, and he���ll be the type of guy in college who will take a few runs of two yards or three yards, pop off a 25- or 30-yarder and wear you down in the fourth quarter.��� East coach Bob Beatty reportedly called Green the best running back he���d been around since coaching former NFL back Ladell Betts following Green���s 49 yards on eight carries (23-yard long) at the U.S. Army AllAmerican Bowl Jan. 5. ���Marshawn Lynch comes to mind,��� Farrell said in comparing Green to the Seattle Seahawks��� workhorse. ���We had Lynch ranked No. 2 way back in 2004 behind Adrian Peterson. He ran really hard and it was hard to tackle him, and the ���beast mode��� thing came after that. ���Marshawn Lynch doesn���t run away from people ��� he runs through them. That���s Derrick Green.��� This is also Derrick Green, Kane said ��� a combination of size, speed and power that���s tough to find, perfect for a downhill running game and as selfless as it gets. Kane estimated Green missed 17 quarters due to blowouts in 2012, but he still amassed more than 1,500 yards and was on the sidelines rooting for his teammates to do better than he did once they saw the field. The Michigan coaches loved what they saw of Green as a runner. They were just as impressed, though, with his unselfish nature, while Green was equally enamored with the staff���s approach. ���It was the coaching staff there; it���s unbelievable,��� he said following his pledge. ���Coach [Brady] Hoke is a great coach, but he���s an even better person. It���s amazing for a head coach. There���s an awesome history behind Michigan, and Coach [Fred] Jackson has coached a lot of great backs. I���m hoping to be the next one. I���m planning to go to Michigan and learn a lot and take in what he is going to teach me.��� Ann Arbor is ���like home��� every time he visits, Green added. He���s already made friends in the 2013 class, especially four-star Detroit Cass Tech lineman David Dawson, and can���t wait to run behind the lines the coaching staff has assembled. The linemen will appreciate him as much as he does them, Jackson predicted. ���He���s a battering ram guy,��� Jackson said. ���If you looked at [former U-M back] Chris Perry, just imagine that���s how Derrick Green looks. He���s 235 pounds right now, wide shoulders, put together. You hit him, you feel like you���re hitting a rock. ���He was 260 and muscled down. He���s a rock. He can make cuts, can run over you and ��� according to some guys at the U.S. Army game ��� he can also run away from you. Add