The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2012 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 14 player in the country's 2012 recruiting class by Rivals. com, Ondre Pipkins began his story Feb. 24, 1994, in Sagi- naw, Mich. The child who would come to be known as "Big Pee-Wee" was born in the Great Lakes State, and his connections to Saginaw saw him grow up a fan of both Michigan and Michigan State. Although he played most of his varsity football career Before he was rated as a five-star prospect and the No. Michigan Commitment Is A Homecoming For Ondre Pipkins in Kansas City, Mo., Pipkins does not consider "The Paris of the Plains" his home. On the contrary, his roots in Michigan made him look toward his birthplace when the recruiting process rolled around. Ultimately, it led him to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. Putting his signature on a National Letter of Intent Feb. 2 was just Pipkins' ticket to get back home. Some of Pipkins' family members still live in Michigan, and those familiar faces provide a comfort each time he returns. When Pipkins moves to Ann Arbor, he'll know that there is a support system in place should he need it. That homecoming factor played a big role in his decision to choose Michigan. Schools like UCLA and Alabama were in hot pursuit of the 6-3, 320-pounder during the summer before his junior season. They provided a lot of the things he was looking for — a family environment, the chance to win games and a coaching staff that he could bond with. At Michigan, he had all that plus the origins of his childhood. "When he went up there and visited, the way the coaches treated him and talked to him, he just kind of felt like he was home," Park Hill head football coach Greg Reynolds said. "There was more to it than that he was originally from there, but I think it had something to do with it." Before Pipkins could return to Michigan, however, he Pipkins, who was born in Saginaw, Mich., is rated by Rivals.com as a five-star prospect, the No. 2 defensive tackle nationally and the No. 14 overall player in the class of 2012. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM have the stamina to be an effective player on an every- down basis. He focused on the offensive line to start the year, but by season's end he was managing to go both ways. "By week eight he was playing most snaps of the game had to leave it. He moved to Kansas City with his mother midway through his sophomore year of high school, interrupting his basketball season (he would eventually play basketball for Park Hill, as well) and leaving the only place he had ever lived for the unknown world of the Show-Me State. Initially, he had a tough time adjusting, both athletically and academically. Reynolds could see the talent shining through, however, and once Pipkins got into gear — and got his body into shape — he began to blossom into the top prospect that he has become. "When he came in, we knew he was a good-sized kid, both on offense and on defense," Reynolds said. "He had a pretty good year for us. He struggled at times as an of- fensive lineman, but that's not where his future is going to be, anyway." Pipkins grew up watching past Saginaw greats don but he came in December or January," Reynolds said. "We only saw him in the weight room and saw him play basketball. We thought he had athletic ability. Until that summer, we really didn't have any idea what type of foot- ball player he was. He had a lot of work to do even then, because after his basketball season he got out of shape." Prior to his junior season on the gridiron, Pipkins still wasn't in the condition that Park Hill's coaching staff desired. They planned on using him as a two-way player, starting at right tackle on offense and defensive tackle on defense. At the beginning of the season, he simply didn't 68 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2012 the winged helmet. Linebacker Roy Manning (2002-05) graduated from Saginaw High and is now a member of Brady Hoke's support staff. Defensive end Lamarr Wood- ley (2003-06), who is also a Saginaw High grad, racked up plenty of hardware during his senior season — including the Bednarik Award as the country's best defensive player — before going on to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he has had a distinguished five-year career. Woodley is Pipkins' favorite football player, at any level, of all time. The No. 56 that Woodley wore at Michi- gan and now dons for the Steelers has been Pipkins' fa- vorite number, and he hoped to follow in Woodley's foot- steps and wear the number. Unfortunately, Michigan's coaching staff has told him that interior defensive linemen are pegged to wear numbers in the 90s, so that's what Big Pee-Wee will do. Like his hero, Pipkins will play on the defensive line at Michigan. He's following in Woodley's footsteps, and the next mile on the path to the NFL meant coming home. — Tim Sullivan