The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/78838
CLASS REVIEW: 2008 Brandon Moore — Koger's under- study for each of the last three sea- sons, Moore finally has the chance to step out of his classmate's shadow as he seeks to earn his first career start and build on his two career re- ceptions. Michigan is likely to de- emphasize tight ends this fall so it remains to be seen just how big an opportunity Moore will be given. cruiting class, but an unusually high percentage (33.3 percent) of the Wol- verines from Rodriguez's first class spent three or fewer seasons in Ann Arbor. Perhaps that is to be expected when not everyone, including offen- sive linemen Dann O'Neill and Kurt Wermers, were the right fit in Rodri- guez's scheme. Of those that left Michigan on their Attrition is normal in every re- WHERE ARE THEY NOW? trian seasons with Michigan, rushing for 169 yards and two touchdowns in three career appearances at tailback, Cox transferred to Massachusetts and is eligible to play immediately this fall as a graduate student. He will return to Ann Arbor when U-M hosts the Minutemen Sept. 15, though his position on the depth chart has yet to be decided. Sam McGuffie — Following one own accord, O'Neill — a two-year starter for Western Michigan — has been the most successful with a change of venue. Tailback Michael Cox is hopeful he'll emerge with greater opportunity at Massachusetts this fall, while wide receiver Darryl Stonum is looking to resurrect his college football career. Michael Cox — After four pedes- Wide receiver Roy Roundtree is on pace to become the seventh pass catcher in U-M history with 150 career receptions, the 12th with 2,000 receiving yards and the 12th with 15 scoring grabs. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL guez's spread and transferred after the 2008 season. He started 10 games for Western Michigan in 2010 and 13 games a year ago at right tackle, earning All-Mid-American Confer- ence third-team honors. He begins his senior season ranked as a top- 20 offensive tackle for the 2012 NFL Draft. season at Michigan, in which he started six games and rushed for 486 yards, McGuffie transferred to Rice to be closer to family in his native Texas. He was a second-team All- Conference USA selection in 2010 af- ter leading the Owls in rushing (883 yards) and receiving (384 yards). He was limited to seven games due to injury a year ago, finishing with 230 yards from scrimmage (rushing and receiving), and enters his final sea- son looking to recapture his starting job. Mich., native was exactly the kind of talent U-M recruited on the line for its pro-style offense under Lloyd Carr, but he was a bad fit in Rodri- Dann O'Neill — The Grand Haven, 46 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2012 star wide receiver was dismissed from the team permanently in Janu- ary after he was originally suspended for the entire 2011 season. In three seasons, Stonum caught 76 passes for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. He intends to play one final year at Baylor in his home state of Texas. Boubacar Cissoko — Incarcerated in Darryl Stonum — The former four- August 2010 after a string of thefts and an attempted armed robbery, Cissoko was paroled in June 2011 and has surfaced with the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League. He had 21 tackles and two intercep- tions for a Rush team that went 10-8 in 2012. Cissoko started two games as a freshman in 2008 and four in 2009 before disciplinary action led to his dismissal from the team. No longer in football: Delray Beach, and Absecon, N.J., linebacker Marcus Witherspoon. Completed eligibility: Princeton Junc- tion, N.J., linebacker J.B. Fitzgerald; Traverse City, Mich., offensive line- man Rocko Khoury; Toledo, Ohio, tight end Kevin Koger; Novi, Mich., defensive tackle Mike Martin; Paho- kee, Fla., wide receiver Martavious Odoms; Klein, Texas, wide receiver Terrence Robinson; and Trotwood, Ohio, tailback Michael Shaw. ❑ and expectations for 2012, favor the contribution of the 2008 class, its overall record is only 26-24 (.520 winning percentage) and its résumé lacks a Big Ten title. Still, one class is not solely responsible for the three-year washout expe- rienced from 2008-10, especially a class that was feeling its way through the first two seasons, when U-M went 8-16. This class has offered enough Report Card While the most recent history, Fla., quarterback Justin Feagin; Youngstown, Ohio, linebacker Tay- lor Hill; New Brunswick, N.J., safety Brandon Smith; Crown Point, Ind., offensive lineman Kurt Wermers; positive performances to receive a passing grade. If the Wolver- ines win a conference crown, and the seven remaining members of the class of 2008 play critical roles — six of the seven should start — this grade could be boosted significantly: B-