Favorite player that never lived up to expectations
After getting a little excited with the whole Derrick Green hoopla I decided to watch some old hype videos and remembered one of my favorite players that never quite lived up to my expectations…Brandon Minor. I’m sure some will remember some key fumbles. But, I recall being very excited about his bruising style and runs as a freshman backing up Hart(?). And, when his turn finally came I was really excited about the year(s) he was going to have. If memory serves me correct his junior and senior years were plagued by nagging injuries (and Rich Rod), but I still remember some big powerful runs and laying the wood to defenders. It’s a shame there are no highlight videos of him out there because he put his head down and had quite a few nice collisions. Who is your favorite Michigan player that never quite lived up to your expectations?
EDIT: More along of the lines of who you're disappointed with based on what you say in their early days at UM versus based on their recruiting hype.
January 27th, 2013 at 10:53 AM ^
was antonio bass going to be the first denard? i was expecting an era based on the hype. unfortunately, injury prevented us from ever finding out.
January 27th, 2013 at 10:54 AM ^
Antonio Bass was said to be on another level athletically and those outside of practice never really got to see it. The other, even though he played well, didn't play enough to live up to his pre-Michigan expectations was Drew Henson. The guy probably had more physical tools than any QB I can remember at Michigan and he didn't even start for an entire season because of injury and leaving early.
January 27th, 2013 at 1:23 PM ^
Bass wasn't really a QB in Carr's system. He was more of a Percy Harvin type WR/RB/QB hybrid.
(EDIT: never mind, I see you were saying that about Henson.)
January 27th, 2013 at 3:45 PM ^
seconded on Drew Henson. When I was a little kid I found it incredible that such a highly touted athlete could live so close by to me. I always asked my parents to drive by Brighton High School just so I could see if he was practicing or out on the field. Rooted for him in all his endeavors. What could have been.
January 27th, 2013 at 10:54 AM ^
hands down!
January 27th, 2013 at 10:55 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 11:55 AM ^
Crazy coincidence, I saw way too much of him at Skeeps.
(Not that crazy considering everyone who went to Skeeps in those days can share my story)
January 27th, 2013 at 2:03 PM ^
represent.
January 27th, 2013 at 10:57 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 11:07 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 11:36 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 4:05 PM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 10:57 AM ^
Sam McGuffie.
January 27th, 2013 at 11:30 AM ^
Agreed, this is right when I started watching recruiting and I think I watched his highlight clip about 1000 times
January 27th, 2013 at 11:30 AM ^
Agreed, this is right when I started watching recruiting and I think I watched his highlight clip about 1000 times
January 27th, 2013 at 11:34 AM ^
Agreed, this is right when I started watching recruiting and I think I watched his highlight clip about 1000 times
January 27th, 2013 at 11:41 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 10:58 AM ^
Before I really started paying attention to recruiting, but the kid from GR got a shit load of hype..Dont know if he still holds michigan high school record for yards, but i thought we had another Weatley on board.. Big let down
January 27th, 2013 at 10:59 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 11:00 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 11:22 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 11:42 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 11:02 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 11:07 AM ^
Kevin Grady, He would bowl over people in his HS tapes and then show up and according to sources, not put the work ethic into it, thinking he would do the same. It was a huge dissapointment. Forcier at least gave us some great memories before the breakdown. Kid was magical when he wanted to be, and I will never have any hate for him. I apprectaed what he did for us the time that he was here, but yes, he could have done so much more. McGuffie had a target on his head from the onset, so he was getting far too many concussuins and didnt want to move to a DB position, which I think he would have done well in.
January 27th, 2013 at 11:07 AM ^
He seemed like a good kid who had the misfortune of coming to UM when we were on the way down. His upright running style made him vulnerable to big hits, and he didn't have the opportunity to display the ability in space that he displayed in HS.
January 27th, 2013 at 11:08 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 11:15 AM ^
Woods actually had on-field success, finishing 2nd on the team in tackles as a sophomore while leading the team with 7 sacks and 14 TFL, all on a Big Ten title team. Then Coach Carr stopped putting him on the field the next two years and kids from Glenville stopped considering Michigan.
Not sure we've ever learned what put him in the doghouse or why he couldn't ever get out.
January 27th, 2013 at 4:26 PM ^
This is a rumor, and obviously I want it known that it's a rumor....but I recall hearing the reason that Woods didn't see the field much his last 2 years had something to do with him possibly injuring Matt Gutierrez sometime during the summer of 04.
Which brings me to my disappointment which was in fact Matt Gutierrez, he was supposed to be the guy that was in the system for a few years and would be able to take the offense to the next level, not that Henne didn't do that but Gutierrez certainly would have been a nice bridge to Henne.
January 27th, 2013 at 11:25 AM ^
I agree with Woods, and although Sean Crable and Prescott Burgess were contributors as well, I always saw them as future NFL first rounders with some of their high school hype
January 27th, 2013 at 11:13 AM ^
Justin Turner. We needed corners BAD and he was supposed to be incredible coming out of high school. Ouch.
January 27th, 2013 at 1:16 PM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 3:43 PM ^
i think there were reasons he ended up in AA and never saw cbus
January 27th, 2013 at 11:14 AM ^
Kelly Baraka
January 27th, 2013 at 11:14 AM ^
Football?
Justin Fargas (OK, he did live up to the billing but elsewhere)
Antonio Bass
Kevin Grady
Tate Forcier
Will Campbell
Basketball
Jerod Ward
Jamal Crawford (left too early)
Kevin Gaines (what a disaster)
Robert Traylor
January 27th, 2013 at 11:19 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 11:27 AM ^
Yes! Great call with Max Martin. Didn't he set the Alabama state rushing record when he left high school? Anyway, I think we know why the SEC let him go elsewhere.
January 27th, 2013 at 11:49 AM ^
Martin transferred from Michigan to Bama, but got booted off the team before he could even sit out a year as a transfer. He then (it looks like) failed to get academically eligible at Alabama A&M.
It looks like being a knucklehead had more to do with his problems/production than any lack of ability.
January 27th, 2013 at 11:28 AM ^
http://m.lvsun.com/news/2012/apr/09/kevin-gaines-las-vegas-michigan-hou…
January 27th, 2013 at 11:14 AM ^
If Junior Hemingway had consistent QB play and was able to avoid injuries....a TE with WR speed....
January 27th, 2013 at 11:15 AM ^
Charles Woodson...I thought he'd be a Senator by now and have successfully started a billion dollar company. Slacker.
January 27th, 2013 at 11:15 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 11:18 AM ^
his books SUCK!!!
January 27th, 2013 at 11:16 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 11:16 AM ^
Tate for obvious reasons.
There are two specifically due to injury:
Brandon Minor was an animal his junior year, only to be devastated by injury.
Tae Odoms provided solid production, but his injury at the start of the coaching transition really hurt his impact his senior year.
January 27th, 2013 at 11:17 AM ^
Keving Grady by far, though, and I guess some of that had to do with the fact that he was living in Hart's shadow for so long. Most recently, though, it has to be Will Campbell.
January 27th, 2013 at 11:20 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 11:59 AM ^
Came here to say the same thing.
Denard's easily in my top 5 favorite players and his expectations were to win the B1G Championship his senior year - and maybe the Heisman.
Sure it was a perfect storm of dat schedule, the fusion cuisene not really working out, and of course the injury - but he still covers those two criteria.
January 27th, 2013 at 11:20 AM ^