Impact transfers, 2010
As most of you know, an impressive number of players have left UMich during RichRod's tenure. They've landed at all sorts of places, but in this post I'm going to focus on three that were rated among the top ten transfers "to watch" this season in an article on the ... Bleacher Report(!) site. Your Michigan transfers:
#10 Toney Clemons
#7 Sam McGuffie
#2 Steven Threet
How have things gone for the former Wolverines?
Toney Clemons >>> In this case, the article's prediction seems reasonable. It appears that he is (by receptions, at least) their #2 guy: http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/stats/_/id/38/colorado-buffalo…; Presumably he skipped town because he was trailing Roundtree, Stonum, et al. and didn't figure to see the field much. (EDIT: In the comments here it's stated that he wanted to play outside instead of the slot, where the coaches had him. I didn't know that.)
Sam McGuffie >>> Here's another case where the prediction turned out pretty well. He's the leading rusher and (again, by receptions) receiver at Rice: http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/stats/_/id/242/rice-owls Notice that his yards-per-carry number isn't very good. I still think receiver is his best position.
Steven Threet >>> They nailed the last part, because Threet won the starting job. It has been a so-so year for the Sun Devils, though. They're at 4-6 (2-5 in conference) and they've lost a bunch of close games. As for Threet, he currently sits at 47th (out of 112 ... Denard, by the way, is 14th) by passer rating, which is very respectable. On the downside, he leads the nation in (d'oh) throwing passes to the wrong team: http://espn.go.com/college-football/statistics/player/_/stat/passing/so…; In fairness to him, he's in the top quartile in attempts.
So, were their preseason rankings justified? Not sure ... I'll leave that to people with more information. What seems obvious is that great faith is placed in high school recruiting rankings even after a couple of years.
Here's the article: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/426284-the-top-20-college-football-t…
November 16th, 2010 at 8:06 AM ^
Nice post. Even though these guys are not with the program anymore, I still like seeing how they are performing for their teams. I wish most of them good luck when they leave, there is only one that I can think of off the top of my head that I didn't. I'm sure a few know who I am talking about.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:12 AM ^
November 16th, 2010 at 8:17 AM ^
Really? Wow, where did you hear that?
November 16th, 2010 at 8:27 AM ^
not a mod, on a premium site had it up yesterday.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:14 AM ^
I agree -- these are the guys I wish well. They all seemed like decent guys who left because they wanted to play more (Threet and Clemons), or because they realized they made a mistake moving so far from home in a league that had very large people in it (McGuffie). They also seemed to leave the "right" way -- respectfully and pretty quietly.
It's hard to really complain about these guys.
I also have to say once again that there is one person who left, whose father I can remember rooting for as a kid, in a way and to a place that I just can't understand why he wasn't universally condemned for doing something that was really inappropriate and awful, and that was a genuine commentary on his deepest, darkest soul. If any college sports craziness is at all justifiiable and awesome, than what he did was really and truly beyond the pale. And I don't understand why more of the media types don't actually say that. Unfortunately, it coincided with a time that meant he can't really be punished and humiliated for it as he should be. Unless in two weeks...
November 16th, 2010 at 8:21 AM ^
Clemons didn't exactly leave in a classy way.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:27 AM ^
but he did throw us under the bus.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:43 AM ^
Huh, I hadn't realized that, thanks. Never mind, then. I thought I remembered someone going to Colorado, or wanting to go to Colorado, that RR seemed to express good feelings about. Must have been someone else. Maybe I just hate the other guy so much that I don't really care about anyone else.
November 16th, 2010 at 9:45 AM ^
Okay, thanks to some of the others who made me realize I seriously didn't know what I was talking about re Clemons -- just read an article re the F***p BS and his involvement in it. I won't waste any energy wishing him ill (I mean, after all, he's now playing for Colorado so he got his, and the NCAA investigation revealed that he was lying in his public comments), but I was wrong in thinking he left the right way. Maybe not as fundamentally and horribly wrong as the other guy we'll see in two weeks, but still...
Also glad to see that the guy I thought I was thinking about was Vlad Emilien. If for no other reason than his name is Vlad Emilien, and that can't be anything but good.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:20 AM ^
One of the biggest reasons Clemons left was because the coaches were playing him at slot receiver, and he wanted to play on the outside. He wasn't behind Roundtree or Stonum. Clemons transferred after the 2008 season, a season in which Roundtree redshirted. And Stonum always played on the outside.
November 16th, 2010 at 9:56 AM ^
I thought he left because he was jealous of the Coner's rapping skills. Weird.
November 16th, 2010 at 10:30 AM ^
I bet he would love to be producing like Roundtree right now, inside, outside or upside down.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:30 AM ^
Wow. I didn't know Luke Wilson played college football. Apparently he is good at something.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:49 AM ^
Cobrani Mixon :(
November 16th, 2010 at 8:50 AM ^
As far as Threet and McGuffie go, it is easy to wish them well.
As far as Clemons is concerned, it is hard to extend much love to someone whose purported allegations helped cause the NCAA mess.
November 16th, 2010 at 9:16 AM ^
Always wished the best to Threet and McGuffie, and it is good to see them have success in new surroundings. I guess Clemons should be happy we is the #2 WR, though of course he's the #2 on one of the worst teams in college football, and burned quite a few bridges on the way to there.
November 16th, 2010 at 9:33 AM ^
November 16th, 2010 at 10:27 AM ^
Sometimes kids just don't fit, whether in the scheme, or with the coaches, or in the position they want to play. There's nothing profound about that. It often comes down to whether a person wants to play right away, or whether someone wants to be at Michigan.
We all have favorites, including coaches. Having said that, it really seems that RR & his staff work hard to reward effort, and not to play favorites. I have seen situations (elsewhere) that aren't good, with coach's kids, or kids the coaches liked, or kids that were very talented, but broke rules or didn't work at it, saw the field ahead of team players. That kind of thing tears down unity and demoralizes those who work hard.
I think that one of the side benefits of Kovacs making the team, getting a scholarship, and playing, is that it gives hope to walk ons that they'll get a fair shot. Raback, any comments on this last statement?
November 16th, 2010 at 10:31 AM ^
"Sometimes kids just don't fit, whether in the scheme, or with the coaches, or in the position they want to play. "
Sometimes they just don't fit in Ann Arbor, or at Michigan! It goes beyond football as well. I loved my 4 years in AA and wouldn't trade it for anything, but it's not for everyone. I know plenty of friends who transferred colleges - non athletes. For some they get homesick (McGuffie?) for others the weather, "big city", lack of immediate family around, class work, etc might just not be what they need in their life at the time.
November 16th, 2010 at 10:22 AM ^
Threet appaers to have benefitted from having to take a year off. In what few highlights I could find, he appears to have changed his throwing motion for the better. It still looks a little unorthodox, but his release point seems to be high enough to take advantage of his height now. As for Mac, maybe he will turn into Justin Fargas V2, escaping the AMH Injury God only after transferring. I truly hope that he is fully recovered from his concussions and has no ill effects after his playing days are done.
Neither really found his place in Ann Arbor, but I wish them well. They stayed classy on the way out the door, and I'm happy to see both contributing.