Favorite player that never lived up to expectations

Submitted by MGoStrength on

 

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.

GOBLUE4EVR

January 27th, 2013 at 1:52 PM ^

sat out a year after breaking his leg and when he came back lloyd moved him to DB just to get him out on the field i think we had a ton of RB's... fargas stuck it out that year as a DB and then decided to transfer to USC to play one year at running back... 

PurpleStuff

January 27th, 2013 at 11:22 AM ^

Matt Gutierrez is a guy I wish we'd gotten a chance to see in football.

Gavin Groninger is a guy who seemed to develop a weird mental block and played way below his ability level.  I just remember watching him warm up as a senior and he would hit three after three with a feather-soft touch and then throw down a reverse jam without looking like he was trying.  Then he would get in the game for 5 minutes, throw up one three (an ugly miss 4/5 of the time) and sit back on the bench.  Somewhere he is destroying the competition in some rec league.

True Blue Grit

January 27th, 2013 at 1:32 PM ^

Here's a guy who had one of the best pedigree's coming in as a QB:  went to one of the finest football factories in the west (Concord DeLaSalle) and never lost a regular season game as a starter.  Had the size, brain, and attitude to be a success.  Really a shame when the shoulder injury occurred.  But, he should have gotten more of a chance to play the next year when Henne was stinking out the place for stretches.  Can't blame him for transferring. 

UMxWolverines

January 27th, 2013 at 11:24 AM ^

Did anyone else find it odd that Kelvin Grady switched from basketball to football? He became a wide receiver in an offense that doesn't utilize wide receivers much. I feel like he would've helped the basketball team more.

Perkis-Size Me

January 27th, 2013 at 11:24 AM ^

Came in with such high expectations, was more or less the Shane Morris of his time, except he was expected to take over from the first day of practice. For part of his freshman year, he completely surpassed expectations, and we thought we had the makings of the next great Michigan QB. Then he came crashing down to Earth in the typical Forcier family fashion.

JeanClaudeVanD…

January 27th, 2013 at 11:27 AM ^

Charles Woodson /s obviously.



But more recently Tate. I was convinced after watching his hilight tapes he was the perfect fit. Then the emotional meltdown after Denard started the first game of 2010 and the lack of effort from there on out

Hello_Heisman

January 27th, 2013 at 11:28 AM ^

is Clarence Williams. He played a nice supporting role as a RB and returner on several good teams in the 90's (including 97), but he's another example of a player who was super hyped coming in as a freshman. Was going to be this super fast, home run threat at tailback. Instead, he turned into a reliable third down/ receiving back but never seriously challenged the likes of Biakabatuka, Howard and A-Train for the lead back position.

If you want to take it back to the 80's, don't forget Allen Jefferson. That dude was dangerous as a returner and could have been a good RB, but he was too injury prone. Another guy who got a lot of pub when he first got to Ann Arbor as a freshman, but never really panned out.

MGoStrength

January 27th, 2013 at 12:38 PM ^

Agreed on Williams.  Williams, Crable, and Hood were are few guys that all sort of fit the mold of guys you just looked at them and watched them move that you could tell they were physical studs.  They just seemed incredibly athletic.  Although Crable had a decent career I don't think any of them lived up to their ability.

OmarDontScare

January 27th, 2013 at 11:30 AM ^

I still believe Kevin Grady had elite talent but it just never clicked for him for a variety of reasons (drinking, fumbles, loss of confidence, poor vision, etc).

There was a TD run early in his career (ND?) where dudes just bounced off of him and he showed great acceleration and breakaway speed. I remember thinking "holy crap, this guy is going to be amazing.". And then it never happened. Anyone remember this play?

Billy Ray Valentine

January 27th, 2013 at 11:33 AM ^

Recruiting rankings weren't nearly as mainstream as they are today, but Simmons was ranked as the #1 DE in the nation, if I recall correctly. We tried to play him at LB, but it never took.

With then national power Penn State having just joined the Big 10, attracting a top-flight recruit from New Jersey was a big deal. New Jersey was big Penn State territory back then.

Simmons flamed out fairly quickly, and he transferred to Maryland in '96.

Mr. Yost

January 27th, 2013 at 11:34 AM ^

Bass got tragically injured, Grady stayed and did nothing, McGuffie left after getting destroyed for a year.

A lot of hype with those guys, little to show for it.

Sidenote, for those relating it to Green...I'm not 100% sold he'll be GREAT, but I'm a firm believe he'll be at least "good."

Don't forget guys like Brandon Graham and Woodley came in with tons of hype.

It's all hit on miss in the end...it's nice to talk about but you could be Graham/Woodley...you could be Schilling/Burgess or you could be Grady/Paul (yes, Will Paul).

Doctor Wolverine

January 27th, 2013 at 11:36 AM ^

I think one of themes is kids who had a log of potential, but thought they could get by without hard work. What excites me about this class is that it is full of kids who are praised for their work ethic. I remember reading that Green is always the first one to workouts and last one to leave. Natural ability + great work ethic = success on and off the field.

Hello_Heisman

January 27th, 2013 at 11:37 AM ^

Because I keep coming up with names from the past way too easily. The latest one is Tyrone Butterfield. I don't recall how highly touted of a recruit he was but I do distinctly remember that on a team with Mercury Hayes and Amani Toomer at the WR position, Butterfield was given the #1 jersey. As far as I recall, the biggest "play" he ever made was dropping a pass very late in the 95 Virginia game. Had he held on to the ball, he would have been tackled for a short gain inbounds, time would have expired and there would have been no last second Dreisbach to Hayes miracle. So basically, he made the smartest drop in Michigan history and that was about it. How the hell he got the #1 jersey was a mystery to me then and is still a mystery to me today.

Hello_Heisman

January 27th, 2013 at 4:41 PM ^

The #1 jersey was definitely a big deal at that point.  Consider the 3 guys who wore it immediately preceding Butterfield:  AC, McMurtry, Alexander.  Consider the guys who wore it after Butterfield:  Terrell, Braylon.  That jersey was rarely handed out to WRs 15-20 years ago and just like today, if you were given that number it meant you were supposed to be a damn good WR.  It's been a big deal ever since AC wore it.

Don

January 27th, 2013 at 11:42 AM ^

ripped it up with over 1400 yds as a redshirt soph in '88, but then blew his knee out against Minny the next season, and his life spiraled downhill horribly after that.

 

EGD

January 27th, 2013 at 11:51 AM ^

Played two seasons and looked like he was about to become the pre- Brandon Graham.  But struggled with off- field issues and wound up leaving the team.  Resurfaced later in the MAC and then had a brief NFL career.  

Sac Fly

January 27th, 2013 at 11:54 AM ^

Bryan Hogan. I wanted to see him in the net so bad, even when Hunwick was playing well I still hoped Hogan could make it back. He was such an amazing goalie, but he just couldn't get over that groin injury.

CR7

January 27th, 2013 at 11:53 AM ^

Fur sure. Such a shame too. Such an electrifying player only to get caught up in legal troubles and floundered in his senior season at Baylor. :(