***UPDATE 11/11/2013***
Boy, this article sure got some folks fired up....namely, Sam Webb at Scout and some other blogger with long hippy hair, who both went as far as to write exhaustive articles with absolutely no basis on how the transfer possibilities below are false. Well, these guys are wrong and I have more info on the article below and how things have gone behind the scenes within the Michigan football program in the past 4 days.
This article was a hot topic among the U-M players and coaches on Thursday and Friday. Head coach Brady Hoke even went as far as calling a press conference on Thursday in which he stated that Deveon Smith would likely get carries against Nebraska after Smith was left in Ann Arbor when the team traveled to MSU the week prior. That promise turned out to be just talk, as Smith never saw the field against Nebraska and will likely never see the field again in his Michigan career.
Hoke and other coaches met with Taco Charlton last week and discussed his playing time and his future. The coaches promised Taco that he would see snaps against Nebraska if he would continue to consider Michigan a place for him to play next season on beyond. The coaches delivered on that promise and played Taco quite a bit and there is still some hope that the blazing fast freshman DL will remain in Ann Arbor past this semester.
Sophomore CB Terry Richardson will not be a member of Michigan's football team in 2014.
Lineman Blake Bars and Kyle Kalis have both taken all the negativity surrounding the Michigan offensive line to heart and are the most likely transfer candidates of the seven players below (other than Richardson, who likely wouldn't be permitted back even if he wanted to). O-line coach Darrell Funk is dead man walking and has lost control of his lineman, who are tuning him out and are going through the motions at practice. Frankly, the o-line will likely get worse this season with 1/2 the guys looking to the future (new coach) and other half considering their options after Michigan (both going pro like Lewan and Schofield and transferring out).
Derrick Green remains a mystery.... after my article, the coaches wisely played him more snaps in a competitive game than the entire rest of season combined (not counting garbage carries in blowouts against CMU and Minnesota). Yes, I, Ace Williams, am directly responsible for getting Derrick Green snaps this week. Thank me later.
Green remains one to keep an eye on, regardless of playing time. ESPN's Jason Whitlock called out Green as overweight and soft in a scathing article of Michigan's team last week. Whether you can handle it or not, Whitlock is spot on and many of the players in the freshman/sophomore class, including freshman class clown Shane Morris, are immature and lazy, not worthy of the praise and 'stars' they got as high school recruits. I would say it is 50/50 on Green being a Wolverine in 2014.
As far as Hoke and his staff are concerned, I was told and almost wrote and article (but held off due to the concerns surrounding this article) that Hoke needed to go at least 2-2 in his last 4 and be competitive against OSU to keep his job. So, unless you believe beating OSU is likely, Hoke may be coaching for his job the next two weeks on the road, needing wins over NW and Iowa to avoid going 7-5 (or worse 6-6) and have the same record or worse as RichRod in his 3rd season (in which was fired). This situation is fluid and can change based on the performance and circumstances of each game, but an internal committee has produced several names to replace Hoke if it comes to that, with 2 NFL head coaches topping the list... and neither are named Jim Harbaugh.
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Original article from 11/7/2013 below:
In an exclusive email conversation from a source very close to the Michigan football program, I have learned that in the past week that at least 4, and maybe as many as 7, underclassmen football players, all of whom were high profile recruits, have taken initial exploratory steps to transfer out of the Michigan football program after the current semester is over.
The source has told me that although the players in question love head coach Brady Hoke and in general love Michigan, there is a consensus that they were misled during the recruiting process regarding several key points - key points that led them to choose Michigan over the bevy of high-profile programs who courted them.
When learning of this news, of course the first thing that I wanted to know was: What were they misled on? Who are the players? The answers are going to very surprising for the folks drinking Hoke Kool-aid.
What do Michigan players feel they were misled on during recruiting?
Several things that I was told were promised to players that are now considering transferring that have not come to fruition during their 1 or 2 seasons on campus:
- - A blitzing defense that attacks the QB
- - Steady rotation of running backs, giving multiple players the chance to get meaningful carries
- - Steady rotation of d-linemen, giving younger guys meaningful snaps
- - A progressive, attacking offense
- - The Big Ten's toughest offensive line
- - Top O-line coaching and technique
- - A Big Ten championship by Hoke's 3rd season, national championship contention by year 4.
Who are the players considering transferring?
Definitely considering or actively looking into the transfer process:
- Derrick Green, fresman RB, 5 stars
- Taco Charlton, freshman DE, 4 stars
- Blake Bars, RS freshman OL, 4 stars
- Terry Richardson, sophomore CB, 4 stars
Rumored to be considering a transfer, no action has been taken yet:
- Kyle Kalis, RS freshman OL, 5 stars
- Royce Jenkins-Stone, sophomore LB, 4 stars
- Deveon Smith, freshman RB, 3 stars
Now, before everyone loses their mind, I'll go further into detail on which players are talking to which and which players' 'factions' are influencing each other.
Terry Richardson is close friends with Taco Charlton and has had conversations with the freshman DE that Michigan is not the place for either of them - and that by transferring to a southern school (perhaps UCF, USF, Louisville) they could play instantly in the 2015 season. Richardson has been nothing short of a bust since arriving on campus, both as a player and due to his work ethic/attitude. Taco was convinced by Michigan coaches that he would start in 2013 if he enrolled early and gave up his last five months of high school.
Awesome reading: The 15 Reasons You Know You Grew Up A 90′s Michigan Football Fan
Taco hasn't gotten playing time, and feels like Michigan lied to him. Is that true? ... probably not, and the fact is, he just isn't talented enough. But, the way he sees it, Michigan misled him in order to land him as a recruit.
Kyle Kalis. Frankly, Kalis was sold on the fact that Ohio State was in transition, would likely struggle for his entire career, and that he could be the super star of Michigan's team for 3-4 years. Kalis was also sold on the fact that Michigan O-line coach Darrell Funk could teach him the technique to become an All-American player and get drafted high in the NFL Draft.... Let's just say that none of those promises are believed to be true by Kalis and those close to him.
Could we have a Justin Boren v2.0? Potentially - word is that Kalis is extremely obsessed with Ohio State and Urban Meyer, and longs to play in his home state for his dream coach.
Blake Bars is rumored to be just plain unhappy: with the team, the coaching, the losing/near-losses and the Ann Arbor cultural scene. Look for Bars to explore his options for a transfer to Memphis.
Derrick Green, Hoke's prize career-making recruit. Green apparently hasn't seen eye-to-eye with his position coach, mostly due to playing time and the fact that he believes less talented players are getting snaps over him due to experience, something Green was promised wouldn't happen at Michigan. Green is also disgusted by the lack of offensive diversity at Michigan, and like Kalis, is very jealous of the play-calling in Columbus that Carlos Hyde is enjoying as RB for the Buckeyes. Green is a guy who may stay due to family pressure, but also may look into the possibility of switching uniforms and suiting up for either Ole Miss or Tennessee.
Jenkins-Stone and Smith are not necessarily actively looking, but are guys who
don't see a future at Michigan. Their classmates at the same position have grossly out-performed them, and they both have too much pride to sit on the bench for another three seasons.
Come back to Chat Wolverines for the latest Michigan football news on this situation in the coming days.