Clemons the latest Wolverine to jump ship

By Bart Doan  |   Tuesday, March 31, 2009  |  Comments( 6 )

Michigan Wolverines
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It would be safe to say spring football practice at Michigan wasn't going to be to Tony Clemons' liking. The 6-foot-3 wide receiver and cousin of former Michigan standout and budding NFL star receiver Steve Breaston decided this past week that another year in the winged helmet would be a season too many; as a result, he announced his decision to transfer. Usually, news like this comes in January or during the middle of the season. In a seemingly rare event, Clemons waited until March. It was made public when the reality of his missing practice leaked out en masse.

Rich Rodriguez, for a coach who is notorious for running the football at every opportunity, seems to be stockpiling receivers at a record rate. He already has two in the fold for next season and spoke of last-second commitment Je'Ron Stokes as a guy who would be seeing instant playing time as a freshman. The twist with Clemons? Rodriguez didn't want him leaving. This wouldn't be much news in most programs, but with guys like Ryan Mallett and Steven Threet saying they basically had no options but to transfer after chatting about future roles with Rodriguez, one gets the feeling that he's a straight shooter with the kids he wants and those he does not.

Clemons made no bones about his issues with Michigan; in fact, he was almost refreshing in his candor. He said publicly after the transfer had been announced that it was purely and simply because he didn't desire to play in a spread offense and came to Michigan to partake in Lloyd Carr's style of offense, even mentioning the former Michigan coach by name. On top of that, he noted that his leaving was better for him as an athlete.

It's hard to argue with Clemons, who came into last season looking at competing for a starting spot and ended up with all of 12 catches, none of them meaningful regarding the outcome of games. Clemons came to Michigan with a decent amount of fanfare, rated as mostly a four-star recruit. He was also considered one of the key guys in trying to recruit dual-threat quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, who of course ended up with rival Ohio State. A much more odd twist on this situation is that Clemons figured to see another chance at a starting slot. Michigan returns very few players who made an impact catching the football last season, especially when it comes to outside threats with size like that of Clemons.

Though Rodriguez has an obsession with receiver hoarding, it's hard to argue with his instincts. Maybe it's a situation of one of his recruits panning out by default, but hardly sought-after prospects like Pat White and receiver/hybrid players such as Darius Reynaud or Dorrell Jollah seem to give Rodriguez all of the recruiting glory he needs.

Another aspect of Clemons' departure that makes no sense is his apparent vitriol regarding the spread offense. After all, he does have the athleticism to play in it.

Either way, it is a fond farewell to another Michigan man as of this past week. No matter how often they happen, tansfers never seem to be enjoyable or the norm Clemons, who will next play football as a redshirt junior, has said that he will not attempt to play for another Big Ten school and would prefer ending up somewhere in the Pac-10, ACC or SEC.

For Michigan, it's another player lost. But the beat goes on.

Where one receiver couldn't take it, another was granted a bonus year of eligibility because of injury. His name is Junior Hemingway, and he's is in the mold of Clemons athletically. Now, because of Clemons' departure, he might find a few more passes going his way this season.
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About Bart Doan

Bart has been with Realfootball365.com for about six months and thoroughly enjoys writing for the site. He has been featured for his writings on college football in The Sporting News, The Indianapolis Star, Sports Illustrated, and on CBS Sportsline.com. When he's not drowning himself in the...
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