Snake oil purchaser primed for breakout season

By Bart Doan  |   Sunday, May 17, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

Michigan Wolverines
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Remember Roy Roundtree? You probably do, but you probably don't all at the same time. You likely remember his story, not knowing even for a minute what his name was that got everyone all riled up.

Roundtree is the man who inspired the famed "snake oil salesman" comment Purdue coach Joe Tiller gifted to the media last year when talking about Michigan counterpart Rich Rodriguez -- who could never get away from the comment, as if he's the first person in the history of college sports to steal another school's recruit at the 11th hour.

A quick scanning of the two schools' offenses would have yielded the suggestion that Roundtree -- snake oil or not -- was needed by both. Instead, the lanky four-star wide receiver from Ohio, of all places, spent his first year on college soil redshirting. Now, Roundtree could be a surprise savior this season.

Though he isn't getting much publicity, Roundtree might have been the biggest positive surprise this spring for the Wolverines. When they lost Tony Clemons, they lost a little more of something they don't exactly have in abundance: experience. For an offense that sees at three-plus-receiver sets most of the time, having so little experience means someone from out of nowhere will need to step up.

Enter Roundtree. Amid veteran Greg Matthews and returning leading receiver Martavious Odoms, Roundtree seemed to be Forcier's go-to guy. He registered an eye-popping end-zone grab on a poorly thrown ball, and hauled in a long bomb while showing off his speed and range.

Rodriguez has mentioned that he plans on using Roundtree at a variety of positions. What makes him interesting is that he is larger than a typical slot receiver but isn't exactly the type of size that you're lobbing fade routes to on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line. One thing seems to be apparent, though, and that's the one thing that matters most. Roundtree can catch the ball. Remember the name.

For right now, he might be "the snake oil guy," but in six months, Roundtree might be the best freshman wide receiver in the Big Ten.
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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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