The epilogue of Kevin Grady

By Bart Doan | Monday, May 25, 2009 | ( 2 )

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Kevin Grady’s story certainly isn’t unique, though it probably would be in a perfect world. Among the things head coach Rich Rodriguez probably is not looking forward to upon returning to Michigan from a supposed vacation is putting the final, inevitable stamp on the running back’s tenure in Ann Arbor.

If you’d have told people four years after Grady signed with Michigan that he’d be exiting campus in the summer of 2009, most would have said that it would have something to do with which NFL uniform he’d be donning. Instead, one major injury and two run-ins with the law will likely have Grady scrambling to cut his teeth on a Division II roster to finish out his college career.

Last summer, Grady was picked up in Wyoming, Mich., behind the wheel of a car in the wee hours of the morning while driving with three times the legal blood alcohol limit. His punishment according to Rodriguez was to be handled “internally,” which meant he was still on the team. As of this past week, Grady -- who tested positive for opiates -- finished out a jail sentence brought on by violating the terms of his probation. At a school not exactly lax on discipline, a formal announcement of his departure isn’t necessary.

Thus, it's a disappointing day in Ann Arbor and yet another cautionary tale about getting too excited about recruits. Grady was the headliner for a Michigan class in 2005 that was ranked as high as No. 2 by Sports Illustrated; that group was one behind Tennessee, another tradition-laden program suddenly in peril, of all teams. Grady was considered a top 50 player in the nation by everyone, and had the option of carrying the ball anywhere he desired. Hailing from Grand Rapids, he chose Michigan after months of back-and-forth speculation. Of the other running backs considered above his level, only one -- ex-Oregon Duck and current Carolina Panther Jonathan Stewart -- has ended up playing in the NFL.

While recruiting is nothing but a crap shoot, Grady’s tale is sad. As a freshman, he backed up Mike Hart and rushed for 483 yards in Hart’s oft-injured stead. Everything seemed to be running according to plan. His sophomore year is when the injury trouble started. Partially thanks to Hart‘s better health and partially because of a decline in his own, Grady was never able to get on the field enough to make the kind of impact expected, not even garnering enough carries to amass 200 yards rushing on the season. Before his junior year, he tore his ACL, converted to fullback, and was forced to red shirt.

The ACL injury was supposed to be the nadir of Grady's career at Michigan. Last season, Grady got spot carries behind several players and never really made an impact when he did. For the upcoming season, he figured to take part in a larger role, what with a much different look to the offense hopefully forthcoming. Rodriguez-coached teams are well known for the crucial use of the fullback. Who can forget West Virginia’s Owen Schmitt banging the blood out of his head with his helmet two years ago? Rare are the offenses that include the fullback in heavy supply, but Rodriguez clearly has not forgotten about the position.

Now, though, Grady is done. His bio is another in a long list of similar ones from 2005, a class that included Ryan Perrilloux as a top quarterback prospect and Patrick Turner as the No. 2 prospect overall. For those who claim recruiting is over-hyped, classes like 2005 -- thanks to the likes of Grady -- can be used as prime examples.

Regardless of where he goes from here, whether it’s winning a Division II title (under NCAA regulations, he wouldn’t be required to sit out a year by dropping a division) or continuing a nondescript career once filled with Heisman promise, those around Ann Arbor will always remember the home-state hero and wonder what could have been.

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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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