'08 NJ LB Marcus Witherspoon (Michigan signee, transfer to Rutgers)

[wadc45]

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Absecon (NJ) Holy Spirit

Ht: 6-foot-2
Wt: 215 lbs
Forty: 4.5 secs
Bench max: 275 pounds
Squat max: 420 pounds
Vertical: 35 inches

2006 Defensive Stats: 16 sacks

Intersted in BC, Georgia, ND, OSU, PSU, Pitt, UVA and VPI.

 

[wadc45]

Rivals $

1/2

From the VPI site...Marcus is getting mail from Penn State, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Michigan and Virginia Tech. Georgia has offered. He also favors ND and OSU.

 

[wadc45]

Rivals $

2/8

From the PSU site...update on Marcus and teammate William Washington. Michigan offered Marcus yesterday.

 

[jokewood]

Rivals $
Scout (GBW) $

6/2

Committed to Michigan.

 

[super_mario]

Good get for UM as he's one of the Top 3-5 kids in Jersey this year.

UM is in on ALOT of Jersey kids this go-round. Haven't seen anything like it in a long time. Jersey is Steve Szabo's area and he's done a fantastic job there so far. He's secured Witherspoon, and he's got UM in great position with Brandon Smith, JB Fitzgerald, and Will Hill as well.

 

[Cornerback6]

Who else offered Witherspoon supermario? Any notables?

 

[super_mario]

Who else offered Witherspoon supermario? Any notables?

Well he claimed to have over 20 offers, and his Top 2 for the longest time were Michigan and Florida. He was holding off making a decision until he could visit Florida, but made a return trip to Michigan and just committed over the weekend. Don't know all of his offers, but he had two pretty big ones in Florida and Michigan, and like I said they've been his top 2 for the past 3-4 months. It was always going to be us or them, and I'm just glad it's us and not them.

But he could of course still pull a Jerimy Finch.....

 

[jokewood]

Offers: Michigan, Florida, Clemson, NC State, Rutgers, Pitt, BC, plus "test score contingent" verbal offers from PSU and Georgia (both backed off once Witherspoon narrowed it down to Michigan and Florida).

 

[wadc45]

Great get for UM...really like his potential.

 

[jwinslow]

GoVols Free

1/13

Marcus enjoyed his Tenn visit. Unsure if he'll visit MSU & Rutgers.

Witherspoon said his experience during his visit to UT is similar to what caused him to commit to Michigan before head coach Lloyd Carr announced his retirement in November.

"It was the same atmosphere, pretty much the same," Witherspoon said. "It was almost the same reason I did commit to Michigan."

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Witherspoon said he was struck by the relationship between UT's players and coaches.

"How they all just come together as a family," he said. "It shows. Every day it's how everybody is around there.

"It meant a lot. It showed me that I can come there and it could be my home."

Cont'd...

 

[jwinslow]

Courier Post

1/27

Reaffirms UM commitment.

``He felt the bottom line was that a degree from Michigan has some power,'' Walsh said. ``After meeting with the new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, he felt comfortable.

``Marcus had a great visit with Rutgers. He liked (head coach) Greg Schiano, the coaching staff and the players.''

 

[jwinslow]

Witherspoon to return to Mich. | CourierPostOnline.com | Courier-Post

Witherspoon to return to Mich

Despite reports coming out of University of Michigan football camp that Marcus Witherspoon is academically ineligible, the 2007 Holy Spirit High School graduate says that is not the case.

The Courier-Post Defensive Player of the Year, Witherspoon confirmed Thursday afternoon that he did return home to Atlantic City and missed a week of workouts. The freshman linebacker was scheduled to return to the Ann Arbor campus today and continue with football-related activities, also stating that his leave was excused by the Michigan football staff.
"Something came up. The rumors you've heard are probably false, don't believe them," Witherspoon said. "There's nothing that would make me not go back to Michigan.
"It was a personal matter, but all is good. There's nothing bad. It was just a lot of things and I don't really want to talk about it. I'm just keeping quiet."
According to several media outlets in Michigan, it was reported that Witherspoon was having problems with the NCAA Clearinghouse and that he had returned home to finish necessary course work.
...
In regard to reports of being academically ineligible, Witherspoon was quite clear.
"That's false," he said.
Witherspoon said he was second on the depth chart at a linebacker position prior to leaving.
"I missed a week of camp, so I don't know what they'll do until I get back," he added. "I missed some time. If it wasn't for this, I probably -- no, I'm quite confident -- I would have been playing. Whatever the coaches decide will be for the best."

 

[jwinslow]

Rivals $

9/3/08 - RR Presser

RR says LB Witherspoon will not qualify, now or later. Taylor Hill is also transferring. He's not worried, he'll just recruit more.

Huge loss for UM, 'Spoon was a major talent, and Hill brought speed to the new scheme.

 

[jwinslow]

CourierPostOnline.com | Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties pluckpersona | Courier-Post

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Got off the phone a little ago with several people. Marcus Witherspoon is not enrolled at Michigan and is likely to attend Rutgers or Tennessee in January.[/FONT]
While I couldn't get a hold of Spoon himself, I did talk with his father regarding the situaiton. I also spoke with a reporter from the Detroit Free Press who covers the Michigan program.
Looks like Spoon might have got a raw deal. He didn't find out about his ineligibilty until July 28 - although it's not uncommon for the NCAA Clearinghouse to take until mid-August sometimes to determine if a student-athlete can compete.
The way Spoon's father talks, it looks like Michigan dropped the ball and something could have been done a lot sooner.
Bottom line - The Holy Spirit graduate and 2007 C-P Defensive Player of the Year will not wear the maze and blue of Michigan ever. The family is going to make sure he gets cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse - which it sounds like he will be very soon, according to his dad - and he will enroll somewhere else.

 

[jwinslow]

Witherspoon left to wonder by Michigan | CourierPostOnline.com | Courier-Post

Witherspoon left to wonder by Michigan

For two months, Marcus Witherspoon was just like any other freshman student-athlete at the University of Michigan.

Everything was going well. He took summer classes, spent time working out with strength and conditioning coaches and lived in a dorm. He was on the depth chart and looking to make an impact.

"I was there for two months -- two months," Witherspoon said from his Atlantic City home. "Then they tell me out of nowhere that something was wrong. That's what I don't understand."

Michigan said Witherspoon was ineligible, that he had failed to meet the NCAA's initial qualifying standards and had not been cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse. Despite being on campus, attending classes and being treated like any other football player on scholarship, he was no longer allowed to stay.

"It will probably come as a shock, but (head coach Rich Rodriguez) didn't say anything to me," Witherspoon said. "The assistant coaches told me.

"It wasn't fair with what happened. I was supposed to take some classes, and everything would be good and I could go back. That wasn't even the case.

"I was told to do certain things. I did them -- everything they asked me to do -- and still, at the end, it didn't go through. It was crazy."

"When I came home, I didn't hear from (Rodriguez) or any other coach. I tried calling him. I guess with the season ahead -- I don't know," Witherspoon said. "Somebody could have called, informed me. I didn't get any response. They haven't called me yet. He still hasn't called me to this day. It's out, I'm transferring, and he still hasn't called me."

Now, Witherspoon is trying to decide between Rutgers and Tennessee. He plans to enroll in one of the two schools next semester and play football next fall.