Class of 2010: The New Numbers

Editor's note: bumped from the diaries for general usefulness and excellent formatting.

EDIT: About an hour into putting this together, Germany Schultz posted a notice in the forums about the same basic thing. Good discussion, with similar info followed before I noticed it. I hope my diary will still be useful, i.e., you didn't already spend a Monday evening culling the new rosters.

So I sat down to put together the Women's Bracket for the Sweet 16 round of the ongoing M Uniform Tournament (which hopefully will continue tomorrow), and as usual with those things, began by opening up the Athletic Department's site.

On there, bright, fresh and new, were the 2009 football rosters, including the numbers assigned to incoming freshmen. NCAA 2010 players rejoice. As for the rest of us, what follows are the new men in maize and blue. As you imagine the Class of '09 winning Big Ten Titles, Heismans, and National Championships, may your imaginations now have proper numeric associations.

Freshman Recruits:

#FirstLastPosHometownNotes 16DenardRobinsonQB Deerfield Beach, Fla. (Deerfield Beach) David Cone moved to 17 5TateForcierQB San Diego, Calif. (Scripps Ranch) Spring 2VincentSmithRB Pahokee, Fla. (Pahokee) Spring 28FitzgeraldToussaintRB Youngstown, Ohio (Liberty)   84CameronGordonWR Detroit, Mich. (Inkster) Listed as a receiver, has a receiver number. For the moment, Gordon's not a safety 4Je'RonStokesWR Philadelphia, Pa. (Northeast) Brandon Minor's number = redshirt? 14TericJonesSR Detroit, Mich. (Cass Technical)   29JeremyGallonSR Apopka, Fla. (Apopka)   77TaylorLewanOL Scottsdale, Ariz. (Chaparral) Can hopefully fill Jake Long's jersey. His shoes are another matter. 75MichaelSchofieldOL Orland Park, Ill. (Carl Sandburg)   76QuintonWashingtonOL St. Stephen, S.C. (Timberland)   90AnthonyLaLotaDE Princeton, N.J. (The Hun School)   88CraigRohDE Scottsdale, Ariz. (Chaparral) Listed as an "OLB" -- ? 73WilliamCampbellDT Detroit, Mich. (Cass Technical) Spring 7BrandinHawthorneLB Pahokee, Fla. (Pahokee) Spring. Norman Griffith, the Pahokee player who was killed last year, wore 7. 26IsaiahBellLB Youngstown, Ohio (Liberty)   27MikeJonesLB Orlando, Fla. (Edgewater) Spring

5VladimirEmilienS Lauderhill, Fla. (Plantation) Spring 15ThomasGordonS Detroit, Mich. (Cass Technical) Listed as a safety, has same number as RB Mike Cox (sic). For the moment, Gordon's a safety. 2J.T.TurnerCB Massillon, Ohio (Washington)   13AdrianWittyCB Deerfield Beach, Fla. (Deerfield Beach)   34BrendanGibbonsPK West Plam Beach, Fla. (Cardinal Newman)

Walk-Ons:

#FirstLastPosHometownNotes 14NadarFurrhaQB Ann Arbor, Mich. (Pioneer) Same # as Teric Jones, in same class, also on offense. 32O'NeilSwansonRB West Bloomfield, Mich. (Detroit Country Day)   42AlBackeyRB Ypsilanti, Mich. (Ypsilanti)   36JonnyChildersFB Muskegon, Mich. (Mona Shores) Requisite Rich-Rod fullback walk-on 27JordanOwensSR Alpharetta, Ga. (Alpharetta) Slot receiver from Georgia with an open number? Huh? 85JoeReynoldsWR Rochester, Mich. (Rochester Adams)   54JarethGlandaOL Rochester Hills, Mich. (Brother Rice)   59TomLindleyOL Shirley, N.Y. (William Floyd)   66ChristianBrandtOL West Bloomfield, Mich. (Saint Mary's Prep)   67AdamBarkerOL Adrian, Mich. (Adrian)   69ErikGundersonOL Milan, Mich. (Milan)   94CurtGramanLS Cincinnati, Ohio (Elder) Because Turner Booth doesn't last forever 67NathanBrinkDE Holland, Mich. (Holland Christian)   39EddieMurrayPK Royal Oak, Mich. (Royal Oak)   46SethBroekhuizenPK Holland, Mich. (Holland)   93KrisPauloskiPK Indianapolis, Ind. (Pike)


Also of Interest:

#FirstLastPosHometownNotes 19KelvinGradySRGrand Rapids, Mich. (East Grand Rapids)


Things I'd like to say:

• I love that Hawthorne is gonna wear the number of his teammate (and fellow linebacker), Norman Griffith. He's taking on an awful load. I'm so rooting for this kid!
• Also, note what's happened with No. 7 through the years. Under Bo, it's Option QBs like Rick Leach and the first "Wolf" DE/LB hybrid, Mark Jacoby. Under Moeller it's hard-nosed runner Chris Floyd. Under Carr it's 5-star "stud" QBs Chad Henne and Drew Henson (or Spencer Brinton when you can't get one). And now: a tiny slot receiver (Robinson) and a linebacker from Pahokee, Florida, who wears the digit of his late friend. Could these be any more representative?
• Taylor Lewan: YMRMFSP...we get it.
• Denard Robinson in John Navarre's number: I like my irony served in 16's.
• Why is Craig Roh listed as an outside linebacker? Are they trying to give any fan who reads the DL depth chart a heart attack?
• If wearing No. 2 will make Turner into Woodson, does that mean Vlad Emilien and Thomas Gordon are gonna be Charles Stewart and DeWayne Patmon? NTTAWWT