Link This is pretty big news. You could very well argue that Marcus had the most pure potential out of anyone from NJ in the class of 2008 not named Will Hill. He almost ended up at Rutgers back in January when he began to re-think his decision about choosing Michigan. A lot of fans thought that we had him. He also considered Tennessee, but in the end though, he stuck with the Wolverines. Now, he's a Scarlet Knight and I couldn't be happier. He's a really big kid and some think he might end up at defensive end. Here's his rivals profile for anyone interested. Again, very big news in a month that has pretty much sucked from the start.
That's where he signed his LOI, so it makes sense it says Michigan. And they probably won't change it since he's essentially a transfer, so to speak.
You'd probably be better off asking a Michigan fan. I didn't even know of the situation until last week when it was published that he wasn't going to Michigan and would decide between RU and Tennessee. But, this is what I think happened. He had some academic problems, and Michigan knew it. So, after he committed, they gave him an outline of what he would need to do in order to become eligible. And according to Witherspoon, he did everything asked of him. He took an online course at BYU and got an A in the class. Everything seemed like it worked itself out. He was practicing with the team the entire summer. Then, out of the blue, he's told that the NCAA didn't clear him and that he won't be able to attend college until January. He gets frustrated because he did what he was told to do, and still got screwed. So, he decides to stay away from Michigan and says that he'll choose either Rutgers or Tennessee and start practicing with the team in January, after he does some prep school stuff. But, this is where it gets really weird. Apparently, the NCAA screwed up and it turns out Witherspoon did pass the clearinghouse and can attend college this fall. He chooses Rutgers (I assume because he thinks it's best to stay home after all the crap he went through) and is starting class on Monday. It's a really weird situation and I'm sure I screwed some of the details up. But I'm just happy he's on the banks now. Out of the three kids from NJ that went to Michigan last year, Witherspoon was the one I wanted the most. But he was also the one I knew we had the worst shot with. But everything worked out in the end.
cpaw, here's an article from a few days ago regarding Witherspoon. It clarifies things a little. Still a very weird situation.
