Eyabi Anoma was a 5-star DE recruit and the #4 player in the nation, out Baltimore St. Frances (Yes, this is Biff Poggi's school) in the 2018 class. Michigan was recruiting him hard but he picked Alabama and enrolled in January of that year. He made it through his first season, played 90 snaps (12 games - 9 tackles) and for some reason was removed from school. Nick Saban said, "“We have a law that protects players and students in what you can and can’t say,” Nick Saban said when asked about Anoma in August 2019. “The guy was dismissed from school, and that’s really all I can say about it.”
Then Anoma picks Houston and never plays a down and is removed from that team. A new report indicated Anoma did not change his behavior from what led to his dismissal from Alabama. According to Matt Zenitz of AL.com, tardiness, skipping class, clashing with teammates and insubordination led Houston to move on from the talented football player.
0-2 on schools for the 4th ranked player in the 2018 class. So now what?
He then transfers to UT-Martin and sits out the 2020 season. In 2021 he has a pretty good season with 36 total tackles, 9.5 for loss, and 6 sacks. Then last week he decided to transfer again.
Reports from yesterday indicate Eyabi is enrolled at Michigan and is immediately eligible because he is a graduate transfer.
Ok, I have some questions and thoughts:
#1 - How in the world did that transcript get past admissions? We know how tough Michigan is on transfers. Is it because he is grad transfer?
#2 - There is clearly a Biff relationship here and I assume Biff believes in this young man.
#3 - This seems like a risk Michigan usually doesn't take.
#4 - Is this a sign that Michigan is very concerned about its pass rush this season?
#5 - Is he on scholarship? Some numbers show Michigan was over the limit already even with Gabe Newburg retiring.
I'm all for 5-star guys in the transfer portal, but I wonder out loud, "if the juice is worth the squeeze on this one". Also, this is a clear sign Michigan is grasping the new free agent nature of college football.
We will see if Eyabi can break the 2-deep in the next few weeks.
5 comments:
Agreed that this is totally out of character for UofM but I welcome all the DAWGS they can bring on to the roster. If Jim and his staff feel they can keep him on the straight and narrow, that's good enough for me. If not, then he gets his 3rd strike and is on the outside looking in.
I like that Jimmy is giving a talented, yet troubled, kid a chance. I would appoint two dependable players to be mentors to him and make sure he sticks to the straight and narrow. As far as scholarships, I'm pretty sure someone left the team that we don't know of. Let's keep our fingers crossed with Eyabi. Keep in mind, not all the Ray Lewises of the world were alter boys! Go Blue!
He hasn't been officially named as a player on the football team. He's enrolled
Bill Belichick seems to be a coach that can find the players that just need a 2nd chance....but Jimmy ain't Bill. This guy has already burned his 2nd chances so really hope there's more to his story than just a malcontent. It takes a lot, repeat A LOT, to get dismissed from Bama. Like Sparty and the $uckeyes, they almost prefer dudes who already have felony convictions so that's gotta tell you something.
Rudy's comment cracks me up. Lol So true, did you know the SEC stands for 'Sure Everyone Cheats'. Lol
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