Michigan Scores A Recruiting Coup With Five Star Running Back Derrick Green

Nov 24, 2012; Columbus, OH, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan head coach Brady Hoke scored a major recruiting coup on Saturday, landing five star running back Derrick Green. The 6-foot, 220-pound Richmond, Va. product is ranked the nation’s No. 1 prospect at his position. He chose Michigan over SEC suitors Tennessee and Auburn.

Hoke’s haul into Ann Arbor compares favorably to that of Big Ten rival Ohio State. The addition of Green improves the Wolverines’ average star rating to 3.58, per Rivals.com. Green is Michigan’s first five star addition to a class that features 16 four star prospects.

Green could work into an immediate contributing role in Al Borges’ offense. Michigan loses quarterback Denard Robinson, a Rich Rodriguez recruit who was something of a square peg in the round hole of the new staff’s system. Borges converted Robinson to running back late in the 2012 season, while Devin Gardner operated as the primary signal caller.

Robinson rushed a team-leading 177, slightly ahead of feature back Fitzgerald Toussaint’s 130 carries. The next most productive Wolverine back only rushed 57 times. The addition of a second, every-down style back will allow Borges to give his offense a more varied look, a la his 2004 team at Auburn with Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown.