New Orleans Saints wide receiver Willie Snead (83) runs with the ball after a catch against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, in Tampa, Fla. (Jeff Haynes/AP Images for Panini)

METAIRIE, La. – Saints first-year receiver Willie Snead is flattered by comparisons to Lance Moore, even if they start with both players were undrafted, started out on practice squads and aren’t known for their size or their speed.

But Moore was both productive and clutch with New Orleans — valued traits that Snead (Holland Christian, Muskegon Heights) is now exhibiting with the Saints as New Orleans prepares to host Moore’s current team, the Detroit Lions, on Monday night.

“It’s a great comparison because he’s a great player and I respect everything he’s done in this organization and his career,” Snead said after practice Thursday. “He’s not the fastest guy. I’m not the fastest guy. But we can get open and we understand the game. We love the game and we play with a passion. We’re going all out on every play, making plays when the offense needs them and keeping the chains moving.”

Snead and Moore both played college football in the Mid-American Conference, Moore with Toledo and Snead with Ball State. After climbing to second in Ball State history with 2,991 yards receiving, Snead spent his first NFL training camp with Cleveland in 2014, but was released before the regular season. Moore also spent his first camp with the Browns.

Snead briefly latched on with Carolina’s practice squad in 2014 before landing on the Saints’ practice squad for most of last season. A standout training camp and preseason last summer gave Saints coaches little choice but to keep Snead on the active roster when the regular season began.

“I had to prove myself because nobody knew who I was or what I could bring to the table,” Snead recalled. “I had to make sure to put the extra time in not just with practice but after practice and even before practice.”

Some 13 games later, he’s caught 52 passes for 798 yards and three touchdowns, putting him within reach of the 1,000-yard mark in his first full season.

Moore said he’s noticed Snead and finds the comparison “fair,” the main exception being that Moore often launches into flamboyant touchdown dances, while Snead’s celebrations have been more understated so far.

“Obviously he is a young guy who came up the hard way, bounced around a little bit and found a place he is comfortable in and he is making plays,” Moore said. “He is a guy that, kind of similarly to me, you bounce around and find somewhere that is kind of a nice niche for you and you show up and make plays on a daily basis and, obviously, in practice and show up on Sundays and on Mondays or whenever you are playing on film — and they have no choice but to play you.”

When Moore was healthy, he was a key part of the Saints’ offense, three times eclipsing 750 yards receiving in a season, going over 1,000 yards once and 900 yards twice. After missing most of the 2009 season, he returned for the playoffs and made several key contributions, including an acrobatic 2-point conversion in the Super Bowl.

Saints coach Sean Payton agreed similarities between Moore and Snead are apparent.

“He is kind of one of those guys that we’d say he started on first base and not necessarily on third base,” Payton said. “He is similar with his football intelligence. He has naturally good hands and good zone awareness. There would be a lot of fair comparisons that you could draw with him as a player. I say that as a great compliment to Lance. For eight years here, all he did was get open and make plays.”

And quarterback Drew Brees says Snead is showing signs of filling much the same role that Moore did, largely because of his intangibles, such as his versatility, work ethic and ability to read coverages in an offense that calls for adjustments to receivers’ routes depending on a defense’s formation.

“I had so much trust in Lance like that and Willie has a lot of those same attributes,” Brees said. “I think that’s why the comparison is made with Lance. Not only that, but certainly the journey to get here and how he’s worked his way into a pretty significant role in the offense.”

Lions’ Moore faces longtime team: ‘It’s not personal’

501686900.jpg NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 16: Actor Will Smith attends the "Concussion" New York Premiere at AMC Loews Lincoln Square on December 16, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Last week an Ann Arbor high school basketball player hit his head on another player’s forearm and fell to the floor.

The game stopped. The player took a seat on the bench. Within seconds a medical trainer could be seen giving the player a concussion test. I was sitting a few rows behind the bench.

The kid didn’t play the rest of the night.

Last year, my youngest son, who was 15 at the time, bumped heads in a basketball practice at his high school. The medical trainer examined him. My wife and I got a phone call. We took him to a doctor. He didn’t play for three weeks until he passed a series of tests mandated by state concussion protocol.

This Friday, on Christmas Day, a movie about this very subject opens nationwide. It’s called, simply enough, “Concussion,” and it stars Will Smith.

That one of our biggest movie stars — and whether you think he’s still cool or not is irrelevant — is the center of a holiday movie about head trauma says a lot about where we are on the issue.

Ten years ago — heck, five years ago — if a high school kid bumped his head in any sport, chances are he’d get a quick “are you OK?” test and be sent back into the fray. It was a rhetorical question, really, and for decades we used that flimsy “attaboy” attitude to tell ourselves we were redoubling our kids’ character.

In no sport was this truer than football.

A sport I used to play, a sport I’ve always loved, and yet a sport I find increasingly more difficult to watch … guilt-free, at the NFL level in particular, especially when it comes to the collisions, which were once reason to celebrate but now give reason to wince.

You can even hear the unease in the television announcer’s voice at times, because we understand those collisions come with a cost.

What cost?

Well, that’s still a matter of debate and a matter of degree. We can all agree that the way we think about football is changing, from the manner in which the NFL polices collisions to the state-level laws that regulate how we care for head trauma.

And by the way, that’s what a concussion is: a trauma to the brain. Calling it a “concussion” is a public relations win for the NFL. The word doesn’t begin describe the violence a brain endures as it bangs around the skull.

How that trauma relates to longer-term brain damage is the subject of the movie, which tells a story about a Pittsburgh-based forensic neuroscientist who linked the repeated brain trauma of NFL football to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease thought to affect mood, decision-making and function.

Not unlike dementia.

Will Smith plays the scientist, Dr. Bennet Omalu, and the story depicts him as a sort of truth crusader determined to shed light on a dark corner of a billion-dollar business. The movie isn’t without its critics. Some say Omalu’s role is exaggerated.

The movie’s producers have said they had trouble selling the idea to the studios in the beginning. After all, it’s America’s game, right? And who wanted to take on our pastime?

The director, meanwhile, wanted to make sure the movie captured the beauty of the game as well as its violence.

“I loved football,” Peter Landesman recently said on press junket for the film. “I played two years in college.”

He was a linebacker, the spot on the field we associate with the most toughness, a position whose responsibilities include seeking out every play’s intent and then blowing it up. Sacrificing the body. Hurling, without fear, into the center of all the game’s G-force.

Landesman understands, from a field-level view, why we love this game, but also why there are risks. He made the movie to show us the contradictions of this sport.

“Life is complicated,” he said. “There are no easy answers.”

No, there are not.

It’s easier to rationalize letting our sons play at the high school level, even at the college level. But the speed and size and velocity of the NFL game are almost incomprehensible to most of us.

And yet we know enough to know these men aren’t just risking ligaments and bones and tendons. They are risking something more fundamental.

For now, we tell ourselves it’s their choice. That’s true. It is.

Yet it’s up to us to make sure they truly know what the choices are. This, ultimately, is the point of the movie.

It’s existence tells us how far we’ve come. Our reaction to it should tell us how far we have to go.

Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.

Texans’ Hoyer suffers second concussion in a month

Receiver Valdez Showers runs during the Gators’ game against Florida State on Nov. 28 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. He arrived as a cornerback.

Valdez Showers and Florida go back a long way.

How long?

“Urban Meyer,” he said last week.

Showers, the former Madison Heights Madison running back/defensive back, committed to the Gators in August 2010 when Meyer was their coach.

By the time Showers took his official visit to the school in January 2011, Meyer had resigned for health reasons, and Will Muschamp had taken over.

Showers paused but was encouraged.

“I was playing defensive back at the time, and coach Muschamp was a great coach and put a lot of defensive backs in the NFL,” Showers said. “His system was great, so I decided to give it a try.”

Looking back, the coaching transition was the first hint that Showers’ career might not take a straight path.

But five years and four positions later, he has no regrets and has the chance to end it full circle, facing one of his home-state schools, Michigan, in the Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl.

When the matchup was announced two weeks ago, his phone began blowing up with calls and texts from friends back home.

Now he’ll get a chance to show them what he’s been doing since he left.

Showers was ranked as the No. 8 player in the state’s 2011 class, and despite repeated unofficial visits to Michigan and Michigan State — he really liked the Spartans — he felt it was best ultimately to leave home.

“For me that was the deciding factor, just getting away and doing everything on my own,” he said.

He adjusted well to Florida and made the SEC Academic Honor Roll three times in his first four seasons.

The football evolution was a bit rockier.

He arrived as a corner. He moved to safety. After redshirting as a true freshman and playing on the scout team, he was primarily a special teams player in his first year on the field. He speed made him an asset but maybe too much of one to stay on defense.

Before the 2013 season, his redshirt sophomore year, Showers flipped to offense, where he had shined at Madison, rushing for 2,024 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior.

“The running back transition was because we needed depth,” Showers said. “We had a lot of injuries. They didn’t have any speed guys, a home run threat.”

Splitting time between tailback and receiver, he looked natural with six touches for 54 total yards in the 2013 opener against Toledo. While never handling a heavy load, just a few offensive touches per game, he got in the end zone on a catch against Arkansas and was contributing. He scored against Alabama in 2014 on a 28-yard catch.

The past two years he’s been Mr. Versatile, catching eight passes on offense, making 24 tackles on defense and returning eight kickoffs for 113 yards.

Not the career he planned, but he has enjoyed the experience.

“Of course I always feel like I could have done more, but at the same time, I think everything happens for a reason,” Showers said. “I have no problem with how everything worked out. I know I gave it everything I could.”

That disposition has made all the chaos easier to handle, especially as there was another transition before this year with new coach Jim McElwain.

“Being positive is something I’ve learned will help a lot,” Showers said. “I actually felt accustomed to that over the last year and a half, being positive, having a positive mind-set and knowing things will work out. That’s kind of what I do every day, and it helped me. You know, once you think positive, positive things start to happen around you.”

Showers’ decision to play at Florida was unconventional, spurning the local schools. Yet he and his mother feel it has allowed him to mature, meeting new people and adjusting to a different culture. (Though he’s had to set his teammates straight that it’s not really Christmas unless it’s cold and snowing.)

“We support him in everything he does, and having that support actually helps him a lot,” said Showers’ mother, Conya Hall, who was able to find cheap enough flights to get to see him five or six times a year. “Plus having an older brother kind of give him some direction, too. That’s where it comes from.”

While he hopes his speed could let him continue his football career in the pros, Showers is realistic about his chances and knows he still has one more game to make an impression — one he knows everyone at home will be watching.

While Hall still wasn’t sure if she would be able to find a reasonable price to make it to Orlando for the bowl game, watching her son end his career against the Wolverines will make for an interesting conclusion.

“I’m very excited,” she said. “I’m going to root for both teams, because I’m from Michigan and going to root for Valdez as well.”

Contact Mark Snyder: msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder. Download our new Wolverines Xtra app on iTunes and Android!

Up next for U-M

What: Citrus Bowl.

Matchup: No. 19 Florida (10-3) vs. No. 14 Michigan (9-3).

When: 1 p.m. Jan. 1.

Where: Citrus Bowl, Orlando.

TV: ABC (Ch. 7 in Detroit).

Line: Wolverines by 4.

Woods’ head makes contact with Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith in 2004.

As he attended an early movie screening a few weeks ago, Pierre Woods felt his eyes well up.

“Concussion” hits hard for football players, especially former players.

“I almost cried,” Woods said. “My eyes teared, because I identified with it. You’ve got to see the movie. I’m not going to give the ending away.

“At the end of the movie, it touched me. It was very emotional to me.”

In the movie, which will be released nationally Friday, actor Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, whose research into the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy initially was dismissed by the NFL.

Woods played at Michigan (2002-05) and in the NFL primarily with the New England Patriots (2006-10). He also spent time in arena and semipro football.

So he understands the dynamic of the sport, the treatment of injuries and the interaction with medical personnel.

The movie, set in 2005 when Woods was finishing at Michigan, resonated in a way he never expected.

“If I’d have seen this movie when I was in high school (at Cleveland Glenville), my freshman year, I would have never played football,” Woods told the Free Press, after he was interviewed by ESPN for an “Outside the Lines” special to air Sunday morning. “And anybody that knows me knows I love football, absolutely love it, have a passion for it, would run through a brick wall just for football. But the repercussions … we all know playing you can get injured. But after watching that movie …”

His voice wavered. He considered conversations with former NFL players, who watched the movie with him near his Cleveland-area home.

And he thought about Paul Oliver.

Former Michigan football players Jake Long, left, and Pierre Woods greet each other before a golf tournament in 2010 in Ann Arbor.

Woods recalled hosting a recruiting visit at Michigan on Nov. 1, 2002, when Oliver, the nation’s No. 1 cornerback, was visiting U-M with Ryan Mundy and others. They stood in front of Touchdown Cafe, a popular campus bar, for a photo.

Oliver landed at Georgia, in his home state, and Mundy attended Michigan. Oliver played in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers (2008-11).

“He killed himself,” Woods said.

Oliver, then 29, shot himself in front of his wife and sons in September 2013. He received a CTE diagnosis, and his wife and sons sued the NFL for wrongful death, alleging his suicide was a “direct result of the injuries, depression and emotional suffering caused by repetitive head trauma and concussions.”

“For a guy like that to kill himself and go through the depression he went through, it’s crazy,” Woods said.

Windsor: ‘Concussion’ raises important questions

The challenge for Woods is pushing aside those thoughts — and the ones about his former New England teammate Junior Seau, who also shot and killed himself.

Woods said he has considered “hurting” himself, but he always has been stopped by the consideration of his four children and what their life would be like without a father as a role model.

Counseling for other parts of his life has helped address some of his football-related concerns and has pushed him into living as an optimist, forcing himself to “avoid negative thoughts.”

But history might have already done irreversible damage. Growing up was a struggle in Woods’ world. Living in the projects as a kid, he would inflict his own pain every time his father left the family, banging his head into concrete.

Judging from all the times he did that to himself — without a helmet — plus more than a decade of high-level high school, college and pro football, Woods knows he’s a prime candidate for CTE.

A mouthpiece pops free as Michigan’s Alan Branch (80) and Pierre Woods (99) drill Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor in the 2005 Alamo Bowl.

He remembers a U-M game against Washington where he hit the wedge on the kickoff. He said he knocked himself out on his feet and still made the tackle.

“I don’t think I knew I had a concussion,” he said. “I was woozy. But I got back up and was like, ‘Whatever.’ “

Then there was the game in the NFL when he tackled Pittsburgh’s Heath Miller and Miller’s helmet hit him under his chin, causing a hairline fracture in his jaw.

He said he felt like he got hit by Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and George Foreman “at once with one uppercut.” His body tingled for 10 seconds.

As an NFL special-teams player, he loved the camaraderie and the bonding among that group of players, as they’d tell each other, “We’re all we have.”

They said it to unify for football at the time.

Now, their careers over, it’s a rallying cry for their lives as they battle uncertain futures.

“I don’t know how deep it is, because it’s a secret in a sense, a secret society in the NFL,” Woods said. “I can bet colleges are almost the same way. You make so much money for these universities and these pro teams, and they turn around and they don’t want to give the guys the help they need.”

After watching the movie, he’s sure Smith deserves an Oscar for his portrayal.

“It definitely should help people,” Woods said. “A lot of parents are going to definitely go see this movie if nothing else, a lot of people who have kids that play ball. I would recommend it if they didn’t, but a lot of them also are saying, ‘This won’t happen to my son.’

“You just don’t know.”

For Woods, looking back isn’t regret. It’s education.

“You know better, you do better,” he said. “I will never tell anyone, ‘Don’t tell your kid to play.’ But I will be honest about my opinion. It’s mine. It’s not yours. After watching this movie, it’s a very powerful movie. Everybody is talking about ‘Star Wars,’ and ‘Star Wars’ is going to make all this money tonight. Everybody needs to go and support this movie the way they support ‘Star Wars.’ “

Contact Mark Snyder at msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder. Download our new Wolverines Xtra app on iTunes and Android!

Rockford kicker Quinn Nordin

When Quinn Nordin committed to Penn State on July 10 with a private plane video, he had sudden notoriety.

The Rockford kicker is ranked No. 1 in the country by Rivals.com and by the special teams site Kornblue Kicking, but that commitment and video wasn’t the end.

Nordin, 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, announced tonight that he will be taking three official visits before making his final decision — Michigan, Penn State and Baylor. He visited Michigan unofficially for the Oct. 10 win over Northwestern.

Here are the official vists I'll be taking. 1. University of Michigan 〽 2. Penn State University ✊ 3. Baylor University 🔥💯

—
Quinn Nordin (@QuinnNordin) December 21, 2015

Michigan’s kicker situation is uncertain.

Recruiting: Full coverage

Signing Day 2016: Feb. 3

U-M football, hoops recruits

MSU football, hoops recruits

Photos: Michigan’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: MSU’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: 2015 Sound Mind Sound Body

More recruiting news

Senior Kenny Allen, a former walk-on who earned a scholarship this season, has a year of eligibility remaining but fifth years are not promised by U-M.

The Wolverines have another kicker on scholarship, Andrew David from Massillon, Ohio, who redshirted this year as a true freshman.

Contact Mark Snyder at msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder. Download our new Wolverines Xtra app on iTunes and Android!

Devin Bush Jr.

A big week on the recruiting trail has landed Michigan football at No. 2 in the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings, behind only Ole Miss.

U-M entered last week at No. 6 in the nation, but pledges from Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic running back Kareem Walker and Pembroke Pines (Fla.) Flanagan linebacker Devin Bush Jr. – both four-star prospects – moved U-M steadily up the ranks.

If not for another program picking up a big-time commitment as well, the Wolverines would stand No. 1 nationally. Ole Miss landed Allen (Texas) offensive lineman Greg Little, the nation’s No. 4 overall prospect, giving the Rebels the top class in the country.

Bush, a 5-foot-11, 224-pounder and the No. 184 overall prospect nationally, picked U-M over Florida State, where his father (former NFL safety Devin Bush Sr.) was a standout in the 1990s. He is a teammate of fellow pledges Devin Gil and Josh Metellus, both defensive backs.

Recruiting: Full coverage

Signing Day 2016: Feb. 3

U-M football, hoops recruits

MSU football, hoops recruits

Photos: Michigan’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: MSU’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: 2015 Sound Mind Sound Body

More recruiting news

The 6-0, 208-pound Walker also picked the Wolverines over Florida State, with Arizona State in the mix as well.  The No. 41 overall prospect nationally was once committed to Ohio State, but decommitted in November in the wake of an official visit to Ann Arbor.

With the Wolverines’ lofty standing in the team recruiting rankings, is there a chance that they finish No. 1 overall come National Signing Day in February? While they’re in strong position to close with some top-ranked players – including the No. 1 overall prospect, Rashan Gary – that may be too tall a task.

Several programs ranked in close proximity to Michigan, including rival Ohio State at No. 3, have fewer commits than U-M’s 23. The Buckeyes only sport 17 pledges, and with the Top 20 counting toward the calculations for the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings, OSU will get the full point values for each of their next three pledges, whereas Michigan’s next commits will bump one of the lowest-ranked current members of the class out of the calculation.

Even if Michigan’s 2016 class isn’t able to realistically finish No. 1 overall (and every national champion since 2003 has had at least one No. 1 class or multiple No. 2 overall classes), the fun seems to be just beginning for head coach Jim Harbaugh in Ann Arbor.

Tim Sullivan is the Football Recruiting Editor of The Wolverine magazine and TheWolverine.com. He is also a contributor to national football recruiting coverage on the Rivals.com network. You can follow him on Twitter @TimS_Wolverine.

In this Sept. 2, 2015, photo, a football player fills out a baseline test that measures reaction time, attention, memory and stress by completing a series of exercises that involve such things as word recognition in Beverly Hills, Mich.

BEVERLY HILLS, Mich. – Details of the block that knocked Ian Rice to the turf are fuzzy for him now. He remembers falling over. He remembers he couldn’t walk. That was the first sign something was seriously wrong.

His father, watching his son and his Birmingham Groves High School football team from the stands, remembers a little more.

“You’re taught to bounce up and get going, but he didn’t bounce and as soon as a guy doesn’t get up like you’re used to, my heart skipped,” Michael Rice said.

Rice suffered a concussion that sent him to the emergency room last fall, and he sat out the next two games in what turned out to be a 7-4 season. As a defensive captain for a team that was a preseason favorite to win its conference, Rice had every reason to want to return for his senior year.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound middle linebacker — and his parents — also had cause to worry because of the concussion.

His story is one that plays out for thousands of athletes on thousands of high school sports teams across the country. What’s different is that Birmingham Groves is one of 62 Michigan high schools participating in a unique pilot program that does baseline testing of athletes in football and other sports to help with concussion diagnosis.

Baseline testing — a combination of memory, reaction time, attention and stress assessments — is done in major pro sports because it is considered an objective and individualized tool to help decide whether to remove an athlete from a game. The NCAA recommends baseline testing of all college athletes. While all states have laws that address preventing concussions in youth sports, many are weak and none require baseline testing.

Schools typically don’t argue with the benefit of testing, but cash-strapped districts often say the cost of offering such programs is prohibitive. Michigan found the seed money to make it happen this year, taking $10,000 primarily from playoff gate profits.

“The schools that are engaged in the pilot program are learning more about sideline detection and making smarter removal-from-play decisions, “ said Jack Roberts, Michigan High School Athletic Association executive director. “We know they are removing players at a higher rate than schools who are not involved in our pilot programs.”

Health and safety advocates fear concussions often go undetected in high schools because of inconsistent protocols at districts unwilling or unable to spend money for detection. It’s often on players to self-report concussions, or on coaches, who have many responsibilities and sometimes little training, to recognize symptoms.

The National Federation of State High School Associations says the only state association doing anything similar to Michigan is Mississippi, though that program covers far fewer schools and only football.

Many sideline concussion-testing programs are on the market at different price points. Michigan is testing the Illinois-based King-Devick Test affiliated with the Mayo Clinic and Maryland-based XLNTbrain Sport. The association provides them for free to the schools this year and next. Long term, Roberts thinks the association could fund it in part with a $3 to $5 fee per student.

The association expects to spend $20,000 next year to continue the program, Roberts said. He would like to see legislators assist, especially for poorer school districts, but the association is also working to get grants.

Steven Broglio, associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and director of its NeuroTrauma Research Laboratory, co-authored a study that recommends such protocols at schools. It also urges hiring full-time athletic trainers to attend games and practices, something also recommended recently by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

He supports the school’s efforts, but with caution about the program’s ability to be widely applied.

“I’m a little concerned that they’re saying here’s a package that a coach, parent, anybody can use and that that’s good enough,” Broglio said. “Coaches are there to coach the team. They’re not necessarily there to manage medical injuries or medical conditions. Parents may or may not have the training depending on what their background is. “

The school in the Detroit suburb of Beverly Hills employs a full-time athletic trainer. Nationwide, just one-third of high schools have one, Broglio said.

Birmingham Groves athletic trainer Kelly Salter spent about seven hours in August giving baseline tests to about 140 fall athletes in boys’ football and soccer and girls’ volleyball and cheerleading.

Baselines were determined during 30-minute sessions at computers set up in a classroom. The tests measure reaction time, attention, memory and stress by completing a series of exercises that involve such things as word recognition.

Athletes suspected of a head injury undergo a sideline assessment done in about five minutes with an iPhone or tablet app. It assesses memory by providing words for the athlete to remember. It asks questions that require the athlete to recall the hit. The athletes also hold the phone as they stand tandem for 20 seconds with eyes open and then closed to check balance.

That assessment is compared to the athlete’s baseline data to help determine whether they can return to play.

Salter was on the sideline for the second game of this season when Rice, back for his senior year, left the game and went to her after taking a blow to the head from the opponent’s fullback.

“I just told her I think I got a neck stinger and a little concussion,” Rice said. “We have an end zone camera, which you can see it really clearly where his head snaps my head back. I could tell immediately that something was up so I just went off.”

She administered the sideline test — including a memory assessment that can be done with an iPad or iPhone — measured it against his baseline and removed him from the game. He was able to play the next week after being cleared by his doctor.

Rice was able to finish the season without another concussion, his father watching nervously from the stands for every game with one eye on the play and the other firmly on his son. They revisited the conversation about whether he should be on the field.

“He’s 17 and I don’t think I would deny him his ability to play,” Michael Rice said. “I would never do that, but we talk very directly about risk and reward.”

Ian helped lead the team to the conference championship and its first undefeated regular season since 1978. And that may be the end of football for him — he’s thinking about trying to be a walk-on, but more focused on getting a business degree.

Although it led to many anxious moments, Michael Rice said he was glad he didn’t interfere with his son’s desire to play.

“Was the risk worth the reward, absolutely,” he said. “I watched my son grow into a fine young man.”

Meanwhile, Roberts and the association will continue to press ahead on the funding puzzle and hopefully create a model for other states.

“I think some of the other states think we’re nuts, that this was a project that they didn’t need to undertake,” Roberts said. “We just thought it was important.”

————

Associated Press Video Journalist Mike Householder contributed to this report.

Detroit King wide receiver Donnie Corley had given himself a Dec. 23 deadline to pick a school, but the deadline has come and gone and he is still undecided.

Senior wide receiver Donnie Corley helped Detroit King win the Division 2 state championship over Lowell with a game-winning touchdown catch as time expired.

The top-ranked uncommitted senior in the state, Corley had hoped to announce his choice by Wednesday because he wanted to enroll in school in January so he could participate in spring practice, but that is less likely with each passing day.

“I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to finish this online class,” Corley said Wednesday morning. “If I don’t, I’m just going to wait it out and I won’t go early.”

Corley said he is still trying to decide among Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Tennessee. But he added that he would have announced his decision by now if he was able to enroll early, which can’t happen until he finishes the online class.

Recruiting: Full coverage

Signing Day 2016: Feb. 3

U-M football, hoops recruits

MSU football, hoops recruits

Photos: Michigan’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: MSU’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: 2015 Sound Mind Sound Body

More recruiting news

“I would have,’’ he said, “if I was for sure, for sure finishing the class.”

Although time is running out, Corley is holding out hope that he can complete class requirements to enroll early.

“I’ve been working on it,” he said. “It’s a possibility, but I’m not sure.”

Corley recently added an offer from Miami, but that won’t come in to play unless he doesn’t enroll early.

The captain of the Free Press All-State Dream Team offense, Corley caught 59 passes for 1,408 yards and 16 touchdowns, including the game-winner on the final play of the Division 2 state championship game.

He was also a standout in the secondary and could conceivably play cornerback or safety in college.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Robert Hudson of Walled Lake Western.

One of the largest prospects in the nation for the class of 2017 is Robert Hudson of Walled Lake Western.

Checking in at 6-foot-8 and 295 pounds, Hudson has college coaches very intrigued with his upside. Several schools have already offered him a scholarship and others are in frequent contact.

“Currently I have offers from UMass, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan,” he said. “The other schools that have been keeping in contact with me so far have been Michigan State and Wisconsin. I’ve also have had Penn State come to my school and get all of my information.”

A Michigan State coach stopped into Walled Lake Western shortly after the Spartans won the Big Ten championship against Iowa.

“Coach (Brad) Salem is the recruiting coordinator for our area,” Hudson said. “Michigan State University is a good college with good coaches and good athletes. All around they are a good school whether it’s on the field or in the classroom.”

The increased interest in Hudson is not just his improvement in skills as a football player. Hudson has worked hard over the past year to get himself to his current playing weight. This past fall, he was a key piece of the puzzle for coach Mike Zdebski on the defensive line as the Warriors went 12-1 and advanced to the state semifinals.

Recruiting: Full coverage

Signing Day 2016: Feb. 3

U-M football, hoops recruits

MSU football, hoops recruits

Photos: Michigan’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: MSU’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: 2015 Sound Mind Sound Body

More recruiting news

“I had a transformation last year from 385 pounds,” Hudson said. “Defensive tackle was my main position this year. I had to get a handle of that position since that’s where my team needed me most. That is the most important thing for me, where I’m needed for the betterment of the team. All of my current offers have said I can play either (DT or OT), though some of the bigger colleges see me as an offensive tackle, though, because of my pure build and size.”

Hudson’s transformation as a player is due to a combination of diet and exercise, coupled with self-discipline. Many players have arrived on college campuses and been taken aback by what it takes to get to a proper playing weight. Hudson looks forward to being able to reach a size that will allow him to best utilize his skills. His playing weight at the next level could be close to 320 pounds.

Michigan State offensive line coach Mark Staten likes tackle prospects with length, and Hudson has that. All it may take for Hudson to receive a scholarship offer from the Spartans is for him to work with Staten at a camp or combine setting. Hudson should be invited to the Michigan State “Big Man Camp” held in early June.

I expect Hudson’s offer list will continue to grow slowly through the winter as teams continue to evaluate him. Once he works out as an offensive tackle at camps and combines, his recruitment could really take off. Hudson could turn into a tackle prospect that an elite program such as Michigan State will want for 2017.

Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for SpartanMag.com and Rivals.com.

Troy Athens long snapper Robinson commits to MSU

Detroit Free Press sport writer Perry A. Farrell, left, and Detroit Free Press executive editor Robert Huschka, photographed with Dream Team award winner Brandon Randle from Battle Creek Central High School, during the 2015 Detroit Free Press Football Awards Banquet on Sunday, December 13, 2015, in Dearborn, MI.

Brandon Randle, 18, leaves for his basketball tournament in Battle Creek, Mich. on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. Randle is from Raleigh, North Carolina, but goes to school at Battle Creek Central High School and lives with his football coach, Lorin Granger, and his family. Randle was going to return to Raleigh after his grandfather, who he was living with in Battle Creek, was in a car accident his junior year.

Brandon Randle, 18, is from Raleigh, North Carolina, but goes to school at Battle Creek Central High School and lives with his football coach, Lorin Granger, and his family. Randle was going to return to Raleigh after his grandfather, who he was living with in Battle Creek, was in a car accident his junior year.

BATTLE CREEK – Brandon Randle sat poolside at the Granger home in July 2014, when Kayden Granger, now 9, sat down next to him and began peppering him with questions and talking incessantly.

Randle had only recently moved into the Granger home and no one knew what to make of the living arrangements — least of all Randle, who was about to begin his junior year at Battle Creek Central.

But Randle was amused by the younger of Audra and Lorin’s two children.

“It took a while because he was very quiet,” said Kyler, 14. “I think that kind of helped him open up — it was like we wanted something to do with him.”

The Grangers wanted everything to do with the black youngster living with the white family, even if it was supposed to be just for a short time and even though he was basically a complete stranger to everyone in the house except Lorin, the head football coach at Central.

“I knew Coach Granger, but I really didn’t know Kyler or Kayden or Momma G,” Randle said. “I wasn’t nervous. I didn’t know I was going to feel right at home, but I knew I was going to be taken care of. There was no doubt in my mind everything was going to be set for me.”

Everything was set for Randle — and now it will be set for the next four years after he became a Free Press All-State Dream Team football player and accepted a scholarship offer from Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio.

No one, not even Randle, 6-feet-2, 217 pounds, knew he would blossom into one the best prospects in the state, so it hit him hard when he was honored at the recent Free Press/National Football Foundation banquet.

“When I was sitting on the dais and they called my name and saying all that stuff about me, that was kind of surreal,” Randle said. “Then getting my award and taking pictures with Coach Dantonio and my family, that was kind of surreal.”

Randle considers the Grangers part of his family. But don’t mistake this for a story about a white family trying to rescue an abandoned, hopeless black youngster.

Dream Team award winner Brandon Randle with Lorin and Audra Granger, and Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio during the 2015 Detroit Free Press Football Awards Banquet on Sunday, December 13, 2015, in Dearborn, MI.

Randle was living with his successful parents — Deanna and Aroson Randle — in Raleigh, N.C. His mother grew up in Lansing and ran track at Michigan State before transferring to Clemson.

It was decided that Randle would move to Battle Creek and live with his maternal grandfather, Corey Bouyer, prior to his eighth-grade year. He started on the freshman football team and the junior varsity team as a sophomore, was brought up to the varsity for the final game of his sophomore year and saw the field for a handful of plays.

“It’s not like he was amazing or anything,” Kyler said. “He was good, but that was just on JV.”

A growth spurt highlighted Randle’s sophomore year, so by the time track season rolled around he looked like an athlete.

Each summer Randle returns to Raleigh to live with his parents, but shortly before he was set to return to Battle Creek for his junior season his grandfather was seriously injured in an automobile accident and faced several hip and leg surgeries and months of therapy.

“He couldn’t take care of me,” Randle said, “because he couldn’t take care of himself.”

With the start of practice quickly approaching, Randle began calling Granger, with whom he had a good relationship. Granger spoke to Randle’s mother and said he would do whatever he could to help.

But Randle was out of options when he reached Granger one more time when he and Audra were in California.

When her husband returned after taking the call, Audra knew there was something wrong. Her husband told her Randle had nowhere in Michigan to live.

“Why can’t he live with us?” she asked.

Granger looked at her and exclaimed: “Oh, my God, you’re the best wife ever.”

Audra was taken aback. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” she said. “Slow down.”

There was no slowing down, thanks to the question Audra asked, even if Granger had sort of worked toward getting her to ask it.

“Coach told me that was what he was going to suggest, but that’s what he does all the time,” Randle said, laughing. “She said exactly what he wanted to hear.”

Before long. Audra realized she had been played.

“I don’t know why I said that,” she said. “It just came out of my mouth.”

Things happened fast after that. The Grangers had just recently moved into a new home, and a room that could be Randle’s was filled with boxes — never mind that whole thing about convincing Randle’s parents to allow the oldest of their three children to move in with a family they didn’t know.

That led to a meeting between the Randles and the Grangers, which went better than anyone anticipated.

Deanna quickly realized the families had more in common than not. The Grangers own two insurance agencies and the Randles own two day care centers.

“It was a great relationship,” she said. “Their family was very similar to ours. They have two younger children, we have two younger children. They’re small business owners, we’re small business owners.

“They like sports and we like sports. They really pay attention to college football and we really pay attention to college football as well.”

And they also pay attention to their children.

Brandon Randle, 18, looks at Christmas cards with Audra Granger, 32, on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. Randle is from Raleigh, North Carolina, but goes to school at Battle Creek Central High School and lives with his football coach, Lorin Granger, and his family. Randle was going to return to Raleigh after his grandfather, who he was living with in Battle Creek, was in a car accident his junior year.

The primary objective of the Grangers was to make Randle as comfortable as possible as soon as possible.

“As soon as I got there, that first night,” Randle said, “Momma G said: ‘This is your house now.’ ”

It didn’t take long for Randle to begin referring to Audra as “Momma G.”

“When he started calling my mom Momma G,” Kyler said, “he just started to fit in.”

That much was evident when the three youngsters hopped on bicycles and went for a ride through the neighborhood.

“As they were riding away Brandon was going right down the middle of the road and had his arms spread out,” Granger said. “It was like he was just kind of flying. You could just tell, even though he hadn’t said much, he just felt comfortable.”

Randle became even more comfortable on that ride as he met some of Kyler’s friends.

“That morning, it was kind of funny,” Kyler said. “Every kid we saw he asked: ‘Hey, do you have a sister my age?’ ”

While Randle was thankful to have a place to stay until his grandfather recovered, the Grangers were grateful on several fronts.

“I was excited because I was the oldest when it was just us, and I was excited to have an older brother,” Kyler said. “We’re kind of to the age where me and Kayden don’t like to do a lot of the same stuff. It’s fun because Brandon likes to do a lot of the stuff I like to do because I’m really into sports, too.”

Brandon Randle, 18, plays a game with Kayden Granger, 9, at their home in Battle Creek, Mich. on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. Randle is from Raleigh, North Carolina, but goes to school at Battle Creek Central High School and lives with his football coach, Lorin Granger, and his family. Randle was going to return to Raleigh after his grandfather, who he was living with in Battle Creek, was in a car accident his junior year.

Kaden was happy because he had another playmate, a willing participant whenever he wanted something to do like play catch or jump on the trampoline in the front yard.

“He’s, like, nice,” Kayden said of Randle. “He doesn’t really like to say no. If you ask him something he’ll say yes. I’ve never heard him say no.”

Randle doesn’t say no to Kayden or Kyler because he genuinely enjoys hanging out with them.

“They’re cool; we became good friends,” he said. “They’re like my little brothers. We play games together, we just chill and do stuff regular brothers do.”

With a stable environment, Randle could concentrate on school work and his junior football season. Gradually he became a force at outside linebacker and wide receiver.

Then he had a coming out party in Week 5 against St. Joseph.

Central hadn’t had a notable victory in years, but the Bearcats handled St. Joseph and Randle was a big part of it. He made tackles all over the field and added a pair of spectacular catches, one of which wound up as one of Bleacher Report’s top plays of the week.

“That was the game he kind of realized there weren’t many people that he couldn’t compete with,” Granger said. “They had two Division I players on that team, and I think he realized he was every bit as good a player as those guys are.”

Randle finished the season strong and compiled a highlight film that dazzled Granger, who sent it to MSU assistant coach Mark Staten, whom Granger knew well. He figured Staten would give him an honest evaluation of Randle and tell him at which level in college he was capable of playing.

“He called me at 6 o’clock the next morning,” Granger said. “He told me: ‘We’ve got to get that kid in campus.’ ”

Brandon Randle, 18, packs clothes to travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, for Christmas with his family, on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. Randle goes to school at Battle Creek Central High School and lives with his football coach, Lorin Granger, and his family. Randle was going to return to Raleigh after his grandfather, who he was living with in Battle Creek, was in a car accident his junior year.

Over the course of the next few months Randle made several trips to MSU, none more important than the one in late March, where he and Granger were quickly ushered into Dantonio’s office.

With little fanfare, Dantonio offered Randle a scholarship.

Randle was flat-out stunned. The offer caught Randle off guard and he struggled to catch his breath.

“I didn’t expect you were going to offer me,” Randle said. “I didn’t think I was that good yet.”

Dantonio assured him he is that good. Randle eventually committed to MSU in June.

To this day, Randle is astonished to be headed to MSU in the fall.

“There was no idea that I’d even have a scholarship offer,” he said. “When I moved up here the mind-set was to come up, play football with my friends — with my team — finish out high school. None of that was even thought of. It was my ambition, but nobody knew it was going to come to life.”

Randle had one more commitment to make. By the end of his junior year his grandfather was healthy again and was willing to take care of Randle again when he returned from North Carolina to begin football practice.

But Randle decided he wanted to remain with the Grangers, who did not want to see him leave.

“This was just supposed to be a temporary thing until my grandad got better,” he said. “But after a few months of staying there we just became so close, kind of like a real family.”

He became so much a part of the Granger family that he is included in all the family photos and willingly accompanies them when they attend extended family functions.

“This has worked out much better than I hoped for,” Audra said. “I never imagined that it would work out this well. I love him like he’s my own child and I would do anything for him.”

Through Randle, the Grangers and the Randles have become terrific friends. The Randles have visited Battle Creek several times, and each time the families have become better friends.

“Actually, his family is wonderful,” Audra said. “He’s got an awesome little brother and sister and I enjoy spending time with them and his parents. We talk often — we text, we call, we e-mail. We keep each other in the loop.”

Because of that, Randle is at no risk at falling behind academically — he now has two sets of parents watching over him.

“I’m connected with his teachers,” Deanna said. “His teachers send me e-mails and I forward Audra those e-mails because I know she’s going to see Brandon before I see him.”

Audra hopes she continues to see Randle long after he graduates from high school and moves on to MSU.

“I had a very difficult time at the end of football season,” she said. “Next year’s going to be really rough, but it will be OK. This has become our normal.”

It has become Randle’s normal, too, which is why he knows his relationship with the Grangers won’t end anytime soon.

“Well, it stays as is,” he said. “The relationship will still be there. They’ll be coming to my games and I’ll still come back on breaks to visit them. They treat me just like if I was their own son.”

In a way, that is exactly what he has become.

King’s Corley, state’s top receiver, still undecided

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Michigan State’s Lawrence Thomas carries the Paul Bunyan trophy after the Spartans’ final-play 27-23 victory over U-M on Oct. 17 in Ann Arbor. Thomas was the top-ranked prospect in the state out of high school.

EAST LANSING – Lawrence Thomas can easily see and put into words the progress of the Michigan State football program he joined in 2011.

“When I got in there we thought the Outback Bowl was a national championship,” Thomas said of a win over Georgia when he was a freshman, redshirting because of a shoulder injury. “The growth this program has had is just real amazing to see.”

The progress of Lawrence (LT) Thomas is easy to see within that program. Maybe not so easy outside it.

Those who follow recruiting know that Thomas was the top-ranked prospect in the state out of Detroit Renaissance, a middle linebacker with a “five-star” rating from some recruiting services. He is now a fifth-year senior with modest numbers at defensive end — 35 tackles, 41/2 for loss with three sacks — after a solid junior season at defensive tackle, a sophomore season plagued by a back injury and a redshirt freshman season at fullback.

That might not be “five-star” stuff. But the fact that the 6-foot-4, 305-pound, athletic Thomas has blended in as one of the guys also helps explain why MSU is 12-1, ranked No. 3 and preparing to play No. 2 Alabama (12-1) Thursday in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

This team has a lot of talented players. It also has 12 player-elected members of the leadership council each season, and the once-quiet Thomas is one of them.

“He’s a guy who’s completely unselfish. He’ll do whatever it takes to help our team win, and he’s shown that throughout his time here,” MSU senior linebacker and captain Darien Harris said of Thomas. “We see that and understand what it takes to be unselfish and understand what it takes to be a real team player and team leader, and he’s definitely done that.”

Going back to that redshirt freshman season in 2012, Thomas made a difficult over-the-shoulder catch on a trick pass from Le’Veon Bell to help MSU come back and beat TCU, 17-16, in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. Most of the time, he hunted linebackers to give Bell creases.

“It was an amazing experience to actually block for Le’ Bell,” Thomas said. “At that time I was going through position changes and everything, and he said, ‘While you’re over here you’ve just got to focus on fullback.’ That’s what I did.”

There have been no thoughts of returning to offense since then — “I don’t like getting hit, they can keep the ball out of my hands,” Thomas said — but he still thinks of another position.

“My heart is always linebacker, I still think I can play linebacker,” said Thomas, who was voted MSU’s most improved player last season after getting 30 tackles and three sacks at defensive tackle. “But right now I’m in love with D-line.”

The stars of that line are senior defensive end Shilique Calhoun and sophomore defensive tackle Malik McDowell, while Thomas has taken on the difficult task of replacing Marcus Rush. Thomas was among several Spartans who won their individual battles regularly and contributed to stuffing Ohio State’s rushing attack in MSU’s 17-14 win over the Buckeyes on Nov. 21.

That physicality as a run stopper is exactly what MSU needs from Thomas against Alabama and bruising back Derrick Henry.

“Our D-line as a whole has really stepped up the intensity the past half of the season,” MSU co-defensive coordinator Mike Tressel said, “and that’s Malik, that’s Shilique, that’s LT, that’s the whole crew.”

An NFL opportunity figures to be there for a guy who has played well on the interior and edge of MSU’s defensive line, but the focus is a career culmination that few college football players get to experience. Thomas said his father, Willis Lawrence, has been in his ear regularly to get him even more psyched about playing Alabama for a shot at an national title.

“I love games like this. These are the games you live for,” Thomas said. “As a child you see all the big games and I have an opportunity to play in one of those games. So I’m blessed.”

Contact Joe Rexrode: jrexrode@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @joerexrode. Check out his MSU blog at freep.com/heyjoe.

Cotton Bowl

Matchup: No. 3 Michigan State (12-1, 8-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 2 Alabama (12-1, 8-1 SEC).

Kickoff: 8 p.m. Thursday, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas.

TV: ESPN.

Line: Crimson Tide by 91/2.

Meet Lawrence Thomas

Who: Michigan State senior defensive end.

Age: 22.

Vitals: 6-4, 305 pounds.

From: Detroit.

School: Detroit Renaissance.

Last season: Named MSU’s most improved defensive player after recording 30 tackles at defensive tackle.

This season: Has 35 tackles, including 41/2 for loss and 3 sacks, in 13 starts at end.

Did you know? He caught seven passes for 78 yards playing fullback as a redshirt freshman.

Mother’s MS keeps MSU’s Donavon Clark grounded

Canton’s Cameron Dillard never received a scholarship offer from U-M or MSU. That’s on his mind as he faces U-M as Florida’s starting center.

When Florida takes the field for the Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl, Cameron Dillard will be in the middle of the action.

As the Gators’ starting center, that’s his job, and it may appear he’s doing it calmly when he looks across the line at Michigan.

Inside, though, the Canton native will be motivated.

“He’s going to be fired up, no question,” said Canton coach Tim Baechler, who coached Dillard in high school. “He’s not fired up verbally. He’s laid-back. But inside his helmet, he’ll be in a rage, a controlled rage.”

It’s a four-year fury for Dillard, who grew up 20 miles from Michigan Stadium but never drew any real interest from the Wolverines.

U-M’s run game faces another test against Florida

Michigan and Notre Dame were looking for a number, and at 6-feet-3, Dillard wasn’t tall enough to be their center. Michigan State showed some interest, but that changed during the process. Regardless of the reason, there were never any scholarship offers from those schools for the 2011 Free Press All-State Dream Team pick.

He had nibbles from smaller schools, and when Oregon offered, the three-star recruit drew more interest.

“I used to train with Lomas Brown, a former Gator great,” Dillard said of the longtime Lion. “He got me in connection with the right coaches down here.”

For the Gators under then-coach Will Muschamp, it was a good fit.

But Dillard had to be patient. Each of his first two years, Florida had a talented, All-SEC caliber center. His first year, Jonotthan Harrison, now the starting center for the Indianapolis Colts, had the job. Last year’s starter, Max Garcia, is now a guard for the Denver Broncos.

So Dillard put on weight, growing from 285 pounds in high school to nearly 325 now. He prepared to take the job at the first opportunity.

Now he may not give it up after starting the first 11 games this year. A leg injury kept him out of the final two games, but he’s headed for another start in the bowl.

“It’s pretty exciting to see the guys ahead of me being successful,” he said. “Just hopefully I can continue to work hard and make things happen.”

Dillard performed well throughout the season, standing up against some of the nation’s best defensive fronts in the SEC.

Getting that chance under an offensive-minded coach this year in Jim McElwain has helped Dillard tremendously.

“He emphasizes leadership,” Dillard said. “We knew (AD Jeremy) Foley would make the right decision for us and get the program back on track where it should be. We just had faith and continued to work hard.”

Dillard was already used to adjustment, having switched offensive line coaches the year before.

“(McElwain) had been the offensive coordinator at Alabama at one point, so he carries a lot of credibility with him,” Baechler said. “Offensive line guys and (O-line) coaches are unique guys, and they kind gravitate toward each other. He liked the guy right away, and then the guy believed in him, so Cam’s got his back — him and the head coach.”

The Gators have won 10 games under McElwain after winning seven under Muschamp last season. Dillard can feel the difference throughout the program.

That’s what Baechler hears when Dillard texts him regularly throughout the season, maintaining a close bond. It stems back to high school, when Dillard became closer to the coach than most players, heading to Baechler’s house for dinner and to play games with his young son, Lou, who still reaches out to Dillard.

Baechler remembers a game against Plymouth during Dillard’s senior year, when Plymouth had a defensive player heading to Buffalo.

“The first series, Cam drove him into our sideline and dumped him on his back and landed on him,” Baechler said. “He got a 15-yard penalty, (and) I didn’t care. It was a great block. … A D-1 kid? How dare you line up against me? You’re going to Buffalo, I’m going to Florida and this is why.”

Even though Dillard has a few close high school friends playing for the Wolverines — he called and texted with U-M’s David Dawson and Wyatt Shallman after the bowl announcement — the U-M defensive linemen are likely to draw his wrath.

“Coming into college, we always talked about how cool would that be if we played each other,” Dillard said. “It’s kind of a small world now that we’re playing them Jan. 1.”

And that slight from more than four years ago?

“Two in-state schools — one I’m 20 minutes from, the other I’m an hour away from — didn’t want me to play for them,” he said. “So yeah, I have a chip on my shoulder. … That’s immediately my thought going to play one of them.”

Contact Mark Snyder at msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder. Download our new Wolverines Xtra app on iTunes and Android!

Citrus Bowl

Matchup: No. 14 Michigan (9-3, 6-2 Big Ten) vs. No. 19 Florida (10-3, 7-1 SEC).

When: 1 p.m. Friday.

Where: Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando.

TV: ABC (Channel 7 in Detroit).

Line: Wolverines by 4.

Harbaugh did a ‘great job,’ former U-M coach Carr says
Wolverines know they must improve their tackling

Devin Bush

ORLANDO – Devin Bush Jr. came to Orlando for the Under Armour All-America Game.

But the incoming Michigan freshman linebacker’s life is on its way to Ann Arbor — “already shipped,” he said Monday — where he’ll head immediately after the Jan. 2 high school all-star game at the Citrus Bowl.

“No matter where I was going to go I was going to get there early and get a head start,” Bush, the Pembroke Pines (Fla.) linebacker, said Monday at the Orlando World Center Marriott, after arriving for a week of practices leading up to the game.

“It’s going to help me a lot, get a head start on the weight program, get a head start on learning college life, how it works and getting down with the scheduling,” he said, adding he expects only the announced seven early enrollees to make up the January class.

Though the 2016 four-star linebacker only announced he was heading to Michigan on Dec. 16, choosing the Wolverines over Florida State, where his father played on the 1993 national championship team, U-M’s roster gap stood out to him.

“They know they need linebackers, they have a lot of senior linebackers leaving and I have an opportunity,” he said, referring to graduating seniors Joe Bolden, Desmond Morgan and James Ross. “I thought about it with my family, talked it over and it felt like the right place for me.

“I had to tell a couple (other coaches) I have a great relationship with that I can’t go. It was tough but at the same time, a decision had to be made, it had to be a business decision for me; somebody had to get no’s, somebody had to get yes.”

That concept of the “business decision” is why he wasn’t swayed when U-M defensive coordinator and linebackers coach D.J. Durkin left to take Maryland’s head coaching job.

Durkin told him he had to do what’s best for himself and his family and Bush appreciated the honesty, seeing his own decision in much the same way.

Recruiting: Full coverage

Signing Day 2016: Feb. 3

U-M football, hoops recruits

MSU football, hoops recruits

Photos: Michigan’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: MSU’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: 2015 Sound Mind Sound Body

More recruiting news

And he had faith in U-M coach Jim Harbaugh to find a replacement.

“I’m committed to Michigan and I know Harbaugh’s not going to bring in a guy that’s not committed to the team and be a cancer to the team,” Bush said. “He’s going to bring a guy that’s going to be teacher, going to develop kids into players and men.”

Bush saw that promise when Harbaugh hired Boston College defensive coordinator Don Brown, who had the nation’s No. 1 defense, as Durkin’s replacement.

They have already talked and Brown told him that head start will help Bush, who is expecting to play MIKE (middle) or WILL (weak-side) linebacker.

Currently at 230 pounds, the 5-foot-11 linebacker is hoping to play at 225 so he has the flexibility to move.

Being away from home might seem like a challenge, coming from south Florida, where he played as a star — and his father as the coach —led Pembroke Pines Flanagan to the Florida 8A state title on Dec. 12.

But Bush sees the distance as a positive, even from his father.

“I think he is going to like it,” Bush said. “It’s time for me to get out of Florida. Start a new trend of kids (not) going to Miami, Florida State, Florida. Why not be different? Leave the state and change the approach of the other guys.”

While landing in the cold weather will be a physical adjustment, Bush will be setting the path.

His Flanagan teammates, defensive backs Devin Gil and Josh Metellus, committed in mid-June, just after the U-M satellite camp near their home, the one run by Bush’s father.

They’re expected to sign on February’s National Signing Day. By that point, Bush should be settled.

“That’s going to play a huge role for me, having my high school buddies,” Bush said. “Getting able to play another four years with them, I think that’s an opportunity you had to still, I took advantage of it.”

Contact Mark Snyder at msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder. Download our new Wolverines Xtra app on iTunes and Android!

Florida’s Cameron Dillard (Canton) fired up to face U-M

Ben Bredeson

ORLANDO – For Ben Bredeson, the past four months kept boosting his resolve.

The Hartland, Wis., four-star offensive guard committed to Michigan in mid-June, sold on U-M’s hope under Jim Harbaugh.

Making the decision between U-M and Notre Dame, he went with the Wolverines and was thrilled by the 9-3 season, reinforcing his decision.

“I was dead set on Michigan at the beginning but after the season went with coach Harbaugh turning it around, I was really excited to get out there,” Bredeson said Monday, arriving at the Orlando World Center Marriott before practices leading up to the Jan. 2 Under Armour All-America Game at the Citrus Bowl.

While he was swayed by the U-M “campus feel,” the coaching change and seeing the offensive line progress helps him have faith in what’s to come.

Recruiting: Bush confident in ‘business decision’ to join U-M

He has stayed in constant contact through the process with U-M offensive line coach Tim Drevno and defensive line coach Greg Mattison, who has recruited him through the Brady Hoke to Jim Harbaugh transition.

They’ve told him he’s going to begin by working at left guard, despite playing tackle in high school.

The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder was another landmark recruit for the Wolverines, going into Wisconsin and landing the No. 4 offensive guard in the country according to Rivals.com.

Recruiting: Full coverage

Signing Day 2016: Feb. 3

U-M football, hoops recruits

MSU football, hoops recruits

Photos: Michigan’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: MSU’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: 2015 Sound Mind Sound Body

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Working on his strength will be important for him as one of four currently committed offensive linemen.

“I’m blocking grown men now, so I’ve got to be able to hang with them,” he said.

Just as he was heavily recruited by current U-M freshman quarterback Alex Malzone, Bredeson did his part to help this class.

It led him to start pushing other players to Michigan, especially Boulder, Colo., defensive end Carlo Kemp, who waited until November to commit but will enroll next week for the winter semester.

“I told him my reasons I picked and he had the same ideas,” Bredeson said.

Contact Mark Snyder at msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder. Download our new Wolverines Xtra app on iTunes and Android!

Baylor tight end Gus Penning

ORLANDO – After one year of college football — one where he didn’t even play in a game — Gus Penning thought his career may be over.

Though not by his own choice.

Grand Rapids Community College ended its football program after the 2011 season and Penning, of Jenison, was one of the casualties, even more than many others because he had redshirted as a freshman.

“I definitely thought that for a little bit and there was a week or two where I didn’t think I’d play again,” he said this past week.

But from that point forward, things ended up working out just fine.

“I had some options open up — one of them was in California — and that was a great experience at Riverside (City College),” Penning said.

A year there got him ranked as the No. 25 overall junior college recruit and No. 3 tight end. The Baylor coaches were looking and came after him.

Jenison-Grand Rapids-Riverside, Calif.-Waco, Texas is not the most direct route. But Penning is excited heading into his final college game in Tuesday’s Russell Athletic Bowl against North Carolina at the Citrus Bowl.

After All-Big 12 candidate Tre’Von Armstead was dismissed from the program early in the season, Penning became the starting tight end on one of the nation’s premier programs.

While tight end is not a targeted position in the Baylor offense, he had five catches for 101 yards — including a 39-yarder against Oklahoma — and impressed the Big 12 coaches enough to earn honorable mention all-conference.

“Time opened up and I took advantage of it,” Penning said. “I was pretty far back on the depth chart, especially going into the first game. Some unfortunate things happened but I kept trying to work hard.”

Baylor running back Shock Linwood (32) finds a hole to run though on his way to scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Lamar, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015, in Waco, Texas. At left is Lamar defensive back Tommie Barrett (25) and at right is Baylor tight end Gus Penning (15). (AP Photo/LM Otero)

The Oklahoma catch led to an injury and missing the two-overtime loss to TCU, but Penning is back and healthy now.

Getting so much action is a thrill for Penning, who has had quite a 2015. He graduated in May with a degree in health, kinesiology and leisure studies and soon after went on a mission trip to Brazil with a number of his teammates and other athletes as part of the sports ministry.

In Rio de Janeiro and another Brazilian city, Maceio, they taught American football to the locals while spreading Christianity.

“Some of the guys were joking (this week) that the humidity reminds us of Brazil,” Penning said.

With his final game at hand, and expecting 11 family members attending, Penning is trying not to look back at his winding road. Instead he’s appreciating that Baylor found him and the past three years he spent with the program.

“He’s a great player, a great team guy,” Baylor coach Art Briles said. “He’s just a guy that really possesses a lot of athletic ability, can run, can play inside or outside. He’s kind of been injured for about a four-week period that slowed down his playing time. But I think he’s healthy. … He’s had some real big plays. … A guy we’ve got a lot of confidence in and we trust him as a person and a player.”

Penning isn’t trying to look too far ahead but thinks he may have a future playing football. He knows his sports degree from Baylor can be used in the future.

He’ll get impressive exposure as all of the NFL clubs should be sending scouts to Baylor’s pro day with the talent there.

Briles thinks a pro career is possible.

“I certainly do,” Briles said. “His skill level is really good. He’s 250-some pounds and he can run.”

Considering where Penning started, he has already beaten the odds.

Contact Mark Snyder at msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder.

Michigan commits Devin Bush Jr., left, Ben Bredeson.

While every high school senior’s final year of football has come to an end, there’s one more chance to get on the gridiron before heading off to college for many of the nation’s elite. The Under Armour All-America game will be on ESPN Saturday at noon, with three players committed to Michigan (and a handful of prospects still considering the Maize and Blue) on the game rosters.

Pembroke Pines (Fla.) Flanagan four-star linebacker Devin Bush Jr. and Hartland (Wisc.) Arrowhead four-star offensive lineman Ben Bredeson will suit up for Team Highlight (White), while their future teammate, Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic four-star running back Kareem Walker will play for Team Armour (Black) in the contest. Both Bush and Walker will head home from the game site in Orlando than immediately to Ann Arbor to enroll for the Winter Semester (Bredeson will join the team in June).

Recruiting: Bush confident in ‘business decision’ to join U-M

Among the uncommitted targets participating in the game, none stands out more than the top player in the nation, Paramus (N.J.) Catholic defensive tackle Rashan Gary. The 6-foot-5, 290-pounder claims no favorite among his group of four-plus schools still in the mix, but admits that there are plenty of reasons why people believe the Wolverines are atop that list.

Recruiting: Full coverage

Signing Day 2016: Feb. 3

U-M football, hoops recruits

MSU football, hoops recruits

Photos: Michigan’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: MSU’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: 2015 Sound Mind Sound Body

More recruiting news

“My old coach (U-M interim linebackers coach and director of player personnel Chris Partridge) is at Michigan and it’s going seeing him, Jabrill (Peppers), and Juwann (Bushell-Beatty),” he said. “I still haven’t talked to (incoming defensive coordinator Don) Brown. I still need to talk to him.”

Other U-M targets include Houston Alief Elsik four-star linebacker Dontavious Jackson, and offensive linemen Terrance Davis (of DeMatha Catholic in the Washington D.C. area) and Jean Delance (from the Dallas area). The two linemen will announce their commitments at the game Saturday, with Michigan among the finalists for both. Davis’s other options are Maryland – the presumed favorite – and Florida, while Delance has LSU and Texas alongside the Wolverines on his final list.

U-M season reinforced decision for elite lineman Bredeson

Although the Michigan coaching staff is currently in Orlando preparing for Friday’s Citrus Bowl against Florida, the coaches may not have face-to-face contact with the prospects. An NCAA-mandated recruiting dead period extends through the second week of January, so in-person contact is not permissible, despite the would-be convenience.

Tim Sullivan is the Football Recruiting Editor of The Wolverine magazine and TheWolverine.com. He is also a contributor to national football recruiting coverage on the Rivals.com network. You can follow him on Twitter @TimS_Wolverine.

Detroit Martin Luther King Donnie Corley catches the game-winning touchdown against Lowell Gabe Steed, during the Michigan High School Athletic Association football finals at Ford Field in Detroit on Friday, Nov. 27, 2015. King won 40-38.

USA TODAY High School Sports is proud to announce the 2015 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Michigan Football Team. Players were selected based on their athletic achievements from the 2015-16 season.

For the complete list of American Family Insurance ALL-USA state teams,  click here .

COACH OF THE YEAR: Jason Couch and Curt Rienas, Romeo

Couch and Rienas have been co-head coaches at Romeo since 2002, and this fall the duo led the Bulldogs to a Division I state crown. Romeo averaged 37.5 points per game on offense and topped 40 in each of its final three state tournament games.

Offense

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Donnie Corley, King (Detroit)

Corley had 1,403 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns, none bigger than his 39-yard TD catch as time expired to win the Division II state championship over Lowell. The U.S. Army All-American added 10 interceptions on defense as well.

First Team

QB Tony Poljan (6-7, 230, Sr.), Lansing Catholic (Lansing)

RB Martell Pettaway (5-10, 205, Sr.), King (Detroit)

RB Markus Sanders (5-9, 180, Jr.), Canton

WR Donnie Corley (6-2, 182, Sr.), King (Detroit)

WR Desmond Fitzpatrick (6-2, 195, Sr.), Mott (Waterford)

TE Drew Beesley (6-3, 220, Sr.), De La Salle (Warren)

OL Derices Brown (6-2, 280, Sr.), Muskegon

OL Michael Jordan (6-6, 285, Sr.), Plymouth (Canton)

OL Cameron Kolwich (6-5, 270, Sr.), St. Mary’s (Orchard Lake)

OL Tom Kowalkoski (6-5, 280, Sr.), Detroit Catholic Central (Novi)

OL Michael Onwenu (6-3, 365, Sr.), Cass Tech (Detroit)

Second Team

QB Josh Jackson (6-2, 200, Sr.), Saline

RB Emanuel Jackson (6-0, 175, Sr.), Novi

RB Mike Marston (6-0, 190, Sr.), Lapeer

WR Trishton Jackson (6-3, 190, Sr.), West Bloomfield

WR Donovan People-Jones (6-2, 190, Jr.), Cass Tech (Detroit)

TE Keegan Cossou (6-5, 225, Jr.), Greenville

OL Mark Brooks (6-7, 260, Sr.), Portland

OL JaRaymond Hall (6-5, 270, Jr.), Oak Park

OL Alaric Jackson (6-7, 285, Sr.), Renaissance (Detroit)

OL Carl Myers (6-3, 265, Sr.), West Catholic (Grand Rapids)

OL Dan Perry (6-3, 275, Sr.), Lapeer

Defense

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Khalid Kareem, Harrison (Farmington Hills)

Kareem recorded 56 tackles (36 for a loss), 16 sacks and five forced fumbles this fall. The ferocious defensive end has committed to Notre Dame.

First Team

DL Khalid Kareem (6-4, 260, Sr.), Harrison (Farmington Hills)

DL Cedrick Lattimore (6-6, 265, Sr.), East English Village (Detroit)

DL Edrick Mathews (6-4, 265, Sr.), Cass Tech (Detroit)

DL Zach Van Valkenburg (6-4, 235, Sr.), Zeeland West (Zeeland)

LB Mitch Heimbuch (6-3, 220, Sr.), Romeo

LB Brandon Randle (6-2, 215, Sr.), Central (Battle Creek)

LB Josh Ross (6-1, 210, Jr.), St. Mary’s (Orchard Lake)

DB Hunter Broersma (6-1, 190, Sr.), Mona Shores (Norton Shores)

DB Stefan Claiborne (6-1, 170, Sr.), Chippewa Valley (Clinton)

DB Lavert Hill (5-11, 180, Sr.), King (Detroit)

DB Demetric Vance (6-1, 195, Sr.), Cass Tech (Detroit)

Second team

DL Johnathan Berghorst (6-3, 245, Jr.) Zeeland East (Zeeland)

DL Chauncey Golston (6-5, 245, Sr.), East English Village (Detroit)

DL Ty McTaggart (5-11, 270, Sr.), Chelsea

DL Jeremiah Tyler (6-1, 205, Sr.), Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills)

LB Max Dean (5-11, 185, Sr.), Lowell

LB David Reese (6-1, 235, Sr.), Farmington

LB Antjuan Simmons (6-1, 205, Jr.), Pioneer (Ann Arbor)

DB Dontre Boyd (5-10, 165, Sr.), King (Detroit)

DB Kahlee Hamler (5-9, 165, Jr.), St. Mary’s (Orchard Lake)

DB Conner Nemmers (6-1, 190, Sr.), West Catholic (Grand Rapids)

DB Brad Tanner (6-2, 185, Sr.), Romeo

Special teams

K Quinn Nordin (6-1, 200, Sr.), Rockford

Brandon Randle

Michigan State is still looking to put the finishing touches on the recruiting class of 2016. Several of the commitments will be playing one more football game before they arrive in East Lansing. Five players are participating in two of the most prominent postseason games, the U.S. Army All-America Bowl and the Semper-Fidelis All-American Game.

U.S. Army All-America Game

The Army All-American Bowl is considered the premier postseason bowl game. This will be the 16th time the game will be played. The game is Jan. 9 in San Antonio. Players will arrive Sunday and take part in practices and festivities all week. The last Spartans to play in this game were 2014 commitments Malik McDowell, Brian Allen and Montae Nicholson. The Spartans will have 4 players participating in the game this year.

Sicklerville (N.J.) Timber Creek WR Cameron Chambers

The Rivals.com four-star prospect picked MSU over Ohio State, Michigan and a host of other BCS programs. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound Chambers is the No. 106 prospect in the nation.

Battle Creek Central LB Brandon Randle

Recruiting: Full coverage

Signing Day 2016: Feb. 3

U-M football, hoops recruits

MSU football, hoops recruits

Photos: Michigan’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: MSU’s 2016 football recruits

Photos: 2015 Sound Mind Sound Body

More recruiting news

The 6-2, 215-pound Randle is one of the most athletic linebacker prospects in the nation for the class of 2016. SpartanMag.com ranks him the No. 8 player in Michigan. He is Free Press Dream Team selection.

Darien (Ill.) Hinsdale South DE Joshua King

King is the No. 1 rated prospect in Illinois and a Rivals.com top 100 recruit. The 6-6, 230-pound prospect picked MSU over offers from Notre Dame, LSU, Ohio State and USC. He is also a state wrestling champ.

Detroit Cass Tech DB Demetric Vance

Vance is rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and the No. 196 prospect in the nation for the class of 2016. The 6-3, 196-pound prospect selected MSU over a host scholarship offers including Ohio State, U-M and Penn State.

Semper-Fidelis All-American Game

This game is held in Carson, Calif., on Jan. 3. It focuses of the Marine Corps values of honor and leading by example. Current Spartans LJ Scott and Tyriq Thompson starred in the game last year.

Huber Heights (Ohio) QB Messiah deWeaver

The future Spartan signal-caller is rated a four-star recruit and the No. 8 quarterback prospect in the nation for the class of 2016. The 6-4, 215-pound deWeaver is an early enroll recruit. He will arrive at MSU the following week and participate in winter conditioning and sprig practice.

Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for SpartanMag.com and Rivals.com.