At Michigan, Minor finished second on the team in rushing both as a freshman and sophomore and led the team in rushing both as a junior and senior.[1][2][3][4] As a junior, he was an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference selection by the coaches.[5] He had previously been ranked as the number one high school footballfullback in the nation, according to Rivals.com.
He spent his first two years at Michigan serving as one of the primary backups to Mike Hart. In his third year, he emerged from a field of five running backs who were vying to replace Hart as the leading rusher and scorer. He has shared starting responsibilities in his junior and senior seasons. He entered his senior season on the watch lists for the Doak Walker and Maxwell Awards. ESPN.com ranked him as the 22nd best player and third best running back in the Big Ten Conference before the season started.
Youth career
Minor grew up as a Michigan Wolverines fan. His mother, Julie Gilliam, has pictures of him at age six wearing a Michigan uniform. At age nine, Minor wrote the university to inquire about becoming a Michigan football player. Every year he and his mother watched the Michigan - Ohio State game and rooted for Michigan.[6]
High school
Minor inherited the Varina High School starting varsity team role as a sophomore in 2003,[7] and he gained 209 rushing yards in his first start.[8] That season, he helped his team reach the Virginia Central Region, Division 6 championship (the qualifying game for the Virginia High School League state semifinals).[9] He concluded the regular season as an All-District first-team selection and after the playoffs was selected as a second-team all-region choice.[10][11] During the season, he rushed for 1,750yards and 22touchdowns for the 10–2 (7–0) Varina Blue Devils.[12] Minor also played varsity basketball as a sophomore.[13] During the season, he once made seven three-point field goals in a game.[14]
As a junior, when Varina's former Capital District offensive player of the year Army Spc. Clarence Adams III died serving the 91st Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division in Baghdad, Iraq, Minor gave up his number 3 to wear Adams' #33 as a tribute.[15] In the District championship game, he rushed for 239 yards on 27 carries, including four touchdown runs.[16] In the subsequent Central Region, Division 6 semifinals, he set a Central Region playoff record by rushing for 296 yards, but his undefeated top-ranked team was upset.[17] He concluded the season as both a first-team all-district and all-Metro Region selection after compiling 2,091yards rushing and scoring 32rushing touchdowns (plus 2receiving touchdowns).[18][19][20] He was also selected to the Group AAA Virginia High School Football Coaches Association all-state second-team by the coaches.[21]
Entering his senior season, he was ranked as the sixth best senior football player in Virginia by TechSideline.com.[22] The Roanoke Times described him as "one of the top five recruits in the state" at the time of his August 2005 visit to see the first day of Virginia Tech Hokies football practice. At the time, he was considering Miami, Michigan, Florida, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, LSU and Ohio State.[23] However, he started the season on crutches, due to a torn hip flexor.[24] He returned to the lineup for the team's final regular season game and rushed for 174yards on 28carries.[25]Davon Morgan, his cousin, who now plays strong safety for Virginia Tech, was the team's quarterback.[26][27] Despite missing most of the season, he was still honored as an all-district and all-region selection.[28][29][30] His three-year career totals were 4,259yards and 64touchdowns.[31] As a graduating senior he was the number one ranked high school footballfullback in the nation, according to rivals.com.[32] Following his senior season, he scored the only touchdown in the East-West Virginia High School Coaches Association All-star game.[33]
In January 2006, Minor selected the University of Michigan.[31] Although he did not enroll in the 2006 Summer semester, he reported to Michigan on June 16 for strength and conditioning training.[34] Minor and fellow freshman Carlos Brown were behind three returning running backs (Mike Hart, Kevin Grady and senior Jerome Jackson) on the depth chart entering the season.[35] Minor was considered the less heralded than Brown,[36] who was regarded as the fastest player on the team.[37] On opening day, only Hart and Grady had more carries than Minor,[38] in part because Jackson, who entered his senior season with 505 career rushing yards, did not dress.[39] In his first carry as a Wolverine, he rushed for 24 yards against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the September 2 season opening game.[5][39] Nonetheless, the depth chart was not very clear behind Hart.[39] By late September, Minor was clearly third on the depth chart and it seemed that Brown might be redshirted.[40] When Hart left the game due to injury against Michigan State on October 7, Minor scored his first touchdown on a 40-yard run.[41] He had his first 100-yard game on November 4, when he rushed for 108yards on 12carries, including a 40-yard touchdown run in a 34–26 win against Ball State.[42][43] As a true freshman member of the 2006 Michigan Wolverines football team, Minor rushed for a total of 238yards on 42carries,[44] which was second on the team to Hart.[5]
During April 2007, Grady tore his anterior cruciate ligament and was lost for the season.[45] In August, Brown broke his hand.[46] It appeared Minor was seriously injured on October 13 when he was carted off the field and left the stadium wearing a protective boot on crutches.[47][48] However, he recovered and for the next two weeks he and Brown combined to replace the injured Hart.[49] He had his second 100-yard game and first 150-yard game on October 27 of that season during the 34–10 Little Brown Jug game victory against the Minnesota Golden Gophers when he rushed for 157yards on 21carries, including a 46-yard run and one touchdown.[50][51] Although Hart returned to play in the Paul Bunyan Trophy game against Michigan State on November 3, he left the game early and Minor started the second half.[52] Hart missed the next game on November 10, but Brown and Minor had poor performances.[53][54] In all three of Hart's full game absences, Brown was the starter.[55] As a sophomore on the 2007 Michigan Wolverines football team, Minor improved his rushing totals to 385yards on 90carries,[44] which was again second on the team to Hart.[5]
In 2008 Rich Rodriguez replaced Lloyd Carr as head coach.[56] In the spring, Brown broke his finger weightlifting and Grady was still trying to get healthy.[57] In early August, it appeared that juniors Brown and Minor would vie for the starting job because fourth-year junior Grady was under suspension related to driving while intoxicated charges.[58][59] However, in camp it became apparent very quickly that true freshmen Sam McGuffie and Michael Shaw, would have a significant role in the newly installed spreadoption offense.[60][61] With both Brown and Minor nursing injuries,[62] McGuffie was tentatively penciled into the starting position on the depth chart.[63]
As a junior member of the 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team, Minor became the team leader in rushing.[5] However, he only started four games, while McGuffie started 6, Brown started 1 and Shaw started 1.[64] McGuffie was the starter until he lost the job to Minor.[65] Minor gave way to Shaw (November 8) and Brown (November 15) as the starter due to his injuries.[66] Minor totalled 533yards on 103carries. He had nine rushing touchdowns and added two as a receiver. Of these eleven touchdowns, seven came in a three-week span that included a 117-yard two-touchdown rushing effort against Penn State on October 18 and a 155-yard three-touchdown rushing effort against Purdue on November 1. Sandwiched between these efforts, Minor scored on a 19-yard reception to complement his 55 yards and a rushing touchdown in the Paul Bunyan Trophy game against Michigan State on October 25.[67] The Penn State game was Minor's first career start.[68] During Minor's junior year, he played with a wrist injury that impaired his ability to hold the football with his right arm and his ability to stiffarm opponents.[69] He was impaired by a variety of injuries throughout the season.[70] At the conclusion of the 2008 Big Ten Conference football season, Minor was chosen as an honorable mention all-conference selection by the coaches.[71]
McGuffie transferred to the Rice Owls after the season.[72] As a senior member of the 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team, Minor was named to a pair of watch lists: (Doak Walker Award and Maxwell Award).[73][74] He was also selected by ESPN as the 22nd best player and 3rd best running back (behind Evan Royster and John Clay) in the Big Ten Conference before the season started.[75][76] Minor missed the first game of the season due to a high ankle sprain. In the second game, which was the 2009 Michigan – Notre Dame rivalry game, he rushed for 106yards and a touchdown on 16carries during the 38–34 victory over Notre Dame.[77][78] The ankle sprain hampered him much of the season and caused him to miss the October 17 game against Delaware State.[79][80] He had a season-high 154-yard, 3-touchdown effort against Purdue on November 7.[77][81] A shoulder injury kept him out of the last game of the season against Ohio State.[82] Over the course of his collegiate career, he accumulated 20 rushing touchdowns and 1,658 yards.[44] The torn rotator cuff also kept him from participating in the January 23, 2010 East–West Shrine Game.[83]
Professional career
2010
Minor signed with the Chicago Bears on April 24, 2010, after going undrafted in the 2010 NFL draft.[84] He was released on September 1.[85] He then signed with the New Orleans Saints to their practice squad.[86] However, Minor was back with the Bears before being released at the beginning of October and signed by the Indianapolis Colts.[87] Minor was released by the Colts in October.[88] In November, Minor tried out for the Green Bay Packers before ending the season as a member of the Denver Broncos' practice squad.[89]
2011
On September 4, 2011, the Broncos placed Minor on injured reserve.[90] They waived him on October 10.[91] In November 2011, he was "charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute" by the Virginia Commonwealth University police department following a traffic stop. He is scheduled for a traffic court appearance on January 18.[92]
The Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy is an American college football rivalry between the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans. The teams first played in 1898 and have met 116 times. The game has now been played uninterrupted, every year since 1945. In 1949 Michigan State was accepted into the Big Ten conference, though it was not until 1953 that the rivalry became a Big Ten conference game, due to protests from the University of Michigan administration. Prior to 1958 all but six matchups were played in Ann Arbor. The winner of each year's game receives the Paul Bunyan – Governor of Michigan Trophy, a four-foot wooden statue of a lumberjack that was first presented in 1953 to commemorate Michigan State's beginning football competition as a member of the Big Ten Conference.
Leon Michael Hart is an American football coach and former player. Hart played college football as a running back at the University of Michigan, from 2004 to 2007, and holds the Michigan Wolverines career rushing record with 5,040 yards. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in 2008, and played three seasons in the NFL. Hart has worked as an assistant football coach at the University of Michigan, Syracuse University, Western Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, and Indiana University Bloomington.
The 2006 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head football coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium.
The 2007 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This was Lloyd Carr's final season as Michigan head coach. The 2007 season began with a stunning loss to Appalachian State, but the Wolverines won eight straight games after starting 0–2 and finished 9–4 with a win over No. 9 Florida in the Capital One Bowl, 41–35. Michigan finished tied for second in the Big Ten Conference with Illinois, a team the Wolverines defeated 27–17 in Champaign.
Kevin Lee Grady, Jr. is a former American football running back. He completed his athletic eligibility for the Michigan Wolverines football team during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. He began his Michigan career as a tailback, but was converted to fullback. He has also played for the Chicago Slaughter of the Indoor Football League.
The 2007 Appalachian State vs. Michigan football game was a regular season college football game between the Appalachian State Mountaineers and Michigan Wolverines. It was held at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on September 1, 2007, and was the first game of the season for both teams. The Wolverines entered the game ranked No. 5 in both major Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) polls and media outlets considered them to be preseason favorites to win the Big Ten conference championship as well as possible contenders for the national championship, while the Mountaineers were ranked No. 1 in The Sports Network's Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) poll and were preseason favorites to win their third consecutive FCS national championship.
The 2004 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their tenth season under head coach Lloyd Carr, the Wolverines compiled a 9–3 record, outscored opponents by a total of 370 to 279, and tied with Iowa for the Big Ten championship. Having beaten Iowa during the regular season, the Wolverines received the Big Ten's berth in the 2005 Rose Bowl where they lost to No. 6 Texas by a 38–37 score.
The 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head football coach was Rich Rodriguez. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The 2008 season marked Rodriguez's first season as Michigan head coach, having replaced longtime head coach Lloyd Carr following Carr's retirement at the end of the 2007 season. Rodriguez installed a spread option offense, a marked departure from Michigan's prior offensive approaches.
The 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan and competed in the Big Ten Conference. The team attempted to rebound from its worst season in its 130-year football history and succeeded at first, starting the season 4–0 and earning a No. 20 ranking in the polls. Over the final eight games the Wolverines went 1–7 however, ending the season with a 5–7 record and failing to qualify for a bowl game for the second straight year. 2008 and 2009 were Michigan's first back-to-back sub-.500 seasons since 1962 and 1963; they also failed to win a road game for the first time since 1962.
The 2010 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Michigan played its home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan and competed in the Big Ten Conference. The season was the first since the renovation of Michigan Stadium, begun in 2007, was completed. The Wolverines were led by third-year head coach Rich Rodriguez. After its week 10 win against Illinois, Michigan became bowl eligible for the first time since 2007, and later accepted a bid to play in the Gator Bowl against Mississippi State on January 1, 2011, losing 52–14. The Wolverines finished the season sixth out of 120 Division I FBS teams in total offense, 110th in total defense and 112th in passing defense. Michigan finished with an overall record of 7–6, 3–5 in Big Ten play. After the season, head coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff were dismissed on January 5, 2011.
Devin Jaymes Gardner is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played professionally in Japan for two seasons.
The 2006 Michigan vs. Ohio State game was a regular-season college football game between the unbeaten Michigan Wolverines and the unbeaten Ohio State Buckeyes on November 18, 2006, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Called the "Game of the Century," this was the first time in the rivalry series that the teams entered the matchup ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation. In a game featuring lots of offense, Ohio State won 42–39.
Denard Xavier Robinson is an American former professional football player and a former staff member for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jacksonville University and the University of Michigan. He played four seasons as a running back in the National Football League (NFL), and was a college football All-American for the Michigan Wolverines as a quarterback. Robinson was selected by the Jaguars in the 2013 NFL draft.
Michael Shaw is a former American football running back. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by Washington Redskins in 2012. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines football team.
Robert Wilton Speight III is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and UCLA. In high school, he was a 2014 Under Armour All-America Game selection and subsequently committed to play in college for Michigan. Speight redshirted in 2014 and was the backup quarterback in 2015. As a redshirt sophomore in 2016, he started 12 games and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors. In 2017, Speight started four games before suffering a season-ending injury. In April 2018, Speight transferred to UCLA for his final season of eligibility.
The 2017 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the sport of college football during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wolverines played in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan was coached by Jim Harbaugh, who was in his third season.
Blake Nolan Corum is an American professional football running back and kickoff returner for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He was a two-time All-American for the Michigan Wolverines. Corum is the all-time leader for the University of Michigan in rushing touchdowns with 58, including the single season record of 27 rushing touchdowns in 2023, culminating in a national championship. He was selected by the Rams in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Donovan Edwards is an American football running back for the Michigan Wolverines. He has won three consecutive Big Ten Conference titles and a national championship in 2023. Edwards is the only player in college football history to have multiple 40-yard touchdown runs in a national championship game.
The 2022 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines compiled an overall record of 12–0 in the regular season with a mark of 9–0 in conference play, winning the Big Ten East Division title for the second consecutive season. Michigan beat Purdue in the Big Ten Championship Game to repeat as conference champions. The Wolverines advanced to the College Football Playoff (CFP) for the second straight year, where they lost to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl for the CFP Semifinal on December 31.
The 2023 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their ninth and final year under head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines compiled an undefeated 15–0 record, outscored opponents by a total of 538 to 156, and won their third consecutive Big Ten championship with a 26–0 victory over Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game. They defeated No. 4 Alabama, 27–20 in overtime, in the 2024 Rose Bowl. The Wolverines then defeated No. 2 Washington, 34–13, in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship to claim the first College Football Playoff (CFP) title and 12th national championship in program history, the first since 1997, and the first consensus national championship since 1948. With a win against Maryland on November 18, Michigan became the first program in college football history to reach 1,000 wins.
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