At least one more Michigan football recruit will not be enrolling this fall, and another is uncertain.
Youngstown (Ohio) Liberty linebacker Antonio Kinard is headed to prep school, his coach Jeff Whittaker told the Free Press today.
Multiple outlets reported that Spartanburg, S.C., quarterback Conelius Jones also will be attending a prep school because he does not have the necessary test score to qualify under NCAA requirements. But that is not official, his coach, Freddie Brown, told the Free Press.
If neither enrolls this fall, Kinard and Jones would join Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., cornerback Demar Dorsey as February signees who won't join the recruiting class in Ann Arbor this fall. U-M announced that Dorsey was denied admission to the university earlier this month. He since has landed at Louisville. U-M did not specify why Dorsey was not admitted.
Whittaker said Kinard is just waiting on his score from the Ohio Graduation Test.
This result seemed possible for Kinard even when he signed with Michigan.
“He had an idea,” Whittaker said. “He came in from South Carolina as a freshman, so he was behind on the Ohio Graduation Test. He’s got to get caught up.”
Whittaker said, “Right now, he’s looking at Hargrave (Military Academy in Virginia).”
Though Whittaker said his contact with Kinard has been limited since Kinard graduated, he said Kinard “absolutely” will try to enroll at Michigan later, likely after a semester or next year.
As for Jones, the situation is dim but not completely dark, Brown explained. Brown said Jones does not have a qualifying SAT and will not have a chance to get it before the fall, but he still could be determined by the NCAA Clearinghouse as having a sufficient core GPA. It's “really close,” Brown said.
Jones has not officially been told anything yet, Brown said. If he is not listed as qualified, he will attend a prep school for -- ideally -- only one semester.
“Either way, he will be a Wolverine,” Brown said. “What other options? He’s looking at going to Michigan however he needs to.”
Brown said he might have a better idea by the time U-M starts camp in August. Jones has not yet traveled to Ann Arbor to join the other freshmen.
At the Sound Mind, Sound Body camp at Wayne State two weeks ago, U-M coach Rich Rodriguez didn’t speak specifically about incoming players but said more information would be available after June 26, when the incoming freshmen were to arrives for summer-term classes.
“It's hard to project some guys versus others,” Rodriguez said. “Some guys that may have struggled to get in ... (are) doing very well, and some guys that got in very easily ... are struggling. I don't think there's an exact science to it. At the same time, we're moving forward with what we've got and not looking back."
This is what Rodriguez said about Kinard on signing day: “Another good athlete that has a great future ahead of him. Tony -- we call him TK -- he has a little work to do academically. He has a chance. He has a little work to do. If he doesn't do it, we're going to help place him in a prep school and hope to get him back. Prep school or junior college.”
