Article published January 09, 2008
Manningham, Arrington likely to leave UM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANN ARBOR - Rich Rodriguez does not expect to coach wide receivers Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington or quarterback Ryan Mallett at Michigan.
Manningham and Arrington will skip their senior seasons and Mallett will transfer, according to Rodriguez.
"Those are the indications I've gotten," Rodriguez said last night. "I've talked to all three at various times recently. I talked to Adrian today, and he told me he's leaning toward going pro.
"We wish all of them the best."
When told what Rodriguez said, Jim Mallett insisted his son has not made a decision.
"Coach knows more than I do, I guess," Jim Mallett said.Rodriguez later told reporters Manningham and Mallett did not attend a team meeting Monday.
Manningham might be a first-round pick after catching 72 passes for 1,174 yards and 12 touchdowns and running 19 times for 119 yards and a score last season. The 6-foot, 178-pound native of Ohio had 65 receptions for 1,136 yards and 15 touchdowns during his first two seasons for the Wolverines.
Arrington caught 67 passes for 882 yards and eight touchdowns last season. The 6-3, 195-pound native of Iowa had nine receptions for 153 yards and two scores in Michigan's 41-35 Capital One Bowl victory over Florida.
Mallett played in 11 games as a freshman, filling in for Chad Henne when he was injured. He was 61-of-141 for 892 yards with seven TDs and five interceptions.
WELCOME ABOARD: Rodriguez filled out most of his coaching staff yesterday, bringing many of the assistants who helped him build West Virginia into a Big East power.
Rodriguez will be joined by six former Mountaineer coaches and five members of their support staff, choosing to keep only one of Lloyd Carr's assistants: Fred Jackson as running backs coach.
But he has not hired or identified who will be his defensive coordinator, in what remains the only opening on his first staff with the Wolverines.
"I've got a lot of qualified guys already on the staff to be our defensive coordinator, and I've got a guy or two to talk to this week," Rodriguez said before watching Michigan play Indiana at Crisler Arena.
"My goal is to have the staff completely filled by this weekend before we go on the road recruiting, so that the players know who their position coaches will be."
Rodriguez announced he has hired Calvin Magee, associate head coach/offensive coordinator; Tony Dews, wide receivers; Greg Frey, offensive line; Tony Gibson, secondary; Jay Hopson, defensive assistant; Rod Smith, quarterbacks; Bruce Tall, defensive assistant; Alex Herron, offensive graduate assistant; Jahmile Addae, defensive graduate assistant, and Eric Smith, offensive quality control.
Magee, Dews, Frey, Gibson, Smith, and Tall coached with Rodriguez at West Virginia.
"It's a great staff because most of the guys worked really well together, and the other coaches are really good," Magee said. "We had great staff meetings the last two days, and we're fired up to get out on the road to recruit the best players in the country to come to Michigan."
Hopson is a former Southern Mississippi defensive coordinator.
Carr retired, ending his 13-season career as Michigan's head coach, on Jan. 1 at the Capital One Bowl. The Wolverines (9-4) ended the season beating Florida 41-35 to win their first bowl game since 2003 and went from being unranked to No. 18 in the final Associated Press poll.
Ron English is the only former Carr assistant who has landed a job. He was hired by Louisville to be its defensive coordinator, filling the same role he had at Michigan.
Tennessee might add two former Michigan assistants: offensive coordinator Mike DeBord and quarterbacks coach Scott Loeffler.
FAMILY HARASSED: Relatives of Rodriguez have been harassed and threatened in the three weeks since his resignation as West Virginia football coach.
His mother, Arleen Rodriguez, told the Charleston Daily Mail her teenage grandson received a death threat and found other harassing notes taped to his locker at East Fairmont High School. Arleen said her 12-year-old granddaughter had to be escorted to classes.
Mountaineer fans furious over Rodriguez's Dec. 16 decision to accept the coaching job at Michigan also vandalized his home near Morgantown, hanging signs on a fence and tossing a mailbox in the yard.
"He put seven years into WVU, and now everybody thinks he's garbage," his mother said. "Think like a parent. That's all I can say. Think about it. Think about what you're doing."
The backlash has been even more venomous on the Facebook social networking site, where dozens of groups with profanity-laced names have formed, devoted to wishing ill for Rodriguez and his family.
A similar but short-lived fury boiled up last month against Mountaineer kicker Pat McAfee, who received angry text messages and had his car vandalized after missing two field goals in West Virginia's 13-9 loss to Pitt.
Several football boosters claim there was tension between Rodriguez and the WVU administration, but the coach has yet to discuss the matter.
"I don't think he felt wanted at WVU anymore," his mother said.
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