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After a long and relatively boring non-conference schedule,
we've finally arrived at the glory that is Big Ten play, where we
hear they play smash-mouth football. Luckily for Michigan, Min-
nesota isn't really a Big Ten team. It's barely a Division-I team.
The Gophers are coming off a loss against the mighty Bison of
North Dakota State. The Wolverines are coming off arguably
their best performance of the year. Are you on Devin Gardner
watch yet? You should be. This could be the last time he has a
chance to see the field, barring a Denard Robinson injury.
Michael Florek, Stephen J. Nesbitt, Kevin Raftery, Tim Rohan
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ADVANCE: Minnesota quarterback
MarQueis Gray is the first dual-threat
quarterback Michigan will have to stop.
FAMILY FIRST: Marell Evans's journey
from the Big House to the warehouse
and back.
Cover illustration by Marissa McClain
2011 Schedule
Western Michigan (Sept. 3): Good thing the
rain came. And the blitzes, too. Looked like Greg
Robinson was coaching until the second quarter.
Notre Dame (Sept. 10): Nothing to see here.
Michigan rallied with a 28-point fourth quarter
to stun the Fighting Irish and get the victory.
Eastern Michigan (Sept. 17): After struggling
early, Michigan relied on the legs of Denard
Robinson and Vincent Smith for the 31-3 win.
San Diego State (Sept. 24): Denard Robinson's
200 yards rushing outshone his lousy day pass-
ing, while Michigan bullied the Aztecs up front.
Minnesota (Oct.1): MarQueis Gray played wide
receiver last year - now he's the quarterback
and the only thing exciting about the Gophers.
Northwestern (Oct. 8): Dan Persa - that's
about it.
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Michigan State (Oct. 15): Edwin Baker and
Le'Veon Bell ran over and through Michigan last
year, and Kirk Cousins ain't too shabby either.
Little Brother's growing up.
Purdue (Oct. 29): Guard your ACLs! The knee
injury has plagued Purdue the past two seasons.
QuarterbackRobdHenry was the latest victim.
Iowa (Nov. 5): The faces change, but it always
seems like Kirk Ferentz finds the same types of
players. This is just another solid Iowa team.
Illinois (Nov. 12): Nathan Scheelhaase-to-A.J.
Jenkins and Jason Ford is the whole offense.
Consider Scheelhaase a poor man's Denard.
Nebraska (Nov. 19): The legendary blackshirts
make their debut at the Big House. By the time
Jared Crick and Co. leave, it may get ugly for 'M.'
Ohio State (Nov. 26): No Tressell? No Pryor?
Ohio State's still deeper than Michigan, but a lot
could change by Thanksgiving.
doing good. Her and my mom are very close."
He had also made enough moneyto put aside for Eugene's
college fund.
With his family ina secure situation, Marell Evans real-
ized he had some unfinished business of his own.
It was the middle of January in 2011, and the Michigan
football roster was set.
But when Marell contacted the Michigan coaching staff,
new head coach Brady Hoke and defensive coordinator Greg
Mattison gave him a glimmer of hope.
"First of all, Coach Mattison was the biggest reason I
wanted to come back," Marell said. "He's the guy who gave
me a chance. He told me if you mess up, you're outta here -
simple as that. One chance."
If he got in as a student, Hoke said they might be able to
offer him a spot as a walk-on.
He applied, and his credits from Hampton transferred.
He was reinstated to the University.
But when Marell arrived in Ann Arbor, he had to take care
of a few other things before he could worry about football.
"When I first got here in January, I worked delivery
routes in Bloomfield Hills delivering the newspaper," he
said. "Financially, I was helping myself with school."
He was no longer at home, but his priorities remained the
same: family first. Then school. Then football.
And in late January, Marell got the chance to meet Hoke
in person.
"He said he's maybe got a spot for me," Marell recalled. "I
prayed every day."
The next day, his phone rang. A year and a half after his
departure from Ann Arbor, Marell Evans was a Michigan
football player again.
When Marell talks about his return, it seems like even he
still can't believe it. He shakes his head, his eyelids drop. He
looks up to the sky, and his voice drops.
"I'm blessed," he says. "I'm blessed to be here."
Chilcoat was one of the first to contact him when the
news came out.
"I sent him a message right away to tell him how proud
FOLLOW @MICHIGANDAILY
SO WE CAN BEAT THE STATE NEWS
THE BATTLE ENDS OCT. 15
of him I was and how great that newswas," Chilcoat said. "I
just think it's a great opportunity for him, whether he plays
another down or not, to just get his diploma from Michigan.
That would just open so many doors for him."
Wide receiver Roy Roundtree, a good friend of Marell in
2008, didn't believe it when he heard his buddy was back.
"When he told me he was coming back, I thought it was
a joke," Roundtree said. "But when I saw him come out and
work out with us, I was like, 'OK, I'm happy now."'
Marell jumped right into team workouts, and at the
spring game this season he emerged as a front-runner for
the starting linebacker position.
By the end of the spring, he had earned a full-ride schol-
arship. He changed his number from 9 to 51 - a symbol of
his new beginning.
"I had No. 9 my whole life," he said. "To change to this
number is just different."
He continued competing for the starting job throughout
the fall. In the week before the season opener against West-
ern Michigan, Marell was listed third on the depth chart.
He wouldn't be starting, but that was alright.
"I'm just going to help this team whatever way I can,"
Marell said in August. "From starter to special teams, what-
ever Coach Hoke and his staff want me to play."
But on game day, he wasn't dressed.
All the media heard before the Western Michigan game
was that Marell was "ineligible to play."
A Michigan spokesman referenced transfer issues - the
NCAA deemed Marell ineligible because of complications
with his transfer status. Both the NCAA and Michigan
thought he would be able to play. But not long before kickoff
against the Broncos, the news broke.
A clear answer has yet to be given as to why. Apparently,
Marell did everything he was supposed to and an NCAA
transfer rule has yet to be resolved. It could be fixed at any
point during the season, and Marell could resume playing.
But for now, he remains on the team and a member of the
scout team in practice.
For Marell, who per NCAA rules is not permitted to
comment on anything about his eligibility now, it's another
bump in his long journey back to Ann Arbor.
His former coaches can't help but to be bothered by the
news.
When Hayden talks about it, you can't
miss the disappointment in his voice. It
trembles almost, as he tries his best to sup-
press his anger. Zac Hayden understands
Marell Evans. He knows what he's been
through.
It's hard to see him hit yet another road-
block. He talks to me over the phone, but I
can almost feel him shaking his head.
"It bothers me, man, that he can't be
on the doggone field," Hayden says. "You
got all these prima donna guys, they want
everything handed to them. They want
money. They sell their bowl rings, they sell
their gear and they autograph stuff to make
money.
"Marell Evans is out here busting his tail
doing what he needs to do, and all the sud-
den he gets told last minute he's ineligible.
And there's other people at his archrival
Ohio State selling stuff, and now they're in
MARELL EvANs the NFL."
le for the He apologizes for going on a tangent; I tell
r job. him there's no need.
"Marell Evans is what college football is all about," he
continues. "Getting an opportunity to do something he's
wanted to do his whole life, and working his ass off. And
then you got these other people, these prima donnas, that
make college football look bad."
After a few more exchanges, I thank him for talking to
me. He pauses.
"Tell him Coach Hayden wants the best for him, will ya?"
Marell has yet to be on a 2011 game day roster.
But at 22, he's the oldest player on the team. His experi-
ence and leadership have paid dividends forthe Wolverines.
"I don't know when (his eligibility issues) will clear up,"
Hoke said on Sept. 12. "But he's doing a great job being the
best scout team linebacker in the country."
Hayden wasn't surprised to hear that Hoke was singing
Marell's praise.
"If he can't play and he's on the scout team, he's goingto
go as hard as he can in practice," Hayden said. "He's going to
make everybody around him better. That's just the way he
is. He's a great kid."
His presence is felt in the locker room, too.
Roundtree was one of many who noticed a difference.
"When I first got here, Marell took me in to show me
around Michigan," Roundtree said. "I consider him a big
brother to me. He's funny and competitive. He's always got
that mindset of getting better. On Saturdays, he'll come in
here and do extra work, and he's just got a passion for the
game."
Junior quarterback Denard Robinson echoed Roundtree's
sentiments.
"When I firstcame in I met Marell, and he was one of the
guys I looked up to as a leader and a big brother," Robinson
said. "He's a great guy, and I enjoy being around him and the
things he does and the things he brings out in you.
"He's been through alot, and he helps me with any prob-
lems I have."
Marell Evans was given a second chance to finish what
he started. So far, it hasn't quite gone to script.
But then again for him, not many things have.
"I think going through this, he realized he's matured,"
Hayden said. "Even if he never plays a down of football, he's
going to be a better kid because he's had to deal with this."
Marell is still on track to graduate in December with
a degree in General Studies. Although playing football
helped him attain a college education, a degree can take
him to places that no one in his family had ever dreamed of.
"I want do something with psychology," Marell said.
"The window is open for opportunities. I try to meet as
many people as I can at the University of Michigan, and I
greet everybody like it's the last person I'll see.
"My mom and grandma are two people I'm trying to
make proud. They are definitely my inspiration, 100 per-
cent."
He was a Michigan football player. Then he wasn't. Now
he is again. And because of it, he's learned more than he
ever would have if things had gone as planned.
"Just be blessed," he says. "It's as simple as that. Just
understand that everything you've got could be gone in one
day. It's just a great opportunity to be here right now. It's a
blessing.
"I could be working right now at a warehouse in Rich-
mond, Virginia."
Even on the sidelines, Marell Evans is taking nothing for
granted.
TheMichiganDaily - www.mic 'gandaily.com 7
COURTESY OFh
At the spring game in April, fifth-year senior Marell Evans played a key ro
defense and emerged as a legitimate contender for the starting linebacke