A series exploring the commitments (and subsequent decommitments) of Michigan’s lost members of the class of 2009.
The Commitment
DeWayne Peace first burst onto the scene for Michigan fans when he attended the Rich Rodriguez Skills Camp in Ann Arbor over the summer of 2008. At the time, he had performed well at Kansas’s summer camp as well, and the Jayhawks were thought to be his heavy favorite. However, within a few weeks of visiting Michigan, Peace offered his verbal commitment to the Wolverines on June 25th. Peace was told that he would have an opportunity to prove himself as a wide receiver at Michigan, but that there was also a chance he would end up at defensive back. It was in the secondary that he had distinguished himself at camp, and where the coaching staff eventually saw him ending up.
The Decommitment
After more than 6 months of being committed to Michigan, and weeks of rumors, Peace withdrew his verbal commitment to Michigan on January 8th. Though Peace’s father reportedly insisted that DeWayne remain true to his word, in the end, he did not see himself playing for Michigan. The main reason behind this change of heart was a matter of position: the coaching staff wanted Peace to play corner, while he wanted be a wideout. It would follow logically (though it is unconfirmed, of course), that Peace was told he would play corner for Michigan or he would not play for Michigan at all.
The Impact
Obviously, the coaching staff realized that they weren’t as high on Peace as they had thought all along. If he was a highly-valued recruit, they wouldn’t have given him such an ultimatum, and he may have still ended up in Ann Arbor down the road. However, the coaching staff didn’t see much harm in shedding him from the class, and gave him the ultimatum. As Rodriguez himself said at his Signing Day Press Conference: “Sometimes a kid does you a favor when he decommits,” and Peace was likely one of these players. He ended up committing to the Wildcats of Arizona as a wide receiver.
Senior Year Stats
| DeWayne Peace 2008 | Game | Rec | Yds | Yds/Rec | TD | Rush | Yds | Yds/Rush | TD |
| Berkner | 6 | 76 | 12.67 | 0 | 1 | -7 | -7.00 | 0 |
| Martin | 5 | 80 | 16.00 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 10.00 | 0 |
| Summit | 6 | 170 | 28.33 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 4.67 | 0 |
| Northwest | 5 | 66 | 13.20 | 2 | 2 | 63 | 31.50 | 1 |
| Nimitz | 5 | 65 | 13.00 | 0 | 5 | 40 | 8.00 | 2 |
| Cedar Hill | 6 | 49 | 8.17 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 5.25 | 0 |
| Irving | 5 | 36 | 7.20 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 1.50 | 0 |
| Duncanville | 6 | 27 | 4.50 | 0 | 10 | 45 | 4.50 | 0 |
| MacArthur | 1 | 21 | 21.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grand Prairie | 5 | 70 | 14.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Allen | 2 | 27 | 13.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 52 | 687 | 13.21 | 9 | 32 | 195 | 6.09 | 3 |
Video
Posted under Football, Recruiting
Tags: 2009, decommitment, dewayne peace
So is your take that DP wasn’t a big loss since RR and staff didn’t want him a WR, or Michigan did take a bit of a hit since they wanted him at corner and really didn’t find another replacement? Thanks!
If they really wanted him in the class, they would have figured out a way to make it work. “Sometimes a kid does you a favor when he decommits” says it all.
I like this series. I can’t wait to hear more about Newsome. I was never quite sure exactly why we lost him.
This almost comes off as a sour grapes kinda thing. I am sure you all know more than I, but seems kinda shitty. But whatever. Now when you give the KN and we are better off with a decommit, then I will be convinced.
I agree with “I know nothing”. This series looks like sour grapes and trys to justify why a kid came, and make a kid that doesn’t come look like we didn’t want him or he is doing us a favor.