Michigan Football: Coach’s Corner — Thomas Rawls — Running Back — Wolverine’s Spring Football — GBMWolverine Evaluations
Posted at 6:00am — 5/1/2012
Michigan Football: Coach’s Corner — Thomas Rawls — Running Back — Wolverine’s Spring Football — GBMWolverine Evaluations
GBMWolverine Football Spring Evaluations: Position-by-Position — Player Profile.
GBMWolverine readers: Here is a brief overview of Thomas Rawls and GBMWolverine’s analysis concerning his progress this spring in our opinion.
Note: We will not evaluate every player on the team and with this position group (Running Backs) we will not evaluate #99 Paul Gyarmati who plays fullback and linebacker. If you would like to chat about this player bring them up on the message board or send us an e-mail request.
Reminder: Also noted that we didn’t attend every practice and realize things happen during those fifteen practices, but our evaluations are based on what we seen first hand and in our opinion and not what we hear like just about every other site out there that relies on second, third hand information to make their evaluations of the players during the spring.
Losing from 2011 (Team #132) on scholarship: Michael Shaw (NFL – Redskins Free Agent), Michael Cox (Graduated and transferred to UMass), and John McColgan (FB).
Coming in for 2012 (Team #133) on scholarship: Drake Johnson, Sione Houma (FB), and Dennis Norfleet.
Commit for 2013 (Team #134) on scholarship: DeVeon Smith and Wyatt Shallman (FB).
Thomas Rawls
Height: 5’10
Weight: 219
Number: 38
Position: Running Back
Year: Sophomore
City/State: Flint, Michigan
High School: Flint Northern
High School Coach: Fred Jackson Jr.
Thomas Rawls has really taken off this spring. A strong argument can be made for Rawls being the Most Improved Player of all the returnees from last year’ team.
Thomas is probably the most natural deep I-formation back on the team. He ran as hard as Fitz this spring, but not with the same quickness. But Thomas does have that bruising style of play Michigan has been lacking for some time. Also, Thomas was seeing and hitting the cutback much better this spring and not just going to the designed hole.
Maybe the biggest issue that he still needs to improve on the most is ball security. He can also become more of a threat out of the backfield as a receiver either on screenplays or dump off passes when nobody is open downfield.
As of right now Rawls looks like the second running back and should be able to give Fitz a rest. He may also serve as the big back in short yardage that can be counted on to move the chains or get over the goal line.
This spring Rawls showed the coaches that he indeed could be a very good runner in this offense.
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Written by GBMWolverine Staff
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