Four Michigan Wolverines who need breakout seasons
By Joel Greer
Ondre Pipkins NT, 6-3, 313, JR, Kansas City Park Hill HS (Mo.)
Oct 5, 2013; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive tackle Ondre Pipkins (56) is carted off the field against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Michigan Stadium. Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Every now and then, the head coach is caught without his game face. When Ondre Pipkins tore his ACL against Minnesota last season, Coach Hoke showed a side of him we rarely see. “You hurt for Ondre, and I really do because I coach him and he’s in my meeting room every day,” Hoke told ESPN. “He was really starting to turn the corner on the field and become a productive football player for us. The good news is he’s young, he’s a great kid and he has a lot of great football ahead of him. We will help him get through this.”
Pipkins, a 5-star recruit who spent his high school freshman season at Rochester Adams (Mi.), finished out an illustrious career in Kansas City, earning All-American honors. Rivals.com ranked him the nation’s third best defensive tackle prospect and second overall in the state of Missouri.
He arrived in Ann Arbor at 347 pounds and quickly realized that wouldn’t cut it. At the time of his knee injury, Pipkins was down to 313. He’ll most likely be in the starting lineup at nose tackle when Michigan opens the season August 30 against Appalachian St.