Deerfield Beach teammates expect to impact
Though Deerfield Beach, Fla., prospects Denard Robinson and Adrian Witty kept fans guessing up until their 11:00 a.m. announcement for Michigan, they've known for a while they were going to sign with the Maize and Blue …
"I knew I was going there for a few weeks now, but I wanted to take that final visit [to Florida International] last weekend to confirm what I already knew – that I wanted to get out of state and that Michigan was the best fit for me," Witty, a two-star cornerback, said.
"I've known since Sunday night, maybe Monday morning, but Adrian and I wanted to do it like this," added Robinson, a four-star quarterback. "It was the offense, the coaches – people say I could be the next Pat White and I wanted to play for the coach who coached Pat White."
Though they've had their minds made up for days now, today was still a relief. The two announced their decision at 11:00 a.m. and will sign mock letters of intent tonight on television.
The two, teammates since they were six years old, are thrilled to be attending the same school but both note they would have picked Michigan regardless. For Witty, the loyalty of the Wolverines' staff proved the deciding factor.
"I met those coaches last fall [when they were at West Virginia] and through my [knee] injury, they were the guys that I kept hearing from," he said. "I think they knew what I could do and they weren't going to get scared off by the injury like a lot of other programs did."
Though only ranked a two-star prospect, Witty (5-9, 175 pounds) has the talent to be a starting cornerback in the Big Ten, his teammate promises.
"He's a shutdown cornerback," Robinson said. "If he didn't get injured, everyone would have been after him this year. I really think he can be the next Charles Woodson because he's a great cover guy that also loves to come up and lay a hit. He does it all."
Witty think the Robinson's confidence is his best attribute.
"He's the guy that in crunch time wants the ball in his hands," Witty said. "He can throw and he can pass and because he can do both as well as he can, no one can stop him."
The two are now Wolverines and look forward to making an impact immediately, with Robinson – the No. 35 player in Florida, the No. 14 'athlete' and the No. 188 player nationally – a likely contributor in 2009.
"I know they've got another freshman quarterback but I'm confident that I can compete with him for the starting job," Robinson said. "I know they need some help at corner too and Adrian is excited because he thinks he can see some time right away."