Brandon Minor
Running Back
Varina HS
(Richmond, VA)
6-0/210/4.5
NR: ****
Position Rank: 29
Scout.com Player Video:
Brandon
Minor Scouting Video
His Recruiting Story
Brandon Minor began to gain national recognition after an impressive sophomore
campaign in which he rushed for almost 1800 yards. The Richmond, Varina star
followed that up with a dominant junior season in which he rushed 196 times
for 2,091 yards and 30 touchdowns. His 10.7 yards per carry and 190.1 yards
per game caught the attention of many of the nation's top programs, including
the University of Michigan.
Minor may have grown up in the shadows of schools like Virginia and Virginia Tech, but he was always a fan of the Wolverines. Michigan was the first school's
to step forth with scholarship when head coach Lloyd Carr decided to offer in
February of 2005. North Carolina State, Nebraska, Tennessee, Virginia Tech,
Florida, and Miami soon followed suit. The Hurricanes appeared to be Michigan's
stiffest competition early on since they too were a team he grew up following.
"I've always kind of liked them but I really got to learn a lot about them
through my friend, (former Hurricane offensive tackle) Bryant McKinnie,"
he said.
Minor tore his hip flexor muscle prior to the start of his senior campaign,
but all of the schools on his list kept their offers on the table. He later
settled on visits to four schools; Virginia Tech (unofficial), Tennessee, Michigan,
and Miami. When bruising tailback took his official visit to Ann arbor in December
he was blown away. At that point it was clear the Wolverines were going to be
tough to beat. "I really liked hanging out with the players and especially
the coaches; we got along great," Minor said. "I was very impressed
with the facilities, the weight room and the rehab center, the training table.
Everything was very nice. I got to see more of the players and coaches during
my trip to Michigan. At Tennessee they were playing a game, so were thinking
about that. At Michigan they were all on us."
Soon after his visit to Miami, the once strong Hurricanes were removed from
consideration, leaving three schools vying for his services. When the dust finally
settled, he committed to Michigan on Friday January 20th at a press conference
at his school."
"I picked Michigan because it was the best thing for me in all areas,
athletically and academically. They were my team growing up ... I dreamed of
going there."
GoBlueWolverine Commentary
At nearly 6-0 and 210 lbs., Brandor Minor is a between the tackles runner with
excellent vision and tackle-braking ability. He gets through the line quickly
for a young man his size, and is never brought down by first contact. He has
some shake in his game and possesses deceptive speed. He was clocked at 4.7
in the 40 in a combine prior to his junior year, and that affected his ranking
and caused some to view him as a fullback. Minor, however, is definitely a tailback
and has since reduced to the 4.5 range. Regardless of what the stopwatch may
read, he has good football speed and doesn't get caught from behind when he
is between the white lines. He also is an excellent pass catcher out of the
backfield.
“Oh, I’ll run you right over if you get in my way,” he said.
"I have the ability to either run you over or shake you. A lot of guys
have one ability or the other. I feel like I can do both equally well."
Minor is also a fierce competitor that is unafraid of competition. "It's
just like anything else," he said regarding the full depth chart at Michigan.
"If you work hard you get results. I know that Michigan got a commitment
from another running back, but that doesn't mean anything to me, I'll go in
and play wherever I go."