Derrick Green signs with Michigan: Wolverines land top running back recruit

The Michigan Wolverines have secured the signature of the nation's top running back prospect, Derrick Green. The Richmond, Virginia product put pen to paper today, locking in the verbal commitment he gave to Michigan coach Brady Hoke on January 26. Green's final list included much of the SEC, ACC, and Big Ten. His three official visits were spread between Michigan, Auburn, and Tennessee.

Green is a graduate of Hermitage High School, where he ran for 3578 yards and 50 touchdown in three seasons. As a senior, Green rushed for 1285 yards on 184 carries, scoring 20 times. He's a prototypical pro style halfback: Strong between the tackles with sufficient speed on the corner and the uncanny ability to fall forward after contact. As he told ESPN's Jeremy Crabtree, Green liked Michigan's academics, history, and depth chart, and rightfully so: There is a dearth of competition in the Michigan backfield, and Green should be able to step in on Day One and compete for a starting spot.

Green joins a Michigan recruiting class already vying with Ohio State for Big Ten supremacy. The Wolverines are set to sign 16 Rivals four-star recruits, including highly-coveted defensive tackle Henry Poggi and massive offensive linemen Kyle Bosch and Logan Tuley-Tillman.

Ratings: Green received five stars from Rivals and Scout, four stars from ESPN, and 4-5 stars, depending on which measurement tool 24/7 is using.

Vitals: At 6' tall and 220 pounds, Green is a prototypical Big Ten halfback. There's a reason why Wisconsin was chasing him.

Offer list: He was the consensus choice as the nation's top running back recruit and fielded offers accordingly: Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, USC, Clemson, Oklahoma, Oregon, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, and a host of other suitors.

Twitter: Green has been posting to the Twitter account @bigdnice27.

Recruitment timeline: The Derrick Green storystream has detailed his recruitment.

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