Description

Ht: 6-1 Wt: 180 40: 4.4

Position: WR

Year: Class of 2008

High School: Dulles HS

(Sugar Land, TX)

By L.
SCOTT HAINLINE

Chronicle Correspondent

Dulles’ senior wide receiver Darryl "DC" Stonum II not only has
his ducks in a row, he could be marching them towards Ann Arbor,
Mich., by the end of the year.

Stonum (6-2, 183), who verbally committed
to the University of Michigan, doesn’t want to spend his freshman
year redshirting with the Wolverines, and to make even more sure
that doesn’t happen, he plans to report in January to get a jump
on his first collegiate season.

"He wants to leave (high school) early,
and he’s lining everything up to be able to that, and it just
shows how dedicated he is," Dulles’ coach Jim Creech said.
"(Dulles’ counselor) Jenny Mack has been a huge help and she’s
working with Darryl to help make it a reality."

"Ms. Mack is the best counselor in the
world," Stonum said. "She’s just great, and I couldn’t be doing
this without her."

Before Stonum takes off, he plans to help
the Vikings to a second consecutive District 23-5A title and
playoff berth. He’s coming off a junior season that included 52
receptions for 1,150 yards and 17 touchdowns, along with two punt
returns for touchdowns.

The 6-2, 183-pound wide-out should be one
of Dulles’ top performers this year.

"My senior season is very important to me,
and I’ll be able to concentrate on the season without having to be
concerned with recruiting and other distractions," he said. "It’s
still going to be very busy, but I’m glad to know where I’m
going, and that I have a plan in place.

"The people at Michigan suggested I try to
get up there early, and it’s going to give me an advantage on the
other (2008) recruits, and even on some of the recruits from the
class of 2007. They want me to get up there and work on things like
returning punts and becoming a better receiver, and hopefully,
I’ll be able to work my way up the depth chart and be returning
punts on Saturdays as a freshman."

Stonum was recruited by every major
college program in the country, and that resulted in a who’s-who
list of visits to the Vikings fieldhouse by USC’s Pete Carroll,
Florida’s Urban Meyer, Alabama’s Nick Saban, Texas Tech’s Mike
Leach and Boise State’s Chris Petersen, among others.

"The funny thing is a couple of old-school
coaches like (Michigan’s) Lloyd Carr and (Florida State’s) Bobby
Bowden were among the crews that didn’t come, and Darryl ended up
with Michigan, so I’m not sure how important all those visits
really were," Creech said. "Recruiting has gone so far to the left
from what it used to be. It’s just a different ballgame than it
used to be."

There were times when Stonum had to shut
down his cell phone.

"It really picked up right after last
season, and the text messages were coming in one right after
another," he said. "I guess it’s helped that two of my best
friends, (2007 Dulles’ graduates) Troy Woolfolk (a cornerback) and
Brandon Herron (linebacker), are already at Michigan. I’ve been
going through some of the Michigan offseason workouts with them,
and I’ve been running track with Troy since we were 11. It’s nice
to have a couple of former Dulles teammates there."

Stonum’s father, Darryl Sr., says he was
"very relieved" when his son selected Michigan.

"It’s not a headache, but it is a process
and we just tried to gather as much information as we could so
Darryl could make an informed decision," the elder Stonum said. "He
wants to be on the field as a freshman, so we did our best to keep
up with depth charts and see who was being recruited by what
schools.

"We were constantly on the Internet, and
we put so much into it so he felt comfortable, and he was able to
narrow the choices to three (Michigan, USC and Florida), and
finally to one."

Ann Arbor is more than 1,300 miles from
Sugar Land, but that doesn’t bother Darryl Sr, a 1972 Sterling
graduate who had a free-agent invitation to the 1982 Houston
Oilers’ training camp but didn’t go due to a knee injury.

"We’re very comfortable with Darryl going
away and we’re confident he can handle it," he said. "It’s going
to be a great experience going out on his own, and we’ll
definitely be at some of his games."

Stonum’s busy summer includes qualifying
for the AAU National Championships in Sacramento, Calif., in the
1,600-meter relay as a member of the Willowridge Wings Track
Club.

He’s also enrolled in summer school and
has taken night classes to help with the early exit from Dulles in
December, and he’s invited to participate in a high school
All-American football game in Florida in January, if everything
falls into place and there’s enough time.

"I’ve been trying to train myself for
college life because I know it’s going to be hectic," he said. "I
feel like I’m on the right track."

"I know Darryl loves track and some of his
other activities, but football is his ticket," Creech said. "He’s
an outstanding young man, and he’s now part of what is becoming a
subway straight from Dulles to Ann Arbor. I know he’ll make us all
very proud."

Stonum Sr. agrees.

"It’s been a long road that started way
back with Little League football, and then blossomed at the junior
high and high school levels," he said. "He’s way ahead of himself
experience-wise, and we’re thankful he’s had, and will have, the
opportunities to succeed."