It was the summer of 1996, and Tom Amstutz sorely needed a running back in his next recruiting class.
Then the University of Toledo’s football coach, Amstutz worked a camp for high school players at the University of Michigan and oversaw the running backs in hopes of discovering his next ballcarrier. During the camp, Amstutz kept noticing one player in particular. He was short and from a small school, but Amstutz loved his toughness and his vision.
Of the 200 or so players there, Amstutz liked him the most — and made sure to stay near him.