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The arrival of new head coach Rich Rodriguez and the spread offense prompted Adrian Arrington to enter the NFL draft after just one season as a starter.
Arrington has had several roadblocks during his Michigan career. He missed almost all of the 2005 campaign after he suffered a broken right ankle in the season opener vs. Northern Illinois. He underwent surgery during which he had seven screws and a metal plate placed in his leg and it took him well over a year to recover from the injury.
Midway through the 2006 season, Arrington was arrested on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge stemming from a fight with his girlfriend, the Detroit Free Press reported. Arrington's girlfriend, Jodi Hupe, told police they had an argument early on Oct. 13 after Arrington called her from a bar in Ypsilanti drunk and Hupe drove to pick him up. The Free Press reported the argument left Hupe with marks on her hands from keys, and that Arrington drove her car in an altered state, according to the police report.
Arrington continued to have problems at the university. Coach Lloyd Carr later suspended the receiver, along with two other players during 2007 spring drills due to disciplinary reasons. Carr said their return in the fall was possible but not probable.
Prior to the start of 2007 fall camp, Carr brought Arrington in for a meeting. The receiver emerged from that visit as a member of the team again.
At Washington High School, Arrington was rated the fifth-best wide receiver in the country by ESPN's Tom Lemming. He was named to the Top 100 Dream Team and rated the 11th-best receiver in the country by Prep Star. Rivals.com rated him the top prospect in Iowa, giving him a four-star prospect grade. Max Emfinger rated him as the nation's sixth-best receiver and gave him a five-star prospect mark.
Arrington added first-team All-State honors from the Des Moines Register and the Iowa Newspaper Association. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Iowa as a senior and also earned first-team All-Conference and All-Metro honors. He was selected to play in the 2004 US Army All-American Game in San Antonio, Texas. As a junior, he received second-team Class 4A All-State and first-team All-Conference and All-Metro accolades.
During his prep career, Arrington caught 100 career passes for 1,547 yards and 23 touchdowns while returning 24 kickoffs for 642 yards with one score and 38 punts for 442 yards with another touchdown. He intercepted 11 passes and made 95 tackles in his career on defense. He snatched 57 passes for 914 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior, while also posting 29 tackles, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Arrington grabbed 34 passes for 424 yards and five touchdown catches, along with 11 rushes for 11 yards and two touchdowns as a junior. He also made 38 tackles along with five interceptions that season. He had eight catches for 140 yards and three touchdowns along with 38 tackles and three interceptions as a sophomore, and also made one catch for nine yards as a freshman. In basketball, he was rated one of the top players in the Iowa class of 2004 and also lettered in track, where he was timed at a career-best 10.9 seconds in the 100-meters.
Arrington arrived on Michigan's campus as a 176-pound freshman in 2004, as the Wolverines won a recruiting battle for his services from Pittsburgh, UCLA and Iowa. He earned his first varsity letter, seeing limited action in eight games, as he caught two passes for 12 yards. The following season, Arrington suffered a right ankle fracture returning a kickoff in the season opener vs. Northern Illinois. His surgery would sideline him for the rest of the year.
In 2006, Arrington appeared in 13 games, starting at the inside slot position vs. Minnesota and Michigan State and at flanker vs. Penn State and Iowa. He ranked second on the squad with 40 receptions for 544 yards (13.8-yard average) and eight touchdowns. He also recorded one solo tackle in the Wisconsin clash.
Arrington was the recipient of the Desmond Howard Award in 2007, given to the team's top receiver. He started all 13 games at flanker, finishing second on the team with 67 catches for 882 yards (13.2-yard average) and eight touchdowns. He also had a solo tackle vs. Florida and completed an 11-yard scoring pass on a reverse to Mario Manningham in the Notre Dame clash.
In 35 games at Michigan, Arrington started 18 contests. He collected 1,438 yards with 16 touchdowns on 109 receptions (13.2-yard average), as he scored 96 points. He recorded two solo tackles, returned a kickoff 15 yards and completed 1-of-2 passes for an 11-yard score.
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