Back on November 18th when we broke the "Sam McGuffie Leaving UM" story, we didn't really have a lot of details we could publish.

We knew something, couldn't say how we knew it..  so he had been sitting on it, but when Brian at MGoBlog.com led with a story, we also went with it, because we knew it was true.

It has been reported that Sam had cleaned out his locker and many folks in and/or around the program hadn't expected him back when he left Michigan for Texas to attend a funeral.  Other folks thought he might come back for the OSU game, but then leave.

We had it from multiple reliable sources that he wouldn't attend the UM Football banquet (and he didn't) and that he will finish out the semester at UM and then leave the school.

Some of this story is hard to tell because we like Sam.

He is a geniunely good kid who has suffered through more things then any person on this earth should have to suffer through.  He grew up with no dad in the picture and his Mom has substance issues.  He was a great athlete who had many people enter his life who wanted to "help him" but were only there to try and exploit him.

He basically withdrew, became a very introverted person who has a very hard time letting anyone get close to him and he won't let himself get close to anyone because he doesn't want to get hurt.

The reports that he will return to Texas and go to A&M we don't think are true at LansingSportsRage.com   People say "His Grandfather that took him in went to A&M", but while that is true, fact of the matter is Sam isn't close to his Grandpa and in fact, the guy is kind of a jerk.  We think he didn't go to A&M because of the old man.  Add to that McGuffie just isn't that emotionally attached to football.  He likes it, he doesn't love it.  And his body isn't cut out for Division 1 football at the upper echolon.

I suppose he might surface at North/East/South/West Texas State, but I don't know if he'll make it even there.  He has gotten his bell rung a couple of times and his heart isn't in it.  That is not the type of kid who endures the tough side of football.  If it was all YouTube highlight runs and high school glory, then the work would be worth it.  But he's not that kid at this level.  And he won't stick.

One person we know inside the Blue Wall told us it was evident to Rodriguez's staff from Day One that the kid was a major league loner and had a personality quirk which was flawed and was going to result in problems.  This really became apparent to people close to the program (not inside, but close) at the Mealer Fundraiser in August.  Whole team coming out of summer camps getting ready for season opener, in public, having fun, but not Sam.  He was in an extreme funk, didn't really participate or interact with anyone.  He looked like a very lonely and very depressed kid.

So repeating..  you can put us down for 99% will leave at the end of the semester.