Former Michigan Safety Vlad Emilien Transfers To Toledo

Safety Vlad Emilien left the Michigan football program after the first game of the 2010 season, deciding to transfer. By October he decided to commit to transferring to Colorado, hoping to eventually end up out west with the Buffaloes. Those plans changed when Colorado coach Dan Hawkins was fired, however. Emilien's opportunity to go to Colorado was gone, leaving him scrambling for a new school.

Earlier this month, Scout.com broke the news that Emilien decided to transfer to Toledo. According to Emilien, he has enrolled at the school and is excited to begin a new chapter of his football career.

"I am enrolled at Toledo on scholarship, and I am flying there today (Friday)," Emilien stated. "This is a great opportunity for me, and this coaching staff really wants me. (Head coach) Tim Beckman is a great coach, and they called me right after their bowl game and said they needed me, so I'm excited to be there."

Emilien is also excited to be at Toledo because he's not too far away from his friends at Michigan. He said that he was sad to hear that Rich Rodriguez was fired, but he still loves the Michigan football program.

Ex-Wolverine Vlad Emilien To Transfer To Colorado

Safety Vlad Emilien, who left the Michigan football team days after the first game of the season, is going to transfer to Colorado, according to Scout.com.

Emilien came to Michigan in the winter of 2009 as a four-star safety. Although he suffered a knee injury during his final season in high school, the hope was that he would be back to 100% after taking a redshirt his first year on campus. As it turns out, he apparently didn't recover enough to climb up the depth chart, because he was sitting behind a walk-on before deciding to transfer. Part of the reason he left Michigan was for playing time reasons.

Emilien isn't the first Michigan player to leave for Colorado in recent years, as wide receiver Toney Clemons transferred from Michigan to Colorado back in the spring of 2009.

Michigan Safety Vlad Emilien To Transfer

Maybe there's something about wearing the No. 5 jersey at Michigan these days. We already know all about Tate Forcier's current dilemma over whether or not to transfer to another school. But another player on the roster wearing the same number followed through on his impulse.

Safety Vlad Emilien requested and received his release from the Michigan football program on Wednesday, leaving an already thin defensive secondary even weaker.

A sophomore from Plantation, Florida, Emilien saw action in five games last season, playing mostly on special teams. He made an appearance in last Saturday's game versus Connecticut, when the defense used a prevent package on the Huskies' final drive. But if Jared Van Slyke hadn't broken his collarbone before the season opener, he may have been on the field instead of Emilien.

According to Tom VanHaaren on Twitter, Emilien is looking at UCLA, Boston College, Duke, Oregon and Virginia as possible next stops. 

Here's a bit more on the story from MGoBlog:

If I had to guess, this was just an injury/playing time washout. I'd heard persistent rumors that the knee injury never healed right and the Roundtree/Emilien/Jones sprint in the spring game was an eye opener.

Emilien has until Michigan's add-drop date this semester to enroll at another school if he wants the 2010 season to be the year he must sit out, as mandated by NCAA rules.

For more on the Wolverines as they prepare for their upcoming game against Notre Dame, click over to SB Nation's Michigan blog, Maize n Brew. (And if you want that Fighting Irish perspective, check out Rakes of Mallow.)