Tag: 2011 Season Countdown

2011 Countdown: #59 Blake Countess

Blake Countess

Name: Blake Countess
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 174 lbs.
High school: Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, MD
Position: Cornerback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #18
Last year: Countess was a high school senior (commitment post here)

TTB Rating: 84

In case you can’t tell from the commitment post, I really like Countess.  He played for a good high school program, seems like a high-character individual, and can do lots of different things – stop the run, defend the pass, and help out in the return game if needed.  There’s nothing that he seems to lack, although there’s nothing that screams future superstar, either.  He’s just a good, solid player.

I believe Countess has the ability to come in and make an immediate impact at the college level, but his pathway to the field is blocked by three cornerbacks with starting experience – fifth year senior Troy Woolfolk, redshirt junior J.T. Floyd, and sophomore Courtney Avery.  That might allow Countess to redshirt, but I also think Countess might end up #3 on the depth chart by the end of the year.  I doubt he’ll be a starter at any point this year, but all bets are off when he’s a sophomore.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

2011 Countdown: #60 Brandon Herron

Brandon Herron

Name: Brandon Herron
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: Dulles High School in Stafford, TX
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #58
Last year: I ranked Herron #43 and said he would be a backup OLB.  He had 7 tackles and 1 pass breakup.

Let me start off by saying that when Herron was recruited, not many Michigan fans expected much.  He was a 3-star to the recruiting sites and generally viewed as an undersized project.  With that disclaimer out of the way, he was 199 lbs. as a freshman, 218 lbs. as a sophomore . . . and has been 220 lbs. for the past three years.  At some point it seems a coach would have pulled him aside and said, “You’re a linebacker, not a strong safety!”  Herron was the backup OLB to Craig Roh back in 2009 when he played a defensive end-ish position, and last year he was a 3-3-5 OLB.  This spring he was the backup middle linebacker.  And he’s still only 220.

Linebackers can be successful in college at 220 lbs. or so, but not very often.  And when you get trucked by Michael Cox (on Cox’s 68-yard TD run in the spring game) without even seeming to think about trying to wrap him up and take him down, then maybe you’re too small.  I don’t think Herron is in any danger of playing much this year, although with his speed and strength, he should be a special teams demon.  We’ll see whether the new coaching staff can find a way to use his skills, but the influx of freshman linebackers puts him in a precarious position.

Prediction: Special teams contributor; third string linebacker

2011 Countdown: #61 Tony Anderson

Tony Anderson (#17)

Name: Tony Anderson
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 192 lbs.
High school: Union High School in Redondo Beach, CA
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I didn’t rank Anderson.  He made 4 tackles on special teams.

Anderson is one of those walk-on kids Rich Rodriguez brought in who actually made an impact in recent years.  The walk-on program has been somewhat successful in the past few seasons, producing the likes of safety Jordan Kovacs, linebacker Kevin Leach, fullback John McColgan, defensive end Will Heininger, and special teams savants Zac Johnson and the aforementioned Anderson.  Last season #17 played in 11 games, mostly on kick coverage.  That seemed to be a pretty good accomplishment, but then . . .

. . . this past spring nobody wanted to claim the starting cornerback job.  Troy Woolfolk and J.T. Floyd were both still hurt from last season, Terrence Talbott was having commitment issues, Cullen Christian was avoiding tackling, and Greg Brown was an early enrollee freshman.  That left returning part-time starter Courtney Avery and Anderson to be the #1 cornerback tandem.  And from what I saw, Anderson didn’t do too badly.  He wasn’t a standout, but he played decently and successfully defended Darryl Stonum on a lofted pass to the endzone in the spring game.  I doubt his spot on the depth chart will carry over into the 2011 regular season, but he’s given a valiant effort and shown that he can help out in a pinch.  The healthy return of Woolfolk and Floyd – plus some talented incoming freshmen – will probably relegate Anderson to the bench.

Prediction: Special teams contributor; backup cornerback

2011 Countdown: #62 Brandin Hawthorne

Brandin Hawthorne

Name: Brandin Hawthorne
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 203 lbs.
High school: Pahokee High School in Pahokee, FL
Position: Safety/linebacker
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #7
Last year: I ranked Hawthorne #52 and said he would be a special teamer who might make a tackle or two.  He was a special teamer and made 1 tackle.

Hawthorne was a high school safety and bounced around his first couple years at Michigan, playing free safety and Spur, which is like a strongside linebacker.  So far he has two seasons of special teams action under his belt . . . and that’s about it.  He seemed to be one of those tweeners that Rich Rodriguez liked to recruit so much, the kind that don’t really have a position now that some coaches with an actual defensive blueprint have arrived.

This spring Hawthorne saw playing time at both safety and weakside linebacker, and I will admit that he looked better in the spring than he has in the past couple years.  However, he seemed to get most of his action at WILL, and I just don’t see him getting to sniff playing time at the position.  Not only will he be fighting some current players for the position (Marell Evans, Mike Jones, maybe Jake Ryan), but the Wolverines have a couple freshmen arriving on campus to make a push for playing time (Antonio Poole, Kellen Jones).  At only 6’0″ and 203 lbs., he seems to be a career special teamer.

Prediction: Special teams contributor

2011 Countdown: #63 Terrence Robinson

Terrence Robinson

Name: Terrence Robinson
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 175 lbs.
High school: Oak High School in Klein, TX
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #8
Last year: I ranked Robinson #57 and said he would be a backup returner and slot receiver.  He was both of those things and had 1 catch for 43 yards to go with 1 kick return for 23 yards.

Robinson is a former 4-star athlete from Texas who got a lot of Michigan fans buzzing early, based largely on one high school move that started off great but ended with him stumbling to the ground untouched.  Beyond that he has 2 career catches for 56 yards, 1 kick return for 23, and 1 punt return for 11.  And once the Brady Hoke regime took over, it seemed to make Robinson even more of an afterthought.

Three- and four-receiver sets will still be a large part of Michigan’s offense in 2011, but that doesn’t mean the new coaching staff favors 5’9″, 175 lb. receivers to play in the slot.  If Robinson wants to make an impact on the team, it will probably be in the same way that he’s kinda sorta had a chance to play in the past few seasons – on kick and punt returns.  Especially with a quarterback who’s only 6′ tall, the team needs taller receivers running routes over the middle of the field.  Robinson looks like he might be a bit player for the rest of his career.

Prediction: Backup kick and punt returner