Tag: Anthony Standifer

Ex-Wolverine Updates: Pre-Season 2012

Sam McGuffie is the face of the Rice Owls’ program this fall

Some Michigan fans surely don’t care much what happens to guys after they decommit or transfer from Michigan, but I’m not one of them.  I like to track them and see how they’re doing elsewhere.  Most of the time, they don’t find a ton of success on the football field.  But a few – like Toney Clemons, Anthony Fera, DeQuinta Jones, and Sam McGuffie – have become quality players for other FBS programs.  Here are some of the updates since last year, with more info to be found on the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

Former Michigan QB commit Shavodrick Beaver: Beaver sat out the 2011 season after transferring from Tulsa to Midwestern State.  He is listed as a 6’3″, 193 lb. redshirt junior quarterback for the Mustangs.

Former Michigan CB Greg Brown: Brown is listed as a 5’11”, 195 lb. defensive back on Findlay’s roster.  He transferred shortly into the 2011 season after enrolling early in January 2011.

Former Michigan TE commit Pharaoh Brown: Brown is listed as a 6’6″, 234 lb. freshman tight end on Oregon’s roster.

Former Michigan CB Cullen Christian: Christian is listed as a 6’0″, 195 lb. defensive back on Pitt’s roster.  He is expected to start at cornerback for the Panthers this year.

Former Michigan WR Toney Clemons: Clemons was a 7th round draft pick out of Colorado in the 2012 NFL Draft.  He remains on the Steelers’ roster at this point but did not have a catch in their first preason game against the Eagles.

Former Michigan CB commit Dallas Crawford: Crawford was Miami’s Scout Team Player of the Year on defense, but he is now listed as a 5’11”, 190 lb. running back on the Hurricanes’ roster.

Former Michigan CB commit Demar Dorsey: Dorsey was supposed to enroll at Hawaii after transferring from Grand Rapids Community College, but he does not appear on Hawaii’s roster for the upcoming season.  UPDATE: Dorsey is transferring to Western Arizona Junior College for the upcoming season.

Former Michigan S Vladimir Emilien: Emilien is listed as a 6’1″, 204 lb. safety at Toledo after sitting out the 2011 season due to transfer rules.  He is expected to start this fall at a hybrid safety/linebacker position.

Former Michigan K commit Anthony Fera: Fera transferred from Penn State to Texas after the PSU sanctions were announced.  He currently has a groin injury and is not practicing with the Longhorns, but he is expected to start when healthy.

Former Michigan OT commit Jake Fisher: Fisher is listed as a 6’6″, 294 lb. offensive lineman on Oregon’s roster.  He is expected to start this year for the Ducks.

Former Michigan QB Tate Forcier: Forcier signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League after leaving San Jose State, but he was released from the team in June.  His current football status is unknown.

Former Michigan K commit Matt Goudis: Goudis is a redshirt freshman kicker at Miami.

Former Michigan FS Carvin Johnson: Johnson supposedly transferred to Hampton but does not appear on the Pirates’ roster for the upcoming season.

Former Michigan DT commit DeQuinta Jones: Jones is listed as a 6’5″, 299 lb. defensive tackle and is expected to start for the Arkansas Razorbacks this fall.

Former Michigan LB Kellen Jones: Jones left Oklahoma for Clemson, but does not appear on the Tigers’ 2012 roster.

Former Michigan RB Sam McGuffie: McGuffie is listed as a 5’11”, 200 lb. redshirt senior running back on the Rice Owls’ roster, though he is expected to contribute mostly at slot receiver this fall.

Former Michigan WR commit Bryce McNeal: McNeal transferred from Clemson to UConn in the middle of last season, but he does not appear on the Huskies’ roster for 2012.  EDIT: McNeal has instead transferred to Louisville, where it looks like he’ll begin this season as a backup.

Former Michigan QB commit Kevin Newsome: Newsome transferred to Temple from Penn State in the offseason.  He will be eligible to play this fall, but will likely be a backup to the incumbent starter.

Former Michigan WR commit DeWayne Peace: Peace is listed as a 6’0″, 190 lb. redshirt junior wide receiver for Houston.  He is expected to start at wide receiver this fall.

Former Michigan LB Davion Rogers: Rogers left the Youngstown State program after the 2011 season.  His current playing status is unknown.

Former Michigan QB commit Kevin Sousa: Sousa is listed as a 6’3″, 230 lb. redshirt freshman on Wake Forest’s roster.

Former Michigan OL commit Caleb Stacey: Stacey decommitted from Michigan and signed with Cincinnati instead, but he left the team prior to the beginning of fall camp.

Former Michigan CB commit Anthony Standifer: Standifer is listed as a 6’1″, 180 lb. defensive back on Ole Miss’s roster.

Former Michigan WR Je’Ron Stokes: Stokes is listed as a 6’1″, 198 lb. redshirt junior wide receiver for the Bowling Green State University Falcons.  He is in the mix to start this fall.

Former Michigan CB Justin Turner: Turner is listed as a 6’3″, 204 lb. defensive back for Scottsdale Community College, where he started last season.

Former Michigan S Ray Vinopal: Vinopal is listed as a 5’10”, 190 lb. redshirt sophomore safety on Pitt’s roster.  He is expected to start for the Panthers this season.

Former Michigan CB commit Adrian Witty: Witty is listed as a 5’10”, 182 lb. cornerback for the Cincinnati Bearcats.  He is in the mix to start this fall.

Recruiting Update: March 12, 2012

Detroit (MI) Loyola defensive end Malik McDowell

COMMITMENTS
Massillon (OH) Washington cornerback Gareon Conley committed to Michigan.

Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison linebacker Mike McCray committed to Michigan.

ADDED TO THE BOARD
Duluth (GA) Peachtree Ridge offensive tackle Orlando Brown, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  Brown is the son of Orlando “Zeus” Brown, the former Cleveland Brown and Baltimore Raven offensive tackle.  The younger Brown is even bigger than his father, currently standing 6’10” and weighing 360 lbs.  He also has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Notre Dame, and USC, along with several others.

Grand Rapids (MI) Christian wide receiver Drake Harris, a 2014 prospect, has a Michigan offer.  Harris is a 6’4″, 180 lb. kid who is also a highly touted shooting guard prospect.  As a sophomore in 2011, he had 57 receptions for 1,118 yards and 14 touchdowns.  He also has offers to play football at Indiana and Michigan State.

Mesquite (TX) West Mesquite wide receiver Eldridge Massington was offered by Michigan on Wednesday.  He’s a 6’3″, 205 lb. wideout with offers from Baylor, Houston, Notre Dame, TCU, and Tennessee, among others.  As a junior in 2011, he had 41 receptions for 666 yards and 6 touchdowns.  As you might imagine from an offer list like that, Massington immediately put Michigan and Notre Dame at the top of the heap.  He’s a tall, good-sized receiver with enough speed to stretch the field.

Detroit (MI) Loyola defensive end Malik McDowell, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  McDowell is a 6’6″, 260 lb. strongside end who has started to wow people this offseason.  Loyola isn’t a highly recruited school, so it’s rare that we hear of kids from that school.  There have been rumors that McDowell will be transferring to Cass Tech, but so far there hasn’t been any movement there.  He also has an offer from Syracuse.

OFF THE BOARD
Camp Hill (PA) Cedar Cliff tight end Adam Breneman committed to Penn State.  I did a scouting report and TTB Andrew interviewed Breneman in the past, but always seemed to be a long shot for Michigan.  You can’t fault the kid for choosing the Nittany Lions.  New head coach Bill O’Brien showed with the New England Patriots that he values the tight end position, and he’ll find myriad ways of getting the ball to Breneman in the next few seasons.

Columbus (OH) Bishop Hartley tight end Jacob Matuska committed to Notre Dame.  The 6’5″, 240-pounder was being recruited by Michigan as a tight end, but the Fighting Irish are planning to use him as a defensive end.

Belton (TX) Belton tight end Durham Smythe committed to Texas.  Along with jumbo wide receiver Ricky Seals-Jones, who could also play tight end, the Longhorns are bringing in a couple quality

Crete (IL) Crete-Monee cornerback Anthony Standifer committed to Mississippi.  Standifer, a 2012 prospect, was committed to Michigan for several months, but a reported academic issue was going to prevent him from getting into Michigan.  Therefore, he decommitted a few months ago and started to look elsewhere.  He finally chose a school this past week.

VISITORS
In case you missed it, here’s a list of guys who visited Michigan this past weekend.  David Dawson is on that list, but he ended up not making it to Ann Arbor.

Meanwhile, St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham wide receiver James Onwualu will be visiting Michigan on Wednesday.  The 6’1″, 205 lb. athlete is being recruited by Michigan as a slot receiver, while other schools are recruiting him as a cornerback and safety, too.

MGoBlog: Clinic Items – Greg Mattison

Greg Mattison is awesome.

Brian at MGoBlog attended a clinic at which Greg Mattison spoke.  First of all, I’m jealous.  Secondly, though, I loved every bit of Brian’s post.  You should go there (if you haven’t already) and read it in its entirety, but here I just want to a bit of a point-by-point analysis of what Brian shared.

“Occasionally it felt like it was a college class as Mattison asked the room what player X would be doing in a particular situation.”  In my experience, the best speakers are the ones who keep the audience involved.  This isn’t news to anyone who does frequent public speaking or is involved in education.  If you’re just speaking at people, they often lose interest fairly quickly.

“As I wrestled with how to handle this various coaches in the room told every-damn-body that Mattison said Brennen Beyer was moving to WDE and Craig Roh to SDE. This was explicitly stated.”  This is confirmation of my post from the other day.  Not that I’m a genius – the info was e-mailed to me – but there were some questions about the validity of my info.  I try not to post information I’m not confident in, so I like when my info is confirmed by multiple sources.

“Mattison took the opportunity to point out that this was an example of the corners not coming hard enough and gush over Floyd (“I love this kid”) in general and specifically as an exemplar of the Michigan philosophy.”  I think my criticisms of J.T. Floyd often get misconstrued as hating on a kid or holding a grudge.  I’ve never questioned Floyd’s hustle or attitude.  What I’ve questioned is his overall athletic ability, and I think Brian’s comment here somewhat confirms my criticisms.  Floyd hustles and indeed makes a nice play by chasing down Braxton Miller, but one of the issues here is that Floyd helped allow a giant run in the first place, which is acknowledged by Mattison.

“Here he also noted that everyone hits the sled every day and that this was not something the previous coaching staff did frequently, if ever. This is where the bit about “I’ve never seen such awful technique” came in. Pretty much the only thing negative Mattison said was about the state of the team he was handed.”  The sled is such a useful tool in coaching football.  I know we saw clips of Rodriguez’s teams hitting the sled, and I doubt they just did that for the camera.  I think Mattison might be underestimating how often Michigan hit the sled, but still it might be a significant improvement.  Whether it’s a blocking sled, a tackling sled, a five-man sled, a two-man sled, whatever, they’re the best simulation for live play.  And there’s only so much man-on-man hitting you can do before people start getting injured.

“Inside linebackers. The usual: the mike has to be a little bigger, a little stronger, and the will has to be able to adjust to coverage outside of the box. An important difference between the two is the WLB has to be able to run vertically down the seam whereas the MLB can pass his guy off; IIRC this year the guy running down the seam was Demens, not Morgan. Adjustment based on Demens’s surprising ability to stick with guys downfield?”  The MIKE and the WILL are interchangeable, especially with a guy like Desmond Morgan, who is essentially a MIKE (albeit young and small-ish) playing because of a void at the position.  I think Demens was often dropping into coverage because offenses flipped the formation’s strength.  The inside linebackers don’t flip with a change of strength, so then the MIKE becomes the WILL and vice versa.

“Corners. “Corners are corners” but the field corner (Countess) is not involved with “heavy work” and usually just has to clean up plays that have been strung out. The boundary corner (Floyd) has to be a bigger guy better in run support. It’s a seven man front; if you go eight you’d “better have a war daddy” at field corner because he’s got to cover an outside receiver with little additional help.”  This is where the loss of Anthony Standifer hurts.  I really think Standifer, who was committed to Michigan for several months, could have developed into a good run supporter and boundary corner.  Richardson is a lot like Blake Countess, so now Michigan has two young field corners (three if you include Courtney Avery) and one senior boundary corner (Floyd).  I think that’s why you’re seeing so many big corners getting offered in the class of 2013.  Michigan needs run supporting corners right NOW.  It might also be why incoming free safety Jarrod Wilson might get a shot to play cornerback.

“Brennen Beyer. Beyer was talked up like a future star. Reportedly up to 250 pounds and will be given an opportunity to win the WDE job in the spring.”  This sounds like a good plan to me, because Beyer seemed a little out of place at SAM.

“Departing DL. Heininger “really became a football player.” Seems like they think they’ll miss him. Van Bergen “really, really played” for M and Martin was of course the best player on the team.”  I agree that Martin was the best player on the team.  Yes, better than Denard Robinson.  Heininger is replaceable, and Van Bergen’s loss will be mitigated somewhat by the move of Craig Roh to strongside end.  This isn’t news, but the biggest loss here is Mike Martin.  As much as I like most of the defense, the loss of such a big-time nose tackle is going to hurt.  Even when Martin wasn’t making plays, he was causing the offense to scheme around him or he was making running backs redirect in the backfield.  Teams often improve in the second year of a system, but that might be difficult unless William Campbell and/or Ondre Pipkins has a breakout season.      

Anthony Standifer, ex-Wolverine

2013 prospect LaQuon Treadwell and 2012 prospect Anthony Standifer

Back at the beginning of June, Crete (IL) Crete-Monee cornerback Anthony Standifer committed to Michigan.  At the time the recruiting services hadn’t really picked up on him yet, despite the fact that he had offers from decent schools like Iowa, Michigan, and Notre Dame.  As of this morning, Standifer is a 3-star to all four major recruiting services, and anywhere from the #28 to #46 cornerback.

He remained committed for the past several months and seemed strongly interested in coming to Ann Arbor, but a few days ago, it all started to fall apart.  Michigan and Standifer have made a mutual decision to part ways, although rumors suggest that it was due to some academic shortcomings on Standifer’s part.

To fill the open spot at cornerback, Michigan has recently re-established contact with West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial’s Armani Reeves and continued to pursue Ramsey (NJ) Don Bosco Prep’s Yuri Wright.  Reeves is currently committed to Penn State but is wary of the coaching situation.  Wright has often said that Michigan is his dream school, but he has yet to visit.

It’s unclear where Standifer will end up playing ball, but there is another player who factors into the situation: 2013 wide receiver LaQuon Treadwell.  Treadwell is Standifer’s teammate and seemed like he would commit to Michigan at some point.  Without Standifer in Ann Arbor, that might make Treadwell’s commitment less likely.  While he has stated that the news about Standifer won’t affect his recruitment, I have to wonder if that will hold true or not.  Treadwell has picked up offers from Indiana, Nebraska, and Notre Dame to go along with his Michigan offer.

For other news on former Wolverines and ex-commitments, check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

2012 Recruiting: Senior Year Statistics

Ann Arbor (MI) Pioneer got a statistically dominant season out of Drake Johnson (#2 in white and purple)

Blake Bars – OT – Nashville (TN) Montgomery Bell
54 pancake blocks

Joe Bolden – LB – Cincinnati (OH) Colerain
86 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception returned for a touchdown; 1 receiving touchdown, 1 rushing touchdown, and a 39.0 yard average on 25 punts

Ben Braden – OT – Rockford (MI) Rockford
No stats available.

Pharaoh Brown – TE/DE – Lyndhurst (OH) Brush**
31 receptions, 499 yards (16.1 yards per catch), 7 touchdowns; 33 tackles, 9 sacks, 1 pass breakup, 1 forced fumble

Jehu Chesson – WR – St. Louis (MO) Ladue Horton Watkins
53 receptions, 757 yards, 6 touchdowns; 57 tackles, 2 interceptions

Jeremy Clark – S – Madisonville (KY) North Hopkins
70 tackles, 15 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, 3 interceptions (3 touchdowns), and 1 fumble recovery (1 touchdown)

Devin Funchess – TE/LB – Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison
21 receptions, 452 yards (21.5 yards per catch), 5 touchdowns; 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups

Allen Gant – S/WR – Sylvania (OH) Southview
79 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles; 12 carries, 106 yards (8.8 yards per rush); 24 receptions, 419 yards (17.5 yards per catch), 4 touchdowns

Matt Godin – DE – Novi (MI) Catholic Central
90 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss

Willie Henry – DT – Cleveland (OH) GlenvilleNo stats available.

Sione Houma – FB – Salt Lake City (UT) Highland
93 carries, 790 yards (8.8 yards per carry), 8 touchdowns; 1 kickoff return touchdown

Royce Jenkins-Stone – LB/FB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
84 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries; 309 yards rushing, 5 touchdowns; 4 receptions, 43 yards, 1 touchdown

Drake Johnson – RB – Ann Arbor (MI) Pioneer
343 carries, 2,805 yards (8.2 yards per carry), 37 touchdowns; 5 receptions, 83 yards (16.6 yards per catch), 1 touchdown; 5-for-9 passing, 90 yards

Kyle Kalis – OL – Lakewood (OH) St. Edward’s
No stats available.

Erik Magnuson – OL/DE – Carlsbad (CA) La Costa Canyon
69 pancake blocks

Dennis Norfleet – RB – Detroit (MI) King2,033 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns

Mario Ojemudia – DE – Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison
80 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 blocked punt

Ondre Pipkins – DT – Kansas City (MO) Park Hill
60 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 3 pass breakups

Terry Richardson – CB/WR – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
49 tackles, 7 pass breakups; 24 receptions, 425 yards (17.7 yards per catch), 2 touchdowns; 1 kickoff return touchdown

Kaleb Ringer – LB – Clayton (OH) Northmont
59 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass breakup

James Ross – LB – Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s
138 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery; 1 touchdown reception

Caleb Stacey – OL – Cincinnati (OH)**
38 pancake blocks, 0 sacks allowed

Anthony Standifer – CB – Crete (IL) Crete-Monee**
46 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 4 interceptions (1 touchdown), 2 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery

Tom Strobel – DE – Mentor (OH) Mentor
55 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 33 quarterback hurries

A.J. Williams – TE – Cincinnati (OH) Sycamore
No stats available.

Jarrod Wilson – S – Akron (OH) Buchtel
71 tackles, 3 interceptions (1 touchdown), 1 blocked punt

Chris Wormley – DE – Toledo (OH) Whitmer
66 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass breakup

**Decommitted from Michigan