Tag: Antonio Poole

Ex-Wolverines: Class of 2011

Here’s a look back at the recruits who did not pan out for Michigan in 2011, the transition class between Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke.

TRANSFERS

Chris Barnett – Tight end – Hurst (TX) L.D. Bell
Barnett was an outstanding tight end coming out of high school.  He tore his ACL during his senior year and struggled to regain his playing shape.  When he arrived at Michigan in the summer of 2011 for his freshman season, he weighed 278 lbs.  By late August the distance from home, the summer classwork, and the required physical conditioning forced him to leave the program and re-evaluate his options.  He enrolled at a Texas junior college, but left that program.
Current status: Unknown

Russell Bellomy – Quarterback – Arlington (TX) Martin
After the decommitment of Kevin Sousa in December 2010 (see below), Michigan was scrambling for a more traditional quarterback, whereas Sousa had been a dual-threat guy. He was previously committed to Purdue, but that changed when Michigan came calling. He redshirted in 2011. Then he played in five games in 2012, including stepping in for Denard Robinson against Nebraska, which was an ugly performance (3/16, 38 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT), and stuck around through 2014. Altogether, he was 4/23 for 46 yards and 4 interceptions at Michigan. He transferred to UTSA as a senior in 2015, completing 4/10 passes for 39 yards and rushing 7 times for 21 yards.
Current status: Out of football

Greg Brown – Cornerback – Fremont (OH) Ross
Brown was the first commitment of the 2011 class after choosing the Wolverines in September of 2009.  He enrolled early in January 2011, but was one of those kids who was caught in the middle between Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke.  Rodriguez recruited him, but he wasn’t fired until January, when Brown was already on campus.  The cornerback received mixed reviews in spring practices and played sparingly on special teams at the beginning of the 2011 season, but decided to transfer mid-season.  He played sparingly for Findlay in 2012, then transferred to Iowa Central Community College prior to the 2013 season.
Current status: Out of football

Hit the jump for more.

2013 Season Countdown: #60 Antonio Poole

Antonio Poole (#40)

Name: Antonio Poole
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 218 lbs.
High school: Cincinnati (OH) Winton Woods
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #40
Last year: I ranked Poole #60 and said he would sit out the season due to injury. He did not see game action.

Poole has now remained on the sideline for his first two years on campus. For linebackers that’s typically not a good sign, because those guys can play a lot of roles on special teams. He earned a little bit of buzz early on at Michigan, but last year he suffered a pectoral injury that forced him to miss the entire 2012 season. And while he remains on the team, he still wasn’t full go this spring.

The end-of-spring depth chart included a two-deep of Desmond Morgan and Joe Bolden at MIKE, and then James Ross III and Royce Jenkins-Stone at WILL. There have been some suggestions by insiders that Poole’s career might be finished due to the injury, but either way, it seems that anything he contributes from this point forward is a plus. There are three starter-quality inside linebackers (Morgan, Bolden, Ross) and an unproven youngster (Jenkins-Stone) in that group. If Poole is recovered, I think he has the instincts and athleticism to push Jenkins-Stone for that #2 WILL spot and play on coverage units. If he’s not recovered by August, I think that’s a very bad sign for his career.

Prediction: Backup WILL linebacker, special teams coverage

2012 Season Countdown: #60 Antonio Poole

Antonio Poole

Name: Antonio Poole
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 212 lbs.
High school: Cincinnati (OH) Wintin Woods
Position: Weakside linebacker
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #40
Last year: I ranked Poole #73 and said he would be a backup linebacker.  He redshirted.

As you can see from last year’s post and from his high school recruitment, I like Poole as a player.  He’s more of a downhill, blitzing linebacker than a read-and-react type of guy.  He was very light as a true freshman at only 212 lbs. or so, and that was one of the things that kept him off the field.  The other factors were guys named Brandon Herron, Brandin Hawthorne, and Desmond Morgan, each of whom earned starts at WILL before Morgan locked down the job.

Recently, it was noted by a reader that Poole suffered a torn biceps while doing off-season weightlifting.  Poole had been running as the #2 weakside linebacker in the spring and even got some snaps at the MIKE position, but a torn biceps typically knocks a guy out for a full season.  It looks like we’ll have to wait yet another year to see Poole on the field.  With Kenny Demens graduating after 2012 and the possibility that Morgan will be sliding over to MIKE, Poole should have a chance to compete for the starting WILL spot in 2013.

Prediction: Bench player while recovering from injury

Poll Results: Who will be Michigan’s starting WLB against Alabama?

Desmond Morgan (#44) played extensively as a true freshman last season

A couple weeks ago, I posted a poll asking who the starting weakside linebacker will be against Alabama in September.  Michigan has two returning starters at the position, but both have some deficiencies and some Michigan fans have made noise about wanting them to be surpassed.  Here are the results of the poll:

Desmond Morgan: 64%
The sophomore Morgan appears to be the starting weakside linebacker going into the spring, which continues his reign on the spot from last season.  Last year he made 63 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 1 sack while playing in twelve of the thirteen games.  He has added some weight during the off-season, so we’ll see if that affects his speed in a significant way.

Joe Bolden: 17%
Bolden is a 6’3″, 230 lb. true freshman who enrolled early and has been practicing with the team throughout the spring.  He earned rave reviews at the Under Armour All American Game practices, and so far this spring, practice observers have been impressed, too.  According to several accounts, he has passed all but Kenny Demens for middle linebacker reps this spring.

Brandin Hawthorne: 5%
Hawthorne is a 6’0″, 214 lb. senior who played pretty extensively last season.  He made 43 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 1 sack while starting five of the twelve games in which he played.  He lost playing time in the second half of the season to Morgan, though, and this spring he has still been a backup.

Antonio Poole: 5%
Poole is a 6’2″, 212 lb. redshirt freshman who has yet to see the field for the Wolverines.  Some rumors have suggested that he’s the #2 weakside linebacker this spring, but he has also seen some reps behind Demens and Bolden at the MIKE position.

James Ross: 4%
Ross will be a true freshman in the fall and has yet to enroll at Michigan.  As far as recruiting hype goes, he’s the most touted linebacker of the entire group.  But he’s also probably the smallest and he has the least experience, so it will be an uphill battle for him to get on the field this fall.

Kaleb Ringer: 0%
Ringer is one of three true freshmen to enroll early in January (Bolden, safety Jarrod Wilson).  He has been practicing this spring, but generally seems to be the least mentioned of the three.  And with the depth at inside linebacker, he seems to be way down the list.  He has also been getting limited reps at middle linebacker.

Other: 0%

Freshman Numbers Revealed

A poster over at Rivals posted the following jersey numbers for the incoming freshmen.  I’m not sure how accurate they are, but here’s what he gave:

3 Russell Bellomy
5 Justice Hayes
18 Blake Countess
20 Tamani Carter
21 Raymon Taylor
24 Delonte Holowell
35 Greg Brown
38 Thomas Rawls
40 Antonio Poole
44 Desmond Morgan
45 Matt Wile
52 Kellen Jones
57 Frank Clark
58 Chris Bryant
79 Tony Posada
82 Chris Barnett
92 Keith Heitzman
95 Chris Rock
97 Brennen Beyer

Sorry, I did not get Russell Bellomy (EDIT: Bellomy is #3.  Thanks, readers!) or Jack Miller.