Tag: Ex-Wolverines

Ex-Wolverine Update: Another Pre-Season Edition

Demetrius Hart (#1) has moved on from Alabama to Colorado State (image via 247 Sports)

Former DT Richard Ash: I already reported that Ash will be playing for Western Michigan this fall. What I didn’t know until recently is that he will wear the #9 as a defensive tackle. You have to love single-digit numbers on defensive linemen, especially tackles.

Former S Josh Furman: Furman is listed as a 6’2″, 202 lb. linebacker for Oklahoma State. He’s #1 on the depth chart at “Star,” and you can see why they wanted him – his backup is a 6’2″, 190 lb. freshman, and the other four players on the linebacker two-deep are one junior, two sophomores, and another freshman. They open against Florida State on August 30th.

Former RB commit Demetrius Hart: Hart is a grad transfer from Alabama to Colorado State. He struggled to break through at Alabama and had some off-the-field troubles, but former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Jim McElwain is now at CSU. Now Hart is trying to earn the starting gig for the Rams. They open against Colorado on August 29th.

Former LB Kaleb Ringer: Ringer – and his brother – are not listed on Ferris State’s football roster this fall.

Former CB commit Anthony Standifer: Standifer was booted from Ole Miss’s program after getting into some trouble, and he now appears on the roster of Eastern Illinois (his home state), which plays in the FCS’s Ohio Valley Conference.

Former OT commit Denzel Ward: Ward is listed as a 6’8″, 353 lb. freshman offensive tackle for Syracuse.

Former DE/DT Ken Wilkins: Wilkins appears on the California University of Pennsylvania football roster as a junior 6’3″, 250 lb. defensive lineman. It is a destination for some former big-time football players, including Jeff Knox (a former Pitt player who was booted for attacking a girl who told him she was pregnant) and Desimon Green (a former Texas Tech commit).

Ex-Wolverine Updates: Pre-Season 2014

This is Cullen Christian. He used to play for Michigan. Then he played for Pitt. Now he’s a Mountaineer.

DT Richard Ash: After spending his first four years of college at Michigan, Ash became a grad year transfer to Western Michigan, where he is listed as a 6’3″, 314 lb. defensive tackle. He had 3 tackles as a redshirt junior in 2013.

Defensive backs coach Vance Bedford: Bedford is the new defensive coordinator at Texas. He spent 2010-2013 as defensive coordinator at Louisville before moving with head coach Charlie Strong to Austin.

Safeties coach Adam Braithwaite: Braithwaite is in his second season as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga.

TE Pharaoh Brown: Brown is listed as a 6’6″, 241 lb. junior tight end for Oregon. He had 10 receptions for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2013.

Wide receivers coach Erik Campbell: Campbell spent last season as the wide receivers coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

CB Cullen Christian: Christian is listed as a 6’0″, 195 lb. safety for West Virginia. He spent the 2010 season at Michigan before transferring to Pitt, where he was from 2011-2013. He played in just two games as a redshirt junior at Pitt due to injury.

CB Gareon Conley: Conley is listed as a 6’0″, 190 lb. redshirt freshman for Ohio State.

CB Dallas Crawford: Crawford is listed as a 5’10”, 195 lb. defensive back for Miami. That’s right – Crawford is going to play safety for Miami after he was the backup and injury fill-in for Duke Johnson in 2013, when Crawford ran 137 times for 558 yards and 12 touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 171 yards and 1 touchdown.

Hit the jump for updates on over 20 more former Wolverines.

Wide receivers coach Tony Dews: Dews is in his third season as wide receivers coach at Arizona with Rich Rodriguez.

Defensive coordinator Ron English: English was fired as the head coach of Eastern Michigan and has not found a new coaching job, as far as I know.

OT Jake Fisher: Fisher is listed as a 6’6′, 299 lb. senior offensive tackle for Oregon. He started eleven games at right tackle as a junior in 2013.

Offensive line coach Greg Frey: Frey is in his fourth season as Indiana’s offensive line coach ans is co-offensive coordinator.

S Josh Furman: After spending his first four years of college in Ann Arbor, Furman announced that he would be transferring to Oklahoma State as a grad year transfer. However, he does not appear on the Cowboy’s 2014 roster. He had 11 tackles and 1 pass breakup as a redshirt junior in 2013.

Defensive backs coach Tony Gibson: Gibson is the new defensive coordinator at West Virginia. He was the safeties coach at WVU in 2013.

K Matt Goudis: Goudis is listed as a 6’0″, 172 lb. redshirt junior for Miami. He was 13/17 on field goals and 57/57 on extra points as a redshirt sophomore in 2013.

Linebackers coach Jay Hopson: Hopson is in his third year as head coach at Alcorn State. He’s 13-10 in his first two seasons but went 9-3 in 2013.

Quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler: Loeffler is in his second season as the offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech.

Offensive coordinator Calvin Magee: Magee is in his third season as offensive coordinator at Arizona with Rich Rodriguez.

Offensive line coach Andy Moeller: Moeller is in his first season as offensive line coach with the Cleveland Browns after spending the previous three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

RB Thomas Rawls: After spending three years at Michigan, Rawls announced that he would transfer to Central Michigan. He will be eligible for the upcoming season. He had 3 carries for 12 yards as a junior in 2013.

DT Chris Rock: Rock is listed as a 6’3″, 275 lb. redshirt junior for Ohio State. He played in one game as a redshirt sophomore in 2013.

Head coach Rich Rodriguez: Rodriguez is in his third season as head coach at Arizona. He’s coming off two consecutive 8-5 seasons as leader of the Wildcats.

Quarterbacks coach Rod Smith: Smith is in his third season as quarterbacks coach at Arizona with Rich Rodriguez.

QB Kevin Sousa: Sousa is listed as a 6’3″, 230 lb. redshirt junior for Wake Forest. He did not see any playing time as a redshirt sophomore in 2013.

Defensive line coach Steve Stripling: Stripling is the defensive line coach and associate head coach at Tennessee. This is his second year in Knoxville with Butch Jones.

Defensive line coach Bruce Tall: Tall is the defensive line coach for the Charlotte 49ers.

S Ray Vinopal: Pitt’s official roster has not been released for 2014, but Vinopal was Honorable Mention All-ACC as a redshirt junior in 2013. He finished the year with 83 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, 6 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. He will presumably be the starter once again in 2014, but he does not appear on Phil Steele’s pre-season All-ACC squad.

OT Denzel Ward: Ward does not appear on Syracuse’s 2014 roster, although not all freshmen appear to be listed on their roster yet.

CB Adrian Witty: Witty is listed as a 5’10”, 187 lb. redshirt senior safety for Cincinnati. He will likely be counted on to start, and he was in on 46 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 interception, and 4 pass breakups as a redshirt junior in 2013.

OG Cory Zirbel: Zirbel is in his third season as an offensive graduate assistant at Arizona with Rich Rodriguez. An injury while at Michigan ended Zirbel’s playing career, but he worked for Michigan’s football program before following Rodriguez to Tucson.

More information can be found on the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

Ex-Wolverines Update: Post-Season Edition

Ray Vinopal had arguably the best season of any former Michigan player.

S/LB Isaiah Bell: Bell played for Lake Erie College and ended the year with 14 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble return for a 97-yard touchdown. His college career is complete.

TE Pharaoh Brown: Brown missed the early part of the season due to injury, and he finished the year with 10 catches for 123 yards (12.3 yards/catch) and 2 touchdowns. His two touchdowns came in the only two losses Oregon suffered, so I bet Ducks fans hope he goes scoreless next year. He will be a junior and likely full-time starter in 2014.

CB Cullen Christian: Christian made just 2 tackles as a backup defensive back at Pitt this year. He will be a fifth year senior in the fall.

CB Gareon Conley: Conley redshirted as a freshman at Ohio State. He will be a redshirt freshman in the fall.

CB Dallas Crawford: Crawford became Miami’s starter after Duke Johnson got hurt. Crawford finished the season with 137 carries for 558 yards (4.1 yards/carry) and 12 touchdowns, caught 20 passes for 171 yards (8.6 yards/catch) and 1 touchdown, and returned 4 punts for 27 yards (6.8 yards/return). He will be a redshirt junior in the fall and will likely return to backup duty behind Johnson.

S Vladimir Emilien: As a backup outside linebacker for the Toledo Rockets, Emilien ended the year with 15 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 fumble recovery. His college career is finished.

K Anthony Fera: Texas’s starting placekicker and punter was 20/22 (90.9%) on field goals and 45/46 (97.8%) on extra points. He also averaged 40.7 yards on 75 punts. His college career is complete.

K Matt Goudis: Goudis was 13/17 on field goals (76.5%) and 57/57 on extra points for Miami. He also averaged 64.3 yards/kickoff on 4 attempts.

OT Jake Fisher: Fisher started ten games at right tackle for Oregon. He will be a senior in the fall and presumably return to his starting right tackle spot.

S Carvin Johnson: Johnson ended the year second on Hampton’s team with 122 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions for 59 yards, 6 pass breakups, and 2 fumble recoveries. His college career is done.

LB Mike Jones: Jones was third on his Western Michigan team with 92 tackles, adding 5 tackles for loss, .5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, and 1 fumble recovery. His college career is finished.

WR/TE Ricardo Miller: Miller started two games and played in a total of six, finishing with 5 receptions for 52 yards (10.4 yards/catch) for UMass. His college playing career is complete.

LB Kaleb Ringer: Ringer played linebacker in six games for Ferris State and made 14 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss. He will be a redshirt sophomore in the fall.

WR Jerald Robinson: Robinson led his Walsh University team in all categories with 38 catches for 499 yards and 7 touchdowns. He will be a fifth year senior in the fall.

S Marvin Robinson: Robinson led Ferris State in tackle with 89, adding 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, and 1 pass breakup. His college playing career is over.

DE Chris Rock: Rock played in one game for Ohio State against Florida A&M but did not record any statistics. He will be a redshirt junior in the fall.

WR Je’Ron Stokes: Stokes was part of a meager passing game at Norfolk State, where he caught 15 passes for 158 yards (10.5 yards/catch) and 1 touchdown. He also had 1 carry for 2 yards and returned 7 punts for 43 yards (6.1 yards/return). His college playing career is over.

S Ray Vinopal: Vinopal started at free safety for the Pitt Panthers and ended up second on the team with 83 tackles, adding 3 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 3 interceptions returned for 60 yards, 6 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. He has one year remaining at Pitt, where he will presumably start once more.

CB Adrian Witty: Witty started most of the year at free safety for Cincinnati, ending the year with 46 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 interception for a 41-yard touchdown, and 4 pass breakups. He has one year remaining at Cincinnati, where he will presumably return as a starter.

Josh Furman, Ex-Wolverine

Josh Furman blocked this punt against Nebraska in 2011

Safety Josh Furman, who would have been a fifth year senior in 2014, has decided to leave the program one year early, joining running back Thomas Rawls and defensive tackle Richard Ash in departing.

Furman committed to Michigan in December 2009 over teams like Oklahoma and Virginia Tech. I did not write a commitment post for him at the time, as the blog was still in its infancy stages. However, I did write a scouting report on him the previous month. At the time, I assumed he would bulk up and turn into a linebacker, and once he signed with the Wolverines, I thought he would play on the weakside. You may notice that I questioned his coverage abilities and said he would be too stiff to play defensive back in college. Players who move back in a defense (from DE to LB, or from LB to S) tend to struggle more, and Furman is no exception. He had the potential to be a quality linebacker for the Wolverines, but he turned into a below average safety.

Furman never added the weight to become a linebacker and finished his Michigan career as a 6’2″, 202 lb. safety. With starting safety Thomas Gordon suspended to begin the year, Furman made his first career start in the opener and went on to start three games this past season. Altogether, he finished with 11 tackles and 1 pass breakup on the season. In 30 games played over his career, he totaled 29 tackles and the 1 pass breakup. Most of those tackles came on special teams coverage, which was perhaps the best trait he provided to Michigan during his career.

It is unclear where Furman will end up, but most players end up transferring closer to home. Perhaps he’ll end up at Maryland or Temple, or he might even move down a level to play in the FCS. He’s the 19th member of the 27-man 2010 class to depart before running out of eligibility.

Michigan is left rather thin at safety with Furman’s departure and the graduations of Thomas Gordon and Courtney Avery. The Wolverines return one starter in the form of junior Jarrod Wilson, but other contributions will have to come from untested players like redshirt sophomore Jeremy Clark, sophomore Dymonte Thomas, sophomore Delano Hill, position switchers, or freshmen. My initial expectation is that Wilson and Thomas will be the starters at safety next season.

Richard Ash, Ex-Wolverine

Richard Ash (#54)

Rising fifth year senior nose tackle Richard Ash was granted a transfer release and will not return to Michigan in 2014. His destination is unclear at this point, but I would expect him to end up at a MAC level school or at the FCS level.

Ash committed to Michigan in December 2009 after flipping his commitment from West Virginia. He was a 263 lb. player coming out of high school, and I assumed that he would chisel his body into becoming a 5-tech defensive end or perhaps a 3-tech tackle. However, he was 300 lbs. when he arrived on campus, which is obviously a ways away from his high school weight. Recruiting analysts mentioned that he was a better player when he was 240 or so as a junior, so his weight when he arrived in Ann Arbor was an immediate red flag to me. Ash settled in at nose tackle for the duration of his career, but he never made an impact on the field. After redshirting as a freshman, he appeared in 14 games from 2011-2013 and finally made his first (and only) career tackle in the regular season finale against Ohio State.

This departure leaves Michigan somewhat thin at nose tackle with last year’s starter Quinton Washington graduating and presumed new starter Ondre Pipkins coming off a torn ACL. Other options include redshirt sophomore Willie Henry, redshirt freshman Maurice Hurst, redshirt sophomore Ryan Glasgow, redshirt freshman Henry Poggi, and incoming freshmen Brady Pallante and Bryan Mone. Henry has shown the most promise, but he played 3-tech defensive tackle last season. Regardless of which players are on the two-deep at nose tackle, there will likely be some reshuffling on the defensive line. Ash may not have seen significant playing time in 2014, but he was an insurance policy in case of injury.

Along with safety Josh Furman (I’ll have a separate post for Furman), this is the nineteenth (19th!) player to depart from the 27-man class before exhausting his eligibility. Courtney Avery, Jibreel Black, Drew Dileo, and Jeremy Jackson played all four years, so the only remaining members are QB Devin Gardner, P Will Hagerup, TE Jordan Paskorz, and LB Jake Ryan.