Tag: Jake Fisher

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.

2015 Mock NFL Draft

Former Michigan commit Jake Fisher could go late in the first round

I won’t claim to be an NFL expert, but as a big college and pro football fan, I like to take my shot at an NFL mock draft and see how I stack up against Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, Mike Mayock, and the like. So here’s my 2015 mock NFL Draft. If any trades are announced before the beginning of the draft, I reserve the right to make some changes. Otherwise, I’m guessing roughly 27 of these picks will be 100% accurate.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Jameis Winston – QB – Florida State
I don’t like the idea of spending a #1 pick on someone with such character concerns, but it looks like that’s the direction the Bucs will go.

2. Tennessee:
Marcus Mariota – QB – Oregon
There seems to be a good chance that someone trades into this spot to take Mariota. I think it’s probably too high to take Mariota, but teams get desperate when looking for a quarterback.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: 
Dante Fowler – OLB – Florida
Jacksonville went after a quarterback last year, so now it’s time to shore up the pass rush.

4. Oakland Raiders:
Amari Cooper – WR – Alabama
Oakland is in need of a receiving threat. When’s the last time they had a consistent wide receiver threat?

5. Washington Redskins:
Leonard Williams – DE – USC
Williams is a little bit inconsistent, so he would fit in well with the ‘Skins.

Hit the jump for picks 6-32.


6. New York Jets:
Vic Beasley – OLB – Clemson
Beasley might go a little bit sooner. If he’s available, it’s tough to look past his production – 33 sacks over the past three seasons.

7. Chicago Bears:
Kevin White – WR – West Virginia
Jay Cutler isn’t a franchise quarterback, and he’s not even close without Brandon Marshall. Cutler needs some receiving help.

8. Atlanta Falcons:
Bud Dupree – DE – Kentucky
I thought Shane Ray would be a possibility, but he did some dumb things recently and probably dropped down in the draft a little bit.

9. New York Giants:
Brandon Scherff – OT – Iowa
The Giants’ best years have come when they can win in the trenches, so I think it’s either Scherff or defensive tackle Danny Shelton.

10. St. Louis Rams:
Andrus Peat – OT – Stanford
The Rams have taken a lot of hits with players getting injured or leaving in recent years, so they need to refresh up front.

11. Minnesota Vikings:
Devante Parker – WR – Louisville
The Vikings could potentially give Teddy Bridgewater a very strong receiving corps if they get a receiver like Parker.

12. Cleveland Browns:
Danny Shelton – DT – Washington
Cleveland might trade up to try to get in on Mariota, so this is a tough pick to choose. If they stay at #12, I think Shelton makes sense to help against the run.

13. New Orleans Saints:
Trae Waynes – CB – Michigan State
Waynes appears to be the top-rated cornerback in the draft, and the Saints need someone who can cover.

14. Miami Dolphins:
La’El Collins – OT – LSU
Every year I think that Miami needs to improve their offensive line, so here’s my plea once again, on behalf of a good friend who’s a suffering Dolphins fan.

15. San Francisco 49ers:
Arik Armstead – DE – Oregon
The 49ers need a lot of pieces, including defensive ends and cornerbacks. I think cornerback makes the most sense, which is why the 49ers will go for a defensive lineman.

16. Houston Texans:
Ereck Flowers – OG – Miami
Houston could possibly go in a few different directions – running back, wide receiver – but I think Flowers jumps up somewhere around here.

17. San Diego Chargers:
Todd Gurley – RB – Georgia
He’s coming off of a torn ACL, but the Chargers are in desperate need of a good running back, and Gurley was pretty darn good when he wasn’t injured.

18. Kansas City Chiefs:
Malcolm Brown – DT – Texas
There are a couple potential defensive tackles the Chiefs could take here.

19. Cleveland Browns:
D.J. Humphries – OT – Florida
If the Browns don’t use this pick to move up in the draft for Mariota, they should probably help out their offensive line here after shoring up the defensive line with the #12 pick.

20. Philadelphia Eagles:
Nelson Agholor – WR – USC
If Agholor is still available, I think Chip Kelly might continue his line of USC imports to get some more speed among the receivers.

21. Cincinnati Bengals:
Landon Collins – S – Alabama
The Bengals could go in several directions, but I think this is too early for a couple of the wide receivers and corners available.

22. Pittsburgh Steelers:
Kevin Johnson – CB – Wake Forest
The Steelers are in desperate need of help in the defensive backfield, and Johnson is one of a few corners who could go here.

23. Detroit Lions:
Eddie Goldman – DT – Florida State
The Lions made it out of the doldrums by putting together an elite defensive line, so with Ndamukong Suh gone to the Dolphins, they need a replacement in the middle. (I also have hopes for Melvin Gordon here if the defensive tackle thing doesn’t work out.)

24. Arizona Cardinals:
Melvin Gordon – RB – Wisconsin
It’s been a while since the Cardinals had a great running back, and Gordon could be a good pickup here.

25. Carolina Panthers:
Cedric Ogbuehi – OT – Texas A&M
The Panthers need to rebuild on the offensive line a little bit.

26. Baltimore Ravens:
Phillip Dorsett – WR – Miami
The Ravens need a wide receiver or two. With Baltimore love of former Hurricane Ray Lewis, I’ll give the edge to Dorsett over Breshad Perriman.

27. Dallas Cowboys:
Byron Jones – CB – Connecticut
The workout warrior earns his way into the first round for a team that doesn’t get much production from its corners.

28. Denver Broncos:
Cameron Erving – C – Florida State
This is around the time when a good center comes off the board, late in the first round.

29. Indianapolis Colts:
Jake Fisher – OT – Oregon
Three Oregon Ducks in the first round? Sure. There’s not a good match between glaring need and value here, in my opinion, so go ahead with a solid lineman.

30. Green Bay Packers:
Eric Kendricks – LB – UCLA
The Packers seem to be trying to make their system work with one consistent linebacker (Clay Matthews), so adding a second could be a difference-maker.

31. New Orleans Saints:
T.J. Clemmings – OT – Pitt
The Saints got a cornerback at #13 and I have them taking Devin Funchess at #44 (LINK), so Clemmings fills another need. They could also go for a disgrace pass rusher, like Randy Gregory or Shane Ray.

32. New England Patriots:
Jordan Phillips – NT – Oklahoma
The Patriots let Vince Wilfork go to the Houston Texans, so they need a replacement on the defensive line.

What do you think? Where did I go wrong? And what do the Lions do at #23?

Ex-Wolverine Updates: Post-Bowl Edition

Oregon offensive tackle Jake Fisher was first team all-conference

The national championship game still remains for Gareon Conley at Ohio State and Jake Fisher at Oregon, but otherwise, the former Wolverines are finished with their college seasons. Here’s a look at what former players, commits, and coaches accomplished during the 2014 season.

Former DT Richard Ash: Ash’s Western Michigan Broncos lost to Air Force in the Idaho Potato Bowl by a score of 38-24. Ash made 2 tackles in the game, finishing the year with 42 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, and 2 blocked kicks. The Broncos went 8-5 on the year.

Former TE commit Pharaoh Brown: Brown suffered a nasty knee injury in game ten, so he has missed a chunk of Oregon’s run to the national championship game. He still put up pretty darn good numbers with 25 catches, 420 yards (16.8 yards/catch), and 6 touchdowns, and those were good enough to earn him First Team All-Pac 12 honors. He played too much of this season to get a medical redshirt, so he will presumably return to playing as a true senior in 2015 as long as his knee heals well.

Former CB Cullen Christian: Christian was declared academically ineligible for West Virginia’s Liberty Bowl appearance against Texas A&M, which the Aggies won by a score of 45-37. The Mountaineers went 7-6 this season and didn’t get much help from Christian, who made 5 total tackles on the year as a backup safety.

Hit the jump for the rest of the rundown.

Former CB commit Gareon Conley: Conley made 2 tackles in Ohio State’s 42-35 victory over Alabama in the College Football Playoff semi-final. He has 16 tackles and 2 pass breakups on the season with the national championship game against Oregon remaining. The Buckeyes are currently 13-1.

Former CB commit Dallas Crawford: Crawford and his Miami Hurricanes lost to South Carolina in the Independence Bowl, 24-21. Miami finishes the year with a 6-7 record. Crawford – who moved from running back to safety last offseason – ended the year with 35 tackles, .5 tackles for loss, and 2 pass breakups. Starting running back Duke Johnson declared for the NFL Draft, but while Crawford was a productive backup in 2013, the Hurricanes have a couple capable guys (Joseph Yearby, Gus Edwards) returning in 2015, so I would not expect Crawford to return to offense.

Former OT commit Jake Fisher: Fisher started the year for Oregon as their right tackle, but he moved to the left side when the starter got injured. Fisher was good enough all around to be named First Team All-Pac 12 and protected quarterback Marcus Mariota on his way to winning the Heisman.

Former S Josh Furman: Furman made 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack in Oklahoma State’s 30-22 victory over Washington in the Cactus Bowl. The Cowboys end the year with a 7-6 record. Furman made the move from safety to outside linebacker when he transferred after last season, and he finished the year with 64 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 1 interception (returned 35 yards), 4 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble. Furmer was All-Big 12 honorable mention.

Former K commit Matt Goudis: Goudis, now at Miami with Dallas Crawford (see above), did not play after the first couple games of the year after dealing with an injury. He was 4/6 on field goals and 6/6 on extra points up to that point.

Former RB commit Dee Hart: Hart’s Colorado State Rams lost to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl by a score of 45-10. Hart had just 7 carries for 21 yards in the game, plus 1 catch for 4 yards. He finished the season with 194 carries, 1275 yards, 6.6 yards/carry, and 16 touchdowns on the ground. He also had 18 catches for 189 yards and 2 touchdowns; 9 punt returns for 41 yards; and 3 kickoff returns for 57 yards. For that performance he was named Second Team All-Mountain West Conference. Hart, who had one season of eligibility remaining, declared for the NFL Draft after CSU head coach (and Hart’s offensive coordinator at Alabama) Jim McElwain took the head coaching job at Florida.

Former assistant coach Les Miles: Miles and his LSU Tigers finished the season 8-5 after a 31-28 loss to Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl. His running back, Leonard Fournette, had the longest ever play from scrimmage against Notre Dame (and 89-yard touchdown run), topping Denard Robinson’s 87-yarder a few years ago. Fournette finished the game with 11 carries for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus a 100-yard kickoff return for a score. After the game, Texas A&M poached LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis from Miles’s staff, so the Tigers are in a bit of flux after a down year.

Former RB Thomas Rawls: Rawls, the starting running back most of the year, did not play for Central Michigan against Western Kentucky in the Bahamas Bowl, which ended as a one-point loss for the Chippewas, 49-48. Rawls ended the season with 210 carries, 1103 yards, 5.3 yards/carry, and 10 touchdowns. He was named Second Team All-MAC and has also been invited to the NFL Combine.

Former DT Chris Rock: Rock did not record any statistics for Ohio State this year as a walk-on defensive lineman.

Former head coach Rich Rodriguez: Rodriguez’s Arizona Wildcats finished the year with a 10-4 record, albeit on a two-game losing streak, falling to Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game and then Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. The bowl loss was a 38-30 affair in which the Wildcats had a chance at the end of the game, but quarterback Anu Solomon (28/49, 335 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions) was sacked and time ran out.

Former defensive coordinator Scott Shafer: Shafer, now the head coach at Syracuse, went 3-9 this year, including a five-game losing streak to end the year. The Orangemen were a respectable 37th in scoring defense (24.3 points/game allowed), but they were #121 in scoring offense (17.2 points/game) and #117 in total offense, one spot behind Michigan.

Former QB commit Kevin Sousa: Sousa has had some legal trouble at Wake Forest, and his playing time has been limited. The redshirt junior was 0/1 passing and had 5 carries for 10 yards for the 3-9 Demon Deacons.

Former CB commit Anthony Standifer: Standifer transferred from Ole Miss to FCS team Eastern Illinois in the off-season. He started ten games at corner, finishing with 33 tackles, .5 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, and 6 pass breakups.

Former S Ray Vinopal: Vinopal’s Pitt Panthers lost to Houston in a thrilling Armed Forces Bowl, 35-34. Down two scores in the last few minutes, Houston scored a touchdown, recovered an onside kick, scored another touchdown, and then hit the two-point conversion with under a minute left for the win. Vinopal made 7 tackles in the game. The senior safety ended the year with 68 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions (returned for 13 yards), 5 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles.

Former DT Ken Wilkins: Wilkins, listed as a 6’3″, 250 lb. redshirt junior, played in nine games for California University of Pennsylvania this fall. He finished the year with 37 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, and 2 forced fumbles.

Ex-Wolverine updates: Pre-Season Edition

This used to be Cullen Christian.

TE Chris Barnett: Barnett left Michigan shortly after arriving in 2011, and I have been unable to find any hard updates on him. He supposedly showed interest in playing for UMass this past winter, but he never enrolled there. He also talked about having interest in playing Division II as a middle linebacker.

CB Greg Brown: Brown had transferred to Findlay, but never played a game there in 2012. He has since left the football program and his whereabouts are unknown to me.

TE Pharaoh Brown: Brown is listed as a 6’6″, 241 lb. tight end on Oregon’s roster. He had 2 receptions for 42 yards in twelve games last season. Oregon has been talking about using more formations with two tight ends to get Brown on the field with Colt Lyerla.

CB Cullen Christian: After having 16 tackles and 2 pass breakups as a corner in 2012, Christian is now listed as a 6’0″, 195 lb. backup free safety for the Pitt Panthers. The starter? Former Michigan free safety Ray Vinopal.

CB Gareon Conley: Conley is listed as a 6’2″, 170 lb. cornerback on Ohio State’s roster. He has been practice some with the starting unit while Bradley Roby has been demoted to a backup for his off-the-field transgressions.

CB Dallas Crawford: Crawford is listed as a 5’10”, 196 lb. redshirt sophomore running back on Miami’s roster. Last year he had an interception on a fake punt; offensively, he had 6 carries for 23 yards and was 1/2 passing for 29 yards. He will likely be the backup running back to starter Duke Johnson.

S Vladimir Emilien: Emilien is listed as a 6’1″, 204 lb. safety for the Toledo Rockets. Last year he had 33 tackles and 1 interception for the Rockets. He will likely start this year at their strong safety/outside linebacker hybrid position.

OT Jake Fisher: Fisher is a 6’6″, 291 lb. offensive tackle for Oregon. Last year he was the starter at right tackle, and he even scored a touchdown when De’Anthony Thomas fumbled into the endzone, where Fisher jumped on it.

K Matt Goudis: Goudis is listed as a 6’0″, 172 lb. redshirt sophomore kicker for the Miami Hurricanes. Last year he had a 37-yard punt and two kickoffs that averaged 55.0 yards.

S Carvin Johnson: Johnson is listed as a 6’2″, 205 lb. safety for Hampton University. Last year he had 57 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 10 pass breakups, and 3 fumble recoveries. He will likely start this fall.

LB Kellen Jones: Jones is listed as a 6’1″, 225 lb. linebacker for Clemson. After leaving Michigan before his freshman season even began, he transferred to Oklahoma for the 2011 season, then sat out the 2012 year after transferring to Clemson, and will now be a backup inside linebacker for the Tigers.

WR Ricardo Miller: Miller is listed as a 6’4″, 226 lb. tight end/wide receiver for UMass. With the starting tight end injured to begin the year, Miller will start at TE for the Minutemen.

DE Chris Rock: Rock is listed as a 6’4″, 272 lb. defensive lineman for Ohio State after enrolling there in August 2012. Listed as a redshirt sophomore, he is not expected to be a heavy contributor this fall.

QB Kevin Sousa: Sousa is listed as a 6’3″, 230 lb. redshirt sophomore quarterback for Wake Forest, but he not listed as one of the top three quarterbacks on the Demon Deacons’ depth chart.

OG Caleb Stacey: Stacey transferred to the College of Mount St. Joseph during winter semester and intended to play football this fall. Their roster has not been released, so it’s unclear if he’s still on the team.

CB Anthony Standifer: Standifer is listed as a 6’1″, 175 lb. cornerback on the Ole Miss roster. A blogger for the Rebels ranked him as the #57 most important player for the upcoming season. He had 3 tackles last year.

WR Je’Ron Stokes: Stokes is listed as a 6’0″, 200 lb. wideout for Norfolk State, an FCS program. He joins younger brother Malik, a quarterback. Stokes played the last couple seasons at Bowling Green State University.

S Ray Vinopal: Vinopal is a 5’10”, 200 lb. starting free safety for the Pitt Panthers. He had 14 tackles and 1.5 sacks as a redshirt sophomore in 2012.

CB Adrian Witty: Witty is listed as a 5’10”, 187 lb. cornerback for the Cincinnati Bearcats. He had 25 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 4 pass breakups, and a forced fumble last year. It appears he’s the front-runner for the starting free safety job this fall.

Ex-Wolverine Updates

The guy in black was Jake Fisher in high school.

Former Michigan TE/DE commit Pharaoh Brown: Brown had 1 catch for 26 yards as Oregon beat Tennessee Tech by a score of 63-14.  He has 2 receptions for 42 yards on the season.

Former Michigan CB commit Demar Dorsey: Dorsey and former Michigan LB commit Antonio Kinard are both on Western Arizona Community College’s football roster.  Dorsey was supposed to head to Hawaii and Kinard was supposed to be at Miami by now, but both have run into academic and/or legal issues.  Western Arizona CC is a repository of former high school talent, including former USC wide receiver Markeith Ambles and former South Carolina quarterback Tanner McEvoy.

Former Michigan OT commit Jake Fisher: Fisher jumped on a De’Anthony Thomas fumble in the end zone after Thomas caught a pass at Tennessee Tech’s 49-yard line and almost scored himself.  It was Fisher’s first career touchdown, which is probably an obvious statement.

Former Michigan RB commit Dee Hart: Hart had 4 runs for 21 yards as Alabama beat Arkansas by a score of 52-0.

Former Michigan S Carvin Johnson: Johnson had 5 tackles and 2 pass breakups, but Hampton lost to Florida A&M by a score of 44-20.

Former Michigan DT commit DeQuinta Jones: Jones had just 1 tackle as Alabama ran over Arkansas, 52-0.

Former Michigan RB Sam McGuffie: McGuffie did not have a good day on Saturday, as he had 1 rush for -5 yards, 1 catch for -3 yards, and 2 kickoff returns for 25 yards.  Rice lost to Louisiana Tech by a score of 56-37.

Former Michigan WR/CB commit Dewayne Peace: Peace had 10 receptions for 103 yards, but Houston lost to UCLA by a score of 37-6.

Former Michigan WR Je’Ron Stokes: Stokes had 1 reception for 12 yards, but Bowling Green State lost to Toledo by a score of 27-15.  By the way, Denard Robinson’s former teammate Cassius McDowell plays for Toledo now; he had 8 carries for 40 yards and 4 receptions for 40 yards for the Rockets.

Former Michigan S Ray Vinopal: Vinopal had 1 tackle in Pitt’s 35-17 upset of Virginia Tech.