Joey Velazquez, Ex-Wolverine

Tag: Joey Velazquez


12Feb 2024
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Joey Velazquez, Ex-Wolverine

Joey Velazquez

Michigan linebacker Joey Velazquez has left the program and will play for Ohio State as a walk-on going forward.

Velazquez entered the transfer portal after the season, which was not particularly surprising. Since entering the program in 2019, Velazquez had played in just 20 games over that span (0 in 2023) with 8 tackles and 1 fumble recovery during that stretch.

Velazquez was a 3-star, the #86 safety, and #1024 overall in the class of 2019. He was recruited by Don Brown for the “Viper” position that no longer exists in Michigan’s defense. At 6’0″ and 222 pounds, he fits the athletic shape of a Viper, but he never fit in to Michigan’s defense as it’s been since 2021. Doubling as a baseball player, he had a better career on the diamond than he did on the gridiron at Michigan.

However, it appears that Velazquez will not play baseball at Ohio State and will instead focus on football, which is odd since he’s very inexperienced for a rising sixth year senior. Perhaps he just wants to be closer to home and perhaps hop on board for a potential national championship with the Buckeyes, who have spent a bunch of money to make some roster upgrades this off-season.

Velazquez is the first football player to transfer to Ohio State since defensive lineman Chris Rock left the Wolverines following the 2012 season and played for the Buckeyes from 2013-2014. But probably the most famous departure was offensive lineman Justin Boren, who ditched Michigan during the Lloyd Carr-to-Rich Rodriguez transition.

This does not affect Michigan for 2024, since Velazquez was not expected to play much of a role and was already a fifth year senior.

19Jan 2024
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Ex-Wolverine Updates: Post-season 2023

Taylor Upshaw (#11, image via Arizona Athletics)

FORMER PLAYERS

TE Erick All (Iowa): All tore his ACL this past season but finished as Iowa’s leading receiver, catching 21 passes for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns. Despite having another year of eligibility if he wanted it, he declared for the NFL Draft.

WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony caught 27 passes for 429 yards and 1 touchdown before suffering a season-ending ACL injury.

QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman led Oklahoma State to a 10-4 record this season. Things started off a little rocky, but he ultimately locked down the starting job and went 304/501 (60.7%) for 3,460 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He also ran 26 times for 24 yards and 2 touchdowns. He will return to the Cowboys in 2024 for a seventh season of eligibility.

Hit the jump for more.

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23Jul 2023
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2023 Season Countdown: #61 Joey Velazquez

Joey Velazquez (image via Twitter)

Name: Joey Velazquez
Height: 
6’0″
Weight: 
225 lbs.
High school: 
Columbus (OH) St. Frances DeSales
Position: 
Linebacker
Class: 
Redshirt senior
Jersey number: 
#29
Last year: 
I ranked Velazquez #49 and said he would be a backup linebacker and special teamer (LINK). He made 6 tackles.
TTB Rating:
 82

Velazquez has spent the last four years pulling double duty as a football player and baseball player. During the football season last fall, he played linebacker in five blowout games, but was mostly a special teams player. This happened despite the fact that Nikhai Hill-Green was injured and Kalel Mullings was spending time at running back. Former linebackers coach George Helow inserted freshman Jimmy Rolder over Velazquez, which shows where the baseballer fits in the pecking order.

Baseball has been a little more promising as far as playing time goes. Velazquez started 38 games this spring and hit .245 with 4 homeruns and 22 runs batted in.

I’m expecting more of the same on the gridiron this fall, though. Velazquez continues to lag behind others in the hunt for playing time, and things didn’t get much easier with the transfer in of Nebraska linebacker Ernest Hausmann. Velazquez will likely continue to be behind Junior Colson, Rolder, and Michael Barrett, along with newcomer Hausmann. So at best he’s the fifth inside linebacker on the roster. But he is a solid special teams player, so we should see him on the field pretty regularly from week to week.

Prediction: Backup linebacker and special teamer

16Dec 2022
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Potential Early Departures: Defense

Quinten Johnson (image via MGoBlue)

With the onslaught of transfer portal entries in college football, it’s inevitable that Michigan will face some more departures this off-season. Four players have already announced their intentions to transfer, and two (Cade McNamara and Erick All to Iowa) have already found a landing spot. Quarterback Alan Bowman and tight end Louis Hansen are both headed for, ahem, greener pastures.

McNamara and All are both somewhat unique cases of players who played a lot but felt slighted in some way, but Bowman and Hansen are more typical cases of players buried on the depth chart who want to see some light at the end of the tunnel. This post explores several players in similar situations who may find better situations elsewhere.

You can find the version for the offensive side of the ball here (LINK).

DISCLAIMER: This post is speculative in nature and not intended to encourage/discourage any player from leaving Michigan’s program. The reality is that college football is now a lot like unrestricted free agency from year to year.

LB JOEY VELAZQUEZ
Why he should stay: Velazquez is a solid two-sport athlete who’s having a decent impact on the baseball field with Michigan’s baseball team. His playing time on the field has increased yearly from one game in 2020 to seven games in 2021 to eleven games so far in the 2022 season. He is a steady contributor on special teams and has made a career-high 6 tackles.
Why he might leave: Playing time has been difficult to find on defense, and he has never risen above third string on defense. He was immediately passed by freshman Jimmy Rolder this fall, and the commitment of Ernest Hausmann probably does not bode well for the staff’s faith in Velazquez contributing on defense in 2023. Velazquez only has one season of eligibility remaining, and he may want to go somewhere he can compete for a starting job, which is extremely unlikely in Ann Arbor.

Hit the jump for more.

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25Jul 2022
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2022 Season Countdown: #49 Joey Velazquez

Joey Velazquez (image via Twitter)

Name: Joey Velazquez
Height:
6’0″
Weight:
228 lbs.
High school:
Columbus (OH) St. Frances DeSales
Position:
Linebacker
Class:
Redshirt junior
Jersey number:
#29
Last year:
I ranked Velazquez #63 and said he would be a backup linebacker and special teamer (LINK). He played in eight games and made 2 tackles with 1 fumble recovery.
TTB Rating:
82

It’s been getting late early for Velazquez for a couple seasons now. It seems like forever ago now, but Velazquez was initially recruited to Michigan to play the “Viper” outside linebacker/safety hybrid position in Don Brown’s defense. Since that time Velazquez has played some baseball (he hit .277 with 5 homeruns and 21 RBI this past season), changed positions to inside linebacker, and played some special teams. But his impact on the field has been relatively minimal. So far he has played in nine games with 2 tackles and 1 fumble recovery during his three years on campus.

Now is the time for him to step up if he’s going to step up. Michigan has a solid two inside linebackers with Junior Colson and Nikhai Hill-Green, and then things get dicey. Part-time running back Kalel Mullings, position-fluid Mike Barrett, and redshirt freshman Jaydon Hood are all competing with Velazquez to be the next man in. So far I have not seen anything to make me think Velazquez will be that guy, but he’s a decent all-around athlete who should see an increased role on special teams, if nothing else. I think he’s getting to the point where he can be a solid veteran on specials, but I would be surprised if he’s more than a mop-up duty guy on defense.

Prediction: Backup linebacker and special teamer