Ex-Wolverine Updates: The Class of 2008

Tag: John Wienke


28Jan 2012
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Ex-Wolverine Updates: The Class of 2008

Former Michigan running back Sam McGuffie

Former Michigan cornerback Boubacar Cissoko spent the 2011 season (well, in the summertime) with the Detroit Downriver Diesels of the Great Lakes Football League.  His football season came after being released from incarceration for multiple offenses.  He ended the season with 13 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 pass breakup, 1 fumble recovery (returned 10 yards for a touchdown), and 2 kickoff returns for 63 yards.

Former Michigan wide receiver/quarterback Justin Feagin last played college football at Texas Southern University back in 2009.  Since that time he has not reappeared on a college roster, as far as I know.

Former Michigan linebacker Taylor Hill, who left Michigan prior to the beginning of his freshman season, has not played college football since 2009, when he was at Youngstown State University.  He redshirted in 2010, but did not appear on the 2011 roster at YSU.

Former Michigan running back Sam McGuffie spent an injury-plagued 2011 season at Rice.  He only played in 7 games due to a nagging ankle injury, totaling just 38 carries for 158 yards (4.2 yards per carry) and 1 touchdown.  He also completed his only pass attempt for 15 yards, caught 9 passes for 72 yards (8 yards per catch) and 1 touchdown, and returned 3 kickoffs for 55 yards.  He will be a fifth year senior in the fall and will battle with redshirt junior Turner Petersen for the starting job.  Check out this article for a nice story about Sam and his interactions with fans.

Former Michigan offensive tackle Dann O’Neill, who transferred to Western Michigan in 2009, started against Michigan in the 2011 season opener.  He was named Third Team All-MAC and will be a fifth year senior in the fall.

Former Michigan safety/linebacker Brandon Smith transferred to Temple prior to the 2010 season, but never appeared on the Temple roster and has apparently ended his college career.

Former Michigan offensive guard Kurt Wermers transferred to Ball State in 2009 after being academically ineligible at Michigan, but he never played a down for Ball State and has apparently ended his football career.

Former Michigan quarterback commit John Wienke threw just 1 pass this season . . . which was thrown to an Oklahoma Sooner.  Which is bad because Wienke plays for Iowa.  He ended the season with a -200.0 quarterback rating based on that 1 attempt.

Former Michigan tight end/H-back commit Christian Wilson just finished his senior year at North Carolina.  He had 10 catches for 107 yards in 2011.  He finished his career with 22 catches for 188 yards and 1 touchdown.

Former Michigan linebacker commit Marcus Witherspoon is out of football after transferring to Rutgers for a short period of time in 2008 and 2009.

Class of 2010 bonus update: Former Michigan safety Carvin Johnson has signed with Hampton University of the Football Championship Subdivision.  He will be a junior in the fall and should be eligible to play immediately.  This is the same school where Marell Evans spent a couple seasons prior to returning to Michigan.

For news on other former players and commits, check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

28Sep 2011
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Ex-Wolverine Updates

Toney Clemons catches a touchdown pass over
Ohio State cornerbackTravis Howard
(image via the Durango Herald)

Former Michigan wide receiver Toney Clemons had 4 receptions for 31 yards and 1 touchdown in Colorado’s 37-17 loss to Ohio State on Saturday.

Former Michigan commit Dallas Crawford has not played for the Miami Hurricanes this year and looks like he’s headed for a redshirt, but he’s still on the roster.  There were some rumors that he was not on the team.

Former Michigan commit Matt Goudis, a kicker, also has not played for Miami but still remains on the roster.

Former Michigan commit Pearlie Graves, a defensive tackle, has decided to transfer from Texas Tech.  His destination is unknown.

Former Michigan commit Marquis Maze had 5 receptions for 40 yards in Alabama’s 38-14 victory over Arkansas.

Former Michigan running back Sam McGuffie, now at Rice, had 9 carries for 24 yards in a 56-31 loss to Baylor.  He also had 2 receptions for 2 yards.

Former Michigan commit Bryce McNeal has decided to leave Clemson.  He’ll try to graduate in the spring after only three years of college and then transfer to another school.  He has only 1 reception for 8 yards on the season, which came against Wofford.

Former Michigan commit John Wienke is third on the depth chart at quarterback for the Iowa Hawkeyes.  He’s a redshirt junior this season, but I have to believe that he won’t get a fifth year of eligibility.

30Jan 2010
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What Could Have Been . . . John Wienke

John Wienke: No, not the one throwing the ball
Briefly, John Wienke was a part of the class of 2008. He committed to the Wolverines on July 1, 2007. He was a 3-star quarterback coming in a year after Ryan Mallett, and why would a surefire star want to follow Mallett so closely just to sit on the bench? The coaches didn’t set their sights too high, and they landed Wienke, a decent but middling recruit.

Then Lloyd Carr retired, Rich Rodriguez was hired in December, and the writing was on the wall. Before the ink dried on Rodriguez’s contract, the lefty quarterback was out the door to be an Iowa Hawkeye. With his 6’5″, 215 lb.-and-growing frame, nobody thought he’d stick around to be a human victory cigar, a la David Cone or Darko Milicic. He was a pro-style pocket quarterback for an offense that produced the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher for quarterbacks in Pat White.

For the time being, Wienke has been doing the same thing at Iowa as he would have at Michigan. Wienke redshirted in 2008 and played third fiddle in 2009, failing to throw a pass all season. Wienke’s departure was the most tenable of the class of 2008’s decommits. It was best for both parties. And judging from recent quarterback play at Iowa, he will likely take over whenever Ricky Stanzi leaves and play decently until he fades away into obscurity like Drew Tate and Brad Banks . . . and every other Iowa quarterback.

Seriously, has any good quarterback ever come out of Iowa? Chuck Long won the Heisman back during Prohibition, but if they were any worse at producing NFL quarterbacks, their mascot would be Brutus. Even Indiana had Trent Green.