Tag: Kevin Koger

2021 Ex-Wolverine Updates: Coaches Post-Season Edition

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With all the news surrounding coaching movement in the off-season, there’s a lot to cover. First of all, though, I want to mention that former defensive coordinator Greg Robinson, who worked under Rich Rodriguez in 2009-2010, passed away from Alzheimer’s complications at the age of 70.

FORMER COACHES

Don Brown (Head Coach, UMass): UMass hired Brown to be its new head coach. This is actually his second stint as the head coach of the Minutemen; he was there from 2004-2008 and went 43-19, the best five-year record in school history. But that was when the program was in FCS (DI-AA), so this is a level up in competition.

Erik Campbell (Wide Receivers, Bowling Green State): Campbell finished up his third season as BGSU’s wide receivers coach.

Tony Dews (Running Backs, Tennessee Titans): Dews had been the running backs coach for the Titans since 2018.

Hit the jump for more.

Michigan’s 10 Longest Plays vs. Penn State

Michigan and Penn State are two storied programs, but they didn’t play each other until 1993, when the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten. Immediately, Michigan ripped off a couple of the biggest plays in series history, with a 48-yard punt return touchdown by Derrick Alexander and a 47-yard touchdown run by Tyrone Wheatley. Wheatley had Michigan’s longest play in series history in the second meeting.

1. Tyrone Wheatley 67-yard TD run (1994)
2. Brandon Watson 62-yard interception return TD (2018)
3. Denard Robinson 60-yard TD pass to Kevin Koger (2010)
4. Devin Gardner 59-yard TD pass to Devin Funchess (2013)
5. Hassan Haskins 59-yard run (2020)
6. Jourdan Lewis 55-yard kickoff return (2015)
7. Walter Cross 53-yard kickoff return (1999)
8. John Navarre 53-yard TD pass to Ronald Bellamy (2001)
9. Jabrill Peppers 53-yard punt return (2016)
10. Karan Higdon 50-yard run (2018)

Hit the jump to see video of the top three longest plays.

The All-Rodriguez Team: Offense

Denard Robinson makes fatties look fat.

In case you can’t tell, I like to make lists.  And depth charts.  And lineups.  This has nothing to do with football.  But when I was about thirteen years old, I laid down in my living room with a piece of paper and a pen.  I wrote down a batting order for my favorite team, the Detroit Tigers.  And the Atlanta Braves.  And the Chicago Cubs.  And, what the hell, the rest of Major League Baseball, too.

From memory.  If you wanted to know the emergency catcher for the Montreal Expos, I was your man (er, well, boy).

So here’s another list.  I’ve often thought about the best players to come through Michigan during the years of my fanaticism, and this one is narrowed down to the Rodriguez years.  Which players in the past few years turned out the best seasons for what amounted to be Michigan’s worst three consecutive years in program history?  Despite the 15-22 record over Rodriguez’s tenure, we had some pretty good individual players.  But as you might expect, the majority of them (nine out of eleven) were on the 2010 squad that had a winning record and played in a bowl game.

QB: Denard Robinson (2010)
182-for-291 passing, 2570 yards, 18 touchdowns, 11 interceptions
256 carries, 1799 yards, 14 touchdowns
This is a no-brainer.  For half the season, he was on pace to win the Heisman.

Hit the jump for the rest.

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Review of 2008 Recruiting: Tight Ends

Kevin Koger

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THE ROSTER

Mike Massey (RS Sr.)
Carson Butler (RS Jr.)
Martell Webb (So.)
Steve Watson (RS Fr.)

THE COMMITS

Kevin Koger
High school: Toledo (OH) Whitmer
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #4 TE, #144 overall
College: Michigan
Other notable offers: Michigan State, Ohio State
Scoop: Koger played as a backup in 2008, but he then went on to start 30 games over his final three years in Ann Arbor. He made 59 career receptions for 756 yards (12.8 yards/catch) and 9 touchdowns. He did not pursue an NFL career and has been coaching high school and college ball since then, including being an offensive graduate assistant at Michigan. He is currently the wide receivers coach at Eastern Kentucky.

Brandon Moore
High school: Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison
Ratings: Rivals 4-star, #8 TE, #187 overall
College: Michigan
Other notable offers: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Miami
Scoop: Moore redshirted in 2008 and struggled to get on the field for the next couple years. He would go on to make one start in 2012, but he totaled just 2 catches for 28 yards in his career. He went undrafted in 2012 and did not play in the NFL.

Hit the jump for more on the 2008 class.

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In his own words – Kevin Koger, Part 2

(image via annarbor.com)

In Part 2 of my interview with former Michigan co-captain Kevin Koger, we take a deeper look at the 2010 and 2011 seasons.  He talked about the coaching change, his own leadership, and the teammates that helped him along the way.

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