Ex-Wolverine Updates

Tag: Ray Vinopal


3May 2015
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Ex-Wolverine Updates

Josh Furman (right) became a seventh round draft pick at Oklahoma State

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The NFL Draft is over and guys are signing undrafted free agent contracts, so it’s time for another ex-Wolverine update. I’m also including the fates of a few coaches, in case you’re wondering what some of those guys up to these days.

Former offensive coordinator Al Borges: Borges has been hired as San Jose State’s offensive coordinator (LINK). He joins former Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Robinson, who is SJSU’s defensive coordinator.

Former offensive line coach Darrell Funk: Funk has been hired as Akron’s offensive line coach (LINK).

Former safety Josh Furman: Furman, who spent his fifth year senior season playing linebacker at Oklahoma State, was drafted in the seventh round by the Denver Broncos (LINK).

Hit the jump for more ex-Wolverines, including a list of the fates of all 27 players from the 2010 class.

Former offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier: Nussmeier is first-year coach Jim McElwain’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Florida (LINK).

Former running back Thomas Rawls: Rawls, who transferred to Central Michigan for his senior year, signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks (LINK).

Former linebackers/defensive line coach Mark Smith: Smith has been hired as Florida Tech’s defensive line coach (LINK).

Former safety Ray Vinopal: After spending his final four years at Pitt, Vinopal signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Dallas Cowboys (LINK).

Remember the monster 2010 recruiting class that saw the Wolverines sign 27 players? It has become notorious for how little was produced at Michigan, since the vast majority of players failed to qualify, quit, or transferred early in their careers. There are still some years left for them to prove themselves through pro tryouts and such, but with the NFL Draft completed and guys signing free agent contracts, here’s where things stand:

Richard Ash, DT: Played his fifth year at Western Michigan. Undrafted.

Courtney Avery, CB: Played four years at Michigan. Undrafted.

Jibreel Black, DE: Played four years at Michigan. Undrafted.

Cullen Christian, CB: Played one year at Michigan, three at Pitt, one at West Virginia. Undrafted.

Drew Dileo, WR: Played four years at Michigan. Undrafted.

Demar Dorsey, S: Did not qualify. Played at junior college.

Josh Furman, S: Played fifth year at Oklahoma State. Drafted in 7th round by Broncos.

Devin Gardner, QB: Played five years at Michigan. Signed as undrafted free agent by Patriots.

Will Hagerup, P: Played five years at Michigan. Undrafted.

Stephen Hopkins, RB: Played three years at Michigan. Quit football.

Jeremy Jackson, WR: Played four years at Michigan. Undrafted.

Carvin Johnson, S: Played one year at Michigan, three at Hampton. Undrafted.

Conelius Jones, QB/DB: Did not qualify.

Antonio Kinard, LB: Has not qualified. Played at junior college.

Ricardo Miller, WR: Played three years at Michigan, one year at UMass. Undrafted.

Christian Pace, C: Career ended early due to injury.

Jordan Paskorz, DE: Played four years at Michigan. Undrafted.

Jerald Robinson, WR: Played two years at Michigan, one in D-II. Undrafted.

Marvin Robinson, S: Played three years at Michigan, one in D-II. Signed as UDFA with Cowboys in 2014 but was released.

Davion Rogers, LB: Did not qualify. Played one season at Youngstown State. Undrafted.

Jake Ryan, LB: Played five years at Michigan. Drafted in 4th round by Packers.

Terrence Talbott, CB: Played two years at Michigan. Quit football.

Terry Talbott, DT: Played two years at Michigan. Quit football.

Ray Vinopal, S: Played one year at Michigan, four at Pitt. Signed as UDFA with Cowboys.

Austin White, RB: Played one year at Michigan, transferred to Central Michigan, got in legal trouble. Quit football.

Ken Wilkins, DE: Played four years at Michigan, one in D-II. Undrafted.

Adrian Witty, CB: Did not qualify immediately and signed with Cincinnati in 2011. Played four years at Cincinnati with a fifth coming up in 2015.

D.J. Williamson, WR: Played one year at Michigan. Quit football.

TOTALS
DNQ: (Dorsey, Jones, Kinard, Rogers, Witty) = 5
Quit or kicked off team: (Hopkins, Talbott, Talbott, White, Williamson) = 5
Played out eligibility: (Avery, Black, Dileo, Gardner, Hagerup, Jackson, Ryan) = 7
Left early for draft: 0
Transferred to other FBS schools: (Ash, Christian, Furman, Miller, Vinopal) = 5
Transferred to lower football divisions: 4 (Johnson, Robinson, Robinson, Wilkins) = 4
Career ended due to injury: (Pace) = 1

5Jan 2015
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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.

9Dec 2014
Uncategorized 3 comments

Ex-Wolverine Updates

Jay Hopson

Former DT Richard Ash: Ash’s Western Michigan Broncos will play the Air Force Falcons in the Idaho Potato Bowl on December 20th. Ash has 40 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and 2 blocked kicks so far this season.

Former CB Cullen Christian: Christian’s West Virginia Mountaineers will play the Texas A&M Aggies in the Liberty Bowl on December 29th. Christian has made 5 tackles this year.

Former CB commit Gareon Conley, former DT Chris Rock: Conley made 1 tackle in Ohio State’s 59-0 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game. That win propelled the Buckeyes to the #4 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, and they will play #1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on January 1st.

Former CB commit Dallas Crawford, K commit Matt Goudis: Their Miami Hurricanes will play the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Independence Bowl on December 27th. Crawford has 35 tackles, .5 tackles for loss, and 2 pass breakups this year. Goudis was 4/6 on field goals and 6/6 on extra points this year but a back injury forced him to miss the final ten games of the year.

Former S Joshua Furman: Furman’s Oklahoma State Cowboys will play the Washington Huskies in the Cactus Bowl on January 2nd. This past weekend Furman helped upset the Oklahoma Sooners in overtime with a 38-35 victory. Furman made 2 tackles in the game. He now has 58 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 4 pass breakups on the year.

Former RB commit Demetrius Hart: Hart’s Colorado State Rams will play the Utah Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 20th. Hart has rushed for 1,254 yards (6.7 yards/carry) and 16 touchdowns so far this year.

Former linebackers coach Jay Hopson: Hopson, now the head coach at Alcorn State, won the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship with a 38-24 victory over Southern. After a 4-7 start to his head coaching career in 2012, he is now 19-6 in the last two seasons.

Former RB Thomas Rawls: Rawls’s Central Michigan Chippewas will play the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in the Bahamas Bowl on December 24th. Rawls has rushed for 1,103 yards (5.3 yards/carry) and 10 touchdowns this year.

Former head coach Rich Rodriguez: Rodriguez’s Arizona Wildcats were blasted by Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game by a score of 51-13. They are currently 10-3 and will play the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl on December 31st.

Former S Ray Vinopal: Vinopal’s Pitt Panthers will play the Houston Cougars in the Armed Forces Bowl on January 2nd. Vinopal has 61 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 5 pass breakups on the year.

Former CB commit Adrian Witty: Witty’s Cincinnati Bearcats will play the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Military Bowl on December 27th. Witty has made 3 tackles this year but has not played in the final eleven games, though I cannot find any information on why he has been out.

2Dec 2014
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Ex-Wolverine Updates

Former DT Richard Ash: Ash had 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 blocked field goal in Western Michigan’s 31-21 loss to Northern Illinois. On the year Ash has 40 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, and 2 blocked kicks. Western Michigan finishes the regular season at 8-4 and awaits a potential bowl destination.

Former CB Cullen Christian: Christian made 1 tackle in West Virginia’s 37-24 win over Iowa State. That’s the first time he’s appeared on the stat sheet since week five against Kansas, and it gives him a whopping 5 tackles on the year.

Former CB commit Gareon Conley: Conley had 1 tackle in Ohio State’s 42-28 win over Michigan.

Former CB commit Dallas Crawford: Crawford had 4 tackles and 1 pass breakup in Miami’s 35-23 loss to Pitt.

Former RB commit Demetrius Hart: Hart had 23 carries for 115 yards, but #21 Colorado State was upset by Air Force, 27-24. Hart has 1,139 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground this season. The Rams finish the regular season with a 10-2 record.

Former head coach Rich Rodriguez: Arizona improved their record to 10-2 with a 42-35 win over #17 Arizona State. It was a back-and-forth affair that started off with Arizona returning a fumble for a touchdown, and then Arizona State returning the favor. It was 21-21 at the half before the Wildcats pulled away a little bit in the second half. Running back Nick Wilson ran for 178 yards and 3 touchdowns, while quarterback Anu Solomon completed 71% of his passes for 2 scores and 0 picks. Rodriguez and his crew will play Oregon for the Pac-12 championship next Saturday.

Former S Ray Vinopal: Vinopal had 6 tackles in Pitt’s 35-23 win over Miami.

You can find other updates on the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

25Nov 2014
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Ex-Wolverine Updates

Demetrius Hart goes airborne for one of his six scores

Former DT Richard Ash: Ash had 4 tackles and 1 pass knockdown in Western Michigan’s 32-20 win over Central Michigan.

Former S Josh Furman: Furman made 2 tackles in Oklahoma State’s 49-28 loss to #6 Baylor. After starting off 5-1, the Cowboys have now lost five in a row and will be fighting for bowl eligibility next week against Oklahoma.

Former RB commit Demetrius Hart: Hart carried the ball 20 times for 230 yards and 5 touchdowns in Colorado State’s 58-20 win over New Mexico. He also caught 2 passes for 42 yards and 1 touchdown. His receiving touchdown was from 20 yards out, and his rushing scores came from 76, 55, 6, 4, and 2 yards. He’s now up to 1,139 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns this year on a 7.0 yard average.

Former RB Thomas Rawls: Rawls had 19 carries for 76 yards and 2 catches for 10 yards in Central Michigan’s 32-20 loss to Western Michigan.

Former head coach Rich Rodriguez: Rodriguez and his Arizona Wildcats beat #20 Utah by a score of 42-10. That’s the same Utah team that beat Michigan 26-10. I wonder how badly Arizona would beat Michigan right now. Anyway, running back Nick Wilson had 20 carries for 218 yards and 3 touchdowns. The team is 9-2 with a game next week against a pretty good Arizona State team.

Former S Ray Vinopal: In Pitt’s 30-7 win over Syracuse, Vinopal had 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 pass breakup. Pitt will be fighting for bowl eligibility next week against Miami.