Tag: senior profile

Goodbye, Joe Bolden

Joe Bolden (#35, image via Michigan Daily)

HIGH SCHOOL
Bolden went to Cincinnati (OH) Colerain and committed to Michigan in April of 2011 (LINK). I initially gave him a TTB Rating of 77 before bumping him up to an 88 (LINK) after hype started to build following the Under Armour All-American Game.

COLLEGE
Bolden showed promise as a true freshman backup linebacker, when he made 31 tackles, 4 TFLs, 1 sack, and 1 FR, and he was named to a couple All-Big Ten Freshman teams. He started four games in 2013 and made 54 tackles, 4 TFLs, and 2 sacks. He became a full-time starter as a junior and made 102 tackles, 4 TFLs, 2 sacks, and 1 PBU. As a senior in 2015, his stat line was 83 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, and 1 fumble recovery.

STATS
270 tackles, 18.5 TFLs, 5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 PBU

Hit the jump for more on Bolden’s college career.

read more

Goodbye, Wayne Lyons

Wayne Lyons (image via MLive)

HIGH SCHOOL
Lyons was listed at 5’11”, 185 lbs. coming out of Fort Lauderdale (FL) Dillard and was a 4-star, the #5 safety, and #98 overall in the 247 Composite rankings. He was a U.S. Army All-American. I wrote a scouting report on him when Michigan was recruiting him in the 2011 class (LINK). He ended up committing to the Stanford Cardinal shortly before National Signing Day.

COLLEGE
Lyons played a bit as a true freshman at Stanford in 2011 before an injury shortened his season, so he took a medical redshirt. He then became a part-time starter for the next three seasons, including his best year in 2013, a 69-tackle, 2-interception effort for the Cardinal. However, he was relegated to coming off the bench in 2014 and sought greener pastures. Both Michigan and Jim Harbaugh – who was at Stanford for most of Lyons’s recruitment – had pursued him coming out of high school, so it seemed like a good fit. However, he had a difficult time cracking the lineup at Michigan, and the secondary stayed largely injury-free, so he played sparingly during his final year of eligibility.

Hit the jump for more on Lyons’s career at Michigan.

read more

Goodbye, Jarrod Wilson

Jarrod Wilson (#22, image via MGoBlue)

HIGH SCHOOL
Wilson attended Akron (OH) Buchtel where he was coached by former Michigan running back Ricky Powers. I initially gave him a TTB Rating of 89 (LINK), although that was downgraded slightly to an 88 by the end of the 2012 recruiting cycle (LINK). He was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #13 safety, and #236 overall.

COLLEGE
Wilson was a backup to the duo of Thomas Gordon and Jordan Kovacs as a true freshman, but he still played in thirteen games and made 8 tackles with 1 fumble recovery. He was an eight-game starter and made 50 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 INTs, and 2 PBUs. After Gordon graduated, Wilson became a starter at safety and responded with 50 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Ff, and 2 PBUs in ten games. Once again a full-time starter in 2015, he finished his career with 61 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, and 3 pass breakups.

Hit the jump for more on Wilson’s career.

read more

Goodbye, Jake Rudock

Jake Rudock (image via Pro Football Focus)

All the cool people are following me on Twitter (LINK). Also, Facebook (LINK). Literally, one person follows me on Pinterest (LINK), partly because I’m not in the business of sharing recipes. If I were, though, you would be blown away by my chocolate chip cookies.

Previously: Desmond Morgan, Blake O’Neill

HIGH SCHOOL
Michigan did not recruit Rudock coming out of high school in 2011, so I was only vaguely aware of him as an Iowa commit. He was a 247 Composite 3-star, the #24 pro-style quarterback, #651 overall, and #91 in Florida out of Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas. Rudock committed to the Hawkeyes in July of 2010. He also fielded offers from Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, among others. (Coincidentally, the current front-runner for the Michigan QB job in 2016, John O’Korn, is also a St. Thomas Aquinas product. O’Korn graduated in 2013 and played his first two college seasons at Houston before transferring.)

COLLEGE
Rudock redshirted in 2011 and did not play at all in 2012, sitting behind starter James Vandenberg. He won the starting job as a redshirt sophomore in 2013, completing 59% of his passes for 2,383 yards, 18 TDs, and 13 INTs – plus 218 yards and 5 TDs on the ground – while going 8-5 as the starter. He stepped up his play in 2014 (62% completions, 2436 yards, 16 TDs, 5 INTs), but not enough to hold off calls for backup C.J. Beathard. After the season but before 2015 spring practices, Beathard was named the starter by head coach Kirk Ferentz. That signaled the end of the road for Rudock at Iowa, and he started exploring grad transfer options. He reportedly reached out to the staff at Michigan, but Jim Harbaugh had yet to see the current Michigan quarterbacks in action and wanted a look at them first. Once he saw what he was working with . . . he reciprocated Rudock’s interest. The two parties agreed to move forward together, and Rudock joined the team for August practices. It was a bit of a rocky beginning when Michigan lost to Utah. Rudock threw 3 interceptions in the contest, and some were wondering whether Michigan made the right decision. But that was his only multiple-interception game of the season, and the team went 10-3 on the year. Despite a rough first half to the season (6 TDs, 6 INTs in the first six games), he ended up with 20 TDs and 9 INTs on the year, along with the #2 passing yardage total in school history (3,017 yards).

Hit the jump for more on the career of Jake Rudock.

read more

Goodbye, Blake O’Neill

This headline is a bit over the top, but that’s what the New York Post does sometimes.

Previously: LB Desmond Morgan

HIGH SCHOOL
We weren’t aware of O’Neill as a high schooler, since he attended school in Australia. He was a team captain for his high school Australian Rules football team, and he was a shot putter.

COLLEGE
At Weber State in 2014, he averaged 44.1 yards/punt, which was #6 in the country. He also had a 17-yard run and a 23-yard pass on fake punts. Because of his unique academic situation due to being Australian, he used a grad transfer after one year at WSU to end up at Michigan for the 2015 season. Michigan – under one-year rental John Baxter as special teams coach – converted to a rugby-style punt to suit O’Neill’s talents. He started every game at Michigan, averaging 41.3 yards/punt on 53 attempts.

Hit the jump for the rest of the senior profile on Blake O’Neill.

read more