Ex-Wolverine Updates: Pre-Season 2014

Tag: Thomas Rawls


3Jul 2014
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Ex-Wolverine Updates: Pre-Season 2014

This is Cullen Christian. He used to play for Michigan. Then he played for Pitt.
Now he’s a Mountaineer.

DT Richard Ash: After spending his first four years of college at Michigan, Ash became a grad year transfer to Western Michigan, where he is listed as a 6’3″, 314 lb. defensive tackle. He had 3 tackles as a redshirt junior in 2013.

Defensive backs coach Vance Bedford: Bedford is the new defensive coordinator at Texas. He spent 2010-2013 as defensive coordinator at Louisville before moving with head coach Charlie Strong to Austin.

Safeties coach Adam Braithwaite: Braithwaite is in his second season as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga.

TE Pharaoh Brown: Brown is listed as a 6’6″, 241 lb. junior tight end for Oregon. He had 10 receptions for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2013.

Wide receivers coach Erik Campbell: Campbell spent last season as the wide receivers coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

CB Cullen Christian: Christian is listed as a 6’0″, 195 lb. safety for West Virginia. He spent the 2010 season at Michigan before transferring to Pitt, where he was from 2011-2013. He played in just two games as a redshirt junior at Pitt due to injury.

CB Gareon Conley: Conley is listed as a 6’0″, 190 lb. redshirt freshman for Ohio State.

CB Dallas Crawford: Crawford is listed as a 5’10”, 195 lb. defensive back for Miami. That’s right – Crawford is going to play safety for Miami after he was the backup and injury fill-in for Duke Johnson in 2013, when Crawford ran 137 times for 558 yards and 12 touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 171 yards and 1 touchdown.

Hit the jump for updates on over 20 more former Wolverines.

Wide receivers coach Tony Dews: Dews is in his third season as wide receivers coach at Arizona with Rich Rodriguez.

Defensive coordinator Ron English: English was fired as the head coach of Eastern Michigan and has not found a new coaching job, as far as I know.

OT Jake Fisher: Fisher is listed as a 6’6′, 299 lb. senior offensive tackle for Oregon. He started eleven games at right tackle as a junior in 2013.

Offensive line coach Greg Frey: Frey is in his fourth season as Indiana’s offensive line coach ans is co-offensive coordinator.

S Josh Furman: After spending his first four years of college in Ann Arbor, Furman announced that he would be transferring to Oklahoma State as a grad year transfer. However, he does not appear on the Cowboy’s 2014 roster. He had 11 tackles and 1 pass breakup as a redshirt junior in 2013.

Defensive backs coach Tony Gibson: Gibson is the new defensive coordinator at West Virginia. He was the safeties coach at WVU in 2013.

K Matt Goudis: Goudis is listed as a 6’0″, 172 lb. redshirt junior for Miami. He was 13/17 on field goals and 57/57 on extra points as a redshirt sophomore in 2013.

Linebackers coach Jay Hopson: Hopson is in his third year as head coach at Alcorn State. He’s 13-10 in his first two seasons but went 9-3 in 2013.

Quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler: Loeffler is in his second season as the offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech.

Offensive coordinator Calvin Magee: Magee is in his third season as offensive coordinator at Arizona with Rich Rodriguez.

Offensive line coach Andy Moeller: Moeller is in his first season as offensive line coach with the Cleveland Browns after spending the previous three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

RB Thomas Rawls: After spending three years at Michigan, Rawls announced that he would transfer to Central Michigan. He will be eligible for the upcoming season. He had 3 carries for 12 yards as a junior in 2013.

DT Chris Rock: Rock is listed as a 6’3″, 275 lb. redshirt junior for Ohio State. He played in one game as a redshirt sophomore in 2013.

Head coach Rich Rodriguez: Rodriguez is in his third season as head coach at Arizona. He’s coming off two consecutive 8-5 seasons as leader of the Wildcats.

Quarterbacks coach Rod Smith: Smith is in his third season as quarterbacks coach at Arizona with Rich Rodriguez.

QB Kevin Sousa: Sousa is listed as a 6’3″, 230 lb. redshirt junior for Wake Forest. He did not see any playing time as a redshirt sophomore in 2013.

Defensive line coach Steve Stripling: Stripling is the defensive line coach and associate head coach at Tennessee. This is his second year in Knoxville with Butch Jones.

Defensive line coach Bruce Tall: Tall is the defensive line coach for the Charlotte 49ers.

S Ray Vinopal: Pitt’s official roster has not been released for 2014, but Vinopal was Honorable Mention All-ACC as a redshirt junior in 2013. He finished the year with 83 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, 6 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. He will presumably be the starter once again in 2014, but he does not appear on Phil Steele’s pre-season All-ACC squad.

OT Denzel Ward: Ward does not appear on Syracuse’s 2014 roster, although not all freshmen appear to be listed on their roster yet.

CB Adrian Witty: Witty is listed as a 5’10”, 187 lb. redshirt senior safety for Cincinnati. He will likely be counted on to start, and he was in on 46 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 interception, and 4 pass breakups as a redshirt junior in 2013.

OG Cory Zirbel: Zirbel is in his third season as an offensive graduate assistant at Arizona with Rich Rodriguez. An injury while at Michigan ended Zirbel’s playing career, but he worked for Michigan’s football program before following Rodriguez to Tucson.

More information can be found on the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

25Jan 2014
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Thomas Rawls, Ex-Wolverine

Thomas Rawls (#38) is transferring to Central Michigan

Soon-to-be senior running back Thomas Rawls will not be a senior at the University of Michigan. He has decided to transfer to Central Michigan, which is something that I’ve quietly been suggesting for a while.

Rawls was a late addition the 2011 recruiting class, needing some late academic success to propel him toward a scholarship at Michigan. He was probably headed to CMU if not for the offer to play in Ann Arbor, so this development is approximately three years in the making. My commitment post from February 2011 suggested that Rawls would be in over his head a little bit in the Big Ten, and I gave him a TTB Rating of 68. I always believe that Rawls was too slow and lacked elusiveness, and he didn’t break as many tackles as a 5’10”, 217 lb. running back should.

Rawls played sparingly during his three seasons as a Wolverine behind a variety of mediocre-performing running backs like Fitzgerald Toussaint (who did have a good year in 2011), Vincent Smith, Derrick Green, and De’Veon Smith, among others. His most productive season was as a sophomore in 2012 when he had 57 carries for 242 yards (4.2 yards/carry) and 4 touchdowns; that year included his career highlight, a 63-yard touchdown run late in a blowout win over Illinois. This past season, he had 3 carries for 12 yards and 1 touchdown in the season opener against his future team, but he never saw another snap again at running back and was relegated to special teams duty. He finished his Michigan career with 73 carries for 333 yards (4.6 yards/carry) and 5 touchdowns, plus 1 catch for 6 yards.

This leaves Michigan with four tailbacks on the roster for 2014: redshirt junior Justice Hayes, redshirt sophomore Drake Johnson, and sophomores Derrick Green and De’Veon Smith. The Wolverines have recently sent out offers to Sarasota (FL) Booker’s Marlon Mack and Minneapolis (MN) Washburn’s Jeff Jones, but neither appears to be even planning to visit Michigan, even though Mack decommitted from UCLA as soon as the Wolverines offered him. It would appear to make sense for Michigan to grab a running back before National Signing Day in a couple weeks, but things are quiet on that front right now. The last time Michigan skimped on an important position in a recruiting cycle, they didn’t take a quarterback in the 2012 class, which left them in a bind when Denard Robinson and Russell Bellomy got injured at various points.

Rawls is the eighth member of the 2011 class to depart prior to exhausting eligibility, joining Chris Barnett, Greg Brown, Tamani Carter, Kellen Jones, Antonio Poole, Tony Posada, and Chris Rock.

10Jan 2014
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Poll results: Who will lead the team in carries in 2014?

According to readers, Derrick Green is the leading candidate for the starting running back job in 2014

I may present this poll again closer to the season, because a new offensive coordinator will mean a different philosophy and perhaps some different personnel. But in the meantime, before Al Borges was let go, I asked which running back would get the most carries in 2014. What you said:

Derrick Green (So.): 60%
Green had 83 carries for 270 yards (3.3 yards/carry) and 2 touchdowns in 2013. Green showed pretty good speed and fell forward after contact, but he didn’t break many tackles or show a lot of wiggle. Of course, nobody should have expected a 6’0″, 230 lb. running back to show much wiggle. He did start off the year heavier than he should have been, which may have diminished his effectiveness. New offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and his fellow Alabama staff members recruited Green to Tuscaloosa, so it would make sense that Nussmeier has an eye toward Green being his horse.


De’Veon Smith (So.): 30%
Smith had 26 carries for 117 yards (4.5 yards/carry) as a freshman. After not playing much early in the year, something got sparked in him during the last few weeks of the regular season, when he totaled 15 carries for 98 yards (6.5 yards/carry) against Northwestern and Ohio State. Smith is a more violent runner than Green, but his speed leaves something to be desired.


Drake Johnson (RS So.): 3%
Johnson had 2 carries for 9 yards before tearing his ACL in the season opener against Central Michigan. Up until that point, he had been listed as Michigan’s #2 tailback. An accomplished high school track athlete, Johnson’s main claim for playing time was based on his speed. The fact that he tore the ACL in late August means he should be almost back to full speed by the time the 2014 season rolls around, but sometimes it takes a couple years for guys to totally recover.


Other: 2%
This could refer to junior Dennis Norfleet, who moved to slot receiver; or redshirt freshman tailback/fullback Wyatt Shallman, who looks like an H-back to me; a freshman like Jeff Jones or Vic Enwere, neither of whom have committed to Michigan; or perhaps quarterback Devin Gardner. If you gave me all of their carries combined, I would still bet on one of the other guys.


Justice Hayes (RS Jr.): 1%
Hayes had 2 carries for 6 yards on the season, but by golly, he was the starting running back against Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. The best thing Hayes has going for him is some decent speed, but he doesn’t have the greatest vision or tackle breaking ability. He was even reported to be moving to slot receiver before injuries and ineffectiveness forced him back to running back.


Thomas Rawls (Sr.): 0%
Rawls had 3 carries for 12 yards and 1 touchdown, all of which came against Central Michigan in the season opener. He played some special teams after that, but you wouldn’t really have known he played at all unless you checked the participation reports after the games. There have been rumors that he will not return to the football team in 2014.

7Sep 2013
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Poll results: Who will lead Michigan in rushing for 2013?

It’s not the most timely thing, but I set up a bunch of polls during the summer and never “released” the results. It’s still early enough in the year to be relevant, though, so I’ll be kicking out some posts about predictions for the year. Today’s question: Who will lead Michigan in rushing?

Fitzgerald Toussaint: 52%
Fifth year senior Toussaint was the obvious choice, since he was a two-year starter coming into 2013. Unfortunately, a broken leg last fall put his status into question. He had 57 yards in the opener against Central Michigan.

Derrick Green: 40%
True freshman Green got more votes than I thought he would, but maybe it was warranted after a 58-yard debut against the Chippewas. After being listed near the bottom of the depth chart for week one (perhaps due to a sprained ankle he suffered at the beginning of August practices), he’s the #2 guy going into Notre Dame.

DeVeon Smith: 1%
Smith, another true freshman, had just 12 yards against the Chips. In my opinion, he does not have the speed to be a dynamic back, but injuries have felled Toussaint frequently, so there’s a chance; unfortunately, that chance probably would involve bad things happening to the guys ahead of him.

Drake Johnson: 1%
There’s no chance for redshirt freshman Johnson, who tore his ACL early in the season opener. He’ll finish the year with 2 carries for 9 yards.

Thomas Rawls: 1%
Rawls, a junior, had 4 carries for 12 yards in the opener. He looks quicker than he did last season, but he’s still pretty low on the depth chart after a couple uninspiring years.

Devin Gardner: 0%
Sacks will probably prevent fifth year senior Gardner from having a real shot at leading the team in rushing. He has the speed to turn broken plays into big runs (or passes), but his 52 yards against Central Michigan were largely a function of CMU’s inability to hem him in. More athletic teams probably won’t struggle quite as much, although Gardner will get his share of yardage.

Dennis Norfleet/Other: 0%
Sophomore Norfleet had 38 yards on a reverse last week, but as a slot receiver, he won’t get a ton of opportunities.

Justice Hayes: 0%
Redshirt sophomore Hayes has been near the bottom of the depth chart for his entire career, and that seems not to have changed. He was the last running back to get a carry against Central, and his lone rush netted him 7 yards.

9Jul 2013
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2013 Season Countdown: #51 Thomas Rawls

Thomas Rawls

Name: Thomas Rawls
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 217 lbs.
High school: Flint (MI) Northern
Position: Running back
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #38
Last year: I ranked Rawls #18 and said he would be a part-time starter. He started one game and had 57 carries for 242 yards and 4 touchdowns.

I made a mistake and ranked Rawls too high last year. I decided to believe Fred Jackson, and I will never, ever, ever do that again. In 2012 Rawls looked like the guy I thought he was coming out of high school. He doesn’t break tackles the way someone his size should, and he doesn’t have breakaway speed. However, he did have good games against Illinois (9 carries for 90 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown), Purdue, and UMass, for whatever those accomplishments are worth.

Rawls has now had two years to prove himself a capable runner, and he has yet to do so. Whenever starter Fitzgerald Toussaint returns to health, I think Rawls will find himself #3 on the depth chart behind Toussaint and freshman Derrick Green. Rawls might have some value as a backup fullback, but he does not appear to be starter material. Former 5-star Kevin Grady followed a similar career path from failed tailback to fullback, and while I’m not totally writing Rawls off from contention for backup duty at tailback, I just think there are better guys in the pipeline.

Prediction: Backup running back; 30 carries, 130 yards, 2 touchdowns