12Mar 2015
Video: Jedd Fisch and Tyrone Wheatley talk about their position groups
Hit the jump for Tyrone Wheatley’s question-and-answer session.
Hit the jump for Tyrone Wheatley’s question-and-answer session.
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| Tyrone Wheatley |
Former Buffalo Bills running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley reportedly signed a contract on Friday to become Michigan’s running backs coach, replacing Fred Jackson.
Wheatley is a Michigan legend, both in high school and college. He grew up in Inkster, attended Dearborn Heights (MI) Robichaud, and was a nine-time state champion in high school (1 football state championship, 7 individual championships in track, and 1 track-and-field team state championship). He graduated in 1991 and moved on to the Michigan Wolverines.
In Ann Arbor under Gary Moeller, Wheatley wore #6 and convinced me that all good college running backs should wear that number. Michigan was the Alabama of the 1980’s and early 1990’s with running backs galore, so Wheatley (86 carries, 548 yards, 6.4 yards/carry, 9 touchdowns) backed up Ricky Powers as a freshman. Things got stirred up in 1992 when Wheatley won the starting job and got an increasing number of carries for the next three years, finishing with a career total of 688 carries, 4178 yards, and 47 rushing touchdowns on 6.1 yards/carry. He also caught 51 passes for 510 yards and 6 touchdowns, plus he averaged 21.7 yards/kickoff return with a 99-yard touchdown return against Houston in 1992. He ranks fifth in Michigan history in rushing yardage, second in touchdowns, and fourth in yards per carry (of players with over 100 career carries). He was all-conference his final three years and named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in 1992.
Wheatley was also a Big Ten champion in track and field and an All-American in the 110m hurdles while running track for three years in college. Despite being listed at 6’1″ and robust at 215-226 lbs. throughout college, he was a speed demon.
Hit the jump for lots more on Wheatley’s playing and coaching career.
The New York Giants picked Wheatley in the 1st round (#17 overall) in the 1995 NFL Draft, looking at him as an eventual replacement for Rodney Hampton. It’s safe to say that Wheatley lost a little bit of his drive once he hit the NFL, and he was never the same kind of workhorse and outstanding athlete in the NFL. He gained a bit of weight, and his career long run in four years with the Giants was 38 yards. He then moved on to the Oakland Raiders, where had some more success and was their lead back in 1999 and 2000, which included an 80-yard touchdown run. He reached a Super Bowl there and finished out his career in 2004. His final pro stat line was 1,270 carries for 4,962 yards, a 3.9 yards/carry average, and 40 touchdowns. He also caught 125 passes for 900 yards, a 7.2 yards/reception average, and 7 touchdowns.
Wheatley returned to Robichaud to coach football in 2007 (he also coached track) and moved on to Ohio Northern, a D-III school, in 2008. He has been a running backs coach ever since. He jumped to Eastern Michigan in 2009, moved to Syracuse for 2010-2012, and then followed Orangemen head coach Doug Marrone to the Buffalo Bills for 2013-2014. When Marrone chose to leave the Bills after the 2014 season, Wheatley was out of a job and here we are.
I think it’s difficult to judge running backs coaches by raw numbers, because so much depends on raw talent, the offensive line, the play calling, etc. But here we go anyway:
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| That’s who you think it is. (image via Delaware Online) |
This is a yearly tradition to look at high school seniors who have famous athletic fathers (or occasionally just a famous father). Below are eleven players whose names – or fathers’ names – you might recognize.
The 2014, 2013, and 2012 versions are available, too, if you’re interested.
Cordell Broadus – WR – Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman: Broadus is a 6’2″, 195 lb. prospect who’s ranked as a 247 Composite 4-star, the #18 wide receiver, and #149 overall. He has a top group that includes Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, LSU, Notre Dame, UCLA, and USC (Michigan has not offered, but he has said that he would be interested in visiting now that Jim Harbaugh has been hired). It seems to be a battle between the two teams in southern California, but I’m leaning toward his father’s favorite schoool, USC. That father is Cordozar Broadus, Jr., who is best known as Snoop Dogg (a.k.a. Snoop Lion). He probably needs no bio, as he is a famous rapper, protege of Dr. Dre, etc. Snoop was known to visit USC practices quite often, at least before Steve Sarkisian was hired as coach.
Hit the jump for the other ten athletes.
Mark Fields II – CB – Cornelius (NC) William Amos Hough: Fields is a 5’11”, 190 lb. prospect with a top group that includes Clemson, LSU, South Carolina, and Texas. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #8 cornerback, and #97 overall, earning a roster spot in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. His father, Mark Fields, played football at Washington State and became a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker during a career with the New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams, and Carolina Panthers. He was a 1st round draft pick (#13 overall) in 1995 by the Saints and retired after the 2004 season. He finished his career with 769 tackles, 34 sacks, and 5 interceptions. The elder Fields has been battling Hodgkin’s disease over the last several years.
Jake Fruhmorgen – OT – Tampa (FL) Plant: Fruhmorgen – a 6’5″, 280 lb. prospect committed to Clemson – is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 offensive tackle, and #90 overall. He had an offer from Michigan and played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl this past weekend. His father, John, played for the Alabama Crimson Tide and had a short career with the Miami Dolphins.
Jaire George – RB – Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha:
Alvin Harper, Jr. – WR – Lakeland (FL) Victory Christian Academy: Harper, Jr. is a 6’0″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Northern Illinois, and Toledo. He’s a Rivals 2-star prospect. As a senior this past season, he caught 69 balls for 1,332 yards and 16 touchdowns. His father, of course, is Alvin Harper, who played for the Tennessee Volunteers and became a first round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys, with whom he would win two Super Bowls. Harper wasn’t extremely productive (this was before the explosion of passing offenses in the NFL), but he did average 18.2 yards/reception for his career, finishing with 191 catches, 3473 yards, and 21 touchdowns with the Cowboys, Buccaneers, Redskins, and Saints. He retired following the 1999 season.
Beau Hoge – QB – Fort Thomas (KY) Highlands: Hoge is a 6’1″, 205 lb. prospect who is committed to BYU. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #38 dual-threat quarterback, and #1452 overall. Check out this ridiculous run in the Kentucky playoffs (LINK). Hoge is the son of Merril Hoge, now an ESPN football analyst. Merril went to Idaho State and was a three-time all-conference running back, finishing with 5,139 all-purpose yards and 31 rushing touchdowns. He was selected in the 10th round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He would play eight seasons for the Steelers and Chicago Bears before retiring after 1994. Hoge finished his NFL career with 3,139 yards, a 3.8 yards/carry average, and 34 total touchdowns.
Van Jefferson WR – Brentwood (TN) Ravenwood: Jefferson is a 6’2″, 180 lb. prospect who committed to Georgia in August but continues to look around. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #13 wide receiver, and #134 overall. Prior to transferring to Tennessee, he was attending Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s. This season he had 67 catches for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. His father, Shawn, played football at Central Florida and was a 9th round pick in the 1991 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. Jefferson was a very productive pro receiver and played in two Super Bowls, one with the Chargers and one with the Patriots. He finished his career with 470 receptions, 7023 yards, and 29 touchdowns. He also played for the Falcons and Lions, and he was an assistant coach for the Lions from 2005-2012. He is now the wide receivers coach for the Tennessee Titans.
Manny Miles – QB – Baton Rouge (LA) University Lab: Miles is a 5’11”, 170 lb. prospect with no offers at this point, but he is ranked as a 3-star prospect, the #146 athlete, and the #1736 player overall in the 247 Composite rankings. There was some talk about him potentially walking on at the University of Michigan. That’s because his father is former Wolverines player and coach Les Miles, now the head football coach at LSU. The elder Miles is 131-50 in a head coaching career with Oklahoma State and LSU, and he won a national championship with the Tigers in 2007.
Cassius Peat – LB – Tempe (AZ) Corona Del Sol: Peat is a 6’4″, 235 lb. prospect who was once committed to UCLA; he has taken official visits to Michigan State, Oklahoma, and USC, and he is also highly interested in Arizona State. He plans to announce his college decision on National Signing Day. Peat is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #27 outside linebacker, and #326 overall. Peat’s father, Todd, is from Illinois, went to Northern Illinois, and played in the NFL for the Phoenix Cardinals and Oakland Raiders between 1987-1993. His eldest son, Todd Jr., was a defensive tackle at Nebraska. Another son, Andrus, is an offensive lineman at Stanford.
Jon Runyan, Jr. – OG – Philadelphia (PA) St. John’s: Runyan is a 6’4″, 276 lb. prospect who is committed to Michigan. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #123 offensive tackle, and #1176 overall. Runyan’s father, Jon, was an All-Big Ten tackle at Michigan in the early to mid-’90’s and a 4th round draft pick by the Houston Oilers in 1996. He still holds the record for most consecutive starts by a right tackle in NFL history, with 213 consecutive games for the Oilers/Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles from 1997-2008. He finished his career with the San Diego Chargers in 2009, having made 1 Pro Bowl in his career. Runyan is currently a Republican congressman in New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district, but he did not run for re-election in 2014 after winning in both 2010 and 2012. (Runyan and his family live in Mount Laurel, NJ, which is roughly half an hour away from Jon Jr.’s private school, in case you’re wondering.)
Chris Warren – RB – Rockwall (TX) Rockwall: Warren is a 6’2″, 232 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #7 running back, and #73 overall. He rushed for 2,329 yards and 34 touchdowns as a senior this past season, and his top four schools are Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, and Washington. Washington might seem like a natural landing spot for him, because Seattle was where his father – Chris Warren – played running back for the Seahawks from 1990-1997. The elder Warren started his college career at Virginia and ended up at Ferrum (a D-III school), after which he was a 4th round pick by the Seahawks in 1990. For a short time, he was one of the premier running backs in the NFL, peaking with 1,545 yards in 1994 and topping 1,000 yards a total of four times. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and also played with the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, from whom he retired after the 2000 season.
Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. – DE – Canisius (NY) Manlius: Wheatley is a 6’6″, 265 lb. prospect with a top group that includes Alabama, Oregon, UCLA, and USC. Michigan might also be in the mix for family reasons. The younger Wheatley is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 tight end, and #235 overall, but the father is a football legend in Ann Arbor lore. Having attended nearby Dearborn (MI) Robichaud, Tyrone Sr. was Big Ten Player of the Year for Michigan in 1992 and All-Big Ten from 1992-1994, among other football accomplishments; he was also a college All-American in track. He was a 1st round draft pick (#17 overall) by the New York Giants in 1995 and played through 2004 with both the Giants and Oakland Raiders. He finished his NFL career with 4,962 yards and 40 touchdowns on the ground, plus 900 yards and 7 touchdowns through the air. Wheatley has since coached at, among other programs, Eastern Michigan and Syracuse, plus he had been the Buffalo Bills running backs coach from 2013 through last week.
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| Greg Roman could be Michigan’s next offensive coordinator |
We as fans are never happy. We just got our dream coach, and now we’ll be concerned about who his assistants will be. When Jim Harbaugh was asked about filling his staff, he said, “Measure twice. Cut once.” So he wants to be careful about who he brings on as assistant coaches. Here is a look at some potential coaches to fill out the ten offensive and defensive staff jobs:
1. Jim Harbaugh, Head Coach: Signed, sealed, and delivered. Next.
2. Offensive coordinator: San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman has been with Harbaugh since the Stanford days, and some reports – as well as common sense – suggest that he will follow Harbaugh to Michigan. Roman is from New Jersey and has spent most of his time in the NFL, except for two years in Palo Alto. Roman has mostly worked with the offensive line and tight ends throughout his career, so I would expect him to help out with one of those positions.
Other possibilities: Andy Moeller, Tyrone Wheatley
3. Running backs: Buffalo Bills running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley has not been promised a return in 2015, and being a Michigan legend, he might feel a desire to return to Ann Arbor to help resurrect the program. Harbaugh might also float the idea of being a co-offensive coordinator, which would make a little more sense from Wheatley’s perspective. He has a desire to be a head coach someday, so one would expect him to be looking for some kind of promotion up the ladder.
Other possibilities: Reggie Davis, Fred Jackson, Roy Manning
4. Wide receivers: No, this isn’t the former Detroit Lions wide receiver, but San Francisco 49ers wide receiver coach John Morton is out of a job. Morton grew up in Michigan and played wide receiver at Western Michigan, so he’s a midwest guy and would presumably have some connections in the area. San Francisco’s wide receivers weren’t spectacular, but he has worked with some pretty big names in Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree.
Other possibility: Ronald Curry
5. Tight ends: Kentucky tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow has been rumored to be a possibility. Harbaugh has reportedly already reached out to Marrow, whose help in recruiting at Kentucky has been pretty impressive. Marrow grew up in Ohio and played football at Toledo, so he’s another midwest guy.
Other possibility: Reggie Davis
6. Offensive line: San Francisco 49ers offensive line coach Reggie Davis was with Harbaugh for each year in San Francisco. He has spent his entire playing (Washington, San Diego Chargers) and coaching (UNLV, Oregon State, San Francisco 49ers) career on the west coast. Maybe he’s attached to the lifestyle, family, and friends out there. If he comes with Harbaugh, he’ll be a much needed connection on the west coast.
Other possibilities: Tim Drevno, Andy Moeller
7. Defensive coordinator: Florida defensive coordinator and interim head coach D.J. Durkin has been a popular name floating around for the past few weeks. He worked with Harbaugh at Stanford and has experience working with special teams, defensive ends, and linebackers, so he could help out in any of those areas.
Other possibility: Greg Mattison
8. Defensive line: Oklahoma defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery has been suggested as a possibility. Montgomery, of course, was at Michigan for the first couple years of Brady Hoke’s tenure and then left for a bigger paycheck in Norman. Montgomery was only ever in charge of part of the defensive line at Michigan, so the only real reasons to move back would be another pay raise and/or control over the whole position group.
Other possibilities: D.J. Durkin, Roy Manning, Greg Mattison
9. Linebackers: Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison might be a holdover from the previous staff to this one. Mattison has family in the area, loves the University of Michigan, is a pretty good coach with NFL experience, and is a great recruiter. He also has connections to Harbaugh and potential defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin.
Other possibility: Roy Manning
10. Defensive backs: San Francisco 49ers defensive backs coach Greg Jackson will be looking for a job. He is from Florida and played college football at LSU, so his potential connections in Florida and SEC country could help Michigan’s recruiting efforts in difficult locations.
Other possibility: Roy Manning
OVERALL
It would be unlikely that so many 49ers guys would follow Harbaugh to a college to which they have no connections, and other guys coming to Ann Arbor from the NFL (Wheatley, Moeller) would also be a bit of a stretch. Will all of those guys end up standing on the sidelines of Michigan Stadium? Probably not. But I would expect at least a couple of them, particularly Roman. Otherwise, some likely possibilities seem to include Vince Marrow and D.J. Durkin.
Otherwise, Michigan has a couple ace recruiters in its pocket with Mattison and Manning if they so choose to keep them. Manning is supposedly still in Ann Arbor and hoping to catch on with the new staff. I didn’t list him as option #1 at any positions above, but that’s partly because he has coached running backs, linebackers, and cornerbacks, and he played a hybrid defensive end position. Harbaugh could put him in a variety of spots, although Michigan’s cornerbacks performed questionably this past season under his tutelage. I would not want Manning to be in charge of all the defensive back positions by himself, but maybe a year of honing his skills with the cornerbacks could help him improve in year two of coaching the position.
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| Tyrone Wheatley, if for not other reason than bringing back happy memories. |
THERE IS NOTHING TO WRITE.
I have a few posts waiting to be completed, and even a few that are already finished. But a lot of them have to do with recruiting, and I don’t think anyone cares much about recruiting right now. All Michigan fans care about is who the next coach will be, and I can’t say I blame them. As Michigan fans, we can’t move forward. (On the other hand, I have been moving forward with catching up on Parks and Recreation.)
Detroit Sports Rag contributor Jeff Moss tweeted out last night that there has been a “sea change” in the reporting on Michigan’s head coaching job. Other Twitter feeds have also changed their tune somewhat, based on someone in Michigan’s administration supposedly giving info that Jim Harbaugh could be leaning toward returning to Ann Arbor. Moss also said that he will release the source of this information at 9:00 a.m. today, so that ought to be interesting.
Aside from Harbaugh’s return, there have also been rumors that:
