Here's a roundup of the former Michigan player, former commits, and former coaches (or players-turned-coaches). NOTE: I will not regularly post updates about offensive linemen since stats are minimal and just posting PFF grades is kind of boring, but I did this week just to show who's playing where and what their opening day role was.
FORMER PLAYERS
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony did not play in a 25-15 loss to Tennessee.
LB Jeremiah Beasley (Missouri): Beasley did not record any stats in a 30-27 win over Vanderbilt.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 16/33 passes for 206 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in a 22-19 loss to Utah. He was benched at halftime.
LB Semaj Bridgeman (Michigan State): Bridgeman did not record any stats in a 23-19 loss to Boston College.
Hit the jump for more.
CB Cam Calhoun (Utah): Calhoun made 1 tackle in a 22-19 win over Oklahoma State.
C Zach Carpenter (Miami): Carpenter is Miami's starting center.
WR Darrius Clemons (Oregon State): Clemons made 3 catches for 35 yards in a 38-21 win over Purdue. This was Clemons's first game in action after missing the first few weeks with a foot injury.
WR Karmello English (West Georgia): West Georgia (1-2) had a bye.
TE Louis Hansen (UConn): Hansen made 1 catch for 3 yards in a 48-14 win over FAU.
WR A.J. Henning (Northwestern): Henning caught 5 passes for 41 yards, ran 1 time for 9 yards, and returned 3 punts for 39 yards in a 24-5 loss to Washington.
OG Amir Herring (Kansas): Herring is a backup offensive guard for Kansas.
TE Matt Hibner (SMU): Hibner did not record any stats in a 66-42 win over TCU.
LB Nikhai Hill-Green (Colorado): Hill-Green made 8 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in a 38-31 win over Baylor.
K Cole Hussung (Louisville): Hussung is a backup kicker for Louisville.
WR Giles Jackson (Washington): Jackson made 3 catches for 16 yards in a 24-5 win over Northwestern.
WR George Johnson III (FAU): Johnson did not record any stats in a 48-14 loss to UConn.
DE Aaron Lewis (Rutgers): Lewis made 2 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in a 26-23 win over Virginia Tech.
QB Cade McNamara (Iowa): McNamara completed 11/19 throws for 62 yards in a 31-14 win over Minnesota.
LB Hayden Moore (Washington): Moore did not record any stats in a 24-5 win over Northwestern.
S Jordan Morant (Mississippi State): Morant did not record any stats in a 45-28 loss to Florida.
S R.J. Moten (Florida): Moten made 2 tackles in a 45-28 win over Mississippi State.
DT George Rooks (Boston College): Rooks made 1 tackle and 0.5 tackles for loss in a 23-19 win over Michigan State.
S Keon Sabb (Alabama): Alabama (3-0) had a bye. Sabb has made 11 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions (returned for 87 yards), and 3 pass breakups.
LB Deuce Spurlock (Florida): Spurlock did not record any stats in a 45-28 win over Mississippi State.
OT Jack Stewart (UConn): Stewart is a backup offensive lineman for UConn.
RB C.J. Stokes (Charlotte): Stokes had 5 carries for 25 yards and 1 touchdown in a 42-14 loss to Indiana.
WR Jake Thaw (Delaware): Thaw had 9 catches for 72 yards and 1 touchdown in a 29-22 win over Penn.
A masterpiece 🤌 @jthaw3 pic.twitter.com/WN8Yp1Lqjh
— Delaware Football (@Delaware_FB) September 22, 2024
LB Joey Velazquez (Ohio State): Velazquez did not record any stats in a 49-14 win over Marshall.
TE Dan Villari (Syracuse): Villari did not record any stats in a 26-24 loss to Stanford.
CB D.J. Waller (Kentucky): Waller did not record any stats in a 41-6 win over Ohio.
LB Cornell Wheeler (Kansas): Wheeler made 5 tackles in a 32-28 loss to West Virginia.
FORMER COMMITS
DE Collins Acheampong (UCLA): Acheampong did not record any stats in a 34-17 loss to LSU.
LB Aaron Alexander (Michigan State): Alexander made 1 tackle in a 23-19 loss to Boston College.
WR Markus Allen (Eastern Michigan): Allen did not play in a 36-0 win over St. Francis.
DE Ethan Burke (Texas): Burke made 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 pass breakup in a 51-3 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
S Taylor Groves (Ole Miss): Groves did not play in a 52-13 win over Georgia Southern.
LB Tyler Martin (UMass): Martin did not record any stats in a 35-31 win over Central Connecticut State.
OG Micah Mazzccua (Nebraska): Mazzccua is a starting offensive guard for Nebraska.
DT Davonte Miles (BGSU): Miles did not record any stats in a 26-20 loss to Texas A&M.
TE Andrew Rappleyea (Penn State): Rappleyea did not play in a 56-0 win over Kent State.
S Myles Rowser (Arizona State): Rowser made 9 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 3 pass breakups, and 2 quarterback hurries in a 30-22 loss to Texas Tech.
DE Elias Rudolph (Miami): Rudolph did not play in a 50-15 win over USF.
DT Jacob Smith (Kentucky): Smith made 1 tackle in a 41-6 win over Ohio.
LB Jaden Smith (Kentucky): Smith did not record any stats in a 41-6 win over Ohio.
DE Jerod Smith (Kentucky): Smith did not record any stats in a 41-6 win over Ohio.
DT Joel Starlings (North Carolina): Starlings did not record any stats in a 70-50 loss to JMU.
DT Alex VanSumeren (Michigan State): VanSumeren did not record any stats in a 23-19 loss to Boston College.
DT Denver Warren (Sam Houston State): Warren did not record any stats in a 31-11 win over New Mexico State.
LB Raylen Wilson (Georgia): Georgia (3-0) had a bye. Wilson has 12 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble this year.
FORMER COACHES
Don Brown (Head Coach, UMass): Brown had first win of the season at UMass with a 35-31 victory over Central Connecticut State.
Ross Douglas (Wide Receivers Coach, Syracuse): Douglas is in his first season coaching the receivers at Syracuse under new head coach Fran Brown.
Jedd Fisch (Head Coach, Washington): Fisch and the Huskies are 3-1 after a 24-5 win over Northwestern.
JaRaymond Hall (Asst. OL Coach, Wayne State): Hall is now the assistant offensive line coach and director of recruiting for Wayne State under head coach Tyrone Wheatley, who recruited Hall to Michigan in 2017.
Scot Loeffler (Head Coach, BGSU): Loeffler is 1-2 after a 26-20 loss to Texas A&M.
Curt Mallory (Head Coach, Indiana State): The Sycamores are 1-2 this year and had a bye last weekend.
Jim McElwain (Head Coach, Central Michigan): The Chippewas beat Ball State 36-34 to move to 2-2 on the season.
Desmond Morgan (Defensive Assistant, Memphis): Morgan is a defensive assistant at Memphis this season.
Biff Poggi (Head Coach, Charlotte): Charlotte is 1-3 after a 42-14 loss to Indiana.
Denard Robinson (Running Backs Coach, Lead Prep Academy): Robinson has been hired as the new running backs coach at Lead Prep Academy in Michigan.
Rich Rodriguez (Head Coach, Jacksonville State): Jax State got its first win of the year with a 44-7 win over Southern Mississippi.
Roy Roundtree (Wide Receivers Coach, Miami-OH): Roundtree is in his first season at Miami-OH as the wide receivers coach.
Tyrone Wheatley (Head Coach, Wayne State): Wheatley is 0-3 after a 30-6 loss to Indianapolis.
That Cade McNamara somehow started at MICHIGAN speaks volumes of that position here ... we have 2o17, 2o2o & now 2o24 with absolute bottom dweller QB play. 3 of the last 7 seasons, and only JJ who was actually any good (elite)
ReplyDeleteGiven the turnstile nature of the portal, you may need to trim your "former players" section a bit.
ReplyDeleteSome of these players leave a top program like Michigan and go to lesser programs, then don't do that well there either. I wonder how much of that is just that Michigan picked them based on potential, which never materialized, and how much is the players lost interest in really investing in their game at these lesser schools, and the combination of ability and lack-of-motivation is what's showing?
The definition of a commit has also changed a lot since Thunder started doing this. It doesn't mean what it used to mean.
DeleteThe easiest way to trim the length of this, if that's the goal, is to cut the former commits, the majority of which have no real connection to Michigan beyond fleeting fandom as a teenager.
As for former players -- there's always been busts and disappointments in recruiting. It's just those guys now have an easy exit door to find a better fit, and the program can encourage them to go ahead and do that without hanging them out to dry.
@ Anonymous 10:17 a.m.
DeleteI think the former players are more interesting than the former commits. I do like what's going on with guys who used to be committed to Michigan, but with the changing nature of college football (a.k.a. the portal), it's tough to keep up with the former commits on a weekly basis. I've considered just doing a once- or twice-a-year update on former commits rather than including it on the weekly update.
I kind of like the "What could have been?" nature of the post, even if it's mostly players who don't have a ton of relevance.
But that's an interesting thought about players losing interest. I wonder if that's a chicken-or-egg thing. Do they not love football, and perhaps that's why Michigan cut ties with some of them? Or are they not playing at a high level and they're disappointed in themselves so they don't try as hard? I imagine there's some of both.
I too guess there is a bit of both. I have in the past asked questions of you -- because you're a coach and have first-hand experience with things like this -- how a coach sustains the motivation for players who most likely will rarely see the field. At some point I would imagine the temptation creeps up to lay off the workouts just a bit, to give it 90% rather than 100%, etc. A lot of those players leave Michigan because they don't see playing time, and I've wondered if when they get to the lower ranks it takes the wind out of their sails just a bit. It's like a pro baseball player who find himself back in the minor leagues ... if he thinks it's temporary, and he'll get back to 'the show,' he'll give it his all; if he thinks it's permanent, he's likely to play for a bit, then fade away.
Delete@ Anonymous 4:08 p.m.
DeleteMotivation for players who won't see the field is tough. It depends on the situation. I can only really talk about high schoolers, but...
a) backups who are #2 or maybe #3 on the depth chart can sometimes be motivated by knowing that an injury or two could put them on the field
b) backups who are behind a senior can sometimes be motivated by staking their claim for a starting job the following year
c) backups who will never see the field except when we're up or down by 35 points are mainly just motivated by personal pride/personal growth
I've seen players shut things down mentally to prepare for basketball season. I've seen players shut down because they think another guy is a "favorite." I've seen talented players quit because they were good on JV and then they don't play quite as much on varsity or the path is blocked by someone else, so they just give up and go focus on getting better for baseball.
You can see players who lack motivation when you see a guy like Demar Dorsey end up playing at a JUCO. Or who transfer to a MAC school or a Sun Belt school and then drop off the face of the earth. You can watch their social media go crazy when they're a 4-star recruit . . . to being totally abandoned when they have to transfer to a JUCO/smaller school. Some guys aren't nearly as excited about scoring 2 touchdowns in a JUCO game as they were about getting offered by Penn State a couple years earlier...
Thanks, Thunder ... I really appreciate these kinds of insights based on your experience. The psychology of team/individual motivation is fascinating to me.
DeleteI've read a fair amount of books on leadership (largely in the context of football) and gone to clinics about team building, organization, etc. I won't claim to be an expert. But I love being a part of a team, and I think good coaches can keep most kids motivated. Sometimes it just comes down to the mindset and mentality. The difference is that in high school, you only have the kids in your school zone (except in some places where there's school of choice, a private school people travel to, etc.). But in college you can recruit guys who fit your culture, do some digging on them before you accept their commitment, etc.
DeleteDon Brown with a win! Good for him.
ReplyDeleteUnless someone is unnaturally gifted at being a head coach, the normal coach faces a rather fickle existence: they win one place, but lose in another.
I was listening to a high school athletic director's podcast, and he said he basically throws any resume in the trash of a coach who has previous head coaching experience but a losing record. I thought that was interesting. There might be some people who would be great coaches if not for a bad environment/administration. Maybe Don Brown could be a decent coach somewhere other than UMass, maybe not. But it makes you wonder a little bit...
Delete