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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

2011 Countdown: #7 Patrick Omameh

Patrick Omameh
Name: Patrick Omameh
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 299 lbs.
High school: St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus, OH
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #65
Last year: I ranked Omameh #19 and said he would be the starter at right guard.  He started all 13 games at right guard.

Omameh was an under-the-radar recruit coming out of Columbus DeSales in 2008, and credit should be given to Rich Rodriguez for seeing how much talent he had.  Omameh was quite slim as a senior in high school, but it only took him until his redshirt freshman season to play - and play well - on the offensive line.  He has the athleticism to start at any of the guard and tackle positions, and he looks like a brick wall.  Last year's big play out of Omameh was the one on which he sprung Denard Robinson for his 87-yard touchdown gallop against Notre Dame, but that was just one of many nice blocks that Omameh made on the season.  He did an excellent job of getting to the second level, and when Michigan ran power last season, he was excellent at pulling and leading for Robinson.



This season's scheme ought to suit Omameh well.  While he's superb at blocking in space, he also has the technique and the mass to be a powerful in-line blocker.  Add that to his pass blocking ability, and he might end up being Michigan's best interior lineman since David Baas.  I see very few weaknesses in Omameh's game, and he should be a key player in 2011 as Brady Hoke and Al Borges work both the zone and power run games.  He has a shot to be an All-Big Ten player this season.

Prediction: Starting right guard; All-Big Ten Second Team

Poll results: Kevin Koger got 51% of the vote, while Omameh was second with 38%.

8 comments:

  1. I don't know how anyone could not like this guy. Off the field, he's sociable, soft-spoken, and impeccably polite.

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  2. Nice to see Patrick be an appreciated part of the team. Big guys like him often get overlooked when they can't have a "Star" position.

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  3. Omameh may be my favorite player. He was great against ND - in Teo's grill most of the game. I wonder if teams will try to cover him more this year to prevent free releases. If memory serves, he struggled moving some of the bigger DT's lined up over him. But I bet he will be a little bigger himself this year after focusing more on lifting and less on running in the off-season.

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  4. The last truly underrated recruit that we had, probably. For the most part, our 3* and 2* recruits for the past six years have been accurately rated.

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  5. He also wiped out Te'o on the winning touchdown. Really, really good in space.

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  6. Some insiders are claiming he may be displaced from the starting lineup (by Schofield, pushing Huyge inside.) I find this hard to believe. Omameh looked like an elite linemen last year and even if he takes a step back in the new offense, he should still do very well.

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  7. Lank,

    These "insiders" are likely full of themselves, and thus full of shit. I'd say Omameh is better than Huyge at any of OL position.

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  8. For some reason, the insider claims being thrown around seem more nonsensical than any off-season I can remember. Maybe it has to do with the return of limited information. My theory is that the return of the "Fort" has led to observers reading way too much into coach quotes and leaks, which always have some ulterior, motivational purpose. Regardless, constantly hearing obvious baloney like Khoury is pushing Molk, Campbell is looking good, Omameh's job is in jeopardy, etc. is driving me batty.

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