2015 Season Countdown: #22 Blake O'Neill

Blake O'Neill

Name: Blake O'Neill
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school/college: Melbourne (Australia) Peninsula, Weber State
Position: Punter
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #12
Last year: O'Neill played for Weber State. He punted 62 times for 2,737 yards (44.1 yards/punt).

The first of three graduate transfers to be ranked, O'Neill had the longest route to Michigan. Originally from Australia, he played Australian rules football and participated in the shot put to begin college in his home country. He ended up at Weber State in the 2014 season, where he averaged 44.1 yards/punt and was sixth in the Football Championship Subdivision. He also had a 23-yard run (Australian rules football, yay!) and a 17-yard pass (umm...shot put, yay?) to convert first downs on fakes.

To put those punting numbers in perspective, that 44.1 yard average is behind only Zoltan Mesko in 2009 and Will Hagerup in 2012 over the past seven years. O'Neill has a big leg, but he also has a penchant for putting the ball inside the 20-yard line. Other than 2011, when Brady Hoke could do no wrong, Michigan has been very vanilla on special teams. O'Neill and new special teams coordinator John Baxter should usher in some fresh ideas and a more modern approach to the punting unit. The combination of the two should give Michigan one of the top two or three punting units in the Big Ten. O'Neill should be backed up by redshirt junior Kenny Allen, whom I ranked near the bottom of the countdown simply because punters don't often suffer injuries.

Prediction: Starting punter

Phil Steele's 2015 Pre-season All-Big Ten team

Is Joe Bolden really Michigan's best player?

Phil Steele released his pre-season All-Big Ten teams (LINK). Since these are almost all potential opponents this season, instead I'll highlight guys whom Michigan recruited out of high school. Ohio State leads the way with 15 players on the four teams. Michigan State is second with 13. Rather than listing all of the teams ahead of Michigan, I'll just say that Michigan's six players on the list are only ahead of Illinois, Northwestern, and Purdue.

FIRST TEAM
Corey Clement - RB - Wisconsin
Leonte Carroo - WR - Rutgers
Taylor Decker - OT - Ohio State
Joey Bosa - DE - Ohio State
Anthony Zettel - DE - Penn State
Adolphus Washington - DT - Ohio State
Vince Biegel - LB - Wisconsin

SECOND TEAM
Nick Vannett - TE - Ohio State
Dan Voltz - C - Wisconsin
Darius Hamilton - DE - Rutgers
Ed Davis - LB - Michigan State
Joe Bolden - LB - Michigan
Mike Caputo - DB - Wisconsin

THIRD TEAM
Robert Kugler - C - Purdue*
Kyle Kalis - OL - Michigan
Chris Muller - OL - Rutgers
Vincent Valentine - DT - Rutgers
Desmond Morgan - LB - Michigan
Eli Apple - DB - Ohio State

FOURTH TEAM
Amara Darboh - WR - Michigan
Billy Price - C - Ohio State
Malik McDowell - DT - Michigan State
Lawrence Thomas - DT - Michigan State
Yannick Ngakoue - DE - Maryland
David Santos - LB - Nebraska
Jabrill Peppers - DB - Michigan
Blake O'Neill - P - Michigan

*Was not recruited by Michigan, but is the brother of Michigan center Patrick Kugler

Blake O'Neill, Wolverine

Blake O'Neill

Weber State punter Blake O'Neill is transferring to Michigan. He has spent just one year playing American football and will be eligible as a fifth year senior graduate transfer in 2015.

As technically a redshirt junior in 2014, he punted 62 times for 2,737 yards (44.1 yards/punt). He had a career long of 74 yards, landed 25 punts inside the 20-yard line, and kicked 18 punts more than 50 yards. That punting average was #6 in the Football Championship Subdivision and #1 all-time at Weber State. Standing 6'2" and 215 lbs., he ran a fake punt 20 yards and completed a 17-yard pass on another fake punt against Montana State.

O'Neill brings an array of punting talents to Michigan. He can deaden the ball near the goal line, punt directionally, boom it deep, and generally limit return yardage. The nice thing about punting is that it translates well from one level or team to the next, so regardless of whether he's playing at Weber State or in the Big House, his kicks are going to travel a long way if that's what he wants.

Michigan has had good punters for a while, including Zoltan Mesko and Will Hagerup in recent years. Unfortunately, Hagerup was inconsistent at times and even missed the entire 2013 season due to suspension. However, punt coverage was spotty last year, which should improve with the arrival of O'Neill as well as full-time special teams coach John Baxter.

O'Neill gives Michigan three scholarship specialists, including incoming freshman kicker Andrew David and redshirt sophomore long snapper Scott Sypniewski. However, O'Neill also puts Michigan at 87 scholarships for the upcoming season, which means that two players need to come off scholarship before the fall. There is at least one player who could become a medical casualty (Chris Fox), and there are a few walk-ons who have had scholarships in the past that might have to pay their own way (Graham Glasgow, Ryan Glasgow, Joe Kerridge).

TTB Rating: 86 (ratings explanation)