Sam Webb gut feeling on Aussie P Blake O'Neill
Just a note that seems worth a board mention - Sam Webb said this morning on the recruiting roundup that he has a gut feeling that Weber St punter Blake O'Neill would wind up at Michigan for the 2015 season. O'Neill is a rugby player turned punter who averaged 44.1 yards per kick last year. Even though he only played one year at Weber St, he'd be eligible to play immediately as a grad transfer (no idea how things worked out that way).
March 19th, 2015 at 10:50 AM ^
March 19th, 2015 at 10:59 AM ^
March 19th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ^
Rugby, perhaps?
It looks like he was only there one year as a grad student. According to his bio he has a bachelors from RMIT University in Melbourne.
I don't know how the clock works with enrolling at a foreign undergrad institution, but it could be that he completed his undergrad in three years (common in Australia), then played for the first time in his fourth year of eligibility and now can play one more year.
Stock photo of O'Neill from Weber St football website. Looks like their S&C program is pretty decent for such a small school.
Remember Dan O'Neill? Big time OL prospect. Whatever happened to him?
At left tackle
March 19th, 2015 at 10:05 AM ^
True. I still believe him....
March 19th, 2015 at 11:00 AM ^
That was Jake Fisher. Dan played for Western.
That is Jake Fisher, Dan O'Neill left to WMU and now I don't know what he is up to.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2013/profiles/dann-oneill?id=2539988
He PLAYED at Western Michigan. I believe he got a tryout with the Texans but he finished his college career in 2012. He was a 2008 recruit.
March 19th, 2015 at 10:00 AM ^
In my attempt to be quick, I failed at accuracy. Thank you for the steadfast correction Magnus.
March 19th, 2015 at 10:35 AM ^
March 19th, 2015 at 11:17 AM ^
Fisher was committed to Michigan and Rich Rodriguez at one point.
March 19th, 2015 at 11:00 AM ^
Deserved the down vote.
Apologies to all.
Isn't this the kid who just wasn't really into football when he did go to Western?
March 19th, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^
O'Neill did not get along with Rodriguez and staff. He was also not into the Barwis regime, which was asking him to lose weight, get quicker, etc. He wanted to be a mauling lineman in a pro-style offense, which is why he committed to Lloyd Carr in the first place.
He became a multi-year starter at WMU and I believe was named all-conference, so I don't think it's fair to say he "wasn't into football."
That this coaching staff seems to be exploring endless opportunities, thinking outside the box moreso than UM in the past.
March 19th, 2015 at 10:35 AM ^
time in a long time, my preseason optimism might just be warranted. We're going to win a lot of games this year.
This feels like an ironic statement....
March 19th, 2015 at 10:53 AM ^
March 19th, 2015 at 11:00 AM ^
Just one more piece of the puzzle coming together. Also, I'm in an unusually good mood today.
March 19th, 2015 at 11:56 AM ^
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March 19th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ^
Each time the ball is punted or kicked there is a great deal of yardage involved and a high risk of turnovers. Field position is the essence of football -- the farther a team has to drive the ball, the less of a chance it has to score.
March 19th, 2015 at 12:39 PM ^
What are you doing on this board?
March 19th, 2015 at 11:01 AM ^
I don't care as much about winning a lot of games as much as I do about the teams progress.
If they play tough opponents smart & hard but happen to lose a couple . . . so be it.
Beat up on the creampuffs as expected, improve each week, and the wins (however many there are) will take care of themselves.
Where would the scholarship numbers be if the punter was brought in and Rudock and also Lyons?
Miller was not part of that group.
We are currently using 84 scholarships for the 2015 season, which includes O'Korn, Kerridge, and the Glasgow brothers.
Rudock would put us at 85.
Lyons would put us at 86.
http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2015/03/2015-scholarship-count.html
March 19th, 2015 at 10:20 AM ^
Perfect. This is what I was wondering. It'll be interesting to see what happens if they get to that 86 number. Would they be planning for more attrition at that point?
March 19th, 2015 at 11:20 AM ^
There's at least one guy who's probably going to get medicaled by the time fall rolls around. And after the spring, there's always the possibility of more transfers, ineligible players, etc.
March 19th, 2015 at 12:00 PM ^
March 19th, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
Graham Glasgow. Because he's drunk.
March 19th, 2015 at 10:56 AM ^
March 19th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ^
Yes, any player under scholarship for any reason counts against the football roster's limit of 85 players. So O'Korn would count against the 84, just like Ty Isaac counted last year.
March 19th, 2015 at 11:22 AM ^
Yeah they count. Any player who has to redshirt whether it be due to injury, transfer or to develop counts against the 85.
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Is the "gut feeling" from too much shrimp on the bar-bee?
March 19th, 2015 at 11:32 AM ^
Wait. I am so confused by your account name. I haven't had a girlfriend in years. Let alone one who was smart enough to use the internet.