The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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things. I got into doing that. I was working out with the training staff, working on my own and getting into the defense." The opportunistic mindset that Countess brought into the summer had an immediate impact on the de- fensive veterans. "It's fun to have him on the field," redshirt junior cornerback J.T. Floyd said. "He reminds me of that energy. When I see him, I just see that en- ergy in his eyes. I can go right back to freshman year, when I see him. And it lights me up. At practice, it's like, 'Oh yeah, Blake's ready to go, so let's pick it up.' "The thing I like about Blake is that he's always confident, he's always cool under pressure. On the sideline, when I look into his eye after a bad play, it's the same old Blake." Fifth-year senior cornerback/safety Countess made six tackles against Iowa, which tied for second-most on the Wolverines that day, and he posted his season-high versus San Diego State, when he recorded seven total stops, including five solo hits. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL great football team and it can really set me up to do what I want to in life." And then Michigan hired defensive coordinator Greg Mattison from the Baltimore Ravens, and his decision was confirmed. Countess grew up following his dad's NFL allegiances, rooting for the Dallas Cowboys, but he often made the 30-mile trek to Ra- vens games and watched their domi- nant defense. "Having a professional coordinator come to your school, it was mind- boggling at the time," Countess said. "And then he did a home visit with me, and just talking with him, I knew he could teach me so much and make be so much better as a player." ANN ARBOR ARRIVAL Countess moved into the Michigan dormitories last summer, and one of the first things he did was post a sign above his bed, positioned in such a way that he would see it every day before he woke up. Written plainly and without frills, the sign read: 1. Attain a 3.2 GPA 2. Do not redshirt 3. Make 35 tackles 4. Intercept three passes 5. Make the All-Big Ten Freshman Team 30 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2011 "When I came here, I had to set goals for myself," Countess said. "My dad said that was important, to keep those in mind." Countess hasn't gotten his semester report card back, but he's confident in his GPA goal, he obviously didn't redshirt, he finished the regular sea- son with 36 tackles and, although the Big Ten does not release an annual All-Freshman team, it's safe to say Countess would have been a unani- mous selection, given his perfor- mance against some of the Big Ten's best receivers, such as Illinois' A.J. Jenkins and Iowa's Marvin McNutt. The lone goal Countess didn't meet — interceptions. He's yet to record the first of his career. But with the goals laid out ahead of him, Countess got to work on his summer regimen. He and the other freshmen were working out with strength and conditioning coach Aaron Wellman, but Countess wanted to push himself further. "I got in contact with some of the older guys, and they were doing seven-on-sevens and other drills that they were doing on their own that other freshmen didn't know about," Countess said. "So when I heard that, I wanted the opportunity to be around the older guys, practice and adjust to the college speed and those Troy Woolfolk took Countess under his wing, inviting Countess to be his roommate for fall camp and away games. "Troy's like a big brother," Count- ess said. "If I need a ride or want to go out to eat with someone, he'll come pick me up. I can ask him about anything, really. I'll ask him to read my paper for class, even." Countess didn't play in the Wolver- ines' first two games of the season, and he admits that was a tough expe- rience. But, going back to The Five P's his dad had been preaching since that karate class, Countess knew the sum- mer work would eventually pay off. "It's better to be prepared and not have the opportunity than to have the opportunity and not be prepared," his dad would say on their weekly Thursday night phone calls. "You never know how things are going to turn out," Wendell said. "I've always told Blake that he's go- ing to be around some of the best kids in the country at Michigan. It's going to be very competitive. If things work your way, you have to be prepared when you get that tap on the shoul- der." THAT TAP ON THE SHOULDER Midway through Michigan's 28-7 win over San Diego State, Woolfolk went down with an injury. And suddenly, Countess had the opportunity. "It was just, 'You got things to do,'" Countess said. "I had prepared for