The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 169 Top Five Players 1. FRANK CLARK — Labeled a "physical freak of nature" by his teammates, Clark gave his first glimpse of it as a true freshman with a leaping interception in a 23-20 Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech that set up a touchdown. Clark's best season came in 2013, when he earned second- team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches (honorable men - tion from the media) and the Richard Katcher Award (given to U-M's top defensive lineman) after starting 13 games at defensive end and notching 43 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. He finished his career with 11 sacks and 35 tackles for loss among 120 total stops. Off-field troubles followed him, how - ever, and sullied his career. He was suspended from the team for a felony second-degree home invasion charge in 2012 and dismissed with two games remaining in the 2014 cam- paign after being arrested on a domestic violence charge. 2. BLAKE COUNTESS — An undersized but capable four- star cornerback out of Maryland, Countess made an immedi- ate impact as a true freshman in 2011 to earn spots on the ESPN.com and BTN.com Big Ten All-Freshman Teams, as well as Sporting News' Freshman All-America squad. He started six games his first season and seemed on track for greatness before a knee injury suffered against Alabama in the 2012 opener ended his campaign. Countess came back and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the media in 2013 after tying for first in the Big Ten and seventh in the nation with six interceptions, but that was the only year in which he would notch a pick for Michigan. He opted to spend his fifth year at Auburn, where he started 13 games and picked off two passes. The Philadelphia Eagles took him in the sixth round of this year's NFL Draft. 3. DESMOND MORGAN — Morgan was considered a reach when he committed to the Wolverines as an unher - alded, two-way player in 2011, but he became a starter as a true freshman and was a solid, four-year contributor. He wasn't a burner but possessed great instincts, and that al- lowed him to start 40 of the 47 games in which he appeared as an inside linebacker. He finished his career with 300 tackles, 16 stops for loss, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions. Morgan earned 2015 All-Big Ten honorable mention honors and the 2015 Roger Zatkoff Award as Michigan's best line - backer while wearing the No. 48 Legends jersey in honor of former Michigan great and U.S. President Gerald Ford. He was also impressive off the field, becoming a National Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete. 4. BRENNEN BEYER — The Plymouth, Mich., native was a bring-the-lunch-pail type who improved every year. He was undersized but played as a true freshman on the Wolverines' 2011 Sugar Bowl championship team, but added strength each season thereafter. He was versatile enough to switch between outside linebacker and defensive end, and his numbers went up each season. Beyer notched 92 career tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles; he even picked off a pass, returning it for a touchdown in a 2013 loss at Iowa. 5. MATT WILE — Brought in as a kicker, Wile was forced to handle some punting duties, too, when starter Will Hagerup was suspended for violating team rules. He made an imme - diate impact, earning a spot on the ESPN.com and BTN.com Big Ten All-Freshman Team after kicking off in all 13 games and punting in the first four games and in the Sugar Bowl. Wile continued doing both jobs for the next two years, add - ing long field goals to his duties in his junior season (making 3 of 5 with a long of 49 yards), before becoming the Wolver- ines' full-time kicker in 2014. He made 15 of 21 attempts as a senior and finished 20 of 29 in his career (long of 52), 33 of 33 on extra points and averaged 40.2 yards on 91 career punts. Year-By-Year Record 2011: 11-2, 6-2 Big Ten, Sugar Bowl vs. Virginia Tech (W, 23-20). Final Rankings: AP No. 12, Coaches No. 9 2012: 8-5, 6-2 Big Ten, Outback Bowl vs. South Car- olina (L, 33-28). Final Rankings: AP No. 24, Coaches unranked 2013: 7-6, 3-5 Big Ten, Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl vs. Kansas State (L, 31-14). Final Rankings: AP unranked, Coaches unranked 2014: 5-7, 3-5 Big Ten. Final Rankings: AP unranked, Coaches unranked 2015: 10-3, 6-2 Big Ten, Citrus Bowl vs. Florida (W, 41-7). Final Rankings: AP No. 12, Coaches No. 11 Five-Year Record Overall: 41-23 (.641) Big Ten: 24-16 (.600) Bowl Games: 2-2 Versus Ohio State: 1-4 Versus Notre Dame: 2-2 Versus Michigan State: 1-4 Top-20 Finishes: 2, 2011 and 2015 Defensive end Frank Clark was the top college player in the class, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2013 before being dismissed for off-field issues with two games left the follow- ing season. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL