Who are your all-time "Jordan Morgan" type players? (Football & Men's Basketball)
In all the J-Mo love, it got me thinking...who are the ALL-TIME JORDAN MORGAN'S?
I don't have the correct words to describe exactly what I'm looking for, but if you've watched Michigan basketball over Jordan Morgan's tenure at Michigan the past 8-9 years...you know what I mean.
Whether under appreciated or under-the-radar are the correct descriptions, I don't know. But someone who embodies the career of Morgan.
For example, in the football world. Ryan Van Bergen comes to mind. Kovacs, Heininger and Martin somewhat, but moreso RVB (if you're talking about recent guys). In basketball Zack Novak comes to mind, but I feel that's the easy answer. We need to dig deeper.
Anyway, let's hear it...who are some of your all-time J-Mo's?!
Jordan Morgan.
Raymon Taylor!
Not heralded as a recruit (high 3/low 4*), seems like there have been guys around him more highly regarded, and yet he's been a starting corner in his Soph and Junior years, and will probably start in his senior year. He's helped bring us out of the dark years for the defensive backfield.
Rob
Mike Cox!
Is more of a Magic Johnson type
Huyge
Cedric Griffin?
Can we really consider our school's all-time leading rusher to be "underappreciated"?
Already said, but Graham brown was my choice.
Tom Brady
Graham Glasgow could turn into that type of player. Obviously too soon to tell, but he's a solid contributor and will likely play five years.
Both overcame boo boos and were captains as seniors.
Argh
Not so much at Michigan as in the pro's. When Avant first joined the team, he was the #2 receiver on an Eagles team that lacked receiving threats (the #1 receiver was Kevin Curtis). As his career advanced, the Eagles added a great deal of talent at that and other skill positions (Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Lesean McCoy, and even Brent Celek and Riley Cooper) and he was the less glamorous slot receiver.
Yet Avant was a key cog both on and off the field. He had a knack for making huge catches on 3rd down and had the best hands on the team. He was also a vicious blocker. People often remember the "Miracle at the Meadowlands Part 3" in which Desean Jackson had a walk-off punt return for a touchdown to complete a comeback against the Giants.
What a lot of people don't remember is the final, crushing, layout block Avant gave him to spring him free for six. In the locker room, Avant has been a guiding veteran force on one of the youngest teams in the league (sound familiar?)
Like Jordan Morgan, Jason Avant has often been overshadowed by exciting stars. Darius Morris and Michael Vick. Lesean McCoy and Trey Burke. Desean Jackson and Nik Stauskas. But at the end of the day, Morgan and Avant both came up huge when it mattered. They are the same kind of Michigan man in my book.
I never realized before last weekend that you were in "The Usual Suspects."
I just re-watched it when I realized that it was on Netflix. I was all "hey... wait a minute..." /imdbsearch "hot damn it's gus fring!"
My hometown guy Lester Abram, Lester was a very scrappy player who battle injuries but was the heart and sole of Michigan basketball for years. Also first ever 3 time captain
Mike Griffin. Freddie Hunter. Graham Brown.
Glenn Steele
The D line could use someone like him right about now.
His bitch-slapping of Orlando Pace was awesome!
Glenn Steele was an All American. When I think of Jordan Morgan type player I think of a guy who has faced some adversity, but has also stepped up to be a solid player and leader.
In terms of being under-appreciated at the time, Eric Riley, especially after being relegated to a reserve role once the Fab Five were on campus.
ZACK NOVAK
also Dugan FIfe
also Jordan Kovacs
and Drew Dileo
Kovacs. From "2009 Indiana argh" to undisputed leader of the defense in 2011.
Stu Douglass. Definitely fell in the shadow of Novak, but Stu also did so many little things that people don't give him credit for.
Stu became the best off-ball defender on those teams, a good on-ball defender and he even could run the point when other people pressed us. Like I said, he did all the little things
Maceo Baston
Arrived in the class that included Maurice Taylor, Jerrod Ward, Travis Conlon and Willie Mitchell. Played four years with with solid numbers. Wasn't implicated with Traylor, Bullock, et. al. - which seems like an accomplishment. I remember him playing with consistency and seemed to carry himself well. I would have loved seeing him with a better cast of characters.
Basketball:
- Josh Asselin - Would have been great under Beilein and had an amazing Euro career.
- Laval Blanchard - Was a superstar who stayed home to try and to for Michigan what the likes of Morgan, Morris, and others did and never quite made it. Also would have been a perfect player in a Beilein system.
- Dugan Fife - He probably got the right amount of praise, but he was the glue guy for those fab five years.
- Eric Riley - Someone mentioned him earlier and that's a great name. He was a limited member of the 89 championship team and would have been a solid starter for his upper classmen years if not for the fab five.
Football:
- Chris Calloway - Was always overshadowed by Greg McMurtry (who history now forgets as a very good player and wearer of #1) and yet Calloway had a great college career and phenomenal NFL career.
- Jarrod Bunch - Didn't get a lot of publicity in the era of bruising running games with Hoard, Wheatley, and others getting the publicity, but did everything you'd want of a RB/FB tweener and had a solid career.
- RVB or Craig Roh - Never a star but always a starter who was reliable.
But I have a thing for hard-hitting, non-Heisman winning, d-backs.
... but I always think of Tripp (and Vada) as the pre-cursors of Michigan becoming DB "U". They were followed (not in order) by Woodson, Leon Hall, Ty Law and other who got much more NFL draft notice and air time.
Marcus I will always love for the David Boston Massacre, so I bent the rules on that.
Tripp Welborne and Vada Murray, hard-hitting and jumping sky-high to block kicks. RIP Vada, way too soon.
LOVE this picture! Thank you!
Are our DB's too short to do this now?
Martavious Odoms, and Drew Dileo
Tay Odoms all the way. I loved his game, and the way he blocked/hit like a Mack truck despite being the size of a Ford Pinto.
Thad grew to be a productive forward for Michigan and he led by example and helped to guide Michigan basketball through the Johnny Orr to Bill Frieder transition. While Thad Garner did not enjoy any level of NCAA tourney play or B1G championships, his presence and committment helped the team attract a whole new wave of players (Tarpley, Joubert, Henderson, Releford sp?) that led to a resurgence of Michigan basketball. Jordan Morgan helped to build and experience the rewards of better talent on the team.