Brian Poole gets highest rating among recent local football grads

Bucs new running back Doug Martin

Friday's column in the Bradenton Herald sports section referenced Phil Steele's college preview publication and how he evaluated Tampa Bay Bucs first round draft pick and running back Doug Martin when he came out of high school five years ago.

Here is a look at how he rated some local products to come out of Manatee County the  last couple of years.

His highest rating went to 2012 Southeast graduate and University of Florida bound Brian Poole, who is ranked the #7 best defensive back in the country by Steele.

Some other familiar names that received a high rating from Steele in the class of 2011 include Manatee High running back Mike Blakely (#11 ) and Punta Gorda Charlotte standout Mike Bellamy (#5). In the Class of 2010, Steele had Southeast defensive back Jon Dowling at #19.

 

Ironically none of the last three are at the college they attended out of high school. Dowling went from Florida to Western Kentucky, Blakely from Florida to Auburn and after a season at Clemson, Bellamy became an academic casualty and is in junior college.

Manatee's Mike Blakely tops Auburn running backs in spring game

Mike Blakely couldn't have picked a better time to have his best day of spring football at Auburn. The only question is whether the former Manatee High star can build on in.

Blakely, who sat out last season after transferring from Florida, led all Auburn running backs in the Tigers annual spring game Saturday.

He ran for 65 yards on only five carries (13 per yd avg) that included a 25 yard TD run and a 27 yard scamper that was the longest of the day.

On his TD run, Blakely showed some of what won him acclaim at Manatee when he was stopped at the line of scrimmage, then busted a few tackles and ran to daylight.


Blakely went into the game thought to be at least behind running backs Corey Grant and Onterio McCalebb and perhaps Tre' Mason. Grant was the most productive in that trio and he gained only 23 yards on 7 carries in the game.

Auburn head coach Gene Chizik wasn't ready to anoint anyone the starter and said Blakely has a long way to go. The sophomore did miss some time during spring practice because of the birth of his son, which set him back.

Chizik said Blakely needed to work on every aspect of his game, including pass protection, pass catching and everything else a good running back is expected to so.

"Inconsistent. Very inconsistent. I think he did some nice things today, but overall very inconsistent in what he does" Chizik said. "Today he had a couple of nice runs in there and that was good to see, but overall for him, very inconsistent through 14 days now."

The coach described the team's running game overall as fairly productive, but again cited inconsistency.

"I think probably each guy had one or two decent runs, but again, we have some competition building at that position, and I think they're all aware of that," Chizik said. "It's good to have different guys to potentially choose from, so they just have to keep working and staying on track.

"We have not arrived at that position at all. We have to find somebody who will take the ball and run it north and south and do it physical. We're still looking at inconsistency in that regard."

"Inconsistent. Very inconsistent. I think he did some nice things today, but overall very inconsistent what he does" Chizik said. "Again, today he had a couple of nice runs in there and that was good to see, but overall for him, very inconsistent through 14 days now."

Dowling and Blakely named to 2012 pre-season All Transfer Team

It's never too early to talk about college football, which might be good news for local standouts Jon Dowling from Southeast and former Manatee High running back Mike Blakely.

Both were selected to the 2012 All-Transfer team released by CollegeFootballNews.Com. Ironically both began their careers at the University of Florida where you might say they stayed long enough to get a quick lunch.

Okay that might be a stretch. But neither was there long enough to finish their freshmen year and both are ready to go in 2012: Dowling at Western Kentucky and Blakely at Auburn.

Dowling, who was rated among the top two or three cornerbacks in the country by some scouting services, figures to be a jack of trades and master of many for the Hilltoppers. WKU head coach Willie Taggart says Dowling will start at DB (either safety or CB) and see time at receiver.

Blakely was rated the 10th best running back by Scout.Com when he signed with Florida, but was unhappy with the new coaching regime and left. He will be battling returnees Onterio McCalebb and Tre Mason to replace Michael Dyer who transferred to Arkansas State.

All three will be vying to fill some big shoes. Dyer was the Tigers leading rusher and first team All SEC pick before he was suspended from the team prior to its bowl game and eventually left transferring to Arkansas State where he will play for new head coach Gus Malzhan, who was his offensive coordinator at Auburn.

Don't ever say college football gets dull! Both of these guys will get a second chance and lets hope everything works out for them this time.

Can Mike Blakely break "Unlucky 7 Streak"

Will Mike Blakely be a "Lucky 7" or the 7th straight running back to transfer out of Florida and find the going tough.

The former Manatee High running back is now at Auburn after spending less than a semester at Florida. He has applied to the NCAA asking for a waiver to play in 2011. It's uncertain what the response will be, but the bigger question is what does the future hold for Blakely.

The previous six running backs to leave Florida have not found success. Blakely hopes to end that streak, which goes back nine years.

Here is a look:

Jimtavis Walker (class of 2002) - Transferred to Oregon State and played in only three games before quitting team. Involved in famous arrest when he allegedly tried to pay cab fare with marijuana and when rejected threw a hamburger at the cabbie.

Skyler Thornton ('03) Transferred to Valdosta State and eventually finished career at Division II Fort Valley State after three years with Gators.

Markus Manson ('04) Played sparingly for three years amassing a little over 400 yards rushing. Switched to defense and left for Valdosta State where he didn't do anything to make anyone in Gainesville miss him.

Chevon Walker ('06)- Transferred to Eastern Illinois, had mediocre season and eventually dismissed from the team. Transferred to NAIA Sioux City and gained 778 yards last season.

Mon Williams ('06) Right behind Walker also transferred to Eastern Illinois after tearing ACL where he had decent year in '08, but bitten by the injury bug and did little in final season.

Johnny "Bo" Williams ('07)- After not playing at Iowa State in 2008 because of transfer rule, had 50 yards rushing on two carries in '09. Has left ISU, status unknown.

Blakely headed back to USF; also considering USC

Mike Blakely is making his second trip to the University of South Florida this weekend.

The former Manatee High star, who recently withdrew from Florida, took an unofficial visit to USF last weekend. But this time it's official.

Manatee High assistant coach Rod Frazier, who remains close with the running back, said right now Blakely is considering USF and USC and at the moment didn't have plans to visit other schools though that could change.

The running back situation right now at USF is unclear. The leading candidates to get the carries next season are transfer Darrell Scott and returnee Demetris Murry, both heading into their junior season. Another possible candidate is 5-9, 224-pound sophomore Dontae Aycock, who transferred from Auburn and sat out 2010.

Blakely would have to sit out the 2011 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. There is a lot of speculation that he fits the all-purpose back mold that helped turn Chris Johnson into a star at East Carolina under current USF head coach Skip Holtz.

Johnson went on to the break the NFL single season rushing record in 2009 and his skills as a pass catching running back were refined under Holtz at ECU.

Blakely visted USF on Monday

Former Manatee High running back Mike Blakely, who recently announced he was leaving Florida, visited the University of South Florida on Monday.

It is one of several schools Blakely is said to be considering. His release from Florida prevented him from signing with another SEC school and FSU or Miami.

The running back situation at USF right now seems to be uncertain or flexible. The leading candidates for next season figure to be transfer Darrell Scott and returnee Demetris Murray, both juniors.

Blakely would have to sit out the 2011 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. One attraction for him at USF might be the relationship USF head coach Skip Holtz had with Chris Johnson when both were at East Carolina.

Johnson was a little recruited running back out of Orlando Olympia who flourished under Holtz and went on to break the NFL single rushing record in 2009 with Tennessee.

Johnson was one of the top all purpose backs in college football and that is a role Blakely seems suited to handle. Besides being an electrifying runner he is a very good pass catcher out of the backfield and even played some quarterback in high school.

Florida running back corps still deep without Blakely

Mike Blakely certainly didn’t leave the cupboard bare at Florida with his announcing that he was the transferring.

The former Manatee High standout running back was going to be in for a battle to get some carries, but long term it might have worked out for him. Whichever way you look at it, he would have a battle on his hands with other highly touted running backs coming in from the class of 2012.

In 2012, the Gators will have seniors Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey, who both averaged more than 7 yards per carry. There is also junior Mike Gillislee, a tough short yardage type back and sophomore Mack Brown (5-10, 193) who is very similar in size to Blakely and had only three carries last year.

So it doesn’t appear that the Gators will find themselves short-handed at running back next season and if injuries start to pile up they can always go back to Venice product Tre’ Burton.

Blakely is the fourth Gator to leave and the other three have apparently decided on a destination. Chris Dunkley is expected to sign with USF, Javares McRoy is headed to Texas Tech where he joins his brother and Janoris Jenkins, who was tossed out by Florida head coach Will Muschamp is likely headed for North Alabama.

Jenkins options are limited. Under NCAA rules with only year of eligibility left and no redshirt available he can only transfer to a Division II and play right away. North Alabama head coach Terry Bowden has taken advantage of that rule to land some high quality players/

UNA was 9-4 last year and advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the sixth straight year.

Florida's Mike Blakely needs more surgery

After missing all of Florida’s spring practice because of arthroscopic shoulder surgery, running back Mike Blakely will now have surgery to remove bone spurs on his foot, according to his former high school coach Joe Kinnan.

The Hall of Fame coach said his former standout is still expected to ready for fall drills and the surgery was minor, basically to clear up some minor issues.

Blakely is one of many running backs who are expected to sit out Saturday’s spring game. The list includes Mike Gillislee, Mack Brown and Jeff Demps. Gillislee and Brown are out because of injuries and Demps is with the track team.

Florida is so banged up, particularly at running back and offensive line, that head coach Will Muschamp has turned Saturday’s spring game into essentially a scrimmage. The only experienced running back available is senior Chris Rainey.

Everybody has an opinion on Mike Blakely

Mike Blakely, the Manatee High running back who garnered the most attention around these parts last season when he signed with Florida, is getting a lot of mixed reviews and he hasn’t even hit the practice field.

Everybody seems to have an opinion on Blakely, who recently underwent shoulder surgery and is expected to miss spring practice.

Some people hail Blakely as a sort of savior referring to him as the type of every down back Urban Meyer was missing last year when the Gators had what most of their fans would call a disappointing season.

One so called expert labeled Blakely as the Gators most overrated signed in the class of 2010, but says a lot of that has to with assorted injuries he had to deal with last season. However, some say its proof Blakely is not sturdy enough be the so called “featured back.”

One thing for certain is that jury is out on Blakely and he certainly has a lot of upside, particularly if he can stay injury free.

Blakely could surge up Florida's depth chart with Weis

Mike Blakely worked hard to graduate early and enroll at Florida so he would be available for spring practice and hopefully get on the field next season.

It appears to be the best move the Manatee High running back could make. He will be there when Charlie Weis installs his new pro-style offense and get an opportunity to showcase his talent.

There is already speculation it won’t take Blakely long to move past Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps on the depth chart because he fits the offense Weis want to run while Demps and Rainey were more suited to spread offense used by former coach Urban Meyer.

Manatee High Hall of Fame coach Joe Kinnan says Blakely is better suited for a pro style offense because he is a strong downhill runner and a very good receiver out of the backfield.

He is strong running between the tackles, which Weis likes to see in his running backs and is said to be more elusive than Mike Gillislee.

The 5-9, 190 pound Blakely is believed to be built better for the pro-style offense because of his compact build and ability to reach top speed quickly with excellent lateral moves.

He fits Weis’ desire to recruit bigger backs because they fit better into his downhill running attack that usually make smaller backs like Rainey and Demps less effective.

Blakely joins six other early enrollees at Florida

Mike Blakely was one of seven new players who enrolled at the University of Florida this week as the group of midyear freshman hope to get an early jump on things under new coach Will Muschamp.

Among the offensive players, Blakely and incoming quarterback Jeff Driskel might be the most important as the Gators install a new offense under new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis.
Weis, who just finished up his duties with the Kansas City Chiefs this week, will install a pro-style offense that is expected to benefit Blakely, Driskel and incumbent quarterback John Brantley if he returns for his senior year.


The Gators running back situation is unclear right now with Jeff Demps coming off a foot injury and an uncertainty over whether Chris Rainey will remain at running back or switch to receiver where he was supposed to go last season until the Gators were hit with so many injuries.


The other offensive early enrollees are receiver Javares McRoy and tight end A.C. Leonard, who will join newcomers Clay Burton (def end/linebacker) from Venice High, cornerback De’Ante Saunders and punter Kyle Christy.

Southeast runner-up in 7 on 7 Tourney

Southeast made it to the championship game of the 7 on 7 Tournament Saturday at the IMG Academies field while Manatee High’s promising sophomore quarterback Cord Sandberg had to pack it in early and the Hurricanes chances faded with him.

The ‘Noles fought their way out of the loser’s bracket and put themselves in a position where they had to beat Texas LaVilla twice. They did it the first time, but fell short in the title finale.

Manatee’s hopes took a hit early when Sandberg had to retire in the ‘Canes second game because he had worn out his arm the previous night throwing what was estimated to be about 500 passes at the University of Florida’s Friday Night Lights camp.

Mike Blakely, the ‘Canes highly touted running back, took over the signal calling duties and Manatee couldn’t make it to the final, finishing in third place.

Blakely was also at the Friday Night Lights camp along with teammate Quenton Bundrage, a senior receiver. Also at the camp were Southeast junior defensive back Brian Poole Jr. and defensive lineman Giovani Francois.

It was a day of upsets. South Carolina Wren, which finished undefeated in pool play and was the first seed in the elimination round, lost twice Saturday including a 42-25 defeat to LaVilla and never made it to the finals.

“This was good because we had a situation where we scored three touchdowns quickly and something like this helps your kids understand you are not necessarily out of it until that final whistle blows,” Southeast head coach Paul Maecthle said. “During the regular season you have to wait a week after you lose a game, but here we had a chance to play again right away. I think it helps you handle adversity.”

“My son is fine and feels good. He was just a little tired and we decided it was better that he didn’t play on Saturday. He feels really good today (Sunday),” his dad and Manatee receivers coach Chuck Sandberg said.