Bowling Green State Football

HEIGHT: 6'3"

WEIGHT: 241

HAND: 9¼"

ARM: 32¼"

WINGSPAN: 79¼"

40-YARD DASH: 4.71"

3-CONE: 6.97"

SHUTTLE: 4.39"

VERTICAL: 34"

BROAD: 9'10"

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POSITIVES

— Vertical athleticism to threaten defenses up the seams.

— Strong-handed receiver with good hand-eye coordination when tracking the ball.

— Playmaking after the catch, good play strength, and functional agility in space.

— Potential matchup nightmare due to position and scheme versatility.

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NEGATIVES

— Lacks the traditional height/weight NFL teams' desire for in-line tight ends.

— Lacks lower body strength at the point of attack as an in-line blocker.

— Can struggle when facing physical and handsy press coverage defenders.

— Needs to expand his release package to ensure transition as a big/power-slot in the NFL.

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NOTES

— Unranked LB recruit in 2022 class, per 247Sports

— 2024: First-team All-American; MAC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year; Mackey Award Semifinalist

— 2023: First-Team All-MAC

— Ranks inside top-10 receiving records for Bowling Green University

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OVERALL

Harold Fannin Jr. is a fun, talented, and versatile tight end who expects to be used as a power slot in the NFL.

Fannin Jr. is having an incredible season from a production standpoint. He aligns in multiple positions for Bowling Green's offense—as the h-back, in the backfield, outside, in the slot, in bunch, and stacked sets. Fannin Jr. brings a strong pass-catching skill set to an NFL offense. He runs good routes against zone and off-man coverages. With good stems, body control, and play strength, he gets open routinely. He does a good job attacking angles and leverages against defenders, giving him cushion/playing from depth.

Fannin Jr. is a three-layer threat in the passing game, effectively impacting the game as a quick/short, intermediate, and downfield receiver.

He has displayed outstanding hands when targeted. He plucks the ball from the air with supreme confidence and plays well through contact at the catch point. Fannin Jr. has two drops on 171 targets throughout his career. He is a hassle to bring down once the football is in his possession. He is strong after the catch and can force missed tackles singled up in space with a defender.

As a blocker, Fannin Jr. is effective in both the run and passing games. He cuts off access points to the ball carrier well by using his body to wall off defenders. He possesses good and functional arm length to lock out at the point of attack. Fannin Jr. blocks well from h-back alignment on split flow concepts, in space as a lead blocker, and climbing to pick off defenders on the perimeter.

That said, as a traditional in-line blocker, he will not pass the test for most teams. Fannin Jr. does not bring outstanding power or size to the fight to be trusted against traditional NFL defensive ends/edge defenders in the run game. He doesn't generate enough force in man/down block situations to overpower defenders and drive them off the ball.

Fannin Jr. is a talented pass catcher, but his effectiveness in defeating physical press defenders is a work in progress. He needs to improve his use of hands in the contact window to counter physical punches and grabby defenders. His release package is underwhelming and repetitive, leading to struggles separating quickly from this style of defense. Due to his size, he will primarily be viewed and used as a big/power-slot tight end at the next level.

Overall, Harold Fannin Jr. projects as a highly functioning pass-catching tight end with alignment versatility. Creative offensive play callers are best if you want to maximize his skill set to its fullest potential. He will be able to generate favorable matchups based on his alignment fluidity. In the right offensive system and role, he can be a top-3 receiving option at the next level.

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GRADE: 7.6 (Potential Impact Player — Second Round)

OVERALL RANK: 48

POSITION RANK: TE5

PRO COMPARISON: Isaiah Likely

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Dame Parson

HEIGHT: 6'3"

WEIGHT: 296

HAND: 9 1/8"

ARM: 31 1/2"

WINGSPAN: 77¾"

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40-YARD DASH: 5.08

3-CONE: 7.63

SHUTTLE: 5

VERTICAL: 26.5"

BROAD: 8'9"

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POSITIVES

– Great production with 17.5 sacks and 30.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons.

– Quick off the ball and can get penetration with his get-off alone.

– Sets up his pass-rush moves well by getting to square during the stem phase of the rush and giving himself a two-way go. Also has some quickness and agility to him to get offensive linemen off-balance.

– Has a plethora of inside pass-rush moves that he can win with like a cross chop, hand swipe, swim and spin moves.

– Decent at turning speed to power as a pass-rusher to take advantage of offensive tackles with a weak inside shoulder.

– Against the run, he has some pop to his hands and solid upper-body strength to get some extension.

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NEGATIVES

– His two worst games last season came against the highest level of competition he faced, UCLA and Mississippi State, with only one total tackle and no sacks in the two games combined.

– Stands up out of his stance and has poor knee bend, causing him issues holding ground as a run defender, especially against double-teams, and will diminish the effectiveness of his bull rush at the next level.

– Also has wide hand placement as a run defender and isn't strong and violent enough to shed blocks from NFL offensive linemen.

– Late with his hands as a pass-rusher. Better offensive linemen will make the first significant contact.

– Runs out of gas quickly against no-huddle and/or on two-minute drives, diminishing his get-off and explosiveness.

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2022 STATS

– 13 GM, 50 total tackles (30 solo), 18 TFL, 10 sacks, 4 PD, 2 FFs

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NOTES

– Not ranked in the 2018 class coming out of high school, per 247Sports' composite rankings

– No major injuries

– 44 career starts

– 2022 Honors: First-Team All-American (PFF), Honorable Mention All-American (PFN), First-Team All-MAC (coaches, PFF, PFN), Team Captain

– 2021 Honors: Third-Team All-MAC (coaches), Honorable Mention All-MAC (PFF), Team Captain

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OVERALL

Karl Brooks made a name for himself at this year's Senior Bowl. In Mobile, he had a few impressive wins in the one-on-one pass-rush drills against a higher level of competition than he faced during the season, which has helped elevate his draft stock. He has plenty of upside/potential to be a good interior pass-rusher with his quickness and athleticism.

However, I have concerns about Brooks as a run defender in the NFL, especially as he transitions from college edge to the inside in the pros. His pad level is probably his biggest issue and that's fixable, but he's also a fifth-year senior who still has this problem.

There's also a level of concern with his play strength, and it doesn't help that he struggled against the run versus the only Power Five schools he faced last season. Also, there are some questions about how much his pass-rush production will transfer to the NFL as he benefited from poor offensive tackle play and drawing matchups with tight ends in college.

Brooks' upside is worth taking a flier on in the later rounds/Day 3 of the draft. His tape should catch the eyes of a team looking for a 3-technique who can put pressure on the quarterback. It helps that he has some versatility, having played up and down the defensive line at Bowling Green.

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GRADE: 6.4 (High-Level Developmental Prospect)

OVERALL RANK: 145

POSITION RANK: DL20

PRO COMPARISON: Curtis Weaver

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Written by B/R NFL Draft Scout Matt Holder

Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler made history during Saturday's 56-44 win over Buffalo.

Per ESPN's Heather Dinich, Loeffler became the first coach to be ejected from a game for receiving two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties since the NCAA implemented the rule change in 2016.

The penalties came on back-to-back drives in the third quarter. The first was when Buffalo had the ball and was lining up for a 3rd-and-2 play from Bowling Green's 17-yard line.

The officials called Loeffler for a second penalty during a television timeout after Buffalo scored a touchdown to help cut its deficit to 28-16.

After the second penalty was called, a Bowling Green running back Terion Stewart stepped in to pull his coach away from the officials.

Per The Athletic, the official rule calls for "an automatic ejection for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for any coach or player."

Loeffler's ejection could have been bad news for Bowling Green, as he also serves as the offensive play-caller. Associate head coach Steve Morrison took over play-calling duties for the rest of the game.

Morrison seemed to push all the right buttons in his expanded role. Bowling Green scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to earn its first conference win of the season.

Loeffler is in his third season as Bowling Green's head coach. The 46-year-old has a 6-20 record with the program, including Saturday's victory.

Bowling Green co-defensive coordinator Marcus White and graduate assistant Kenneth Williams were reportedly “cited for assault and released” following an altercation at a bar, per the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune.

The Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune reported an alleged altercation early Sunday morning at an establishment named Liquid in Bowling Green. The two coaches allegedly refused to leave and "reportedly struck multiple bar staff members, punching them in the face" during the ensuing fight.

John Wagner of the Toledo Blade reported White was placed on administrative leave, and Williams could face discipline from the student-conduct process because he is a graduate student.

The 2016 season will be White's first at Bowling Green after he was an assistant coach for Faulkner University in 2015. The Falcons hired him as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, and Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports said he used to work with head coach Mike Jinks at Texas Tech.

Jinks took over the head coaching role at Bowling Green for Dino Babers, who was hired by Syracuse.

White played at Auburn and Murray State as a defensive tackle and reached the NFL as a member of the Tennessee Titans before going into coaching.

Bowling Green beat Northern Illinois in the MAC title game last season and finished 10-4 after losing to Georgia Southern in the GoDaddy Bowl.

Bowl season is well underway, and while the early slate is generally not as anticipated as the games at the end of the year and beyond, there are still great games ahead of the marquee matchups on the horizon.

So far, there are eight bowls down with 32 to go, including the College Football Playoff, and with a great deal to digest, here is a look at the remaining slate with a closer look at Wednesday’s games.

Dec. 23, 2015	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Predicted Winner
Dec. 24, 2015	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Predicted Winner
Dec. 26, 2015	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Predicted Winner
Dec. 28, 2015	Matchup	Time	TV	Predicted Winner
Dec. 29, 2015	Matchup	Time	TV	Predicted Winner
Dec. 30, 2015	Matchup	Time	TV	Predicted Winner
Dec. 31, 2015	Matchup	Time	TV	Predicted Winner
Jan. 1, 2016	Matchup	Time	TV	Predicted Winner
Jan. 2, 2016	Matchup	Time	TV	Predicted Winner
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl	Boise State vs. Northern Illinois	4:30 p.m.	ESPN	Boise State
GoDaddy Bowl	Georgia Southern vs. Bowling Green	8 p.m.	ESPN	Georgia Southern
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl	Middle Tennessee vs. Western Michigan	12 p.m.	ESPN	Middle Tennessee
Hawai'i Bowl	San Diego State vs. Cincinnati	8 p.m.	ESPN	San Diego State
St. Petersburg Bowl	Connecticut vs. Marshall	11 a.m.	ESPN	Marshall
Hyundai Sun Bowl	Miami vs. Washington State	2 p.m.	CBS	Washington State
Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl	Washington vs. Southern Miss	2:20 p.m.	ESPN	Southern Miss
New Era Pinstripe Bowl	Indiana vs. Duke	3:30 p.m.	ABC	Duke
Camping World Independence Bowl	Tulsa vs. Virginia Tech	5:45 p.m.	ESPN	Virginia Tech
Foster Farms Bowl	UCLA vs. Nebraska	9:15 p.m.	ESPN	UCLA
Military Bowl	Pittsburgh vs. Navy	2:30 p.m.	ESPN	Pittsburgh
Quick Lane Bowl	Central Michigan vs. Minnesota	5 p.m.	ESPN2	Central Michigan
Lockhead Martin Armed Forces Bowl	California vs. Air Force	2 p.m.	ESPN	Air Force
Russell Athletic Bowl	North Carolina vs. Baylor	5:30 p.m.	ESPN	North Carolina
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl	Nevada vs. Colorado State	7:30 p.m.	Campus Insiders	Colorado State
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl	LSU vs. Texas Tech	9 p.m.	ESPN	LSU
Birmingham Bowl	Auburn vs. Memphis	12 p.m.	ESPN	Auburn
Belk Bowl	NC State vs. Mississippi State	3:30 p.m.	ESPN	Mississippi State
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl	Texas A&M vs. Louisville	7 p.m.	ESPN	Texas &AM
Holiday Bowl	USC vs. Wisconsin	10:30 p.m.	ESPN	USC
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl	Houston vs. Florida State	12 p.m.	ESPN	Florida State
College Football Playoff Semifinal – Orange Bowl	Clemson vs. Oklahoma	4 p.m.	ESPN	Clemson
College Football Playoff Semifinal – Cotton Bowl	Michigan State vs. Alabama	8 p.m.	ESPN	Alabama
Outback Bowl	Northwestern vs. Tennessee	12 p.m.	ESPN2	Tennessee
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl	Michigan vs. Florida	1 p.m.	ABC	Michigan
Fiesta Bowl	Notre Dame vs. Ohio State	1 p.m.	ESPN	Ohio State
Rose Bowl	Stanford vs. Iowa	5 p.m.	ESPN	Stanford
Sugar Bowl	Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss	8:30 p.m.	ESPN	Oklahoma State
Taxslayer Bowl	Penn State vs. Georgia	12 p.m.	ESPN	Georgia
AutoZone Liberty Bowl	Kansas State vs. Arkansas	3:20 p.m.	ESPN	Arkansas
Valero Alamo Bowl	Oregon vs. TCU	6:45 p.m.	ESPN	Oregon
Motel 6 Cactus Bowl	Arizona State vs. West Virginia	10:15 p.m.	ESPN	Arizona State

GoDadddy Bowl: Georgia Southern vs. Bowling Green

Chalk up the matchup between Georgia Southern and Bowling Green as the Interim Coach Bowl.

Both teams enter Wednesday’s game without the coach that guided them to the game in Mobile, Alabama. 

Bowling Green’s Dino Babers took the head-coaching job at Syracuse, while Georgia Southern’s Willie Fritz took the same position at Tulane. 

However, such circumstances aren’t out of the norm for this particular bowl game, per Mark Inabinett of AL.com:

The double-interim game isn't unprecedented for the GoDaddy Bowl. The game's tradition of coaching turnover serves as a testament to the quality of its participants as top young coaches move from successful stints in the Mid-American and Sun Belt conferences to jobs at schools higher in college football's pecking order.

According to Inabinett, before the 2014 game, there were six straight years with at least one major coaching-staff change to one of the GoDaddy Bowl participants between the regular season and game itself.

While such turnover isn’t unexpected, the annual ceremony where the Mobile mayor presents each coach a key to the city, as shown by the GoDaddy Bowl, comes off a tad awkward:

Mayor Sandy Stimpson presenting keys to the city of Mobile to the coaches. @BGathletics @GSAthletics pic.twitter.com/yiDzIeXHB6

— 68 Ventures Bowl (@68VenturesBowl) December 19, 2015

All the while, this year’s departures are well understood and deserving. 

Babers led Bowling Green to its fifth straight bowl game on the heels of winning its second Mid-American Conference title in three years. The Falcons are 10-3 and led the MAC with 43.4 points and 561 total yards per game with an offense that should give Georgia Southern fits. 

The Falcons, however, should match up well riding their triple-option attack that led them to an 8-4 mark and a near road upset in Week 12 over Georgia and one of the nation’s top defenses. 

Bowling Green enters a 7.5-point favorite, per Odds Shark, and while the absence of their head coaches should logically offset any advantage, this should be a close but high-scoring game. 

Georgia Southern made the leap to FBS in 2014 after a lengthy tenure of success at the lower levels and has been building all season toward its first bowl game win. 

Predicted winner: Georgia Southern 

Poinsettia Bowl: Boise State vs. Northern Illinois

This year's Poinsettia Bowl pits a pair of the modern day’s most successful mid-major programs, with Boise State meeting Illinois at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. 

The Broncos and Huskies gained national acclaim in the BCS era, reaching some of the sport’s most prestigious bowl games, but find themselves in the midst of underachieving seasons by their standards. 

Northern Illinois hobbles into Wednesday’s game after starting the year winning five of its first six but finishing 8-5, capped by a 34-14 loss in the MAC title game to Bowling Green. 

Boise State enters at 8-4 and under second-year head coach Bryan Harsin, who led the Broncos to a Fiesta Bowl win over Arizona just one year ago. 

Despite Boise State’s proverbial down year, NIU coach Rod Carey rightfully holds the Broncos among the Group of Five elite, per NIU Huskie Athletics:

Carey: We're excited for the match-up. Boise State is the benchmark for the Group of 5 teams. I have no problem saying that.

— NIU Athletics (@NIUAthletics) December 15, 2015

Boise State is dealing with a slew of injuries but continues to flex its offensive juggernaut, which is churning out 488.8 yards and 37.8 points per game, both among the Top 20 in the FBS. 

The Broncos have had ongoing issues with ball security—including a seven-turnover half against Utah State earlier this season—but if they’re able to pile on points, they should run to victory and give the Huskies another kick while they’re down.  

Predicted winner: Boise State

The Bowling Green Falcons announced Mike Jinks as their new head football coach on Tuesday through their official athletic department Twitter account.

Mike Jinks, Assoc. Head Coach at Texas Tech, tabbed to lead @BG_Football! More tomorrow at https://t.co/FrwbNk1OsB pic.twitter.com/wMcSaq2M7w

— BGSU Athletics (@BGSU_Athletics) December 9, 2015

Jinks had been the running backs coach since 2013 at Texas Tech, and the Red Raiders gave him the additional title of associate head coach this season.

Bowling Green won the Mid-American Conference title game in a 34-14 victory over Northern Illinois on Friday and will play in the GoDaddy Bowl against Georgia Southern on Dec. 23. Prior Falcons head coach Dino Babers left Bowling Green to take the same position at Syracuse and was introduced Monday.

Scott Roussel of FootballScoop attested to the intangibles and desirable characteristics Jinks brings as the new leader of a program to supplement his football savvy:   

I spent some time in Lubbock last year with Mike Jinks. Charismatic. Players love him. Seemed like a very good guy. Happy for him.

— FootballScoop (@FootballScoop) December 9, 2015

Prior to landing at Texas Tech, Jinks coached at the high school level and eventually helped the Red Raiders become more balanced on offense after sporting such a pass-heavy attack in the Mike Leach era.

Jinks oversaw the development of running back DeAndre Washington, who's run for well over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons and 2,558 total rushing yards in that span. The Red Raiders hadn't fielded a 1,000-yard rusher since 1998, per TexasTech.com.

There are big shoes for Jinks to fill at Bowling Green, but he's proved he can catalyze a stellar rushing attack during his time in Lubbock, Texas. He'll need to put that positional expertise to good use since the Falcons are losing senior quarterback Matt Johnson, who's accounted for 47 total touchdowns this season.

Lead rusher Travis Greene is also in his final year with Bowling Green, so Jinks has his work cut out for him to carry on the momentum Babers built that culminated in a MAC championship.

Bowling Green State University sophomore Mikey "Rosco" Blair and senior gospel singer Rachel Willingham created an awesome rap and video to celebrate the university's new arena and convocation center, named the Stroh Center.

The video is very well done and has a great beat to go with the well-written lyrics. At the time of publication, the video currently had over 30,000 views on YouTube. 

The production, performed by Madhouse Productions, is brilliantly done.

Blair was was very grateful to perform in the video for his school.

"I was excited, because I love this school," Blair said. "I am so blessed that I was chosen to do this. I take any opportunity I can to help the university."

The opening of the Stroh Center is an exciting event for the school this year, who wanted to commemorate the occasion is a special way.

"We wanted to create something memorable for the Stroh Center," said Dave Kielmeyer, Bowling Green University spokesperson.

Is there a better way to open up a brand new arena and promote several of your school's athletic teams than creating an awesome rap video?

The video also adds an interesting touch by including several donors who helped make the Stroh Center possible included in the video.

"We wanted to recognize the donors," Kielmeyer said. "I have to admit, I held my breath when they watched it for the first time. Thankfully, they liked it a lot. We were lucky they were so down-to-earth."

Blair certainly is a talented rapper and has a bright future ahead of him. 

Bowling Green may not be a popular school in terms of athletics, but this will certainly create a nice buzz for their mens' and womens' programs as the college basketball season approaches.

Bowling Green found itself on the losing end of a 43-42 game to the Idaho Vandals in what has been the best bowl game of the season so far. The story of the game was the classic finish when the Vandals scored with four seconds on the clock and then went for a two-point conversion to win the game.

The Falcons controlled the first half, amassing 289 total yards of offense, but fell apart in the third quarter giving up two Idaho scores and going down 28-14. The Falcons stormed back and tied it back up in the fourth quarter. The teams then traded scores for the rest of the game.

Tyler Sheehan struggled for most of the game under throwing his receives in both halves. He finished 33-47 for 387 yards, four touchdowns, and one pick. The reason his stats look impressive is due to his stud receiver Freddie Barnes. Barnes set the single season reception record for the NCAA in the first quarter when he passed Manny Hazard’s 142 receptions. He finished with 17 receptions for 219 yards and three touchdowns.

DeMaundry Woolridge ran all over the Falcon defense gaining 126 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries for the Vandals. This running game opened up the passing attack for Nathan Enderle’s 240 passing yards and four touchdowns.

Both defenses struggled as Bowling Green had 538 total yards and Idaho had 452. The majority of the scoring came in the second half as these weak defenses wore down, becoming even more exposed to the high power offenses.

Bowling Green had a field goal blocked in the first quarter which could have been the deciding factor for the Falcons later on in the game. The Falcons will lose both Barnes and Sheehan to graduation and will have a few new faces on both sides of the ball next season. Bowling Green finished 7-6 under first year head coach Dave Clawson after a 1-4 start.