Blake Countess

Blake Countess (born c. 1993) is an American football defensive back for the Michigan Wolverines football team. He played high school football for Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Montgomery County, Maryland, and played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He committed to the University of Michigan in December 2010 and was rated as the top prospect in the school's recruiting class.

High school
Countess attended Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Montgomery County, Maryland. As a junior in 2009, he totaled over 50 tackles and 20 pass break ups. In May 2010, he was nominated to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl high school football all-star game. As a senior in 2010, Countess averaged 14.7 yards per catch, 35 yards per kickoff return and 22.9 yards per punt return for Good Counsel. Countess played both offense and defense for Good Counsel. His high school coach noted: "What you're going to get from him is he's a lockdown corner, started both ways for me, and if you don't keep an eye on him, he'll run a punt or kickoff back. He's a very reliable, dependable kid, a good character person ... a good, solid citizen, great kid, and good football player."

Recruiting and Army All-American Game
During the 2010 recruiting season, Countess was pursued by many top collegiate football programs including Notre Dame, Stanford, Penn State, Michigan, Tennessee, Arkansas, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Pitt, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Maryland, Cincinnati, Louisville, Duke, Illinois, Virginia, and Wake Forest.

In early December 2010, Countess was selected as an Army All-American. At the U.S. Army All-American Bowl played on January 8, 2011, Countess did not allow a single pass completion to any receiver he covered, and the opposing quarterbacks chose not to throw many passes in his direction.

Commitment to Michigan
On December 17, 2010, Countess announced his oral commitment to attend the University of Michigan. He noted that, after visiting Ann Arbor, he "fell in love with Ann Arbor, the coaches, the school, the football legacy, the Big House, and it's just where I felt at home." He was regarded as the top prospect in Michigan's 2011 recruiting class. ESPN.com called him "a natural cover guy with good size and speed," and noted that he has "all the tools to be an outstanding player in college." Three weeks after Countess committed to Michigan, the school's head coach Rich Rodriguez was fired. After the firing, Countess' high school coach noted that the move was unlikely to effect Countess' commitment. He noted that Countess was aware of rumors about Rodriguez being fired before giving his commitment and noted, "He said he picked Michigan because of the school." He signed his letter of intent with Michigan in February 2011.

2011 season
Countess saw his first substantial playing time for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team in the fourth quarter of a 28-7 victory over San Diego State on September 24, 2011. In less than one quarter, Countess accumulated seven tackles and broke up a pass in the endzone from Ryan Lindley. After the game, Michigan lineman Ryan Van Bergen noted that Countess has "a swagger about him." The following week, Countess again drew praise for forcing a fumble and leading the team in tackles in a 58-0 win over Minnesota. He received the Next Level Player of the Week award from Matt Bracken of The Baltimore Sun. For the season, he earned 2011 Big Ten All-Freshman team recognition from ESPN.com and BTN.com as well as 2011 TSN first team All-Freshman and College Football News All-Freshman honorable mention honors.