Blake Countess
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Blake Countess (born August 8, 1993) is an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
for the
New Jersey Generals The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League (USFL) established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983 to 1985, winning 31 regular season games and losing ...
of the
United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
(USFL). He played college football for
Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
, using three years of eligibility between 2011 and 2014. He was an All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection in 2013 after missing most of 2012 due to injury. His 2014 season was less successful and he used his final year of eligibility as a graduate transfer at Auburn in 2015. He was drafted by the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
in the sixth round of the
2016 NFL Draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...
.


High school career

Countess attended Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in
Olney, Maryland Olney is a U.S. census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located in the north central part of the county, north of Washington, D.C. Olney was largely agricultural unti ...
. 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 Bob Milloy 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."


College football

After a highly successful high school football career at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, Countess accepted a football scholarship from the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
where he played from 2011 to 2014. After graduating, he would decide to transfer to Auburn University to play out his final year of
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
eligibility as a
redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after ...
senior.


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 verbal commitment to attend the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. 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 ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
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 Richard Alan Rodriguez (; born May 24, 1963), also known as Rich Rod, is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Jacksonville State University. Rodriguez previously was the head football coach at Salem Un ...
was fired. After the firing, Countess's high school coach noted that the move was unlikely to effect Countess's 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.


Michigan career

Countess saw his first substantial playing time for the
2011 Michigan Wolverines football team The 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team, sometimes known as Team 132 in reference to the 132-year tradition of the Michigan football program, represented the University of Michigan in the sport of college football during the 2011 NCAA Divi ...
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 quarterback 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 Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. He received the Next Level Player of the Week award from Matt Bracken of ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...
''. For the season, he earned 2011 Big Ten All-Freshman team recognition from
ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
and BTN.com as well as 2011 '' TSN'' first-team All-Freshman and College Football News All-Freshman honorable mention honors. Countess injured his
anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...
in the season opener for the
2012 Michigan Wolverines football team 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
against
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. He returned as a
redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after ...
sophomore to be a 2013 All-Big Ten Conference football team first-team selection by the media and second-team selection the coaches. However, the following year as a redshirt junior he only received honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition from the media.


Auburn

On May 13, 2015, Countess announced his decision to transfer from Michigan. After a brief recruiting process with various different schools, on May 26 he announced he would be a graduate transfer for the 2015 Auburn Tigers football team, and his enrollment was official by May 28. He had also been recruited by
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, Oklahoma and
Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
.


Professional career


Philadelphia Eagles

Countess was selected by the Eagles in the sixth round, 196th overall, in the
2016 NFL Draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...
. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Eagles.


Los Angeles Rams

On September 6, 2016, Countess was signed to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad. He was promoted to the Rams' active roster on November 18, 2016. In Week 3 of the 2018 season, Countess returned two kicks for 51 yards and recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown in a 35-23 win over the
Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. On March 12, 2019, the Rams tendered Countess as a restricted free agent. On May 2, 2019, the Rams waived Countess.


Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)

On May 3, 2019, Countess was claimed off waivers by the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
. He was waived on August 13, 2019.


New York Jets

On October 15, 2019, Countess was signed by the New York Jets. On March 11, 2020, Countess was released by the Jets.


Philadelphia Eagles (third stint)

On December 16, 2020, Countess was signed to the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on December 19 and January 2, 2021, for the team's weeks 15 and 17 games against the Arizona Cardinals and
Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on January 4, 2021, and was released on March 9, 2021. On August 9, 2021, Countess re-signed with the Eagles. He was placed on injured reserve on August 31, 2021. He was released on September 9, 2021.


Baltimore Ravens

On December 1, 2021, Countess was signed to the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
practice squad. He was released on December 28.


Los Angeles Rams (second stint)

Countess signed to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad on January 12, 2022. Countess was elevated to the active roster and won Super Bowl LVI when the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.


New Jersey Generals

On January 26, 2023, Countess signed with the
New Jersey Generals The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League (USFL) established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983 to 1985, winning 31 regular season games and losing ...
of the
United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
(USFL).


NFL career statistics


References


External links


Auburn Tigers bio Los Angeles Rams bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Countess, Blake 1993 births Living people American football cornerbacks American football safeties Auburn Tigers football players Baltimore Ravens players Los Angeles Rams players Michigan Wolverines football players New Jersey Generals (2022) players New York Jets players People from Olney, Maryland Philadelphia Eagles players Players of American football from Maryland Sportspeople from Montgomery County, Maryland