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John Blake enters his third season on the North Carolina staff as the Tar Heels' associate head coach, recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach. Blake, who coached with Butch Davis in Dallas, has developed some of the top defensive linemen in the country at all levels, including high school, college and the NFL. In 2008, Blake developed a unit that regularly played seven to eight players per game. Among the highlights of that group was defensive tackle Marvin Austin who tied with E.J. Wilson for the most tackles among defensive linemen with 38. True freshman Robert Quinn quickly become a force at defensive end and was third in the league's defensive rookie of the year voting. Quinn was diagnosed with a brain tumor as a high school senior, but became a starter at Carolina in the Tar Heels' second game at Rutgers and won the ACC's Piccolo Award as the league's most courageous player. Tackle Cam Thomas also had his best season in 2008 under Blake's guidance. In 2007, North Carolina defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer and Hilee Taylor both became NFL Draft picks in one season with Blake. Balmer was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 29th pick in the first round and Taylor was taken in the seventh round by Carolina. Blake earned rave reviews from NFL Draft analysts for his ability to develop Balmer into a first-round selection in just one year of coaching. "Kentwan had a great senior year under the tutelage of John Blake, who I think is one of the best defensive line coaches at any level," said ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. In addition to his abilities as a defensive line coach, Blake is considered by many observers as the nation's top recruiter. In each of the past three years, at least one recruiting publication has named Blake the nation's best recruiter. Most recently, three Sporting News recruiting analysts named him the best in 2009. He also earned the same distinction from CSTV's Tom Lemming in 2008 and the Wall Street Journal and American Football Quarterly in 2007. In February, Carolina signed a consensus top 10 recruiting class, including a ranking of No. 5 by Scout.com. It was the third consecutive outstanding recruiting class under Blake. In his first year at UNC, Blake was responsible for the recruitment of Austin, the nation's No. 1 high school defensive player. Blake came to Carolina after serving three seasons at the University of Nebraska, where he coached several outstanding defensive linemen, including 2007 NFL first-round draft pick Adam Carriker (13th overall). The Huskers defensive line was ranked the top defensive line unit in the country by CollegeFootballNews.com in 2006. Davis and Blake previously worked together as members of Jimmy Johnson's staff with the Dallas Cowboys. Blake joined the Dallas staff as defensive line coach after Davis was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1993. That year, Dallas ranked eighth in the league in total defense and beat Buffalo, 30-13, in Super Bowl XXVIII. After Davis left to become the head coach at Miami in 1995, Blake remained in Dallas and won another Super Bowl title under head coach Barry Switzer. A native of Rockford, Ill., Blake played for Switzer at Oklahoma from 1979-82, where he earned All-Big Eight honors at nose guard. He later returned to his alma mater to serve as head coach of the Sooners from 1996-98. At Oklahoma, Blake began as a student assistant working with the defensive line in 1985 and earned a national championship ring that season. The Sooners lost just two games during his first tenure on the staff. Blake's first full-time assistant position was at Tulsa from 1987-88, where he coached the tight ends and wide receivers. He returned to his alma mater in 1989 as the Sooners' defensive line coach, and then served as Gary Gibbs' linebackers coach from 1990 to 1992. After Johnson hired Blake in Dallas, five players made the Pro Bowl during his three seasons. Blake's defensive line was considered one of the best in the NFL during his tenure. Among others, Blake tutored Pro Bowlers Charles Haley, Russell Maryland, Leon Lett, Chad Henning, Tony Tolbert and Jim Jeffcoat. Blake earned his bachelor's degree in public relations and recreation from Oklahoma in 1986. He and his wife, Freda, have one son, Jourdan. The Blake File |
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