Central Michigan University Athletics
Strong Offseason Leads to Success for Fountain
10/5/2018 5:18:00 PM | Football
Senior linebacker among the MAC leaders in tackles.
Athletes are constantly on the lookout for an edge, anything that might give them slightest of advantage over an opponent.
For Malik Fountain, the keying to gaining that edge came when he looked down. At the scale.
Fountain, Central Michigan's middle linebacker, shed an estimated 20 pounds in the offseason ahead of his senior. The result? A more fit, stronger, agile and durable player who has established himself among the top tacklers in the nation.
Fountain, who stands 6-foot-3, is listed at 230 pounds, down about 20 from the start of the 2017 season. He said the impetus for the weight loss sprung from his desire, not unlike that of so many of his teammates, to make himself better suited to take the next step and play professionally.
The trick? Dropping the weight, but still being able to deliver a blow. It's the middle linebacker's job to get to the ball and stop it.
"I'm physical no matter what, and nobody could take that away from me," he said. "I just have to play like I'm 240 (pounds) or 250."
The lean, mean Fountain seems to have found the zone where he is most productive, taking full advantage of his immense potential. He ranks second in the Mid-American Conference and and in the top 10 nationally with 12.4 tackles per game.
He is a four-year starter who has never missed a game at CMU, making 44 consecutive starts heading into Saturday's homecoming game with Buffalo. He earned Second Team All-MAC honors last season after claiming a spot on the first team as a sophomore in 2016. He entered his senior year with 246 career tackles and could very well etch his name on the CMU's top-10 career list by the end of the 2018 season.
His durability has never been questioned, and now that he has the conditioning to go along with it, he rarely leaves the field, a combination that has helped him to post the kind of tackles totals – and his first career interception, which sealed the Chippewas' 17-5 win over Maine – that are gaining him notice.
"I don't think I could play a whole game last year, but I've played whole games this year," he said. "I'm playing in good condition, I'm not getting any blows; I'm playing the best of my ability through all four quarters."
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For Malik Fountain, the keying to gaining that edge came when he looked down. At the scale.
Fountain, Central Michigan's middle linebacker, shed an estimated 20 pounds in the offseason ahead of his senior. The result? A more fit, stronger, agile and durable player who has established himself among the top tacklers in the nation.
Fountain, who stands 6-foot-3, is listed at 230 pounds, down about 20 from the start of the 2017 season. He said the impetus for the weight loss sprung from his desire, not unlike that of so many of his teammates, to make himself better suited to take the next step and play professionally.
The trick? Dropping the weight, but still being able to deliver a blow. It's the middle linebacker's job to get to the ball and stop it.
"I'm physical no matter what, and nobody could take that away from me," he said. "I just have to play like I'm 240 (pounds) or 250."
The lean, mean Fountain seems to have found the zone where he is most productive, taking full advantage of his immense potential. He ranks second in the Mid-American Conference and and in the top 10 nationally with 12.4 tackles per game.
He is a four-year starter who has never missed a game at CMU, making 44 consecutive starts heading into Saturday's homecoming game with Buffalo. He earned Second Team All-MAC honors last season after claiming a spot on the first team as a sophomore in 2016. He entered his senior year with 246 career tackles and could very well etch his name on the CMU's top-10 career list by the end of the 2018 season.
His durability has never been questioned, and now that he has the conditioning to go along with it, he rarely leaves the field, a combination that has helped him to post the kind of tackles totals – and his first career interception, which sealed the Chippewas' 17-5 win over Maine – that are gaining him notice.
"I don't think I could play a whole game last year, but I've played whole games this year," he said. "I'm playing in good condition, I'm not getting any blows; I'm playing the best of my ability through all four quarters."
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Players Mentioned
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