girlknowsfootball
New member
Looking at the roster for this upcoming season, you can't help but get hyped about the amount of talent on this team. If Riley and his staff are truly great talent developers it is really exciting to think about what we could see on the field this fall. I don't know about you, but I am absolutely PUMPED for spring ball. I want to see what these coaches say once they have worked with some of the kids. I want to see what the kids say about their teaching styles and the new system. Heck, I want to find out what the new system is going to look like. In my excitement and lack of patience for spring ball to start, I went ahead and analyzed the 2015-2016 season depth chart assuming all signees make it to campus this fall.
Let's start with the Offense...
QB
- You have 5 guys here who can play. We know Armstrong has been the guy and will start out as the guy in spring ball. He has the experience. He has the work ethic, determination and leadership abilities to lead this team. Armstrong's problem has been his passing accuracy and his ability to find open receivers. Lucky for us, Langsdorf is going to be coaching him, and this guy's bread and butter is helping guys in these areas. He will fix the mechanics, help Armstrong see the field, and look in the right places at the right time. Then you look at Johnny Stanton, who many feel will be the best guy to compete for the #1 spot. Johnny has similar problems to Armstrong in mechanics, accuracy, and seeing the field. Johnny is a bigger guy, with a lot more oomf when he hits. He's harder to bring down and might even be smarter on the field. AJ Bush was raved about. He has a cannon, he's got the hight and the NFL body. It will be interesting to see how he develops under Langsdorf. I personally think the kid that has the smartest football IQ and best instincts for making good decisions is the one who will see the field. Throw in Darlington, Fyfe, and the others and you have a great race for a signal caller.
RB
- This spot is interesting to me. In Pelini's system we all hoped Newby or Wilbon would start this year, but feared it would be Cross since he was #2 coming out of last season. Many had lost a little hope in Taylor as he had a long injury history in football and he hadn't been talked about a lot. With the new staff, we really have no idea who will win this job. It is a shot in the dark. Will they go with the smaller/shifty back with the blazing speed who plays well in space, or will they go with the NFL prototype body back who can run the power and the up the middle game? Maybe they use some of both. But if you look at the backs they are trying to recruit, they are the 5'10"-6'1" 200+ guys. It makes you wonder if a Newby or Wilbon will fit this offense well. We could see Adam Taylor or Devine Ozigbo or Imani Cross start and surprise us all. We could even see Cross break out if the system changes to accommodate his size. I mean this is really a mystery spot to me. I've heard a lot about Wilbon being really really good. I've seen him running ladders with quick quick feet. He says he's gained weight. He was raved about on the scout team last year. I am really excited for this position because of the depth and versatility we have here.
OL
- We have a ton of guys at this spot on scholarship. We have the size and the skill set to have a strong two deep talent if their coach and strength coach are good developers. I have thought this position group has underperformed for a few years now. I didn't understand why one week coaches were talking about Knevel like he was a sure NFL talent and a sure starting Left Tackle, and then he hardly sees the field. There were a lot of head scratching moments with several players. Guys disappeared in the depth chart and were claimed to not be ready to play. Yet Riley comes in and Cavanaugh comes in salivating saying they have never had this much talent on a team at this position before. At tackle you have Lewis, Finnin, Johnson, Knevel, Sterup, Gates, Gaylord, etc. At Guard/Center you have Farmer, Foster, Hannon, Kondolo, Price, Reeves, Barnett, Decker, etc. There are a lot of scholarship bodies here and there is no reason we can't have a good two deep.
TE
- Imagine what would happen if the quarterback was throwing well and finding tight ends. Carter is good and was significantly underutilized in the last system. One thing I know, all these guys coming back know how to block well. That's most of what they did. Now they will be able to catch on top of blocking and will be set free. I am PUMPED for this. I think Snyder will be great after a year or two of added strength. Carter is good and this position looks bright for the future if we stay healthy.
WR
- Ohhhh Myyyyyy. This position will benefit so much with Riley and Williams. I have believed for a while now that we have had a TON of talent here that was not developed to its full potential. Kenny Bell came in killing it as a freshman, he wasn't developed to get a lot better as a senior. Now, I liked Fisher, he was a much better coach than what was here before him. But Williams is going to take this up a notch and give these kids coaching they've never had before. He will find the best talent and put it on the field. Moore's gonna get fixed and blow up. Westerkamp is going to be set free and will get a lot more balls. Morgan is going to play as a true freshman and kill it. Pierson El is going to erupt. Tolbert and Allen will be big body guys who will actually get to do what they do best. Not to mention Turner gets a 5th year, B Riley, Burtch, and Hovey were all contributing last year. I mean, this position will be deep and special.
Now the Defense...
DT
- Right now you have Collins, Maurice, Williams, Valentine all back with experience. Add in the Davis twins for 6 at this position. Now call me crazy, but in this new system I would not be surprised to see McMullen move inside. He is 280, and Banker has never played with big containment ends like Bo did. I also think McMullen was able to have the success he did partly because of Gregory drawing double teams on the other side. I also think we could see Newell move inside as well. Newell was projected as a DT coming out of high school by many analysts. He wanted to play end because thats what he had played in HS and we needed the depth there last year, but I think he is athletic and would make a good DT. We are DEEP here and have options. We could have a 4 deep of strong talent at this position.
DE
- McMullen and Gangwish are our returning starters at this position (with the loss of Gregory). If McMullen gets moved inside, I think we see a lot of new faces here. Banker is looking or pass rushers. He wants the 6'5 guys who can rush. I would not be a bit surprised to see guys like Stolenberg, King, Neal, Davis, Akinmoladun, Natter be the ones who play. Gangwish maybe too... but he may not fit this system as well as the old one. I would like see Davis and Neal redshirt, but Banker is pretty vocal about wanting that 6'4"-6'7" 240-260 pass rusher at those spots. I believe they have 4 in Stolenberg, King, Akinmoladun, and Natter.... but no experience and a lot of question marks. It will be interesting to see how these guys develop out of spring ball and who gets talked about. Regardless, we have the talent to have a 3 deep, barring no injuries.
LB
- It was interesting to me to hear banker say that the LBers we had on campus were all MLB's. He recruited the Mikes and Wills (as the old system called them). I want to see how Santos, Banderas, Newby, and Rose do with this new system. Will Rose come back as good after the blown knee? Will he be able to contribute at the same level this year? What about Santos? Will Newby fit this system better and rise up the charts? I have a lot of questions here. Then you throw in Young, Barry, Ferguson, Talan, and Reed (I think Reed ends up as a hybrid or Safety depending on how his body shapes up). We should have at least 6-7 healthy bodies at this position (If Rose isn't as good this season, if Reed plays safety, which is what Warren as discussed, and if one doesn't pan out due to academics). This may be the weakest position this season due to youth and lack of experience but we will have to find out. Lets see what Bray can do.
S
- This position looked really deep a couple years ago. You had Corey Cooper, LeRoy Alexander, Nate Gerry, Harvey Jackson, Drake Martinez, DJ Singleton, etc. But with the departures of Jackson, Martinez, and Singleton and the graduation of Cooper... I feel we are thin here. Gerry is back and will start and lead the defense, Alexander is back with experience and will do well here. But Who are the backups? Is Kieron Williams a Safety or do they make him a CB? Aaron Williams should Redshirt. Will Reed play Safety as a True Fresh? Does Cockerell move to safety? What about Boaz Joseph or Jonathan Rose? We have guys with size to play back there but who will get moved?
CB
- This is perhaps our deepest position on the defense. We have everyone back except Mitchell. Look for Charles Jackson, Chris Jones, Josh Kalu, Daniel Davie, Byerson Cockerell, Eric Lee, Avery Anderson, Boaz Joseph, Trai Mosley, Jonathan Rose, Kieron Williams..... any could see the field this year. We have 11 guys that could play here... there will be 3 positions up for grabs. Some will move back to safety. I am not worried about the CB position with Warren back.
I mean, I don't know about you guys, but I get fired up looking at all this!!! We really have the talent to put a great product on the field this year. I think Langsdorf is going to be phenomenal for the QB position which will spread through the rest of the offense to make everybody else look better.
Let's start with the Offense...
QB
- You have 5 guys here who can play. We know Armstrong has been the guy and will start out as the guy in spring ball. He has the experience. He has the work ethic, determination and leadership abilities to lead this team. Armstrong's problem has been his passing accuracy and his ability to find open receivers. Lucky for us, Langsdorf is going to be coaching him, and this guy's bread and butter is helping guys in these areas. He will fix the mechanics, help Armstrong see the field, and look in the right places at the right time. Then you look at Johnny Stanton, who many feel will be the best guy to compete for the #1 spot. Johnny has similar problems to Armstrong in mechanics, accuracy, and seeing the field. Johnny is a bigger guy, with a lot more oomf when he hits. He's harder to bring down and might even be smarter on the field. AJ Bush was raved about. He has a cannon, he's got the hight and the NFL body. It will be interesting to see how he develops under Langsdorf. I personally think the kid that has the smartest football IQ and best instincts for making good decisions is the one who will see the field. Throw in Darlington, Fyfe, and the others and you have a great race for a signal caller.
RB
- This spot is interesting to me. In Pelini's system we all hoped Newby or Wilbon would start this year, but feared it would be Cross since he was #2 coming out of last season. Many had lost a little hope in Taylor as he had a long injury history in football and he hadn't been talked about a lot. With the new staff, we really have no idea who will win this job. It is a shot in the dark. Will they go with the smaller/shifty back with the blazing speed who plays well in space, or will they go with the NFL prototype body back who can run the power and the up the middle game? Maybe they use some of both. But if you look at the backs they are trying to recruit, they are the 5'10"-6'1" 200+ guys. It makes you wonder if a Newby or Wilbon will fit this offense well. We could see Adam Taylor or Devine Ozigbo or Imani Cross start and surprise us all. We could even see Cross break out if the system changes to accommodate his size. I mean this is really a mystery spot to me. I've heard a lot about Wilbon being really really good. I've seen him running ladders with quick quick feet. He says he's gained weight. He was raved about on the scout team last year. I am really excited for this position because of the depth and versatility we have here.
OL
- We have a ton of guys at this spot on scholarship. We have the size and the skill set to have a strong two deep talent if their coach and strength coach are good developers. I have thought this position group has underperformed for a few years now. I didn't understand why one week coaches were talking about Knevel like he was a sure NFL talent and a sure starting Left Tackle, and then he hardly sees the field. There were a lot of head scratching moments with several players. Guys disappeared in the depth chart and were claimed to not be ready to play. Yet Riley comes in and Cavanaugh comes in salivating saying they have never had this much talent on a team at this position before. At tackle you have Lewis, Finnin, Johnson, Knevel, Sterup, Gates, Gaylord, etc. At Guard/Center you have Farmer, Foster, Hannon, Kondolo, Price, Reeves, Barnett, Decker, etc. There are a lot of scholarship bodies here and there is no reason we can't have a good two deep.
TE
- Imagine what would happen if the quarterback was throwing well and finding tight ends. Carter is good and was significantly underutilized in the last system. One thing I know, all these guys coming back know how to block well. That's most of what they did. Now they will be able to catch on top of blocking and will be set free. I am PUMPED for this. I think Snyder will be great after a year or two of added strength. Carter is good and this position looks bright for the future if we stay healthy.
WR
- Ohhhh Myyyyyy. This position will benefit so much with Riley and Williams. I have believed for a while now that we have had a TON of talent here that was not developed to its full potential. Kenny Bell came in killing it as a freshman, he wasn't developed to get a lot better as a senior. Now, I liked Fisher, he was a much better coach than what was here before him. But Williams is going to take this up a notch and give these kids coaching they've never had before. He will find the best talent and put it on the field. Moore's gonna get fixed and blow up. Westerkamp is going to be set free and will get a lot more balls. Morgan is going to play as a true freshman and kill it. Pierson El is going to erupt. Tolbert and Allen will be big body guys who will actually get to do what they do best. Not to mention Turner gets a 5th year, B Riley, Burtch, and Hovey were all contributing last year. I mean, this position will be deep and special.
Now the Defense...
DT
- Right now you have Collins, Maurice, Williams, Valentine all back with experience. Add in the Davis twins for 6 at this position. Now call me crazy, but in this new system I would not be surprised to see McMullen move inside. He is 280, and Banker has never played with big containment ends like Bo did. I also think McMullen was able to have the success he did partly because of Gregory drawing double teams on the other side. I also think we could see Newell move inside as well. Newell was projected as a DT coming out of high school by many analysts. He wanted to play end because thats what he had played in HS and we needed the depth there last year, but I think he is athletic and would make a good DT. We are DEEP here and have options. We could have a 4 deep of strong talent at this position.
DE
- McMullen and Gangwish are our returning starters at this position (with the loss of Gregory). If McMullen gets moved inside, I think we see a lot of new faces here. Banker is looking or pass rushers. He wants the 6'5 guys who can rush. I would not be a bit surprised to see guys like Stolenberg, King, Neal, Davis, Akinmoladun, Natter be the ones who play. Gangwish maybe too... but he may not fit this system as well as the old one. I would like see Davis and Neal redshirt, but Banker is pretty vocal about wanting that 6'4"-6'7" 240-260 pass rusher at those spots. I believe they have 4 in Stolenberg, King, Akinmoladun, and Natter.... but no experience and a lot of question marks. It will be interesting to see how these guys develop out of spring ball and who gets talked about. Regardless, we have the talent to have a 3 deep, barring no injuries.
LB
- It was interesting to me to hear banker say that the LBers we had on campus were all MLB's. He recruited the Mikes and Wills (as the old system called them). I want to see how Santos, Banderas, Newby, and Rose do with this new system. Will Rose come back as good after the blown knee? Will he be able to contribute at the same level this year? What about Santos? Will Newby fit this system better and rise up the charts? I have a lot of questions here. Then you throw in Young, Barry, Ferguson, Talan, and Reed (I think Reed ends up as a hybrid or Safety depending on how his body shapes up). We should have at least 6-7 healthy bodies at this position (If Rose isn't as good this season, if Reed plays safety, which is what Warren as discussed, and if one doesn't pan out due to academics). This may be the weakest position this season due to youth and lack of experience but we will have to find out. Lets see what Bray can do.
S
- This position looked really deep a couple years ago. You had Corey Cooper, LeRoy Alexander, Nate Gerry, Harvey Jackson, Drake Martinez, DJ Singleton, etc. But with the departures of Jackson, Martinez, and Singleton and the graduation of Cooper... I feel we are thin here. Gerry is back and will start and lead the defense, Alexander is back with experience and will do well here. But Who are the backups? Is Kieron Williams a Safety or do they make him a CB? Aaron Williams should Redshirt. Will Reed play Safety as a True Fresh? Does Cockerell move to safety? What about Boaz Joseph or Jonathan Rose? We have guys with size to play back there but who will get moved?
CB
- This is perhaps our deepest position on the defense. We have everyone back except Mitchell. Look for Charles Jackson, Chris Jones, Josh Kalu, Daniel Davie, Byerson Cockerell, Eric Lee, Avery Anderson, Boaz Joseph, Trai Mosley, Jonathan Rose, Kieron Williams..... any could see the field this year. We have 11 guys that could play here... there will be 3 positions up for grabs. Some will move back to safety. I am not worried about the CB position with Warren back.
I mean, I don't know about you guys, but I get fired up looking at all this!!! We really have the talent to put a great product on the field this year. I think Langsdorf is going to be phenomenal for the QB position which will spread through the rest of the offense to make everybody else look better.
