How the hell are we heading into year 4 with depth problems? I've complained about RB and WR, but it seems like we are getting very thin across a lot of positions. Lack of development? Recruits not panning out? Attrition? We just don't seem like a well oiled machine going into year 4. TBH, some below average organization and planning.
I guess I don't know that we can say at this point that depth will be an issue. Inexperience behind the starters is an issue but that's almost a given when you return three starters. We don't know if our backup linemen are that good. Neither does basically anyone else in the country.
We also didn't recruit the OL particularly well for several years.
In the 2016 class, only Farniok became a regular starter. Wilson started some. Raridon and Brokop were non-factors.
In the 2017 class, Jaimes was a great get but Bando, Walker and Sichterman are busts.
In the 2018 class, we only got Will Farniok as an OL. So... yeah. But Jurgens was in that class (as a TE, four-star recruit) so that helps.
Three classes. Looks like two total regular starters (recruited as OL). Neither are still here.
Since then, things seem to have picked up.
In the 2019 class, Benhart (four-star recruit) and Piper are already starting. Banks will probably be a backup this year. Not much after that but that's a good base.
In the 2020 class, Corcoran was our highest-rated recruit and looks to be a starter next year. We only took two OL recruits in this class because of how many we had to take in 2019. We also got transfers in Ezra Miller (a four-star recruit to Iowa) and Nouredin Nouili (freshman starter at Colorado State) to help fill in.
In the 2021 class, Prochazka was our second-highest-rated recruit.
OL is the spot where it takes the longest to develop and be ready to contribute. The 2016, 2017 and 2018 classes should be the fourth- and fifth-year guys next year. But that's not an option. We started a lot of younger guys this year partly because they are better and partly because there were few options ahead of them. So Jurgens is likely the "old guy" of the starters next year. Most everyone else that will contribute has only been here for a year or two. So it's tough to know who's going to work out and who isn't.