by durkcal on Fri Sep 01, 2023 1:39 pm
My thoughts on the depth chart:
Offense - the best starters we have are our 2 guards, Hergel and Mahogany, and O'Keefe. There are some guys starting that are on thin ice. Most in danger: 1) Takacs - we'll see if the injuries explained the poor play. Lillis is a better blocker IMO, and TE blocking matters, esp for the run game. Not clear that we have a good TE on the roster, so Takacs may continue to play a lot. 2) Morehead - difference for Morehead is that he has Castellanos behind him, and TC can play. I predict this switch will happen, and when it does, it will be a great thing. 3) L Taylor - disappointing that Bowry couldn't beat this guy out. Maybe he will get another shot? When we play the teams with good edge rushers, it is going to be ugly regardless of who plays at LT
I noticed that basically the entire OL (ex Mahogany) got bigger. BC must want to wear on people this year. Some of our better offensive weapons don't even start. Look for Castellanos, X Coleman, Broome to become starters before the end of the year, or to play big roles.
Defense - Ezeiruaku is our best player, but he's not an elite pass rusher. He excels against the run. Sillah is a little bit the same, and if healthy, he is also a top player for the defense. Pupel joins them as maybe 2nd best player on the defense. Question marks : 1) Rooks - IDK, we'll see what he has for FBS competition. I'd see K Banks and K Williams being better than him. 2) Blackwell or B Steele - there's just no competition at LB, and therefore weak guys like this get to play/start. Hopefully JB can improve cover skills. BC LBs tend to get torched in the passing game 3) A Jackson at CB - young player, but IDK, I see teams picking on him. I'd like to see A Washington win this spot. I see quality depth in Okpala, Kolenge, A Washington, V Nelson, K Banks, K williams, etc...Issue is there is no depth at LB. If DePalma and or Arnold go down, a mediocre unit is going to be terrible. Why can't we recruit/develop/transfer portal LB's? If the LB's stay healthy and or improve, the defense has a chance to be solid.
Overall for the year , the questions I don't see us having answers for are LT, TE and SLB. Mahogany, Hergel and DePalma have to stay healthy, because we don't have attractive alternatives. I see a long year that leads to a coaching change. But hey, maybe the portal players that have brought in and some health gets us to .500?