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I think we can all agree that the number one area of concern (and there are many) is on the offensive line. In the practices and scrimmages I watched this spring it was almost a total disaster across the board. I want to believe that the strength and conditioning program combined with the pace of the offense can negate the lack of talent/experience, but that may expecting too much. I will give the group the caveat that several guys missed practice with injuries (Evan Brown missed the entire spring and started last season as a true freshman) so there is the possibility that we didn't see the whole unit that we will roll out against Baylor. I think the five that give us the best shot next year are:

LT - Chauncey Briggs (JR)
LG - Taylor Lasecki (SR)
C - Evan Brown (SO) or William Barns (SO)
RG - Daniel McCarty (JR) or Seaver Myers (JR)
RT - Kris Weeks (SR) or Bryce Wilds (FR)

At least with that initial starting unit you are brining back five guys who have started games at the D1A level (albeit with terrible results). IMO, this is the unit that will determine whether or not this is a 3 win team or a 6 win team this year.

OLine is a crapshoot at this point, with the guys that missed the spring and the results I saw on the field during the Spring Game. I just hope we have a lot of 3 step drops in our passing game. Maybe the group can improve over the summer and into fall camp, but this is our weakest position group.

Here's an archive picture of last year's O Line:

Last year's OL was the single worst unit I've ever seen at the college level.

StallionsModelT wrote:I think we can all agree that the number one area of concern (and there are many) is on the offensive line. In the practices and scrimmages I watched this spring it was almost a total disaster across the board. I want to believe that the strength and conditioning program combined with the pace of the offense can negate the lack of talent/experience, but that may expecting too much. I will give the group the caveat that several guys missed practice with injuries (Evan Brown missed the entire spring and started last season as a true freshman) so there is the possibility that we didn't see the whole unit that we will roll out against Baylor. I think the five that give us the best shot next year are:

LT - Chauncey Briggs (JR)
LG - Taylor Lasecki (SR)
C - Evan Brown (SO) or William Barns (SO)
RG - Daniel McCarty (JR) or Seaver Myers (JR)
RT - Kris Weeks (SR) or Bryce Wilds (FR)

At least with that initial starting unit you are brining back five guys who have started games at the D1A level (albeit with terrible results). IMO, this is the unit that will determine whether or not this is a 3 win team or a 6 win team this year.

I think you are pretty close. Honestly, I think the only lock at this point is Briggs. Believe it or not, the line actually improved significantly by the time of the spring game. But they still didn't perform well.

Hyder was injured in the spring and will get a shot at center or guard. Reich was also in the mix, but I thought he and Myers really struggled. Chamagua was in the two deep rotation, and Saena was hurt.

I think the other two frosh linemen outside of Wilds probably get redshirted.

This is what I think the actual competition looks like when we start Fall:

LT - Chauncey Briggs (JR) - only lock, Saena, Chamagua
LG - Daniel McCarty, Brown, Seaver Myers
C - William Barns, Hyder
RG - Taylor Lasecki, Reich
RT - Kris Weeks, Bryce Wilds

Other linemen:
Keyfer Roberts got a lot of PT the last two practices, but I don't think he is pushing for a spot in the fall. Pursley, Fister, Natour, Richards, and Antunovic I think aren't ready to approach the two deep.

Overall thoughts/predictions:
- Briggs is a good player. Lasecki got off to a rough start but played a lot better at guard and should be solid.
- I was really disappointed that Brown and Hyder didn't practice. I hope they can get things together and are still on the team because we need them. Brown would push McCarty and Hyder would push Barns, which can only make the unit better
- I haven't been that high on the guy in the past, but several players said they though Barns was going to be good. The line play was significantly improved when Barns came in at center and moved Lasecki to guard. If he puts the work in over the summer, he would have a significant impact on improving the line.
- I THINK that this sets up to have Brown and McCarty pushing each other to start at the other guard position. McCarty struggled early last year and then improved at the end, but then struggled in the spring. The former coaching staff always raved about the potential of Brown. If those two are pushing each other for a starting spot, they might start reaching their potential.
- Weeks has always been inconsistent and struggled in camp. IMHO, he is going to have to get consistent really quickly in order to hold off Wilds. Wilds is huge and can move. I kind of hope that we seek Weeks starting at RT, because it will mean he took significant steps forward.
- One thing to keep in mind is that with the OL you see significant growth between the 2nd and 3rd year they are on campus. Barns, Brown, and McCarty could see significant improvement in the new S&C program before we get to camp in the fall. As much as the OL struggled in the spring, the DL players to a person said they were much better than they were last season. I think there is a chance we see a step up, and a solid OL gets us to 6-6. But in order for that to happen, we need the depth and players pushing each other. So keep your eye on whether or not Brown and Hyder stick around.

StallionsModelT wrote:Last year's OL was the single worst unit I've ever seen at the college level.

The UNT game performance was the worst performance that I have seen at any level including my sister's middle school basketball team that regularly tried to make shots into their own hoop.

I am trying to forget the UNT game.
I thought when Barnes played in the ECU game, when Lasecki was hurt, we had a marked improvement. I was surprised we did not see more of that.
Like Jason said, I have we have 8-10 guys with some ability work hard and compete thru this summer. Then we will have a chance to be decent on the OL.

on paper you would not think Barns can play at this level. However he is ultra consistent and from what i hear has near perfect form. That makes up for size every time - especially at center. Plus if he can hold down center that REALLY helps us at guard. A slightly better line and a much more mobile QB added to significantly better receivers (and a power set and a tight end) could lead to some surprises. Not 7 win surprises, but i think we have a pretty entertaining year.