JasonB wrote:PonyPower wrote:Losing 4 offensive linemen in addition to Pursley and Natour makes the line a huge concern. I guess Howerton is a virtual lock at center, Thomas and Morris presumably enter spring at first-teamtackle and Ali at guard. Beyond that, who knows? Maybe Smith gets the other guard spot, maybe Cobe Bryant plays right away? I assume the coaches still want a grad transfer or 2.
Morris - Ali - Howerton - Dennis - Thomas
Ike - Mossberg - Dennis - Brooks - Bryant
Webb, Gipson, and Smith provide additional depth at guard. One of them probably takes the second team spot ahead of Mossberg.
I don't think Livingston was going to start. Todora was going to fall behind at least Brooks in the pecking order. Wilds was going to be third team. Barton, I think, was going to be backup center and is probably the other second string lost outside of Livingston.
They will definitely take a GT. I wouldn't be surprised to see a GT brought in to start at RG, which would shift Dennis to backup center. I'd really like to see Smith take a step forward and he and Webb grab those backup guard positions. Will be interesting to watch in the spring. Smith spent some time as a frosh at LT, so might be something to look at in the spring if they want to develop Bryant as a swing tackle and redshirt Ike. Gipson seems like a recent move, not sure what that is all about beyond the crazy number of players we have at DT and trying to balance both sides of the line. With him switching, if we take a OL GT it would give us 14, just one short of the target.
A. Every indication was that the staff was hoping Livingston would press for a starting job last year before he got hurt, and if he didn't start this year, who would you have pegged to start ahead of him? It would be great if someone stepped up and wrestled the job away, but he sure looked like he was going to have the inside track.
B. What do you base the Todora/Brooks comment on, Brooks' highlight video? Maybe Todora isn't Larry Allen, but many coaches want all freshman linemen to redshirt, and Todora, for all of his strengths and weaknesses, has a couple of years of experience and is very strong. Maybe Brooks would have jumped past him, but it's hard to see how you can say that with any kind of confidence.
C. Sure hope you all are right about a graduate transfer or two coming in to shore up the line.
D. Gipson seems like a move made out of sheer necessity. With the injuries he has had, I hope he can contribute somewhere.
E. The fact is we don't really know what is there in those backup guys. It's fine to bench Dennis, as some want to do ... if you have someone better to play guard. Do we? Who knows? There were times he played last year and looked OK, and we don't know if any of the others can match or exceed that.