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Football Roster - wow

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Football Roster - wow

Postby JasonB » Fri Aug 16, 2019 3:41 pm

After the latest news, let's have a look, shall we?

It is amazing to see how far the roster has come from a recruiting rating standpoint. Just 4 years ago, we would have 1 or 2 3 stars at each position and that is about it.

From a recruiting perspective, our weakest positions are actually DE and CB.

QB: One 4 star, two solid 3 stars (Gipson, Brown) and a lower 3 star (Upshaw).

RB: Three solid 3 stars (McDaniels, Bentley, Williams), 1 lower 3 star (Jones), and a 2 star (Freeman)

WR: One 4 star (Sanders), 2 upper 3 stars (Burns, Proche), 3 solid 3 stars(Wiggins, Rice, Roberson), 2 lower 3 stars (Bell, Page), and a 2 star (Galliard)

TE: One 4 star (James), 1 solid 3 star (Becker), 2 lower 3 stars (Redding, Rau), and a bunch of transfers.

OL: Two upper 3 stars (Ike, Ali), 3 solid 3 stars (Shelmire, Brooks, Howerton), 6 lower 3 stars (Mossberg, Web, Smith, Bryant, Morris, Thomas) and a 2 star (Dennis)

DE: 1 solid 3 star (McNeal), 4 lower 3 stars (Paul, Walls, Ndukwe, Wiley), 4 2 stars (Scott, Neals, Coxe, Choate)

DT: 2 upper 3 stars (Dotson, Abercrumbia), 5 lower 3 stars (Gary, Biggurs, Brown, Chatman, Loveless), 2 two stars (Jones, Newman)

LB: 1 4 star (McBryde), 1 upper 3 star (Moore), 1 solid 3 star (Nelson), 5 low 3 stars (Ellison, Spears, Phillips, Eispress, Duke), 3 2 stars (Ward, Robinson, Hailey)

S: 2 4 stars (Calloway, Jones), 1 upper 3 star (Johnson), 1 solid 3 star (Clay), 2 lower 3 stars (Roberson, Denbow), 2 2 stars (Cromartie, Clemons)

CB: 1 upper 3 star (Stephens), 1 solid 3 star (Westfall), 2 lower 3 stars (Hayes, Sutton), 4 2 stars (Davis, Johnson, Keys, Guy-Robinson)
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Re: Football Roster - wow

Postby SmooBoy » Fri Aug 16, 2019 3:51 pm

I'm impressed with Sonny and company early in year 2.

Hoping this translates to W's and not crippling disappointment.
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Re: Football Roster - wow

Postby Charleston Pony » Fri Aug 16, 2019 8:14 pm

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Re: Football Roster - wow

Postby 78pony » Fri Aug 16, 2019 11:19 pm

SmooBoy wrote:I'm impressed with Sonny and company early in year 2.

Hoping this translates to W's and not crippling disappointment.

At least we have experience with the latter - a ton.
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Re: Football Roster - wow

Postby JasonB » Sat Aug 17, 2019 12:02 pm

Sounds like McNeal is gone. That said, he is actually one of the lowest rated transfers? Crazy... I think that is a bummer because at minimum he was going to be a help on special teams.

Potential weaknesses and things to keep your eye on:
- Don't have a dominant Offensive Lineman. Someone to focus the run game around. I suspect this is part of the reason why they have tinkered with switching Howerton with Ali on the line. Ali is a more physical player and could give a stronger push in the middle, providing us a player to focus around. If Thomas can make the leap in year two that Beachum did, that could be a big deal as well if we can get someone who can consistently seal the edge.
- While the offensive line should be better as a unit, pay close attention in the first two games how much the TE stays in, and who they are playing at TE. If the OL is a strong enough unit, the TE will catch a lot of passes this year, you will see a lot of the Rice transfer, and there will be some explosive plays. If OL isn't great, you are going to see a lot of blocking. This will be a key tell on what the upside of the team is this season.
- At RB, we have a lot more size than last year. West was great, but wasn't big enough to stay in and block. With Williams increasing his size, and TJ being large, it gives the team the ability to leave an RB in to block and use the TE more in the passing game. If both the RB and TE are staying in, that is a huge red flag about the OL. If one or the other head out, that is much better. If the OL is really good, we would be able to get Granson and Bentley out running patterns at the same time, and that combined with Proche and Roberson would be an amazing number of playmakers on the field. These are all tells on how good the OL is expected to be.
- On the defensive line, two important things need to happen. We have depth all over the place, and that is awesome. We are going to be able to wear down a lot of teams. The first important thing is that Zach needs to stay healthy. He is the guy at DT who will require double teams, and that really disrupts the blocking schemes of opponents. The second important thing is that we need a DE that requires help to block. Again, we have a ton of solid players, and we have hit on lower rated recruits. That's great. But we need a guy who requires help off the edge and keep either the TE or RB in the backfield. Wiley, Ndukwe, maybe some others have the potential to be that guy. But that is really important for turning a good defense into a great defense.
- There is a major strategic change in how the DL will operate. Under the former coach, the DT role was to engage and take up blockers, and allow the LBs to run around and make plays. This took advantage of the smaller, quick LBs SMU was putting on the field (Nelson, Mitchell), and kept them from getting trucked by linemen. Under Rambo, the DTs are trying to make plays, not just eat space. This can be great in pass rush situations, but it also means that there are going to be plays where they get turned and the OL heads straight up field on an LB. We have already seen plays in the spring on video where RBs are breaking long runs. That is something to keep your eye on - are we exposing gaps, and are the LBs physical enough to engage with an OL and make a play on the ball carrier. This is going to put a lot of strain on our LB and S positions. So, again, the first couple of games watch and see if we are getting gashed on the runs up the middle. If we don't get players cleared at safety, the lack of depth at that position is going to be tested in a big way. If one of the transfer safeties is eligible and the Auburn LB plays a lot, that will cover us. If not, our smaller LBs and inexperienced safeties could really get exposed in the running game, which would cause the defense as a whole to take a step back from last season.

All of that said, we were a QB away from a West division championship last year, and now we have a QB. I expect SMU to be at the 8-10 game win level this season on that factor alone.
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Re: Football Roster - wow

Postby dalpony » Sat Aug 17, 2019 12:32 pm

Thanks JasonB - always appreciate your insight
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Re: Football Roster - wow

Postby mustangxc » Sun Aug 18, 2019 8:36 am

Given the typical JasonB curve I guess that means we have a 5-8 win team.
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Re: Football Roster - wow

Postby leopold » Sun Aug 18, 2019 3:05 pm

JasonB wrote:All of that said, we were a QB away from a West division championship last year, and now we have a QB. I expect SMU to be at the 8-10 game win level this season on that factor alone.



See, that's what I think.

- It's year two of the coaching staff, so they should be on the same page.
- We return 16 starters
- We may damn well have the best offensive specialists in the conference.
- We have 16 transfers coming in, some at key positions, and some of them are clearly bigger/more athletic/more experienced than their predecessors, specifically meaning...
- The ceiling should be higher for Buechele than it was for Hicks.
- The schedule is slightly more managable.

We have the chance to take a step forward at practically every position on the field this year, even with the holes on in the defensive secondary. I honestly think we have a chance to win every game and have hopes that we hit double digits, but we're a headcase program so the realist in me thinks. 6-6, 7-5.

But hope springs eternal in college football.
Welcome to the 2019 version of 'Cougin' it'
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