2011 seniors vs. recruiting needs

[giacfsp]

The guys listed on the SMU roster as seniors this season are:
Chris Banjo
Kelvin Beachum, Jr.
Cole Beasley
J.T. Brooks
Chris Castro
Richard Crawford
Szymon Czerniak
Marquis Frazier
Kevin Grenier
Bryce Lunday
J.J. McDermott
Blake McJunkin
Randy McKinnon
Justin Sorrell
Bryce Tennison
Taylor Thompson
Kelly Turner
Terrance Wilkerson
He's listed as a junior, but I assume Josh LeRibeus is on the list of 2011 seniors, too.

That's an incredible senior class. Break it down by position, and you get:
OL: 6
DB: 4
DL: 4
WR: 2
QB: 1
RB: 1
LB: 1

I used to think LB was going to be a position of need, but we have recruited several in recent years and several players have been moved to LB from other positions. We're going to have to recruit good linemen on both sides of the ball, as we lose a lot to graduation this year (just hope academic casualties don't affect the lines). We get another year of Zach Line after this season, but until we really know what we have in K.C. Nlemchi and Jared Williams, I'd like to see at least one RB in this class. WRs always are a must until 4 (or preferably 5 or 6) show that they're real players. QB every year should be a given.

[No Quarter]

I think a critical thing is how much playing time the second OL gets this fall and how much the next incoming class can push the returnees.

Looks to me like a considerable drop-off is to be expected in 2012.

[The Q]

So far, we have a slot receiver (Robert Lewis), a defensive back (Colin Lagasse), a running back (Prescott Line), two defensive ends (Brian Cramer and Elie Namushosi) and an athlete (Daijuan Stewart).

With the size of the 2011 senior class, I'd say it's safe to say we will sign a full 25. The list of needs could change due to injuries and attrition, but this class should include

1 QB
2 RB (in case Line ends up moving to ILB, which might be a possibility)
6 OL
6 DL (at least two of the four that need to be added have to be NTs)
4 WR
3 CB
2 S
1 K/P

[No Quarter]

The Q projected a 2012 recruiting class.

I 'd like to see a couple of LB in the mix for continuity sake, maybe at the expense of one each OL and DL, the latter not to be a NT.

[Roach]

I agree. We have a lot of LBs now, but several are unproven or "project" types - either walk-ons or guys moving from other positions. That doesn't mean they can't play, just that we don't know exactly what they can do. To that end, I'd like to see a couple of LBs - one big, thick, mean ILB and a speed guy to bring off the edge.

[westexSMU]

I like the DL recruits we got in 2011, but unless we recruit more quality big and fast DLs this year ( hopefully a JUCO DL included), SMU will have a serious depth problem next year on the defensive line.

[Dark Horse]

Not to echo the BUS theme song, but we always need more linemen (on both sides of the ball). A team simply can't have too many.

[Lefty]

I agree. We're not only losing 6 offensive linemen, but we're losing six who are experienced, guys who have played a lot. Talent is great, but you can't just replace experience. I would say we should sign 7 or maybe even 8 offensive linemen.

[SMUguy]

It would be very helpful to sign 7 or 8 offensive linemen, but there probably isn't room in the class. The defensive line needs to be reinforced (Thompson, Frazier, Szerniak, Grenier), as does the secondary (Banjo, Crawford, Sorrell, Castro).

Don't the NCAA holdovers now count against next year's class? If so, that means we can add 22 next year. Make it even 7 offensive linemen, and we're down to 14. Four or five defensive linemen, four or five defensive backs, and there's almost no room left in the class.

Or am I missing something obvious here?

[Stallion]

yeah theoretically you don't replace 2011 graduating OLM in 2012-you do it in 2010 and 2011-but we only signed 3 in 2010 and 4 in 2011 and lost one so we probably a little short. Hopefully, they get redshirted so they are in your program 5 years instead of 4 so you can take a few less OLM. We've already offered 16 more than any position but still looking for our first OLM commitment