Incoming Freshmen

[oldsmooguy]

Do any of the guys that signed this year have potential to start this coming year? I know there was a big question about the QB's after the spring game. Can Mark Hodges or Donnie Gilray step in and play. Everything else seems to be in good shape. Is this Barnett kid going to play RB or WR. This guy is really short. You talked about moving him to WR but I think he would be more effective @ RB.

[Kiper]

That's true, RB is his natural position, but we're graduating four WRs this year. And we need to re-stock the wideouts with great athletes. Barnett qualifies.

Besides, with the success ShanDerrick Charles and Keylon Kincade have had so early in their careers, how much of a chance would Barnett get to play back there? WR might be his best shot.

[Hoofprint]

Both freshman tight ends could play as true freshmen. Ryan Kennedy is a tall fast guy with good hands, and Darrin Johnson is a huge guy who could cause matchup problems for defenses, both as a receiver and as an extra blocker. This is not to say they're going to unseat Hampton or even Hrncir, but they are talented enough that they might get into the rotation. They give the coaches a lot of options.

[hpfan]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by oldsmooguy:
<B>Do any of the guys that signed this year have potential to start this coming year? I know there was a big question about the QB's after the spring game. Can Mark Hodges or Donnie Gilray step in and play. Everything else seems to be in good shape. Is this Barnett kid going to play RB or WR. This guy is really short. You talked about moving him to WR but I think he would be more effective @ RB.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
only 20% of the incoming freshman are on campus daily for training.if they as a group want to contribute they better get there.Eidson is a stud which should play alot and many like karrington can have spot roles as is already big and fast. Gilroy is maybe least likely to contribute as he is least familiar with the system and did not throw much in high school. hopefully july will be a better month for attendance..

[Pony Up]

From everything I've read, WR James Elliott might get a chance to play early. Coach Bennett sounds like he wants to have a ton of receivers rolling in and out of the game, and Elliott is big and fast, and he has great hands. A big WR can be ready to play at the college level before a small guy. Guys like Cunningham and Cardwell are the exception, not the rule.

[HorsePower]

Here's my uneducated (hey, I'm no coach) opinion on the chances that each freshman will play this year.

Last year's gray shirts (Hulsey Smith and .... who was the other?): 35% chance for each

Anthony Barnett: 25%. Great talent, but there's a lot of talent at the skill positions. Hopefully we can save him for a year and let him get stronger while waiting his turn.

Mike Benson: 40%. We need offensive linemen, but OL is as hard as any position when making the jump from high school to college. And at 265 (his listed weight at signing), he's a little light to be forced into immediate duty.

Jamar Bey: 50%. Not likely on defense, but he's supposed to be extremely fast and athletic, which could make him valuable on special teams, particularly in blocking kicks.

Reggie Carrington: 10%. He's an inside linebacker, and barring an injury to Vic Viloria or D.D. Lee, he'll be best served to spend a year in the weight room.

Kelvin Cox: 25%. He certainly won't unseat KG or Jonas, but speed is always useful, and Coach Bennett likes to rotate fresh legs, in the secondary and on special teams.

Randy Denman: 60%. Would like to see him get heavier, but we're thin on the defensive line. If Marcus Walker and Allan Adami emerge, Denman might get the luxury of waiting a year, until Lute Croy and Warrie Birdwell graduate.

Grant Eidson: 60%. Again, he's a little light at 265. But he's got a very squatty build, and he's very strong. And he deep-snaps. Could be a valuable backup at deep snapper, center and/or guard.

James Elliott: 50%. Big kid who was very productive in high school and has a strong frame. Has great hands and runs very precise routes (I cheated -- I know a guy who's seen him play.) But the WR spot is crowded.

Daniel Francis: 20%. Great speed, great athlete. Will be a dynamo on special teams and as a scat-back type of receiver .... next season.

Robert Gilmore: 20%. Word is he's back fully from the knee surgery that cost him his senior HS season. But with an injury like that, it usually takes a full year to get back up to full speed, in terms of cutting and changing direction and reacting to an opponent's moves. No reason not to redshirt him.

Donnie Gilray: 15%. Bazooka arm, but he's a freshman QB. Playing as a true freshman is an awful lot to ask. Probably needs a full year and spring to start competing for playing time.

Martin Guidry: 55%. Was signed to play on either line, but the coaches have him listed (for now, at least) on the defensive side of the ball. Will benefit from added strength and size, but supposedly he has a nasty attitude on the field, which will help him compensate. If there's an injury to any of the top DTs, he could get some time.

Jamey Harper: 75%. Could be the early star of the class. He's perhaps the most natural athlete in the class, and can play defense and special teams. And Coach Bennett said Harper will get a look as an option QB for goal-line situations.

Mark Hodges: 15%. See Gilray.

Cole Horton: 20%. Thicker than Bey, but just a shade slower. With the Ponies' depth at LB, he likely will spend the year eating and lifting to bulk up to a DE.

Rolando Humphrey: 35%. He's small. But he's also exceedingly fast, and might be too talented to keep off the field, despite the coaches' desire to redshirt him.

Darrin Johnson: 40%. Biggest question mark in the class. What's his position? Coaches have him listed as a tight end, at least for now. Massive body, but he wasn't catching college passes at North Dallas HS. Might need a year to learn offense and develop receiving skills. But when he does, look out. Then again, he could move to either line in a year.

Brent Karrington: 20%. No need to rush a 245-pound DE. Bring him back next year at 260 and let him go to work.

Ryan Kennedy: 60%. Very fluid runner with large, soft hands. Looks like a poor man's Kellen Winslow, which is lofty praise, I realize. Better receiver than blocker so far. Could use a year to mature physically, but with the multiple-TE sets Coach Bennett plans to use, he could spell Hampton and Hrncir. And if Billy Ford should suffer an injury, Kennedy could play H-back.

Ryan Mentzel: 100%. Unless his leg falls off between now and August, he's our punter.

Dustin Morton: 60%. Reports suggest he's the closest to being ready of all the OL signees. Lots of power packed into his frame. He looks like an ideal back-up guard.

Mike Poulos: 20%. Only plays if numbers (injuries) require it. Supposedly he's a very good special teams blocker, so that could be his niche, early on.

Justin Rogers: 10%. Supposed to be a playmaker. Melvin Williams also was 205 when he signed, but any coach would like to sit a guy when he shows up at that size. They'll point him to the weight room and the cafeteria and tell him to spend every waking second in one spot or the other.

Chris Urbanus: 20%. Probably won't play this year. But unheralded signee from Alvarado might be line's anchor in a few years. Like Benson, he's supposed to be a brawler.

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Now before any parents freak out that I'm belittling their sons, I'm not. I hope they're all so good that they start every game and become freshman All-Americas. But coaches all want to redshirt as many guys as they can so they're older and bigger and stronger when they start. Hopefully our returning players will show enough that we can afford that luxury.

[PonyFan]

Anyone know who the other gray shirt was last year?

And what are the rules there? They can't practice, I believe. But are they allowed to hit the weight room with the rest of the team during their "off" year, or do they have to do that on their own, too?

How big is Hulsey Smith now?

[Big Cat]

What the hell is a gray shirt?

[SMUguy]

A gray shirt is a guy who signs but counts against NEXT year's scholarship limit. Hulsey Smith signed in Coach Cavan's last class, but didn't count until Coach Bennett's first class. He was enrolled at SMU this past year, but was not allowed to practice with the team or work out with the team. He was, however, able to take part in spring ball - which is why coaches agree to this practice.

[In Tate We Trust]

My hope is that the returning offensive linemen are so ready and healthy and well-prepared that none of the OL signees has to play this year. Not that they can't play, but it would be great to give them all another year of growing.