Couldn't help myself to take a swing of the bat here, not going to do "or"...
Offense
QB - JJ McCarthy
RB - Donovan Edwards
WR-X - Andrel Anthony
WR-Z - Cornelius Johnson
WR-Y - Ronnie Bell
LT - Ryan Hayes
LG - Trevor Keegan
C - Victor Oluwatimi
RG - Zak Zinter
RT - Karsen Barnhart
TE - Eric All
Defense
DE - Mike Morris
DE - Taylor Upshaw
DT - Mazi Smith
DT - Christopher Hinton
MIKE - Kalel Mullings
WILL - Junior Colson
Nickel - Ja'Den McBurrows
CB - DJ Turner
SS - RJ Moten
FS - Rod Moore
CB - Will Johnson
Special Teams
P - Tommy Doman
KR - Tommy Doman
PR - Ronnie Bell
KR - Blake Corum
Contributors
Offense - McNamara, Wilson, Henning, Clemons, Sainristil, Schoonmaker, Corum, Morris
Defense - McGregor, Harrell, Jenkins, Hill-Green, Hood, Green, Moore
Special Teams - Henning, Clemons
**UPDATED post-UA All American Game**
After watching the UA AA game, a couple things.
Will Johnson looked the part. He's big for a corner. They primarily had him playing off man pretty much the whole time he was out there, which let up some easy throws underneath but he drove on those routes and tackled well. If they tested him downfield, I missed it.
The couple times I saw Sabb mixed in coverage, there were some things to work on, particularly man technique and situational awareness. He did look big out there for a safety. He may need a little work before he's ready to go but I wouldn't be surprised to see him develop into a baller.
This Moore kid on the edge was a monster. If not for a penalty elsewhere on the field, he would've had 3 sacks and several other pressures. At one point, for a stretch of about 5 consecutive plays, he looked like a man possessed and was simply unblockable. He took the game MVP award for his efforts. He was already a top-100 recruit per 247 Composite and I wouldn't be surprised to see him pick up a 5th star when the final rankings come out given how he dominated against elite competition.
Looking forward to seeing Darrius Clemons and Zeke Berry in the All American Bowl this Saturday. Will post another update then. Tyler Morris was selected to play in this game but he's still coming off his ACL injury. He's going to be interesting simply because of his relationship with JJ.
Thoughts
I like this on paper. I see Edwards seeing more snaps at RB than Corum, even if Corum is the first guy on the field. Another receiver needs to step up as someone who can be a game changer. Look at what Smith-Njigba did for OSU vs Utah. Bell should be that and should be healthy but if he can get help from someone else that would be something. AA and CJ are probably the best bets to be "that guy." Clemons is the wild card. If he adjusts to the college game quickly, he could be a major contributor here if not find himself a starting job as a true freshman. He has all the physical tools coming in (6-3, 205, 4.37) and is an early enrollee.
I think JJ takes the reins next year. I don't expect Cade to just hand it to him, either. He's too much of a competitor and will do things this offseason to increase his athleticism, awareness and arm strength. I fully expect this competition to be a friendly bloodbath.
Not too many surprises on the line unless Jones or Atteberry really come on.
All and Schoonmaker both take a lot of reps at TE.
Mich is losing a lot of depth on the defensive line. Some young guys are going to have to step up and contribute on the interior, Jenkins in particular.
The MIKE backer gave me some issues. A few different things could happen here. Right now, I have Mullings stepping in. Another real possibility is moving Colson to MIKE and Hill-Green stepping into WILL. Another possibility is Jimmy Rolder (who had offers from OSU, LSU, WIS, Cincy, Iowa and others) is ready to go after fall camp. Would've been nice to have him early enroll but not to be. I reserve the right to change my mind here.
Secondary may very well be better than it was this year. I think Dax leaves but if he comes back, they'll be absolutely loaded. I think Sabb wins the open safety spot. May be a bold choice and I don't expect Moten and Paige to hand it to him. A couple guys could come down to play the nickel or from the outside but I like McBurrows. Will Johnson wins Gray's corner spot opposite Turner. They need some ball hawks back here. Too many dropped INTs this season.
Thoughts?
Offense
QB - JJ McCarthy
RB - Donovan Edwards
WR-X - Andrel Anthony
WR-Z - Cornelius Johnson
WR-Y - Ronnie Bell
LT - Ryan Hayes
LG - Trevor Keegan
C - Victor Oluwatimi
RG - Zak Zinter
RT - Karsen Barnhart
TE - Eric All
Defense
DE - Mike Morris
DE - Taylor Upshaw
DT - Mazi Smith
DT - Christopher Hinton
MIKE - Kalel Mullings
WILL - Junior Colson
Nickel - Ja'Den McBurrows
CB - DJ Turner
SS - RJ Moten
FS - Rod Moore
CB - Will Johnson
Special Teams
P - Tommy Doman
KR - Tommy Doman
PR - Ronnie Bell
KR - Blake Corum
Contributors
Offense - McNamara, Wilson, Henning, Clemons, Sainristil, Schoonmaker, Corum, Morris
Defense - McGregor, Harrell, Jenkins, Hill-Green, Hood, Green, Moore
Special Teams - Henning, Clemons
**UPDATED post-UA All American Game**
After watching the UA AA game, a couple things.
Will Johnson looked the part. He's big for a corner. They primarily had him playing off man pretty much the whole time he was out there, which let up some easy throws underneath but he drove on those routes and tackled well. If they tested him downfield, I missed it.
The couple times I saw Sabb mixed in coverage, there were some things to work on, particularly man technique and situational awareness. He did look big out there for a safety. He may need a little work before he's ready to go but I wouldn't be surprised to see him develop into a baller.
This Moore kid on the edge was a monster. If not for a penalty elsewhere on the field, he would've had 3 sacks and several other pressures. At one point, for a stretch of about 5 consecutive plays, he looked like a man possessed and was simply unblockable. He took the game MVP award for his efforts. He was already a top-100 recruit per 247 Composite and I wouldn't be surprised to see him pick up a 5th star when the final rankings come out given how he dominated against elite competition.
Looking forward to seeing Darrius Clemons and Zeke Berry in the All American Bowl this Saturday. Will post another update then. Tyler Morris was selected to play in this game but he's still coming off his ACL injury. He's going to be interesting simply because of his relationship with JJ.
Thoughts
I like this on paper. I see Edwards seeing more snaps at RB than Corum, even if Corum is the first guy on the field. Another receiver needs to step up as someone who can be a game changer. Look at what Smith-Njigba did for OSU vs Utah. Bell should be that and should be healthy but if he can get help from someone else that would be something. AA and CJ are probably the best bets to be "that guy." Clemons is the wild card. If he adjusts to the college game quickly, he could be a major contributor here if not find himself a starting job as a true freshman. He has all the physical tools coming in (6-3, 205, 4.37) and is an early enrollee.
I think JJ takes the reins next year. I don't expect Cade to just hand it to him, either. He's too much of a competitor and will do things this offseason to increase his athleticism, awareness and arm strength. I fully expect this competition to be a friendly bloodbath.
Not too many surprises on the line unless Jones or Atteberry really come on.
All and Schoonmaker both take a lot of reps at TE.
Mich is losing a lot of depth on the defensive line. Some young guys are going to have to step up and contribute on the interior, Jenkins in particular.
The MIKE backer gave me some issues. A few different things could happen here. Right now, I have Mullings stepping in. Another real possibility is moving Colson to MIKE and Hill-Green stepping into WILL. Another possibility is Jimmy Rolder (who had offers from OSU, LSU, WIS, Cincy, Iowa and others) is ready to go after fall camp. Would've been nice to have him early enroll but not to be. I reserve the right to change my mind here.
Secondary may very well be better than it was this year. I think Dax leaves but if he comes back, they'll be absolutely loaded. I think Sabb wins the open safety spot. May be a bold choice and I don't expect Moten and Paige to hand it to him. A couple guys could come down to play the nickel or from the outside but I like McBurrows. Will Johnson wins Gray's corner spot opposite Turner. They need some ball hawks back here. Too many dropped INTs this season.
Thoughts?
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