Dobbs 4 Heisman
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Just for a second, consider this train of thought. Last year we had a couple of players who either played very little (i.e. Jalen Reeves-Maybin) or very poorly (i.e. Joshua Dobbs) as true freshmen that made gigantic leaps as 2nd year players. Both went from backups to STARS. Its possible that we have another sophomore or two who will make the similar leap from year 1 backup to year 2 star. Who will be the Jalen Reeves-Maybin/Joshua Dobbs of this year? Maybe its Emmanuel Moseley. Its possible he develops into a lockdown corner opposite Cam Sutton to the point people begin talking about Tennessee having the best secondary in the country instead of Florida. Maybe its Ethan Wolfe and he gets talked about as one of the best TEs in the country. Maybe its Todd Kelly Jr. and Evan Berry supplanting the two seniors ahead of them on the depth chart? All I'm saying is we have alot of 2nd year players with the potential to be STARS.
Now onto the true freshmen. Just like last year, we have another stellar group of highly touted freshmen coming in. We all thought Jalen Hurd would be a stud. And he didn't dissapoint. Likewise there are high expectations for Kahlil McKenzie. And I'm confident he'll also live up them. However, at this time last year no one knew Derek Barnett would be a SUPERSTAR from the day 1. No one knew Jashon Robertson would start every game and prove to be one of the best offensive lineman on the team. Who will be the Derek Barnett/Jashon Robertson of this class? Some might say freshmen starting is a bad sign. I say some freshmen (like Cam Sutton in 2013 or Derek Barnett in 2014) are too good to bench even on championship caliber teams.
Now I know the negavols are ready to come and be buzzkills so I'll give them this little nugget. Its also possible some of our stud 1st year players regress in year 2 like Marquez North. Whether its injuries or just ineffective play. And obviously everything I said depends solely on the health of Joshua Dobbs. This team will only go as far as he takes it. However, I made this long post just to say that this team has the potential to be ALOT BETTER than even the most optimistic predictions. I wouldn't limit their ceiling to simply going 10-2 and being a sacrificial lamb to the western division champion in Atlanta. Its possible that if things breaks right for us, that we could go 11-1, win the SEC Championship, and maybe make a cinderella run to the national championship like Ohio State did last season. I'm not saying this will happen. Just saying I wouldn't count this team out.
Now onto the true freshmen. Just like last year, we have another stellar group of highly touted freshmen coming in. We all thought Jalen Hurd would be a stud. And he didn't dissapoint. Likewise there are high expectations for Kahlil McKenzie. And I'm confident he'll also live up them. However, at this time last year no one knew Derek Barnett would be a SUPERSTAR from the day 1. No one knew Jashon Robertson would start every game and prove to be one of the best offensive lineman on the team. Who will be the Derek Barnett/Jashon Robertson of this class? Some might say freshmen starting is a bad sign. I say some freshmen (like Cam Sutton in 2013 or Derek Barnett in 2014) are too good to bench even on championship caliber teams.
Now I know the negavols are ready to come and be buzzkills so I'll give them this little nugget. Its also possible some of our stud 1st year players regress in year 2 like Marquez North. Whether its injuries or just ineffective play. And obviously everything I said depends solely on the health of Joshua Dobbs. This team will only go as far as he takes it. However, I made this long post just to say that this team has the potential to be ALOT BETTER than even the most optimistic predictions. I wouldn't limit their ceiling to simply going 10-2 and being a sacrificial lamb to the western division champion in Atlanta. Its possible that if things breaks right for us, that we could go 11-1, win the SEC Championship, and maybe make a cinderella run to the national championship like Ohio State did last season. I'm not saying this will happen. Just saying I wouldn't count this team out.