'14 JUCO OT Dontavius Blair (UT SIGNEE 12/18/13)

[SoMissVol]

For the sake of the 2015 season, I'm hoping this guy turns it around and plays like a top rated JUCO.

If he can play LT, then we can go:

Blair
Jackson
Crowder/Weisman
Kerbyson/Weisman
Kendrick/Kerbyson

Robertson, Thomas, and all the freshman can hopefully redshirt and get ready for 2016.

Would love to see these guys redshirt next year. Raulerson may be ready for some looks at tackle next year as well. He was a mean dude on film. Not to mention Sanders. I would love to see this as our OL next year:

LT-Blair/Kendrick
LG-Jackson/Sanders
C-Crowder/Weisman
RG-Kerbyson/Pair
RT-Kendrick/Raulerson

With a full underclassmen OL class playing these positions and getting ready for when all of these guys graduate:

LT-Richmond/Hall
LG-Robertson/Stewart
C-Thomas
RG-Mosley/Boulware
RT-Jones/Hall

Wishful thinking at best here, of course.

 

[Ron Swanson]

He was one of the weakest offensive linemen when he arrived and I think it took some time for him to really understand what it takes to play at this level. Apparently he's beginning to grasp that and that's why they have some hope for him.

-Fortenberry

 

[wilrob75]

I do not have first hand knowledge but, as several posters have already stated, I believe Blair is being red-shirted this year in order to have him at his best in 2015 and 2016. I think he came in out of shape, has had trouble adjusting to the speed of the SEC game, and potentially the offensive scheme (such as it is) eludes him still.

Obviously, if he were truly excellent, he would be playing right now. If, however, he were an absolute bust, he would've gotten some time against UTC, etc., so we could move him through the program as quickly as possible rather than him taking up a scholarship for three years with a redshirt. The idea of the redshirt indicates to me that CBJ, et al., think he can contribute in a year's time and may be a starter his jr. and sr. seasons.

This is probably (and hopefully) the answer.

 

[philly1972]

he looks awfully soft and small to bench 330....i just dont see it.

good call!

 

[PrattvilleVol]

weighs 300 and only benches 330? ive seen kids that weigh 150 bench that much

I benched 345 at 210lbs...at 36 years old. This big fellow needs serious S&C and nutrition

 

[m1al]

I benched 345 at 210lbs...at 36 years old. This big fellow needs serious S&C and nutrition

Not saying he should or could be stronger but some of that has to do with build, i.e. long arms don't translate very well to big numbers on bench..

 

[nicksjuzunk]

Blair you will be starting for UT in 14 months. Be smart!!

Well... :ermm:

 

[The Breakerboy]

Not saying he should or could be stronger but some of that has to do with build, i.e. long arms don't translate very well to big numbers on bench..

Man look I have long arms for my size. I'm going after 500 on the bench this winter/spring. I'm only 192lbs, he needs to put the work in. 330lbs is body weight for him so that should happen easily.

 

[m1al]

Man look I have long arms for my size. I'm going after 500 on the bench this winter/spring. I'm only 192lbs, he needs to put the work in. 330lbs is body weight for him so that should happen easily.

I agree he should be putting work in. D1 sports = HARD A$$ WORK!

As far as the long arms idea, I stand corrected.....

 

[VOLorNuttin]

I benched 345 at 210lbs...at 36 years old. This big fellow needs serious S&C and nutrition

And some HGH to go with that. Seems like CBJ hinted at the strength levels being an issue, each time the media asked him what's going on with Blair. He was pretty vague, but did throw the subtle hint in there.

It's a shame because we really needed him. And it really hurt not having Orlando Brown being part of this class. He was your prototypical RT. Rather than playing Coleman Thomas as a true freshman, I'd much rather have played Brown.

So, if Blair was what we thought we were getting and if Brown had signed and qualified academically, this team's fortune would be dramatically different, IMHO.

There would have still been some growing pains, but we'd have a much better unit. This is why I think we have to sign twice as many OL as we normally would, in this 2015 class.

 

[mrorange211]

Oh yeah, I can throw a football over those mountains!

 

[Appalachiamuck]

Man look I have long arms for my size. I'm going after 500 on the bench this winter/spring. I'm only 192lbs, he needs to put the work in. 330lbs is body weight for him so that should happen easily.

Bench shirt or no?

 

[LaagerVol]

I agree he should be putting work in. D1 sports = HARD A$$ WORK!

As far as the long arms idea, I stand corrected.....

Long arms definitely is a detriment on the bench press, but it isn't as big a deal as some make it out to be. Generally speaking a more compact person has an advantage but a long armed person can still be plenty strong.

With that said, bench press gets discussed a lot, and I'm not saying it doesn't matter, but there are much more important things than that when it comes to OL. Squats, cleans, etc. Cosey Coleman was a pretty good OL for us and he only had like 19 reps on the bench at the combine. It helps to have a strong upper body, but it isn't a deal breaker if an OL can't bench 550.

 

[LaagerVol]

Bench shirt or no?

I HATE those things. How is using one of those in any way and indication of how strong a person is??

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Bench shirt or no?

Bench daddy IMO, jmo, TIFWIW

 

[ACvol3]

Man look I have long arms for my size. I'm going after 500 on the bench this winter/spring. I'm only 192lbs, he needs to put the work in. 330lbs is body weight for him so that should happen easily.

Are you 6'8 with over a 7' wingspan benching right at 500? If u are, u need to call up Magnus Ver Magnuson because u should be a star on worlds strongest man.

 

[m1al]

Long arms definitely is a detriment on the bench press, but it isn't as big a deal as some make it out to be.

I know, it just wasn't worth arguing about.

 

[VAVolsFan2009]

Oh dear!! Blair lost his sticky status!!!!! How the mighty have fallen. LOL

I would guess that Blair's lift weights have increased significantly over the past 3-4 months. If he wants it bad enough, he'll get there. The S&C staff will get him where he needs to be. Will be interesting to see him in the spring.

 

[flowd82]

Man look I have long arms for my size. I'm going after 500 on the bench this winter/spring. I'm only 192lbs, he needs to put the work in.

 

[LebanonVolunteer]

Bingo. The whole 192 benching 500? I say BS. I have a friend who is 6'5 250 who has been lifting for the past 10 years and he can't bench that much. Not saying it can't happen but I think dude is trying to make himself sound like something he is not.

Going from a 1 rep max of 225 to 500 will be tough for sure.

500 at 192 is not unheard of, but not a common thing at all. I have a friend who still trains as a power lifter and he does right at 620 at 178. He competes in major events though, it's not a hobby. He makes a living doing it.

 

[Nashvegas31]

Bingo. The whole 192 benching 500? I say BS. I have a friend who is 6'5 250 who has been lifting for the past 10 years and he can't bench that much. Not saying it can't happen but I think dude is trying to make himself sound like something he is not.

Depends on how you train and what your training for. It's def possible. He loves to brag though so who knows. That usually means bs

 

[Skullbone]

Bench Press World Record - Bench-pressing.com

The world record for men weighing 163lbs or less is 490.
The world record for men weighing 182lbs or less is 540.
The world record for men weighing 205lbs or less is 541.

 

[LebanonVolunteer]

Bench Press World Record - Bench-pressing.com

The world record for men weighing 163lbs or less is 490.
The world record for men weighing 182lbs or less is 540.
The world record for men weighing 205lbs or less is 541.

I would guess those records are "raw". Meaning they do not use a powerlifting shirt/suit when doing it.

Most people who compete are doing so with a bench shirt on and it does make a big difference # wise.

 

[sigchig]

At 137 lbs I could bench 325 and squat 465. I had advantages, I'm short and very stout. I had a really good strength program and wrestled, which also helped. So, percentage-wise I think that is pretty impressive. I think anyone that can more than double their weight in bench and triple their weight in squat is impressive. Of course, that was years ago and a broken L4 vertebrae compression fracture due to squatting and a cervical spinal fusion surgery later. I am not bragging, just saying ridiculous numbers for your size are certainly possible with the right variables.

 

[Skullbone]

Oh bench shirts. I didn't include those figures because they're not listed anywhere. I think bench shirts are frowned upon as far as record keeping goes. Anything that can make a 300lb difference in a person's bench press is illegitimate in my opinion.