MikeHamiltonFan
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I want to recognize that Lane Kiffin despite our feelings about him generally, recognized that our OL was gutted and brought in some studs. I want to also recognize that when he came in, our offensive line absolutely sucked. We were starting some sweet and hard working walk on players out of necessity, and in key times (Alabama) they were blown up because they were not big and strong enough. He upgraded the position with some great gets the most obviously incredible of which is JaWuan James, and then Derek Dooley came in and kept the class together while adding James Stone who has been a steady contributor as a true freshman.
Our roster major contributors:
60 Carson Anderson OG
6-2 280 So. Sq. Florence, Ala. (Florence)
People keep calling him a junior for some reason. The guy took a redshirt. He is a major contributor $$$ and do not let anyone tell you any different. He is also not just a legacy schollie, the kid is going to help with depth. People who say he will transfer for PT must be burned by the white rapper Aaron Douglas. Some kids really do bleed orange, and Carson is one, would be very surprised to see him go.
72 Zach Fulton OL 6-5 315 Fr. HS Homewood, Ill. (Homewood-Flossmoor)
Stud. Only got better all year kind of like Bray. The staff is really high on him, and would put him in the barring injury lock for PT kind of position.
73 Darin Gooch C 6-3 305 So. Tr. Reno, Nev. (Butte JC)
Very disappointing to the staff. He was so overmatched (the weight he gained was not good weight when he tried to get to the right size) that it forced the staff to move over James Stone. Will be 3rd on the depth chart at C. If he gets better under Wylie, it could allow Stone to move, but no one is counting on that.
76 Daniel Hood OT 6-4 275 Fr. Sq. Knoxville (Catholic HS)
News of his demise is greatly exaggerated. The kid was bigger than Gooch last year (245 instead of 230) but he was not able to put on weight. Tried all summer, was sick and not able to put weight on. He has been putting in work with Wylie and following the plan for eating and he has gained a good amount of weight. Should be in the 2 deep at tackle next year.
70 Ja'Wuan James OT 6-7 313 Fr. HS Suwanee, Ga. (North Gwinnett)
SUPERSTAR. James should be an All American, perhaps by his junior year unless he gets hurt. He will be one of the best linemen in the SEC next year. When you think about how much stronger he could still get, it has to be scary for opposing teams. He may be moved to LT from RT, we will see in spring.
66 Marques Pair OL 6-6 275 Fr. HS Sumter, S.C. (Sumter)
Coaches wanted to bring him along slowly. They are pleased with his progress. This class really did not have misses at OL.
75 JerQuari Schofield OG 6-6 331 Fr. Sq. Aiken, S.C. (South Aiken HS)
Not a true freshman. Was playing incredibly well before he got hurt. He is definitely going to continue to contribute.
64 James Stone OL 6-4 295 Fr. HS Nashville (Maplewood)
Very intelligent player. Coaches were extremely impressed with his work at C. At one point there was concern with Gooch that maybe we needed a new JUCO C but between Stone and Crowder they feel good now.
71 Dallas Thomas OT 6-5 295 So. 1L Baton Rouge, La. (Scotlandville)
I was too hard on Dallas. He was injured during the games where he played like a matador, and in a way we could credit him with giving us Bray as a QB because of his whiffs that destroyed Matt Simms. He is a laid back giant. If he gets a fire he could be one of the best linemen on the team.
Coming:
?? Alan Posey OL 6'7" 305 Incoming freshman
Athens, GA. (Clarke Central)
He has grown in the last year, is almost 6'8 now. He hates Georgia and has to be a fan favorite after posting about himself on Volnation.
?? Kyler Kerbyson OL 6'5" 290 Incoming freshman
Knoxville, TN. (Catholic)
Local boy who along with Devrin Young could make us very proud. He is also the only local OL (not counting Crowder as local) who has the skill to be in the mix for PT as a freshman.
?? Mack Crowder OL 6'4" 270 Incoming freshman
Bristol, TN. (Tennessee)
This kid is significantly better than his Rivals Rankings. During the O&W game in the Spring expect him to be one of the starting centers. Depending on his progression and that of Gooch, Stone could be moved back but it is most likely that he will be the backup center heading into fall.
I believe at least 2 of the 3 are going to be here in January. It certainly helped J James getting here early last year. Working out with Bennie Wylie, getting used to college academics etc should help them be ready to contribute by next season.
Likely coming:
?? Marcus Jackson OG 6'2" 315 Incoming freshman
Vero Beach, FL (Vero Beach)
If he comes which seems almost certain at this point, Marcus will be an early enrollee as well.
?? Antonio Richardson 6'6" 310 Incoming freshman
Nashville, TN (Pearl-Cohn)
I do not believe the staff is as sure about him coming as they were two months ago. They still want him, but they may not get him. Leaving Ensworth for grades also could point to academic troubles in the future he would not share with the other guys on the list. Maybe James Stone could tutor another Nashville guy, James had an impressive ACT IIRC.
No longer a factor
77 Cody Pope C 6-6 290 Jr. Sq. Julian, Calif. (Cathedral Catholic)
Sweet vegan kid. Will not play another down for TN. I hope his arm recovers completely.
Several local East TN boys on the roster, several of them freshmen. They have the want it that you can see as they stare at a lake, but they will not play and that is a good thing. When you have a walk on starting at LB, or two walk ons at OL, it means you did not do a great job recruiting stud superstars, keeping them eligible, progressing in school etc.
Conclusion
Let Victor Thomas and Jarrod Shaw stand as an indictment of Fulmer's laziness in the time before he was canned. He is an OL guy. Garner brought Cosey Coleman, but Clifton, Anthony Herrera, Scott Wells etc are part of what at one time was a Fulmer machine. That machine broke completely...
Now we are rescued! Hiestand is an absolute superstar in player development (see his time at Illinois Harry Hiestand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) and he will be sending many of these young men on to fat paydays in the NFL.
OL is a major strength and by 2012 we should be pushing people around and seeing Bray, WR's and RBs have huge years.
Our roster major contributors:
60 Carson Anderson OG
6-2 280 So. Sq. Florence, Ala. (Florence)
People keep calling him a junior for some reason. The guy took a redshirt. He is a major contributor $$$ and do not let anyone tell you any different. He is also not just a legacy schollie, the kid is going to help with depth. People who say he will transfer for PT must be burned by the white rapper Aaron Douglas. Some kids really do bleed orange, and Carson is one, would be very surprised to see him go.
72 Zach Fulton OL 6-5 315 Fr. HS Homewood, Ill. (Homewood-Flossmoor)
Stud. Only got better all year kind of like Bray. The staff is really high on him, and would put him in the barring injury lock for PT kind of position.
73 Darin Gooch C 6-3 305 So. Tr. Reno, Nev. (Butte JC)
Very disappointing to the staff. He was so overmatched (the weight he gained was not good weight when he tried to get to the right size) that it forced the staff to move over James Stone. Will be 3rd on the depth chart at C. If he gets better under Wylie, it could allow Stone to move, but no one is counting on that.
76 Daniel Hood OT 6-4 275 Fr. Sq. Knoxville (Catholic HS)
News of his demise is greatly exaggerated. The kid was bigger than Gooch last year (245 instead of 230) but he was not able to put on weight. Tried all summer, was sick and not able to put weight on. He has been putting in work with Wylie and following the plan for eating and he has gained a good amount of weight. Should be in the 2 deep at tackle next year.
70 Ja'Wuan James OT 6-7 313 Fr. HS Suwanee, Ga. (North Gwinnett)
SUPERSTAR. James should be an All American, perhaps by his junior year unless he gets hurt. He will be one of the best linemen in the SEC next year. When you think about how much stronger he could still get, it has to be scary for opposing teams. He may be moved to LT from RT, we will see in spring.
66 Marques Pair OL 6-6 275 Fr. HS Sumter, S.C. (Sumter)
Coaches wanted to bring him along slowly. They are pleased with his progress. This class really did not have misses at OL.
75 JerQuari Schofield OG 6-6 331 Fr. Sq. Aiken, S.C. (South Aiken HS)
Not a true freshman. Was playing incredibly well before he got hurt. He is definitely going to continue to contribute.
64 James Stone OL 6-4 295 Fr. HS Nashville (Maplewood)
Very intelligent player. Coaches were extremely impressed with his work at C. At one point there was concern with Gooch that maybe we needed a new JUCO C but between Stone and Crowder they feel good now.
71 Dallas Thomas OT 6-5 295 So. 1L Baton Rouge, La. (Scotlandville)
I was too hard on Dallas. He was injured during the games where he played like a matador, and in a way we could credit him with giving us Bray as a QB because of his whiffs that destroyed Matt Simms. He is a laid back giant. If he gets a fire he could be one of the best linemen on the team.
Coming:
?? Alan Posey OL 6'7" 305 Incoming freshman
Athens, GA. (Clarke Central)
He has grown in the last year, is almost 6'8 now. He hates Georgia and has to be a fan favorite after posting about himself on Volnation.
?? Kyler Kerbyson OL 6'5" 290 Incoming freshman
Knoxville, TN. (Catholic)
Local boy who along with Devrin Young could make us very proud. He is also the only local OL (not counting Crowder as local) who has the skill to be in the mix for PT as a freshman.
?? Mack Crowder OL 6'4" 270 Incoming freshman
Bristol, TN. (Tennessee)
This kid is significantly better than his Rivals Rankings. During the O&W game in the Spring expect him to be one of the starting centers. Depending on his progression and that of Gooch, Stone could be moved back but it is most likely that he will be the backup center heading into fall.
I believe at least 2 of the 3 are going to be here in January. It certainly helped J James getting here early last year. Working out with Bennie Wylie, getting used to college academics etc should help them be ready to contribute by next season.
Likely coming:
?? Marcus Jackson OG 6'2" 315 Incoming freshman
Vero Beach, FL (Vero Beach)
If he comes which seems almost certain at this point, Marcus will be an early enrollee as well.
?? Antonio Richardson 6'6" 310 Incoming freshman
Nashville, TN (Pearl-Cohn)
I do not believe the staff is as sure about him coming as they were two months ago. They still want him, but they may not get him. Leaving Ensworth for grades also could point to academic troubles in the future he would not share with the other guys on the list. Maybe James Stone could tutor another Nashville guy, James had an impressive ACT IIRC.
No longer a factor
77 Cody Pope C 6-6 290 Jr. Sq. Julian, Calif. (Cathedral Catholic)
Sweet vegan kid. Will not play another down for TN. I hope his arm recovers completely.
Several local East TN boys on the roster, several of them freshmen. They have the want it that you can see as they stare at a lake, but they will not play and that is a good thing. When you have a walk on starting at LB, or two walk ons at OL, it means you did not do a great job recruiting stud superstars, keeping them eligible, progressing in school etc.
Conclusion
Let Victor Thomas and Jarrod Shaw stand as an indictment of Fulmer's laziness in the time before he was canned. He is an OL guy. Garner brought Cosey Coleman, but Clifton, Anthony Herrera, Scott Wells etc are part of what at one time was a Fulmer machine. That machine broke completely...
Now we are rescued! Hiestand is an absolute superstar in player development (see his time at Illinois Harry Hiestand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) and he will be sending many of these young men on to fat paydays in the NFL.
OL is a major strength and by 2012 we should be pushing people around and seeing Bray, WR's and RBs have huge years.
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