The Biggest Unknown

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

Everyone likes to talk about whether we’ll get Orange Bowl Milton or 2021 Pitt Milton, will the secondary be able to defend anything, etc. Those are valid concerns (although I’m not too worried about Joe), but I think our biggest question mark is the offensive line. Darnell is obviously going to be very difficult to replace, and Jerome was a solid, dependable left guard.

Having Mays and Spraggins back is huge, as is having two guys who played a lot of snaps at LT. It seems, from what I’ve read, like there’s some flux with all the positions other than center and RG, though.

For those who watched the O&W game more closely and/or are good at reading between the lines of practice reports, what do you see as our lineup coming out of spring? Do JJ and Gerald have either or both of the tackle spots locked up? Can John Campbell make a push over the summer and in Fall camp?

And what do we need to happen at left guard? I worry that if Andrej Karic doesn’t get it together and Addison Nichols can’t step into that role as a redshirt freshman, we may be hurting.

Right now, I see the floor for this team at 9-3, and the ceiling at 12-0 and beyond. I think we go 11-1 or 10-2. We’ve got a qb who’s a veteran and while maybe not as skilled as the last guy, is more physically gifted by a fair margin. We’ve got a defense that almost can’t help but improve at every position as long as someone fills BY’s shoes. We’ve got a very fine corps of receivers with tested, reliable playmakers (Keyton, White) and guys ready to break out (Bru, Thornton). We’ve got an absolutely stacked running back room that returns a multi-year starter, a junior who had a very good year last year but who I can’t help but think has only scratched the surface, a speedster who showed flashes as a gangly freshman and now has a year under his belt, and some dynamic freshmen, Cam Seldon in particular. The tight ends are slight concern: we need Davis healthy and for Castles to step up in a big way.

The thing that could really either hold us back or put us on the front foot, though, is o-line play.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Agreed. OL is gonn be NC the biggest issue. Hubbs and AP has said that. Nearly everyone has. Bad thing is if the OL plays poorly, Milton will likely get the blame. It doesn’t matter how good of a QB you are. If your OL isn’t good, then you are doomed.

 

[RockyTopTexas]

In my honest opinion…
Joe will prob miss a few throws this year. I think it will show in a close game when we need it.

 

[Voldog1998]

Biggest worries for me anyway are def the OL and Joe’s accuracy I got us going 9-3 or 8-4.

 

[DaddyChad]

My honest opinion is Hooker carried this team most of last year. Idk that Milton can do that and I know he shouldn’t have to do that. Defense must improve and make us a more balanced team. If we can get some better play out of the secondary I think Milton and the offense can be very good.

 

[cherokeeeVOL]

Agreed. I think we’ve got a great O-line coach though. Best we’ve had in a while.

 

[GritNGrind1906]

The OL concerns me as well. Wright was elite last year but losing Carvin is nearly as big. Not only was he an experienced and a sound IOL but his role as backup C was critically important with Mays being dinged up from time-to-time. Nichols is working at that backup C role but he is just a RS freshman at the most critical OL position in this offense.

Milton taking over for Hooker shouldn't be overlooked either. Hooker was able to save plays (and drives) with his running ability when the OL was beat but Milton does not have that same level of escapability.

From what I saw in the O&W game, Karic was pushed around and needs a lot more strength to play in the SEC. I am hopping Nichols has a great offseason and is able to take that LG spot.

 

[Vfl2407]

Are we looking for any immediate help for the oline in the portal?

 

[Hank Bukowski]

Agreed. OL is gonn be NC the biggest issue. Hubbs and AP has said that. Nearly everyone has. Bad thing is if the OL plays poorly, Milton will likely get the blame. It doesn’t matter how good of a QB you are. If your OL isn’t good, then you are doomed.

Joe can and hopefully will help himself and the offense by helping out his OL. He may need a quicker release and a faster route to his decision-making…like not holding onto the ball so long and deciding to tuck and run earlier. I mean the OL can’t block forever and Joe’s scrambling abilities are not yet one of his strong points.

 

[VOLfrombama]

From what AP and Hubbs said, Campbell took the LT position and ran with it. Mincey and Upchuck Crawford will end up duking it out for RT. Dayne Davis could also challenge there but sounds to me more like a serviceable backup (JMO based on the order in which they have been discussed). Davis, Crawford, and Mincey have all played LT tackle in live action too, so I expect them to continue to cross train there.

Lane, Nichols, and Karic will be fighting over the LG spot. It wouldn't surprise me to see Nichols take it as Hubbs (aka Eeyore) routinely gushed over his ability and work ethic multiple times during and after the spring. He spent all of spring working as the backup C but will move to the LG spot unless Mays can't go. I expect them all to work at RG in case Spraggins can't go.

Other mentions who, IF they have a really good summer and fall camp, could end up playing some snaps or possibly starting are Jackson Lampley, Parker Ball, and Vysen Lang. All three were more or less discussed pretty regularly and stayed with the 2s and 3s thru spring camp.

This is a good spot to be in. We have more depth at OL that we haven't had in years. We will need all those guys to play over the course of the season. Most of them have played already in live action, on the best (arguing with stats) offense in school history.

I think these spots are partially undecided because these coaches are encouraging hard work and competition. They'd be foolish to announce any starters or leaders before fall camp in the age of the portal.

 

[volmandu]

Campbell will man the LT with Spraggings/Mincey at RT. If Campbell goes down, one of them will move. Dayne Davis can help either tackle position and so can Andrej if needed.

Nichols will play LG with Andrej as back up. Crawford is RG.

Yes, replacing a Round 1 pick Darnell and very good option Jerome is gonna be hard but they have some good names. OL takes time to gel so don't get worried if they look a little disjointed early on.

 

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

From what AP and Hubbs said, Campbell took the LT position and ran with it. Mincey and Upchuck Crawford will end up duking it out for RT. Dayne Davis could also challenge there but sounds to me more like a serviceable backup (JMO based on the order in which they have been discussed). Davis, Crawford, and Mincey have all played LT tackle in live action too, so I expect them to continue to cross train there.

Lane, Nichols, and Karic will be fighting over the LG spot. It wouldn't surprise me to see Nichols take it as Hubbs (aka Eeyore) routinely gushed over his ability and work ethic multiple times during and after the spring. He spent all of spring working as the backup C but will move to the LG spot unless Mays can't go. I expect them all to work at RG in case Spraggins can't go.

Other mentions who, IF they have a really good summer and fall camp, could end up playing some snaps or possibly starting are Jackson Lampley, Parker Ball, and Vysen Lang. All three were more or less discussed pretty regularly and stayed with the 2s and 3s thru spring camp.

This is a good spot to be in. We have more depth at OL that we haven't had in years. We will need all those guys to play over the course of the season. Most of them have played already in live action, on the best (arguing with stats) offense in school history.

I think these spots are partially undecided because these coaches are encouraging hard work and competition. They'd be foolish to announce any starters or leaders before fall camp in the age of the portal.

This is exactly what I was looking for when I started the thread, thank you.

 

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

Campbell will man the LT with Spraggings/Mincey at RT. If Campbell goes down, one of them will move. Dayne Davis can help either tackle position and so can Andrej if needed.

Nichols will play LG with Andrej as back up. Crawford is RG.

Yes, replacing a Round 1 pick Darnell and very good option Jerome is gonna be hard but they have some good names. OL takes time to gel so don't get worried if they look a little disjointed early on.

I assume you got Spraggins and Crawford mixed up? You’re right though; I was probably worried about them gelling this time last year and they were the best we’ve had in a decade or more.

 

[VOLfrombama]

I don't expect anyone to replace D Wright, but Mincey and Crawford did a decent job in their first real action, so hopefully with another year they can take a big step forward.

 

[ButchPlz]

From what AP and Hubbs said, Campbell took the LT position and ran with it. Mincey and Upchuck Crawford will end up duking it out for RT. Dayne Davis could also challenge there but sounds to me more like a serviceable backup (JMO based on the order in which they have been discussed). Davis, Crawford, and Mincey have all played LT tackle in live action too, so I expect them to continue to cross train there.

Lane, Nichols, and Karic will be fighting over the LG spot. It wouldn't surprise me to see Nichols take it as Hubbs (aka Eeyore) routinely gushed over his ability and work ethic multiple times during and after the spring. He spent all of spring working as the backup C but will move to the LG spot unless Mays can't go. I expect them all to work at RG in case Spraggins can't go.

Other mentions who, IF they have a really good summer and fall camp, could end up playing some snaps or possibly starting are Jackson Lampley, Parker Ball, and Vysen Lang. All three were more or less discussed pretty regularly and stayed with the 2s and 3s thru spring camp.

This is a good spot to be in. We have more depth at OL that we haven't had in years. We will need all those guys to play over the course of the season. Most of them have played already in live action, on the best (arguing with stats) offense in school history.

I think these spots are partially undecided because these coaches are encouraging hard work and competition. They'd be foolish to announce any starters or leaders before fall camp in the age of the portal.

This. I'm actually excited about OL. I think the "flux" we see in that group has more to do with making sure we've got a bunch of guys workable anywhere on the line more than coaches being worried that nobody is talented enough to fill the spots.

 

[LittleVol]

Mincey got whipped 4 or 5 times in the spring game. He's too big, athletic and talented to be that inconsistent.

I'm worried about him.
He needs to be a lot better

 

[VOLfrombama]

Mincey got whipped 4 or 5 times in the spring game. He's too big, athletic and talented to be that inconsistent.

I'm worried about him.
He needs to be a lot better

He has about 3 months to do it, otherwise I think Upchuck takes the lead there

 

[tennesseeduke]

Biggest worries for me anyway are def the OL and Joe’s accuracy I got us going 9-3 or 8-4.

I think 10-2 is the floor. O line needs 1 more guard for depth. I keep saying the defense will improve. If we hold a team under 30 we have a shot in every game!

 

[Voldog1998]

I think 10-2 is the floor. O line needs 1 more guard for depth. I keep saying the defense will improve. If we hold a team under 30 we have a shot in every game!

I think our defense will be much improved this season

 

[volmandu]

I assume you got Spraggins and Crawford mixed up? You’re right though; I was probably worried about them gelling this time last year and they were the best we’ve had in a decade or more.

Yes. Thank you for pointing it out. Some reason my brian always mixes them

 

[snarcks]

I think our defense will be much improved this season

Agreed. Expecting a big jump on this side of the ball.

 

[orangebloodgmc]

From what AP and Hubbs said, Campbell took the LT position and ran with it. Mincey and Upchuck Crawford will end up duking it out for RT. Dayne Davis could also challenge there but sounds to me more like a serviceable backup (JMO based on the order in which they have been discussed). Davis, Crawford, and Mincey have all played LT tackle in live action too, so I expect them to continue to cross train there.

Lane, Nichols, and Karic will be fighting over the LG spot. It wouldn't surprise me to see Nichols take it as Hubbs (aka Eeyore) routinely gushed over his ability and work ethic multiple times during and after the spring. He spent all of spring working as the backup C but will move to the LG spot unless Mays can't go. I expect them all to work at RG in case Spraggins can't go.

Other mentions who, IF they have a really good summer and fall camp, could end up playing some snaps or possibly starting are Jackson Lampley, Parker Ball, and Vysen Lang. All three were more or less discussed pretty regularly and stayed with the 2s and 3s thru spring camp.

This is a good spot to be in. We have more depth at OL that we haven't had in years. We will need all those guys to play over the course of the season. Most of them have played already in live action, on the best (arguing with stats) offense in school history.

I think these spots are partially undecided because these coaches are encouraging hard work and competition. They'd be foolish to announce any starters or leaders before fall camp in the age of the portal.

Thank you for a rational write-up.