We are going to have a new president in the next year. We have two good candidates to be AD in Michael Alford and Jeff Puriton. Bruce Warwick was a great hire as Chief of Staff. I think Josh Storms gets our players motivated this offseason to reshape their bodies. I believe in Coach Norvell. He has already weeded out a lot, if not most, of the bad characters. There is definitely a small light at the end of the tunnel that I think we can start working towards. Lets take a look at our path forward the next year or two...
Offense:
Getting a grad transfer like Brady White or Shane Buchele would be a great one year fix to get us on track. We will certainly survive without one, but it could expedite our rise. I really like Jordan Travis and Chubba Purdy, but they could both use a little more seasoning. They could also use more time to strength train and get fully healthy. Not counting on us signing Luke Altmyer at this point, but we could certainly use him. I think we are in a good spot for Nicco Marrichol in the 2022 class.
The RB trio of Jashaun Corbin, La'Damien Webb and Lawrance Toafili is very good. Reminds me a lot of the RB corp we had with Antone Smith, Jermaine Thomas, and Ty Jones. They can be part of the solution for getting us back on track. Perhaps Jakhi Douglas or Corey Wren steps up. Rumors are that we might be in play for former 5 star Trey Sanders. We are still in play for Ke'Travion Hargrove. Getting one of those guys would be exciting. Either way, we should have a pretty talented backfield.
Ontaria Wilson appears to be stepping into a leadership role. He is a guy that can go off for 100 yards in any game. Keyshawn Helton is a leader too, but he needs to get healthy. I think Bryan Robinson steps up big-time next year, and maybe Warren Thompson finally finds his groove. Perhaps someone like Jordan Young, Darion Williamson, Kentron Poitier, Josh Burrell or Malik McClain steps up. Would jump for joy if we could land Destyn Hill. He is a playmaker. A reliable grad transfer would be helpful too. This unit in general needs to work on greatly reducing drops, their blocking and route running. Time for Dugans to earn his paycheck or we might need to consider replacing him.
Carmen McDonald is a good TE and getting Jordan Wilson healthy will be big. He is going to help a lot with the blocking schemes. I like Wyatt Rector and Preston Dial as well. Not sure if we can expect immediate production out of Koby Gross or Jackson West, but they will at least add depth. There will be some weapons in this offense. I am not counting on Carter Boatright or Markeston Douglas. Perhaps Douglas should move to DE?
The offensive line took a solid step forward this year. They are really young, but they are not a total train wreck like the were the last 4-5 years. I think they develop into a good unit over the next year or two. Getting DLT back is huge from both a player and leadership perspective. Maybe Baveon Johnson comes back as well. The young nucleus of Robert Scott, Darious Washington, Dontae Lucas, Thomas Shrader, and Maurice Smith is a good one. Brady Scott is a decent lineman as well. Guys like Zane Herring, Ira Henry, Rod Orr, Kimo Makenole and Bryson Estes could provide good depth. We obviously could use a transfer or two along the OL as well.
Defense:
Getting one or both of Janrious Robinson and Josh Kaindoh would be very nice for the 2021 defense. We could certainly use a grad transfer here as well. I really like the early signs I am seeing out of Derrick McClendon. He just needs to learn how to be consistent. Josh Griffis has some promise. He can be a solid player for us. Not sold on Quashon Fuller or Curtis Fann, but maybe they step forward. Perhaps a freshman such as TJ Davis, Byron Turner, Josh Farmer or Shambre Jackson could be a year one impact player.
I think Robert Cooper, Fabian Lovett, Dennis Briggs and Tru Thompson will be a solid two deep at DT. Again we could really use a grad transfer here. Maybe Jarrett Jackson or Malcom Ray steps up. We really need to find some quality DT’s for this class. Getting Ty Malone would be massive.
Emmett Rice returning would be huge. Sounds like that is a good possibility. Amari Gainer and Stephen Dix both have star potential. That's a very solid trio. They just need to continue working hard. Jaiden Woodbey is probably better suited as a linebacker. He isn’t fast enough to play safety. DJ Lundy might be ready to take the next step too. Perhaps Leonard Warner is bought in and returns. Outside of those 5-6 it would be nice to see someone like Jaleel McCrae, Kalen Deloach, Kevon Glenn, DeCalon Brooks or Jayion McCluster step up. Think we might pull Patrick Payton and/or Andrew Jones in this class. A grad transfer at LB could really help too.
I firmly believe we see our biggest improvement in the secondary next season. There is smoke we could get Hamsah Nasildereen back next season. Add Travis Jay, Brendan Gant, Sidney Williams and that is a really good two deep at safety. Perhaps Jadarius Green-McKnight steps up. He has talent. We are also bringing in some quality players with Omarrion Cooper, Kevin Knowles and Hunter Washington. If Hamsah leaves, it might be wise to look into the transfer market. I am confident that we find 3-4 really good corners out of Jarvis Brownlee, Mieko Dotson, Akeem Dent, Jarrion Jones, and Demorie Tate. Guys like Renardo Green and Raymond Woodie provides quality depth in the secondary.
Special Teams:
Our Aussie freshman punter is fantastic and I really like Parker Groathous. He is currently better than Ryan Fitzgerald. Jay and Douglas needs to do a better job in the return game.
At the end of the day, if we can bring in some quality grad transfers, have a full offseason that the players can get proper conditioning, learn Norvell's system, and get some strong leadership from the Administration above, that could all go a long way to getting us back to winning football!
Offense:
Getting a grad transfer like Brady White or Shane Buchele would be a great one year fix to get us on track. We will certainly survive without one, but it could expedite our rise. I really like Jordan Travis and Chubba Purdy, but they could both use a little more seasoning. They could also use more time to strength train and get fully healthy. Not counting on us signing Luke Altmyer at this point, but we could certainly use him. I think we are in a good spot for Nicco Marrichol in the 2022 class.
The RB trio of Jashaun Corbin, La'Damien Webb and Lawrance Toafili is very good. Reminds me a lot of the RB corp we had with Antone Smith, Jermaine Thomas, and Ty Jones. They can be part of the solution for getting us back on track. Perhaps Jakhi Douglas or Corey Wren steps up. Rumors are that we might be in play for former 5 star Trey Sanders. We are still in play for Ke'Travion Hargrove. Getting one of those guys would be exciting. Either way, we should have a pretty talented backfield.
Ontaria Wilson appears to be stepping into a leadership role. He is a guy that can go off for 100 yards in any game. Keyshawn Helton is a leader too, but he needs to get healthy. I think Bryan Robinson steps up big-time next year, and maybe Warren Thompson finally finds his groove. Perhaps someone like Jordan Young, Darion Williamson, Kentron Poitier, Josh Burrell or Malik McClain steps up. Would jump for joy if we could land Destyn Hill. He is a playmaker. A reliable grad transfer would be helpful too. This unit in general needs to work on greatly reducing drops, their blocking and route running. Time for Dugans to earn his paycheck or we might need to consider replacing him.
Carmen McDonald is a good TE and getting Jordan Wilson healthy will be big. He is going to help a lot with the blocking schemes. I like Wyatt Rector and Preston Dial as well. Not sure if we can expect immediate production out of Koby Gross or Jackson West, but they will at least add depth. There will be some weapons in this offense. I am not counting on Carter Boatright or Markeston Douglas. Perhaps Douglas should move to DE?
The offensive line took a solid step forward this year. They are really young, but they are not a total train wreck like the were the last 4-5 years. I think they develop into a good unit over the next year or two. Getting DLT back is huge from both a player and leadership perspective. Maybe Baveon Johnson comes back as well. The young nucleus of Robert Scott, Darious Washington, Dontae Lucas, Thomas Shrader, and Maurice Smith is a good one. Brady Scott is a decent lineman as well. Guys like Zane Herring, Ira Henry, Rod Orr, Kimo Makenole and Bryson Estes could provide good depth. We obviously could use a transfer or two along the OL as well.
Defense:
Getting one or both of Janrious Robinson and Josh Kaindoh would be very nice for the 2021 defense. We could certainly use a grad transfer here as well. I really like the early signs I am seeing out of Derrick McClendon. He just needs to learn how to be consistent. Josh Griffis has some promise. He can be a solid player for us. Not sold on Quashon Fuller or Curtis Fann, but maybe they step forward. Perhaps a freshman such as TJ Davis, Byron Turner, Josh Farmer or Shambre Jackson could be a year one impact player.
I think Robert Cooper, Fabian Lovett, Dennis Briggs and Tru Thompson will be a solid two deep at DT. Again we could really use a grad transfer here. Maybe Jarrett Jackson or Malcom Ray steps up. We really need to find some quality DT’s for this class. Getting Ty Malone would be massive.
Emmett Rice returning would be huge. Sounds like that is a good possibility. Amari Gainer and Stephen Dix both have star potential. That's a very solid trio. They just need to continue working hard. Jaiden Woodbey is probably better suited as a linebacker. He isn’t fast enough to play safety. DJ Lundy might be ready to take the next step too. Perhaps Leonard Warner is bought in and returns. Outside of those 5-6 it would be nice to see someone like Jaleel McCrae, Kalen Deloach, Kevon Glenn, DeCalon Brooks or Jayion McCluster step up. Think we might pull Patrick Payton and/or Andrew Jones in this class. A grad transfer at LB could really help too.
I firmly believe we see our biggest improvement in the secondary next season. There is smoke we could get Hamsah Nasildereen back next season. Add Travis Jay, Brendan Gant, Sidney Williams and that is a really good two deep at safety. Perhaps Jadarius Green-McKnight steps up. He has talent. We are also bringing in some quality players with Omarrion Cooper, Kevin Knowles and Hunter Washington. If Hamsah leaves, it might be wise to look into the transfer market. I am confident that we find 3-4 really good corners out of Jarvis Brownlee, Mieko Dotson, Akeem Dent, Jarrion Jones, and Demorie Tate. Guys like Renardo Green and Raymond Woodie provides quality depth in the secondary.
Special Teams:
Our Aussie freshman punter is fantastic and I really like Parker Groathous. He is currently better than Ryan Fitzgerald. Jay and Douglas needs to do a better job in the return game.
At the end of the day, if we can bring in some quality grad transfers, have a full offseason that the players can get proper conditioning, learn Norvell's system, and get some strong leadership from the Administration above, that could all go a long way to getting us back to winning football!
