Kicking off the offseason with the realization that we are going to have so much media coverage, even us sickos may get tired of it. Transfer portal will shake things up a bit, but as of today here is where we stand.
Offense:
QB- Obviously the conversation begins and ends with Arch Manning, the heir apparent to the Manning family legacy will begin his journey to what we can only hope will be the first overall pick in the draft whenever he decides to leave.
OL - There will be some intrigue with the offense as there is more upheaval on that side of the ball than we have had since Sark's first season. 4 out of 5 offensive lineman depart including Kelvin Banks and Cam Williams, two guys who will hear their names called early in the draft. Also, Jake Majors and Hayden Conner. Two guys who just refused to get passed up on the depth chart on their way to being multiyear starters. While the tackle spot seems in danger of the most drop off, Trevor Goosby showed well when thrust into action in some of our toughest games and has me feeling like we will maintain a high level of play on the left side. On the right, Brandon Baker seems like he has the inside track on the job, and while he has shown high potential this season, it is now time to put it on tape in the spring. He will have to fend off guys like Jayden Chatman and possibly Nick Brooks. The interior of the line is interesting as the staring lineup will likely feature some combination of DJ Campbell, Cole Hutson, and one of Neto, Nate Kibble, Daniel Cruz, or Conner Robertson. It should be an interesting spring on the inside, but my hope is that we see a large increase in physicality up the middle in the run game.
RB - CJ Baxter's status will be one to watch as we progress into fall camp. I am not banking on a return to 100%, but is an 85% CJ better than our other options? On the surface I would say yes, especially in pass protection, but we have some intriguing options. Tre Wisner will be the bell cow in the spring, and will figure prominently into the mix next season. Beyond that, I am expecting a big jump from Jerrick Gibson. The fumbles are what held him back, but I think another offseason of development could ultimately rectify the situation. He has shown really good interior vision and patience on inside zone that we really need. Will James Simon come in and challenge? He is the one freshman I am watching to see if he can make an impact.
WR - It is a bummer to lose Golden, but I have huge expectations that Ryan Wingo can turn himself into a true WR1 this offseason. Pairing him with Deandre Moore will give a solid couple of options to Manning in the passing game. We still need a jetpack guy who can take the top off of the defense, but in the absence of that I will be curious to see which of the freshman receivers start pushing to get into the rotation. Parker Livingstone (aka Jaggy McJaggerson per ctj) has been a guy with some buzz in camp. If our top three indeed becomes Wingo, Moore, and Livingstone, then I expect a lot more downfield 50/50 balls next year as we will have elite size on the outside and a QB who likes to push the ball downfield.
TE - Another room with many unanswered questions. We are hearing great things about Jordan Washington, but is he ready to carry the load by himself to replace Gunner Helm as the every down TE? Time will tell, but this may be another area where we see a portal addition. However, if Spencer Shannon shows that he can be a force in the blocking game, then we should be ok. One freshman I am very intrigued with is Nick Townsend. He might be too good to keep off the field.
Defense:
LB - Anthony Hill, Liona Lefau, Brad Spence, and Tyanthony Smith are going to make for a nasty LB rotation next season. This could be the strongest position group on the defense. I expect Hill to be a finalist for some serious hardware next year, and Lefau is proving to be a guy that is just always around the ball and a very sure tackler.
DL - Who is going to be the guy to make the Vernon Broughton off the top rope out of nowhere jump this offseason? My money is on Alex January. That being said, the portal additions are filling some much needed depth, especially Cole Brevard. While we still need to add another body or two at this spot, I am very curious to see how Melvin Hills is progressing. I am also hearing very good things out of Justus Terry. I have a hunch that this freshman class of DTs will factor into the mix as the season progresses. Sharma looks like a walking sectional sofa, Terry is rocked up like he is 30 years old with some serious twitch, and Myron Charles may be the nastiest and most disruptive of the bunch.
EDGE - Another position with some ridiculous depth. Member when we had a 4i as our "edge rusher"? I member.. But now we have Collin bad mothafucka Simmons and a returning Trey Moore on the weak side. Combine that with the Westlake lovers dream team of Burke and Vasek on the strong side to pair with incoming freshman Lance Jackson. Every time Vasek gets on the field he is disruptive. He has an insane win rate and I am looking forward to him getting more run this season. He just needs to add another 10-20 pounds. Someone put him on the Ethan Burke beefcake 3000 diet.
DB - After the roller coaster of holding onto Manny Muhammed, I am feeling pretty good about or DB room. There will be some real competition for the field side corner, but my money is on either Kobe Black or Wardell Mack to lock it down. Seems like the staff trusted Black slightly more this season, but I feel like Mack is a more natural cover guy. Gilbeau will continue to run the nickel, but don't rule out them doing some exotic stuff like putting Jelani McDonald in the nickel against run heavy teams like Vandy and Kentucky.
S - Andrew Mukuba is the prime example of how impactful elite safety play can be. And who knew two years ago that we would be celebrating the return of Michael Taafe, but here we are. Taafe and McDonald should make for a solid tandem, but who will fill out the rotation? Can Derek Williams return to form after injury? Does Jordan Johnson-Rubell break into the rotation or does he start getting squeezed by guys like Jonah Williams and Zelus Hicks? Time will tell, but we have the pieces to be very good in the back end once again.
K - Burt Auburn needs Jesus.
P - Bouwmeester is going to be an immediate upgrade for next season. It seems like the only time we uncorked a 50 yard punt was when we were on the opponents 40 yard line.