Texas O-line talk

[Slacks 6858]

On 3/22/2022 at 7:22 PM, LTtxfan said:

     FIFY

I'm too old and poor to hope for that. Got anything more fitting of an old gray slacks type of guy?

[LTtxfan 49331]

9 hours ago, Snacks said:

I'm too old and poor to hope for that. Got anything more fitting of an old gray slacks type of guy?

Spoiler

 

[futureman 22529]

On 3/22/2022 at 1:44 PM, bejezuz said:

and Luke Brockermeyer may have played his last snap as a Longhorn

 

[bejezuz 329]

1 hour ago, futureman said:

 

He's not expected to be ready for fall camp and we're actively recruiting players in the portal to play ahead of him.  That's my prediction.  

[JFKFC 4891]

Are Karic & Jones better than these guys?

 

https://pokesreport.com/s/2476/cowboys-land-two-offensive-linemen-from-weekend-transfer-portal-visitors

[Hookem2147 21348]

50 minutes ago, JFKFC said:

Are Karic & Jones better than these guys?

 

https://pokesreport.com/s/2476/cowboys-land-two-offensive-linemen-from-weekend-transfer-portal-visitors

Collier has appeared in one game in 2 seasons at USC and was ranked outside the top 1,000 coming out of HS. Brooks isn't even a tackle (6'4 295) and was a reserve who played in 6 games in 2 seasons for Vanderbilt. 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Hookem2147

[Had Enough 2085]

Are Karic & Jones better than these guys?
 
https://pokesreport.com/s/2476/cowboys-land-two-offensive-linemen-from-weekend-transfer-portal-visitors

Quite possibly. Did USC and the Vandy lines kick butt? Did they play our scheme? And in the case of USC did they play any pass rushers worth a damn?

[Codaxx 5829]

52 minutes ago, JFKFC said:

Are Karic & Jones better than these guys?

 

https://pokesreport.com/s/2476/cowboys-land-two-offensive-linemen-from-weekend-transfer-portal-visitors

You cant argue with this. Collier was a 3 star kid from Texas that USC beat Texas Tech out for, who appeared in 1 game as a back up in his entire career.  Maybe he works out and is great, but it is ridiculous to use him as an example upgrade. 

Brooks started 1 game for Vanderbilt (vs Tennessee). That is arguable the worst OL in the SEC (ranked 102nd in the country in average line yards) and he is a guard.  So you think 2 guys with a combined 1 start in their College careers represent a sure upgrade. Thinking that is more about you than anything else. 

 

This is the issue. You can not have a logical discussion, because people think that the portal just shits out quality starters. #1 OT in the portal  last year was Wanya Morris. Backed up at OU all year, appeared in 6 games. Your entire basis for thinking someone is an upgrade, is the high bar of not being on the Texas roster. 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Codaxx

[LTtxfan 49331]

 

[HtownHorn 14762]

18 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

You cant argue with this. Collier was a 3 star kid from Texas that USC beat Texas Tech out for, who appeared in 1 game as a back up in his entire career.  Maybe he works out and is great, but it is ridiculous to use him as an example upgrade. 

Brooks started 1 game for Vanderbilt (vs Tennessee). That is arguable the worst OL in the SEC (ranked 102nd in the country in average line yards) and he is a guard.  So you think 2 guys with a combined 1 start in their College careers represent a sure upgrade. Thinking that is more about you than anything else. 

 

This is the issue. You can not have a logical discussion, because people think that the portal just shits out quality starters. #1 OT in the portal  last year was Wanya Morris. Backed up at OU all year, appeared in 6 games. Your entire basis for thinking someone is an upgrade, is the high bar of not being on the Texas roster. 

The #2 guy was the OT that went to aggy from Tennessee, and he was awful as well.

[Hookem2147 21348]

2 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

The #2 guy was the OT that went to aggy from Tennessee, and he was awful as well.

Will be interesting to see how that Frazier guy from FIU fares at LSU this season. I believe he was widely regarded as the top OT in the portal. 

[JFKFC 4891]

24 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

You can not have a logical discussion, because people think that the portal just shits out quality starters.

I don't think the portal shits out quality starters and future NFL 1st round draft picks. I'm not even saying that these guys are average college football players. They could be terrible and still be an upgrade for us until the talented freshmen are ready. 

[Codaxx 5829]

4 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

The #2 guy was the OT that went to aggy from Tennessee, and he was awful as well.

I saw him #4 (https://247sports.com/Season/2021-Football/TransferPortalTop/)

 

 

[Codaxx 5829]

1 minute ago, JFKFC said:

I don't think the portal shits out quality starters and future NFL 1st round draft picks. I'm not even saying that these guys are average college football players. They could be terrible and still be an upgrade for us until the talented freshmen are ready. 

Filling up a roster spot to add what could be a marginal upgrade is not worth it.  That makes 0 sense. I am taking Campbell and Neto over those guys and I am happy about it. 

[HtownHorn 14762]

6 minutes ago, JFKFC said:

I don't think the portal shits out quality starters and future NFL 1st round draft picks. I'm not even saying that these guys are average college football players. They could be terrible and still be an upgrade for us until the talented freshmen are ready. 

You can't really be this stupid.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10352]

4 hours ago, JFKFC said:

I don't think the portal shits out quality starters and future NFL 1st round draft picks. I'm not even saying that these guys are average college football players. They could be terrible and still be an upgrade for us until the talented freshmen are ready. 

I think OL is one place the portal will shit out many quality starters, especially with NIL. Evaluating high school players for OL is tough and more times than not the top HS guys are just "bigger" than the majority of their counterparts.

In this years NFL draft, of the Top 20 offensive line prospects, here is a sampling: NC State, Univ Northern Iowa, Central Michigan, Kentucky, BC, Wash St, Tulsa, Arizona St (x2), Louisiana, Chattanooga, Memphis

That's 60% of guys who might be interested in playing at a "better/$$$" school.

[Royale with cheese 1467]

4 hours ago, HtownHorn said:

You can't really be this stupid.

 

[Codaxx 5829]

29 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

I think OL is one place the portal will shit out many quality starters, especially with NIL. Evaluating high school players for OL is tough and more times than not the top HS guys are just "bigger" than the majority of their counterparts.

In this years NFL draft, of the Top 20 offensive line prospects, here is a sampling: NC State, Univ Northern Iowa, Central Michigan, Kentucky, BC, Wash St, Tulsa, Arizona St (x2), Louisiana, Chattanooga, Memphis

That's 60% of guys who might be interested in playing at a "better/$$$" school.

I have not seen it shit out OT. Those are hard to find. Hell, the one kid mentioned in here all the time had the 5th best passing blocking grade on his own OL (WKU) according to PFF. That is considered one of the better OTs 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Codaxx

[Hookem2147 21348]

46 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

I think OL is one place the portal will shit out many quality starters, especially with NIL. Evaluating high school players for OL is tough and more times than not the top HS guys are just "bigger" than the majority of their counterparts.

In this years NFL draft, of the Top 20 offensive line prospects, here is a sampling: NC State, Univ Northern Iowa, Central Michigan, Kentucky, BC, Wash St, Tulsa, Arizona St (x2), Louisiana, Chattanooga, Memphis

That's 60% of guys who might be interested in playing at a "better/$$$" school.

I think the opposite and your second paragraph kinda supports my theory. OL is the one place where you don't need to transfer to get noticed. The NFL finds you regardless of what school you are at. 

[Burt Macklin 19038]

1 hour ago, Codaxx said:

I have not seen it shit out OT. Those are hard to find. Hell, the one kid mentioned in here all the time had the 5th best passing blocking grade on his own OL (WKU) according to PFF. That is considered one of the better OTs 

You are correct, the guy from Cedar Park who PFF had as a first team all-conference USA selection in 2020 and who was first team all-conference USA in 2021 was one of the better options.
 

The guy who had a PFF pass blocking grade of 75.6. You know who didn’t have a pass blocking grade of 75.6? Christian Jones and Andrej Karic. You know, the guys whose pass blocking grades were below 10 in the OU game.

Some of y’all are twisting your brains into a pretzel trying to act like there haven’t been obvious upgrades in the portal that this staff has passed on the last two years.
 

There’s not a ton of them, and there’s no guarantee we would’ve landed them, but not even trying proved to be a terrible decision last year, and will likely be a mistake again this year. 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Burt Macklin

[futureman 22529]

4 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

the guys whose pass blocking grades were below 10 in the OU game.

is that bad?

[JFKFC 4891]

30 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

Some of y’all are twisting your brains into a pretzel trying to act like there haven’t been obvious upgrades in the portal that this staff has passed on the last two years.
 

There’s not a ton of them, and there’s no guarantee we would’ve landed them, but not even trying proved to be a terrible decision last year, and will likely be a mistake again this year. 

I agree. And, it is Sark's job to land them.

[BurntOrange&White 39961]

1 hour ago, Burt Macklin said:

You are correct, the guy from Cedar Park who PFF had as a first team all-conference USA selection in 2020 and who was first team all-conference USA in 2021 was one of the better options.
 

The guy who had a PFF pass blocking grade of 75.6. You know who didn’t have a pass blocking grade of 75.6? Christian Jones and Andrej Karic. You know, the guys whose pass blocking grades were below 10 in the OU game.

Some of y’all are twisting your brains into a pretzel trying to act like there haven’t been obvious upgrades in the portal that this staff has passed on the last two years.
 

There’s not a ton of them, and there’s no guarantee we would’ve landed them, but not even trying proved to be a terrible decision last year, and will likely be a mistake again this year. 

Bingo

[Codaxx 5829]

2 hours ago, Burt Macklin said:

You are correct, the guy from Cedar Park who PFF had as a first team all-conference USA selection in 2020 and who was first team all-conference USA in 2021 was one of the better options.
 

The guy who had a PFF pass blocking grade of 75.6. You know who didn’t have a pass blocking grade of 75.6? Christian Jones and Andrej Karic. You know, the guys whose pass blocking grades were below 10 in the OU game.

Some of y’all are twisting your brains into a pretzel trying to act like there haven’t been obvious upgrades in the portal that this staff has passed on the last two years.
 

There’s not a ton of them, and there’s no guarantee we would’ve landed them, but not even trying proved to be a terrible decision last year, and will likely be a mistake again this year. 

Funny. The point is simple. PFF doesn’t adjust for level of Competition, which seriously down grades it’s worth. The fact that he had the worst pass grade on his OL is not a death knell, but something that sound give you pause. Lower level kid in a system offense, that ranked 5th on his OL. Personally, he sounds like a slight upgrade. I don’t really care about getting a kid that is a slight upgrade and is worth maybe one extra win. That might matter in a year or 2, but if prefer Campbell and Neto to a 1 year rental that is a likely jag in the BIg 12. Wake me up when Texas is competing for titles and is 1-3 players away from a special year 

Edited March 29, 2022 by Codaxx

[Had Enough 2085]

I’ve brought him up before and I’ll do it once again.

Darion Dunn. Checks several theoretical boxes coming into last year. He took playing time from underclassman last year. They didn’t have to play him, but they did. I don’t know if he put forth any effort in preparing for the Pro Day. But Donovan Duvernay tested better. We are worse off this year because of the reps he took.

Guys you bring in should be definite upgrades. A one year rental as a backup could be a big negative for depth. A marginal upgrade at starter could be the same. We do not want run off Karic or not allow our future contributors playing time for a dude that’s largely a non-factor.

[BurntOrange&White 39961]

7 minutes ago, Had Enough said:

I’ve brought him up before and I’ll do it once again.

Darion Dunn. Checks several theoretical boxes coming into last year. He took playing time from underclassman last year. They didn’t have to play him, but they did. I don’t know if he put forth any effort in preparing for the Pro Day. But Donovan Duvernay tested better. We are worse off this year because of the reps he took.

Guys you bring in should be definite upgrades. A one year rental as a backup could be a big negative for depth. A marginal upgrade at starter could be the same. We do not want run off Karic or not allow our future contributors playing time for a dude that’s largely a non-factor.

Incredibly stupid but on brand take for you. 

[Had Enough 2085]

Incredibly stupid but on brand take for you. 

Biggest piece of shit on the board. That’s you.

[Burt Macklin 19038]

48 minutes ago, Had Enough said:

I’ve brought him up before and I’ll do it once again.

Darion Dunn. Checks several theoretical boxes coming into last year. He took playing time from underclassman last year. They didn’t have to play him, but they did. I don’t know if he put forth any effort in preparing for the Pro Day. But Donovan Duvernay tested better. We are worse off this year because of the reps he took.

Guys you bring in should be definite upgrades. A one year rental as a backup could be a big negative for depth. A marginal upgrade at starter could be the same. We do not want run off Karic or not allow our future contributors playing time for a dude that’s largely a non-factor.

Brooks is a definite upgrade over Karic and Jones. Stop being a dumbfuck. 

[futureman 22529]

don’t sleep on Christian Jones. 

[Had Enough 2085]

Brooks is a definite upgrade over Karic and Jones. Stop being a dumbfuck. 

Stop being an arrogant ass. If I recall, you’re the one who saw Coburn run around a block versus Baylor, didn’t make the play, didn’t impact the play positively and called it a damn win for Coburn. Hell, I even asked what made that acceptable and got no response. I was openly willing to consider a different thought process.

And I don’t believe once I’ve said that a particular guy is or is not a definite upgrade over Jones or Karic. I have said I’d take the high upside of the frosh over some Portal dude that you have no idea how’d they’d react to the scheme or the transition to a new school/conference.

The coaches made their preference known in short term. Given the options, they went DB, WR and QB showing they aren’t anti-portal. As Hookem has mentioned multiple times, there’s still the possibility they could bring in someone. If the plan is for Banks to take control of one of those spots, who would want to transfer to a losing team and compete with 3 other dudes.

[Burt Macklin 19038]

5 minutes ago, Had Enough said:

Stop being an arrogant ass. If I recall, you’re the one who saw Coburn run around a block versus Baylor, didn’t make the play, didn’t impact the play positively and called it a damn win for Coburn. Hell, I even asked what made that acceptable and got no response. I was openly willing to consider a different thought process.

If I recall, you’re the one who makes up fake scenarios to make yourself feel better about your dumb takes. 

[Had Enough 2085]

If I recall, you’re the one who makes up fake scenarios to make yourself feel better about your dumb takes. 

Quite possibly. I generally try to offer support and examples of the rationale however.

But I often try to not make it personal first.

[BurntOrange&White 39961]

More like Dumb Enough am I right?

[Had Enough 2085]

More like Dumb Enough am I right?

Ok. You and Burt win.

[Royale with cheese 1467]

10 hours ago, Had Enough said:

Biggest piece of shit on the board. That’s you.

 

[Had Enough 2085]

4 hours ago, Royale with cheese said:

 

That exchange may be too violent.

I don’t know why we all just can’t get along.

[jinx 2635]

4 hours ago, Royale with cheese said:

 

Who on the OL is this? I don’t keep up with faces without numbers but I recognize the skill set. 

[Hookem2147 21348]

Ian Boyd (yeah, yeah, get over it. He doesn't mentioned Card in this post so it's bearable) ranks the offensive lines in the Big 12

Quote

 

No. 10: The Texas Tech Red Raiders

Loads of question marks here on the starting lineup, I feel confident my guesses will be flawed.

Left tackle: Caleb Rogers, junior, former mid 3-star recruit.

Left guard: Weston Wright, redshirt senior, former low 3-star recruit.

Center: Cade Briggs, senior, former unranked recruit and New Mexico transfer.

Right guard: Cole Spencer, 6th-year senior, former unranked recruit and Western Kentucky transfer.

Right tackle: Ethan Carde, senior, former low 3-star JUCO recruit.

Incoming transfers Cade Briggs (played center for New Mexico) and Cole Spencer (played left tackle for WKU) seem very likely to start, but both likely inside. Spencer is 6-foot-4 and playing tackle at the level WKU plays at is not a good test for handling Will McDonald, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, or Ochaun Mathis. Tech’s actual tackles aren’t amazing though, they return three 6-foot-6 guys who’ve started between Rogers, Carde, and Wright with the last player having played inside up till now. They also brought in Michael Shanahan, a 6-foot-5 transfer, who probably figures to play guard.

This offensive coordinator has desired to throw the ball a ton in the past, which would call for playing as many tall guys as they can to protect. On the other hand, I’m not sure if either Tyler Shough or Donovan Smith are guys you want throwing the ball 40-50 times. They’d both do better with a run game. We’ll see what all they get up to in Lubbock.

No. 9: The Kansas Jayhawks

Maybe something like this:

Left tackle: Earl Bostick, Jr, 6th-year senior, former 2-star recruit.

Left guard: Armaj Adams-Reed, junior, former low 3-star recruit.

Center: Mike Novitsky, redshirt senior, former 2-star recruit and Buffalo transfer.

Right guard: Michael Ford, Jr, redshirt sophomore, former low 3-star recruit and Buffalo transfer.

Right tackle: Bryce Cabeldue, redshirt sophomore, former low 3-star recruit OR

Nolan Gorczyca, redshirt freshman, former low 3-star recruit and Buffalo transfer.

Life is easier on offensive line when you can use the transfer portal to backfill your underclassmen ranks with players you evaluated and perhaps even coached a little in your system at your previous job. Normally offensive line development is the major obstacle to a new staff in building out a culture and roster the way they want, but everything is sped up when you can add a few transfers to the roster rather than waiting for a full cycle to find the freshmen you want and then waiting several more years for them to develop in your program.

Overall, Kansas has some pieces to build a solid run game but pass protection looks as iffy here as anywhere in the league.

No. 8: The TCU Horned Frogs

Sonny Dykes is walking into an interesting set-up here. From what I’ve heard, they’re looking at something like this:

Left tackle: Marcus Williams, redshirt junior, former mid 3-star recruit OR

Michael Nichols, redshirt sophomore, former high 3-star recruit.

Left guard: Brandon Coleman, redshirt junior, former high 3-star recruit.

Center: Esteban Avila, redshirt senior, former mid 3-star recruit.

Right guard: Alan Ali, redshirt senior, former high 3-star recruit and SMU transfer.

Right tackle: Andrew Coker, redshirt junior, former high 3-star recruit.

There’s considerable overlap and fit between these guys which makes for a promising start to the Frog line. For one, most of these guys are really massive. Williams is 6-foot-6/321 pounds, Coleman is 6-foot-6/325 pounds, Avila is 6-foot-4/334 pounds, and Coker is 6-foot-7/320 pounds. All of those guys excel at covering up opponents on inside zone, getting push on double teams, and executing RPO/play-action spread tactics, which is what Dykes wants to do.

Ali is smaller and lighter at 6-foot-4, 309 pounds and was a credible right tackle for SMU last year. I wouldn’t be shocked if he ended up outside and flipping with Coker would make sense but Coker was much improved at right tackle last year. He’s learned how to play the angles and use his size and length to cut off pass-rushers despite possessing fairly heavy feet. Left tackle is the weak spot of this whole group. Williams hasn’t done much of anything and Nichols is a very athletic player who’s been too small and unskilled to play up till now. Dykes will help them with the tight end and their new transfer there, Jake Wiley from Texas, has TONS of experience helping in pass protection on play-action. The only thing is that he wasn’t very good at it, despite being 6-foot-7/250 pounds. Worst case scenario would be having to move Ali out to tackle opposite Coker.

I think they’ll run block well and put together some workable protections but be vulnerable against particularly athletic defensive fronts and/or teams who blitz well. They’ll be imposing moving straight ahead but a bit slow going backwards.

No. 7: The Oklahoma State Cowboys

The Cowboys have one of the most wide open range of outcomes of any team in the league. They just added THREE different transfers on the O-line for the 2022 season. It’s not clear to me if any of them will participate in the remaining spring practices for OSU but they’re mostly younger guys with a lot of eligibility left so this seems to be more about back-filling the roster with depth because of OSU’s problems in the last few seasons with recruiting and out-going transfers. Here’s how I personally think their line will shake out in 2022:

Left tackle: Caleb Etienne, redshirt junior, former mid 3-star JUCO recruit.

Left guard: Preston Wilson, redshirt junior, former mid 3-star recruit OR

Prince Pines, redshirt senior, former mid 3-star Baylor recruit and SHSU transfer.

Center: Joe Michalski, redshirt junior, former mid 3-star recruit.

Right guard: Hunter Woodard, redshirt senior, former mid 3-star recruit.

Right tackle: Cole Birmingham, redshirt junior, former high 3-star recruit.

There’s a lot going on here worth explaining. Etienne was hoped to be an answer at tackle last year but he was too big and raw, he’s now slimmed down to 325 pounds (from 350 or some absurd size) and is starting to sound like the next Teven Jenkins. I don’t know if he’ll be skilled enough to play left tackle over Birmingham, if not he’ll probably be the right tackle. They’d probably like to slide Birmingham inside to guard but don’t think it’s gonna happen.

A big part of making that happen was grabbing well-regarded Tyrone Webber, a low 4-star JUCO recruit, but he came in and turned out to be 6-foot-3, 285 pounds and unready for football at this level. Give him a year with Rob Glass and he’ll show up next spring as a monster like Etienne is reportedly doing, but for now he’s not pushing Birmingham off a tackle spot.

Preston Wilson played right tackle last year and he at least should be able to slide inside. Michalski made some nice improvements from the Baylor game to the Notre Dame game and Woodard has been a mainstay for a while now. One of the more impressive transfers is Prince Pines, who started the last two years for Sam Houston State at left guard after transferring there from Baylor. Perhaps Pines can move someone inside to center from guard. Pines would also pair nicely with Etienne on the left side, he’s 6-foot-5, 340 pounds and thus similarly massive.

There’s a good chance this could be a much better line, closer to 2017 or 2018, it really all hinges on how much Etienne has improved. He’s the one guy in the unit who has major NFL size and athleticism, everyone else is a solid player with the potential to be very good in concert with the right coaching and fit.

No. 6: The Iowa State Cyclones

So, here’s where things looked after the season was over, some caveats to follow:

Left tackle: Tyler Miller, redshirt sophomore, former high 3-star recruit.

Left guard: Jarrod Hufford, redshirt junior, former high 3-star recruit.

Center: Trevor Downing, redshirt senior, former high 3-star recruit.

Right guard: Darrell Simmons, redshirt junior, former low 3-star recruit.

Right tackle: Jake Remsburg, redshirt junior, former mid 3-star recruit.

Some obvious mitigating factors include Remsburg hardly playing in 2021 (injury, I believe), Jarrod Hufford playing left tackle for much of the season until moving inside to guard for the bowl game to make room for 6-foot-9 Tyler Miller, and the fact quarterback Hunter Dekkers is left-handed.

If you want to play your best pass protector on the quarterback’s blindside tackle spot, that’s right tackle for a lefty. Who’s the best tackle on this team if Remsburg is healthy and has a good offseason? Presumably him or Miller, or else Hufford doesn’t move inside for Miller, but we don’t have a ton to go on. There’s also Grant Treiber, a 6-foot-6 tackle who’s drawn positive reviews in the past and then disappeared in 2021 (injury, I believe). One thing I do know is Remsburg is a fantastic run-blocking tackle and the Downing-Simmons combo at center and guard is a near-lock. Everything else is unclear. Not bad, perhaps quite promising, but unclear.

You can watch all of their snaps against a very good Clemson D-line here.

My notes from the Clemson game are that Tyler Miller is pretty light on his feet for a big guy but he’s not Orlando Pace. If he can add more technique and anticipation of opposing pass-rushers and more strength, he can probably be a very good Big 12 tackle. He’ll only be a 3rd-year player next season, I think he’ll probably be their best pass-protector so we’ll see if they slide him to the right side. Run blocking should continue it’s slow, steady, and annual improvement under Matt Campbell.

No. 5: The Kansas State Wildcats

I had thought earlier this offseason that K-State had more of their COVID-eligible upperclassmen returning. They certainly have a few but there will be some shakeup on their line from last year. Currently it sounds like they’re about here:

Left tackle: Cooper Beebe, redshirt junior, former low 3-star recruit.

Left guard: Taylor Poitier, redshirt junior, former low 3-star recruit.

Center: Hadley Panzer, sophomore, former low 3-star recruit.

Right guard: Dawson Delforge, redshirt senior, former low 3-star JUCO recruit OR

Andrew Leingang, redshirt freshman, former mid 3-star recruit.

Right tackle: Christian Duffie, redshirt senior, former mid 3-star recruit.

The recruiting rankings aren’t super helpful in understanding the K-State offensive line. Cooper Beebe is a very good player who has a shot in the NFL as a guard (he’s about 6-foot-3, 320 pounds) but has to play tackle by default at K-State because he’s their best player. Much like Cody Whitehair from the Jake Waters era.

Taylor Poitier is one of their best players, despite checking in at 6-foot-2, 281 pounds on their current roster. He missed last year with an early season injury and has the athleticism and reach to play tackle if he needed to. Duffie has been a mainstay at right tackle for a few years now, Delforge has been on the two-deep for multiple seasons, Hadley Panzer and Andrew Leingang are the up and comers who figure to break into the lineup if they can put it together. The Wildcats also have veteran Katori Leveston and young Carver Willis at tackle. Leveston has been safely established as being an inferior tackle to Beebe who could move inside to guard if they got enough from Willis. If Willis really put it together they could move Beebe inside but that probably won’t happen.

I just named eight players who could credibly end up as starters and didn’t mention Hayden Gillum, who would play center if Panzer can’t figure it out in time (converted from guard this spring). The Wildcats have a lot of options and a few players who are legitimately quite good, Beebe and Poitier in particular. They have a lot of experience now playing together with this coach and their strengths (run blocking) match the strengths of the talent on offense.

I tend to get the impression many Big 12 commentators don’t quite realize the potency of the run game K-State will be assembling in the fall with this line combined with Adrian Martinez and Deuce Vaughn. K-State always flies under the radar but Beebe and Poitier are very good players and that backfield is serious.

No. 4: The West Virginia Mountaineers

This is an interesting one.

Left tackle: Wyatt Milum, sophomore, former mid 4-star recruit.

Left guard: James Gmiter, redshirt senior, former mid 3-star recruit.

Center: Zach Frazier, redshirt sophomore, former low 4-star recruit at defensive tackle.

Right guard: Doug Nester, redshirt junior, former mid 4-star recruit and Virginia Tech transfer.

Right tackle: Brandon Yates, redshirt junior, former mid 3-star recruit OR

Ja’Quay Hubbard, redshirt junior, former high 3-star recruit and Virginia transfer.

This is one of the most talented (by recruiting rankings) units in the entire Big 12. I thought Yates would be good as a left tackle in 2021 but he didn’t have a great season and now he’s losing his spot to blue chip Wyatt Milum. Gmiter and Frazier have been stacking a lot of game reps in this system and Nester was unsurprisingly quite good by the end of 2021. Getting all five guys back is big, flipping young Milum to left tackle and adding Virginia transfer Ja’Quay Hubbard to push Yates is significant as well.

They have all the ingredients. A legitimately talented and athletic tackle flanked by veterans who know the system and each other.

No. 3: The Texas Longhorns

I’ve already covered this one quite a bit, I think it’s one of the main factors which will shape the Big 12 Championship in 2022. Here’s where things appear to be currently:

Left tackle: Andrej Karic, junior, former low 4-star recruit OR

Kelvin Banks, freshman, 5-star recruit.

Left guard: Junior Angilau, senior, former mid 4-star recruit.

Center: Jake Majors, redshirt sophomore, former low 4-star recruit.

Right guard: Hayden Conner, sophomore, former high 3-star recruit.

Right tackle: Christian Jones, senior, former mid 3-star recruit.

As I’ve noted, the missing piece is an island tackle who can handle a 1-on-1 matchup and allow the other four to gang up on opposing defensive fronts in protection. Texas has at least two guys who could play right tackle at a winning level should they find a good left tackle in Karic and Jones. Potentially Jaylen Garth could as well, the current 3rd tackle before Banks or the other talented freshman arrive in the fall. The most likely positive scenarios for Texas are for Karic to put it together this offseason and provide Honorable Mention caliber play or for Kelvin Banks (or maybe Cameron Williams) to arrive in the fall and just take over at left tackle with their superior athleticism and talent. Christian Jones is a big, talented player who simply hasn’t taken well to the nuances of good tackle play.

No. 2: The Oklahoma Sooners

From what I can tell, here’s how the Oklahoma line looks early in spring.

Left tackle: Anton Harrison, redshirt sophomore, former mid 4-star recruit.

Left guard: McKade Mettauer, COVID junior, former low 4-star recruit and Cal transfer.

Center: Andrew Raym, junior, former high 4-star recruit.

Right guard: Chris Murray, redshirt senior, former low 4-star recruit and UCLA transfer.

Right tackle: Wanya Morris, senior, former 5-star recruit and Tennessee transfer OR

Savion Byrd, redshirt freshman, former high 4-star recruit.

The sheer top-line talent in this group is something no one else in the league can match, save perhaps for Texas once all their freshman arrive in the fall (and not before then).

Oklahoma’s approach is changing significantly from a year ago, even though Bill Bedenbaugh remains the O-line coach. Check out some of these comments from the players:

“For the center, it’s actually taken a lot off my plate because we’re moving so fast,” Raym said. “I don’t have the time to make as many calls. Now, the whole O-line is expected to know what they’re doing on every play.”

Andrew Raym, Oklahoma center.

That’s a wholesale change in philosophy. It’s all about tempo and spacing doing the work now of skill and versatility. Line up fast, play hard and trust in tiredness, forced simplicity, and run/pass conflicts to set up the field of play to advantage your own side. This style tends to work very well right up until it doesn’t (when you face a team who isn’t phased by the tempo and can add complexity back into the equation).

Oklahoma is clearly advantaged by having the spring to incorporate transfer McKade Mettauer and to establish their identity as a unit over the whole offseason. They’ll probably be able to make their talent and weight felt pretty quickly on the field in 2022, although they are now capped in terms of ceiling by the very thing Raym notes above as giving him an advantage.

The modern Big 12 isn’t going to be thrown off by tempo, you can’t totally shake them out of being able to throw complex looks at you, they’ve had years to learn how to defend this style. Big 12 defenses today can turn the game back into a half-court slog, so to speak, like playoff basketball. Then you do want the extra complex techniques, more intricate play-calls, and the flexibility to quickly make in-game adjustments from a deep bank of resources.

So my guess is that Oklahoma is going to look BACK! on offensive line at times and more “NOT BACK!” at other times.

No. 1: The Baylor Bears

Mostly more of the same from Waco:

Left tackle: Connor Galvin, COVID senior, former low 4-star recruit.

Left guard: Mose Jeffrey, redshirt senior, former low 3-star JUCO recruit.

Center: Jacob Gall, 6th-year senior, former low 2-star recruit and Buffalo transfer.

Right guard: Grant Miller, 6th-year senior, former low 3-star recruit and Vanderbilt transfer.

Right tackle: Khalil Keith, redshirt senior, former low 3-star recruit.

This is unquestionably one of the most veteran O-line units ever assembled in the league and actually close to the absurdly old BYU unit I questioned if Baylor could mimic when they hired Grimes before the 2021 season. How much better can they get next year? I think most of these guys won’t be significantly better, you hit diminishing returns eventually, but if Mose Jeffrey can be a big upgrade over what Newman offered in 2021 (very possible) that’s a not-insignificant boost to the offense. What’s more, a boost to a unit which has already proven itself in Big 12 play.

Overall this unit figures to be very good, safest bet to be the best in the Big 12.

 

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by Hookem2147

[Codaxx 5829]

14 hours ago, Had Enough said:

Ok. You and Burt win.

Whole thing is stupid. Texas is in need of a Left Tackle and people are arguing over RT from a mid-major. 

[futureman 22529]

is ian boyd the one who looks like a pederast/serial killer?

[Jkwellborn 6724]

is ian boyd the one who looks like a pederast/serial killer?

Pretty sure that’s immamac.

[LTtxfan 49331]

Thanks for this @BurntOrange&WhiteWhite

Will Gallagher/Inside Texas - OL

Derek Kerestetter manned the right tackle position well in 2021, eventually earning All-Big 12 first-team honors. The results from whoever rotated in at the four spots to his left were nothing worthy of an honorable mention.

Christian Jones won the left tackle spot in camp and was thought to be on his way to a stellar year. The season ended with a stretch of games that saw him rotate with Andrej Karic, neither doing enough to truly pull away from the other. Denzel Okafor started at left guard before his season ended versus Oklahoma due to a knee injury. That forced previous right guard Junior Angilau to flip to left guard, where he started every game in the second half of the season.

Jake Majors, still in his second season playing center, was plagued by the issues that befell his linemates. Tope Imade ended his sixth collegiate year strong against Kansas State, but there were still regular showings as to why he struggled to find playing time during his Texas career.

The inconsistent nature of Texas’ offensive line play was evident in various portions of the season. Like at the beginning versus Arkansas, when they struggled to stop a three-man rush. Or at the midway point against Oklahoma. Same with the Iowa State game that lengthened Texas’ losing streak to four games, where Texas once again struggled to stop a three-man rush.

With Okafor, Imade, and Kerstetter having exhausted eligibility, nearly every spot on the offensive line save for Majors’ is up for grabs. Lack of clarity along the majority of the line is a big reason behind Texas’ historic offensive line haul in the 2022 class. Those guys are coming to Texas because they believe there’s an ability to play early and often, among other things.

That written, all but Cole Hutson from the #22EFFECT class won’t arrive on campus until June. Accordingly, Texas is having to adjust to the low numbers along the offensive line.

2022 offensive linemen

Departures: Rafiti Ghirmai (transfer portal), Tope Imade (graduation), Derek Kerstetter (graduation), Denzel Okafor (graduation), Tyler Johnson (left program)

Returners: Sawyer Goram-Welch, Michael Balis (walk-on), Jake Majors, Chad Wolf (walk-on) Andrej Karic, Christian Jones, Logan Parr, Isaiah Hookfin, Junior Angilau, Hayden Conner, Jaylen Garth, Max Merril

Newcomers: Cole Hutson (early enrollee)

Signees: Devon Campbell, Kelvin Banks, Neto Umeozulu, Cameron Williams, Malik Agbo, Connor Robertson

2022 preview

With just enough numbers for a two-deep of scholarship linemen, there is going to be a surplus of reps available for each linemen, from the walk-ons to returning seniors like Angilau and Jones. Considering the performance of the line last year, that’s a lot of extra work under Flood’s tutelage for players who could stand improvement.

Those opportunities may also give them a small-leg up for their coming competitions with members of the 2022 class. While there are a couple of long-term developmental projects in the 2022 class, there are also players like Campbell and Banks who have sights set on immediate playing time. But they don’t arrive until June, meaning players like Conner, Jones, and Karic can work with Flood in an attempt to try to hold off the five-star freshman (though the extra time still may not be enough).

Of course, health is important too. More reps equals more contact which means added risk of injury. Flood and Sarkisian will need to be cognizant of the need to make it through the spring while still getting in the needed work not just for the line, but for the entire team on both sides of the ball.

[LTtxfan 49331]

22 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

Ian Boyd (yeah, yeah, get over it. He doesn't mentioned Card in this post so it's bearable) ranks the offensive lines in the Big 12

No. 1: The Baylor Bears

Mostly more of the same from Waco:

Left tackle: Connor Galvin, COVID senior, former low 4-star recruit.

Left guard: Mose Jeffrey, redshirt senior, former low 3-star JUCO recruit.

Center: Jacob Gall, 6th-year senior, former low 2-star recruit and Buffalo transfer.

Right guard: Grant Miller, 6th-year senior, former low 3-star recruit and Vanderbilt transfer.

Right tackle: Khalil Keith, redshirt senior, former low 3-star recruit.

This is unquestionably one of the most veteran O-line units ever assembled in the league and actually close to the absurdly old BYU unit I questioned if Baylor could mimic when they hired Grimes before the 2021 season. How much better can they get next year? I think most of these guys won’t be significantly better, you hit diminishing returns eventually, but if Mose Jeffrey can be a big upgrade over what Newman offered in 2021 (very possible) that’s a not-insignificant boost to the offense. What’s more, a boost to a unit which has already proven itself in Big 12 play.

Overall this unit figures to be very good, safest bet to be the best in the Big 12.

Hard to believe that baylor will be starting 5 seniors on their OL in 2022.   

smdh

[LTtxfan 49331]

Forgot about Hookfin... Any recent info on his health ??

Tyler Johnson just went into the portal...

 

[LTtxfan 49331]

Just seems like UH or UTSA might kick the tires here...

[Laxtonto 12090]

So we are seeing Karic, Angilau, Majors, Conner and Jones left to right on the OL in spring practice.

 

Am I the only one thinking we either see a FR jump into the fight at RG and LT?

I would love to see Karic just become serviceable at LT and let Jones be a solid RT. Jones just never seemed to be able to get “it” as far as being left on an island on the blindside and might benefit from having one of the monster FR to slide over to help on the inside. He has the “feet” to hopefully deal with the speed rush and if we can play the 3 v2 game on the right with them Karic and Angilau doing 2 v 2, I expect us to be better than the flaming dog shit we dealt with last year.

 

I Karric can’t be average or one of the FR can’t either we are going to get wrecked…

[Hookem2147 21348]

1 hour ago, Laxtonto said:

So we are seeing Karic, Angilau, Majors, Conner and Jones left to right on the OL in spring practice.

 

Am I the only one thinking we either see a FR jump into the fight at RG and LT?

I would love to see Karic just become serviceable at LT and let Jones be a solid RT. Jones just never seemed to be able to get “it” as far as being left on an island on the blindside and might benefit from having one of the monster FR to slide over to help on the inside. He has the “feet” to hopefully deal with the speed rush and if we can play the 3 v2 game on the right with them Karic and Angilau doing 2 v 2, I expect us to be better than the flaming dog shit we dealt with last year.

 

I Karric can’t be average or one of the FR can’t either we are going to get wrecked…

I see Banks coming in and overtaking Karic at LT fairly early. Karic should be a guard once we get all the freshman on campus. He lacks the length to play either tackle spot but has the physicality in the run game to be a good guard if it all comes together. As you mentioned, Jones is a better fit on the right side but who knows if it comes together for him or not. Maybe Campbell comes in and pushes Conner at RG but Conner looked pretty solid for a freshman last year and has the size Flood likes (6'5 320). One question I have is will they have Karic be the first swing tackle off the bench or move him primarily inside. If Cam Williams/Neto/Garth prove serviceable in August, you could solidify the depth on the interior by letting Karic work inside and having one of those 3 be the swing tackle.

Seems pretty obvious our top 7 is going to be Banks, Angilau, Majors, Conner, Jones, Campbell and Karic unless some guy from the portal is added between now and fall camp.

[Codaxx 5829]

15 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

I see Banks coming in and overtaking Karic at LT fairly early. Karic should be a guard once we get all the freshman on campus. He lacks the length to play either tackle spot but has the physicality in the run game to be a good guard if it all comes together. As you mentioned, Jones is a better fit on the right side but who knows if it comes together for him or not. Maybe Campbell comes in and pushes Conner at RG but Conner looked pretty solid for a freshman last year and has the size Flood likes (6'5 320). One question I have is will they have Karic be the first swing tackle off the bench or move him primarily inside. If Cam Williams/Neto/Garth prove serviceable in August, you could solidify the depth on the interior by letting Karic work inside and having one of those 3 be the swing tackle.

Seems pretty obvious our top 7 is going to be Banks, Angilau, Majors, Conner, Jones, Campbell and Karic unless some guy from the portal is added between now and fall camp.

Texas needed a LT in the portal and that was not easy to find. That is going to be a hole until someone is developed. Hope Banks or Cam surprises. Texas has a shit load of Guards and swing guys, but so few OT have been recruited.

[Hookem2147 21348]

6 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

Texas needed a LT in the portal and that was not easy to find. That is going to be a hole until someone is developed. Hope Banks or Cam surprises. Texas has a shit load of Guards and swing guys, but so few OT have been recruited.

Yeah, that's why I'm hoping they move Karic inside once the freshman get on campus. Campbell, Conner and Karic could probably play RT if you were desperate and needed them too, but all 3 should be guards. Neto might be in the same bucket. Banks and Campbell are two best pure OT's we've recruited since......Sam Cosmi?

[Codaxx 5829]

7 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Yeah, that's why I'm hoping they move Karic inside once the freshman get on campus. Campbell, Conner and Karic could probably play RT if you were desperate and needed them too, but all 3 should be guards. Neto might be in the same bucket. Banks and Campbell are two best pure OT's we've recruited since......Sam Cosmi?

I would rather see NETO at Center. Personally give Neto and Campbell a shot at RT, when they come in. Move the loser to center. Athletic enough to play tackle, but lacking length to play there in NFL, screams RT or Center to me. Many would argue that center is the most important position on a OL