Texas O-line talk

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

I for one am excited to see how much Kersetter has improved. The LT spot is also what I'm looking out for. Anderson or Cosmi? I think it's safe to say Anderson wins it out. How great is it to have gotten Anderson all while continueing to develop cosmi.

[UT Lawnghorn 758]

17 minutes ago, Coach pop a bitch said:

I for one am excited to see how much Kersetter has improved. The LT spot is also what I'm looking out for. Anderson or Cosmi? I think it's safe to say Anderson wins it out. How great is it to have gotten Anderson all while continueing to develop cosmi.

I'll be curious to see if they move Kerstetter inside. If so, it'll probably be because they like what they have in Cosmi.  I think Kerstetter can be a good RT, so I'm fine if he stays there but we could use the help inside too.

Personally, I think all three interior line spots need new blood. Vahe has barely progressed at all from his freshman year. Shack constantly has ankle issues and gets pushed around by strong NTs and he can't snap well. I'd like to see some combination of Hudson, Kerstetter, Okafor, or Grandy take over inside. I expect Vahe to start at the beginning of the year, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him lose his spot at some point.

I think Okafor can be a really, really good Guard.  He doesn't have the feet/length to play tackle and he was forced there out of sheer desperation last year, but he does have the feet to hold up in pass pro inside and he's already shown he's a good run blocker last year.  

[Neonmoon 38129]

If Anderson doesn't start...we are fucked disco. 

 

[Machinator 32099]

Hot take: if Angilau enrolls this year, he will push for time at guard at some point during the 2018 season.

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

Wouldn’t hurt for Anderson, Hudson (if healthy) and Okafor to replace several starters. 

[bschoolprof 6251]

I doubt Cosmi is a better option than Kerstetter at tackle.  

[UDontKnow 10439]

2 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

I doubt Cosmi is a better option than Kerstetter at tackle.  

Unless of course, Kerstetter mans the snap due to Shackelford's incompetence.

[bschoolprof 6251]

I think I'd rather live with Shack at center than trotting out a guy a tackle who has never taken a college snap and is running 2nd team on this line.  

[Laxtonto 12078]

Are we forgetting about Gandy?

If he is a legit G as well, then we are now down to who pushes Vahe and shack, with enough horses to make that happen

[Vertigo 20276]

My early opinion is that Herb Hand is going to be Todd Orlando level good in how quickly and effectively he gets his unit in shape. I feel like the line is going to be what makes the biggest leap this year. Anderson will help, but getting the line to play with good technique and as a unit will work wonders. 

[bschoolprof 6251]

Assuming Anderson is indeed the player most think he is, I think our starting 5 for Maryland will be:

Anderson | Vahe | Shack | Rodriguez or Okafor | Kerstetter

I'm just making shit up at right guard.  I have no idea.  Perhaps Hudson, Okafor, and Grandy can push Vahe at LG.  

 

[Rick Blaine 30]

1 minute ago, bschoolprof said:

Assuming Anderson is indeed the player most think he is, I think our starting 5 for Maryland will be:

Anderson | Vahe | Shack | Rodriguez or Okafor | Kerstetter

I'm just making shit up at right guard.  I have no idea.  Perhaps Hudson, Okafor, and Grandy can push Vahe at LG.  

You could be a 9.95'er.

 

 

[Vertigo 20276]

1 minute ago, bschoolprof said:

Assuming Anderson is indeed the player most think he is, I think our starting 5 for Maryland will be:

Anderson | Vahe | Shack | Rodriguez or Okafor | Kerstetter

I'm just making shit up at right guard.  I have no idea.  Perhaps Hudson, Okafor, and Grandy can push Vahe at LG.  

 

That is probably pretty safe, but my bet is that Grandy should win the starting RG spot. 

[EverywhereMan 50]

Anyone know why we are only playing 1 OL in the spring game? I mean.. I guess it is because we suck at OL, but we’ve got guys like JP, Cosmi, Hudson, Okafor, etc - if they aren’t all injured that probably aren’t starters.

Is it possible Herman meant they would only have 1 with regard to the “drafting” that they’ll be doing, and they’ll be shuffling guys in/out? Or do they just want to see the “unit” perform as one?

[Machinator 32099]

10 minutes ago, EverywhereMan said:

Anyone know why we are only playing 1 OL in the spring game? I mean.. I guess it is because we suck at OL, but we’ve got guys like JP, Cosmi, Hudson, Okafor, etc - if they aren’t all injured that probably aren’t starters.

Is it possible Herman meant they would only have 1 with regard to the “drafting” that they’ll be doing, and they’ll be shuffling guys in/out? Or do they just want to see the “unit” perform as one?

This is what Herman said:

Quote

We will draft teams this year. Don’t know exactly the format. We haven’t really talked specifics. I do know this; we’re only going to have one offensive line. They’ll be in different colored jerseys and we’ll have a rotation. We’ll draft the rest of the positions and play it like a real game.

 

[JFKFC 4878]

I am very upset already about the offensive line and I would appreciate it if there were no more discussion on this topic until after we beat USC, OU, Okie State and TCU. I appreciate your support in this matter.

[Hornstrader 179]

Is Hudson expected to be ready for the start of the season?

[Vertigo 20276]

12 minutes ago, Hornstrader said:

Is Hudson expected to be ready for the start of the season?

Possibly by the start of fall camp, but big men and knee injuries can be slow heals. I doubt he is back to full strength until conference play.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Vertigo

[Yesh 911]

How good do they need to be to score 27 points a game?

[Rollo Tomassi 80]

Grandy  isn't even running second team right now. I wouldn't pencil him in as a starter yet. 

Edited April 3, 2018 by Rollo Tomassi

[mr. sunshine 2824]

3 hours ago, JFKFC said:

I appreciate your support in this matter.

I am indeed your brother in the struggle 

[VinyVango 684]

Grandy  isn't even running second team right now. I wouldn't pencil him in as a starter yet. 

I believe he was running solid 2nd team before getting the recent concussion ... that might explain it.


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[Neonmoon 38129]

Hudson will start when healthy. I know the staff wishes Okafor was good enough for tackle, but so far he’s just a guard. 

[futureman 22439]

1 hour ago, Vertigo said:

Possibly by the start of fall camp, but big men and knee injuries can be slow heals. I doubt he is back to full strength until conference play.

tell us more about your knowledge of healing timelines.  

[Machinator 32099]

From the spring football thread, highlights of Calvin Anderson:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B8Y_yHVcEYK7aV46MlzQiBp3jO7QPl9b/view

[Machinator 32099]

 

[UT Lawnghorn 758]

2 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

Hudson will start when healthy. I know the staff wishes Okafor was good enough for tackle, but so far he’s just a guard. 

Okafor will never be a good OT, but I really think he could be a great G. I hope the staff moves him inside sooner than later.

[Vertigo 20276]

2 hours ago, futureman said:

tell us more about your knowledge of healing timelines.  

9.95

[HOOK'EMHOOAH 1610]

Anyone else ever think about how Vahe might fair on defense as a true nose tackle soaking up blockers? He has the size and strength to play the position and with all the new bodies along the OL, the DL could really use a guy with his skills. Even if it were just on 3rd downs or goal line situations to free up other players to get where they need to be to be the most effective.

[runthebone 7966]

2 hours ago, HOOK'EMHOOAH said:

Anyone else ever think about how Vahe might fair on defense as a true nose tackle soaking up blockers? He has the size and strength to play the position and with all the new bodies along the OL, the DL could really use a guy with his skills. Even if it were just on 3rd downs or goal line situations to free up other players to get where they need to be to be the most effective.

My guess is that he would start out looking great and get everyone excited then end up not improving and leaving us all disappointed. 

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

Let’s all be thankful Warehime isn’t coaching this unit. That in itself is improvement.

[Tex Long 4382]

I think most of us understand problems stemming from shortage of talent - whether that's due to injuries, poor evaluations, or whatever.

What I don't get, is how some of these guys can have two, three, four years under their belts, and still be doing the same dumb shit they were doing when they started. 

It's coaching, right? Right? Hand is going to turn these fools into widow-makers, right?

[Machinator 32099]

Eric Nahlin - What we know about the offensive line (plus what we think we know)

 

There are a lot of moving parts with this offensive line so I wanted to reset the buffet table. 

Charlie Strong often discussed the five phases of the off-season, one of those of course being spring ball. It's important to remember spring ball isn't specifically a build up to the season, it's a build up to August camp. 

With the hiring of offensive line coach Herb Hand, the offensive line is beginning anew. Had Derek Warehime been retained we'd have a much more clear view of the starting line up and rotations. The fact we don't is actually a very good thing. This isn't the time to create cohesion; it's the time to learn assignments. This is the time to find out what guys can and can't do. It's not even time to compete to start so much as it is to jockey for favorable position to earn the job down the road. Starters will be decided in August.

Let's take a look at each position currently.

Left Tackle:

Right now junior Denzel Okafor and redshirt freshman Sam Cosmi are 1 and 2 atop the depth chart. Fifth year senior Elijah Rodriguez also received looks at left tackle in the recent scrimmage. With him starting the bowl game at left but seeing so few reps in practice we can deduce Hand either saw something in E-Rod he didn't like for the position, or he saw something in Okafor he did like for the position. Maybe a little of both, maybe he just likes E-Rod at guard. Don't know.

We wrote that Cosmi has had his struggles at times getting off balance/reaching, and getting beat. Perhaps he's pressing. It's no indication of his upside, he just might not be ready to factor heavily into the first five for next season. Too early to tell, but until he supplants Okafor at first team LT shelve the notion of him starting.

It's possible the best left tackle in the spring becomes the starting right tackle and back-up left tackle long-term. In that regard, it wouldn't be prudent to move Okafor to guard just yet. Obviously they still see tackle upside in him.

Offensive linemen are tackles until they're not; similar to how defensive backs are corners until they're nickels/safeties. It's clear Hand is still finding out if Okafor is a tackle and so far Okafor is.

Left Guard:

Patrick Vahe is easily the safest bet to start at his current position. The coaches are very fond of his attitude and truth be told Vahe's always been a pretty big fan of this coaching staff. 

Vahe isn't being challenged, which doesn't seem ideal, but it doesn't sound like the coaches feel the need to throw competition his way like they're doing at the other guard spot.

Mikey Grandy has missed recent practices. I'll find out why that is but he hasn't been 100% since arriving to Texas. 

Center: 

Texas fans are too used to previous starters holding their job in perpetuity regardless of how that person played. This stems from the fact roster talent has been thin and players who should be competing at one position were starting at another. As we can see, Texas will have a full roster of contributors spanning each recruiting class across the board this year. That means competition across the board.

Aside his snapping issues there are other reasons the staff wants to find competition for Shack. All that's important for public consumption is they believe an upgrade can be made. That's hardly groundbreaking, they felt left tackle and right guard were ripe for upgrading. Had Jake McMillon returned do you think he'd be guaranteed to start? Not hardly.

Competition comes in the form of Derek Kerstetter, a player who might be performing at the highest level of any o-lineman. That's both good and bad for Shack. Good because that makes it tough for the staff to move Kerstetter. Bad because Kerstetter is likely the superior prospect to Shack. 

Like water, evaluations find their level. Kerstetter could become an above average right tackle, but what if he can become an exceptional center? Life is filled with trade-offs.

Right Guard: 

This position is pretty open, though Elijah Rodriguez would start if the lads were to play today. You'd have to think the fifth year player will find a fit in the starting line-up but that isn't guaranteed. If E-Rod is not a starter then that tells you this line will play above league average. If he is a starter it still might be above league average. I suspect we'll see his value this season.

Okafor has repped here with the ones and Hand is intrigued by his size and athleticism for the position.

Shackelford has also briefly repped here with the ones when Kerstetter worked center. 

The intrigue at right guard doesn't stop here. Tope Imade has been running with the twos (good size, strength, and physicality) and Patrick Hudson will come back healthy at some point. Hand will want to see what he can do ASAP.

Juxtapose all this competition with the lack of it at left guard. Indeed, they must feel good about Vahe.

Right Tackle: 

As of right now this is Kerstetter's spot but his versatility, and that of some of his teammates, may motivate the staff to move him. That's not just dependent on Kerstetter, but also Okafor's viability at tackle and Shack's level of play. Kerstetter's a fantastic piece to help medicate what ails this line. 

Behind Kerstetter is seldom discussed JP Urquidez. Urquidez keeps plugging along, quietly getting stronger. He was always a long-curve player and he may still develop into a piece down the road.

CALVINISM

Texas picked up the biggest Calvin transfer since Jean Calvin left Collège de Montaigu for the University of Orleans and this Calvin is set to Reform the offensive line!

With his experience, quickness of mind and quickness afoot, Calvin Anderson will likely spend half a practice competing to become the starting left tackle. That will affect the entire line, but it's entirely predictable. Because it's so predictable it would be safe to assume the staff is preparing current players in the event Anderson will be the opening day starter on the blindside. 

Ian's best guess of how the dominoes will fall is entirely plausible. Okafor is still at left tackle which means the staff sees him as a tackle, but he won't beat out Anderson. 

You either think Kerstetter is working at center in the event Shack is hurt or he's there to provide real competition. You know what I believe. If Kerstetter goes to center then Okafor is the leader to become right tackle.

We know Vahe is safe.

That leaves right guard where E-Rod is most likely to start -- he's starting there now, after all -- but certainly not guaranteed. That position has by far the most competition.

Based on inside information, my own personal evaluations, and intuition, this is how I currently see the state of offensive line.

Edited April 4, 2018 by Machinator

[William_Cannon 86]

Wouldn’t hurt for Anderson, Hudson (if healthy) and Okafor to replace several starters. 

Truth. Couldn’t be worse in any case, so get the youth out there to get the experience as a unit.

[cmontexas 3270]

20 hours ago, HOOK'EMHOOAH said:

Anyone else ever think about how Vahe might fair on defense as a true nose tackle soaking up blockers? He has the size and strength to play the position and with all the new bodies along the OL, the DL could really use a guy with his skills. Even if it were just on 3rd downs or goal line situations to free up other players to get where they need to be to be the most effective.

D linemen can become O linemen not the other way around

[Bodacious Bevo 3583]

On 4/2/2018 at 2:36 PM, Machinator said:

Hot take: if Angilau enrolls this year, he will push for time at guard at some point during the 2018 season.

He's probably going to be way too raw in pass pro. If he's pushing for playing time that probably means Vahe is really sucking or injuries. I hope none of the freshmen take a snap this season. 

[UT Lawnghorn 758]

20 minutes ago, Bodacious Bevo said:

He's probably going to be way too raw in pass pro. If he's pushing for playing time that probably means Vahe is really sucking or injuries. I hope none of the freshmen take a snap this season. 

So much this. Texas will not start any true freshmen at QB, OL, or TE. This is what we should want, but we’re so used to a true frosh getting talked up every year because there’s straight up garabage ahead of him at his position that we forget that.

[Machinator 32099]

I don't want any of our freshmen to start on offense except for maybe Ingram by the end of the season. I'm just saying that I wouldn't be surprised if Angilau saw snaps by year-end (say the bowl game). I don't think the talent level of our guards is all that high, and injuries are a given.

Edited April 5, 2018 by Machinator

[The Tower 362]

On 4/4/2018 at 8:37 AM, Bevo VIII said:

Let’s all be thankful Warehime isn’t coaching this unit. That in itself is improvement.

thank god. herman's problem is that he holds on to his loyal coaches. i hope warehime does better in his new role but he surely didn't do well with the OL.

the ol players seem to like herb hand well and hopefully it transcends to the field quickly.  

[selvahorn 12]

To me it comes down to picking between Rodriguez and Shack to fill the last spot on the OL.


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[cmontexas 3270]

1 hour ago, selvahorn said:

To me it comes down to picking between Rodriguez and Shack to fill the last spot on the OL.


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Yeah I could see

Anderson

Vahe

Kerstetter

Rodriguez

Okafor

-OR-

Anderson

Vahe

Shack

Okafor

Kerstetter

[Neonmoon 38129]

I hope Grandy can come in and push for playing time. 

[selvahorn 12]

I hope Grandy can come in and push for playing time. 

I’d rather he sit a year and develop. Especially if his play isn’t clearly better than the older OGs. He’s a Soph right?


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[UT Lawnghorn 758]

18 minutes ago, selvahorn said:

I’d rather he sit a year and develop. Especially if his play isn’t clearly better than the older OGs. He’s a Soph right?


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Nope. He’s a junior. He came in to be a contributor right away. I’m pretty sure he’s still not practicing yet so we likely won’t onow how good he is until fall practice. Regardless, even if he’s not markedly better than the starters, we’ll likely need him to play for depth purposes anyways.

[Rick Blaine 30]

3 minutes ago, UT Lawnghorn said:

Nope. He’s a junior. He came in to be a contributor right away. I’m pretty sure he’s still not practicing yet so we likely won’t onow how good he is until fall practice. Regardless, even if he’s not markedly better than the starters, we’ll likely need him to play for depth purposes anyways.

I think he's just a soph. Has 3 years left.

[Machinator 32099]

7 minutes ago, UT Lawnghorn said:

Nope. He’s a junior. He came in to be a contributor right away. I’m pretty sure he’s still not practicing yet so we likely won’t onow how good he is until fall practice. Regardless, even if he’s not markedly better than the starters, we’ll likely need him to play for depth purposes anyways.

Grandy has four years to play three.

[selvahorn 12]

Nope. He’s a junior. He came in to be a contributor right away. I’m pretty sure he’s still not practicing yet so we likely won’t onow how good he is until fall practice. Regardless, even if he’s not markedly better than the starters, we’ll likely need him to play for depth purposes anyways.

 

 

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[UT Lawnghorn 758]

Whoops. Well I like that even better now I know he’s got three years of eligibility left.

[HOOK'EMHOOAH 1610]

5 minutes ago, selvahorn said:

 

 

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...and boom goes the dynamite

[selvahorn 12]

Nope. He’s a junior. He came in to be a contributor right away. I’m pretty sure he’s still not practicing yet so we likely won’t onow how good he is until fall practice. Regardless, even if he’s not markedly better than the starters, we’ll likely need him to play for depth purposes anyways.

You’re probably right though.. he could benefit from seeing some live snaps. Hopefully we don’t have to rely on him so we can let him get more comfortable with the schemes and in his new role on the interior.


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