No surprise; I am a big believer we will be a much better team next year - and I think Coach Flood should get the opportunity to see what he can do with the first team that is entirely his. I would enjoy hearing opposing viewpoints, just so I can confirm or alter my projections.
I decided to look at the major areas of our team and try to put a balanced perspective on our prospects.
First is the defensive line
Depth - Looking at who has played and who hasn't, I believe our defensive line will be the deepest ever. This year the following players have seen significant time: John Bateky (freshman), Darnell Davis, Jr. (RS sophomore), Jimmy Hogan (RS freshman), Sebastian Joseph (RS sophomore), Quanzell Lambert (RS junior), Julian Pinnix-Odrick (RS junior), Komoko Turay (RS sophomore), Eric Wiafe (RS freshman), and Kevin Wilkins (RS freshman). In addition, Darius Hamilton will be available (if Flood is retained). That is a total of 10 experienced guys. In addition, we have Carter, Ford, Nash, Previlon, and Seymour waiting in the wings. We should be able to sustain some injuries and transfers without missing a beat. Kudos to the staff for building this kind of depth. I don't believe we ever had d-line depth like this in the past. I don't believe it was even close.
Talent - Turay and Hamilton are both talented. If they are available, I could see us having one of the top defensive lines in the B1G. We don't know how much the rest will develop, but many have shown flashes of excellent play. I don't think it is unreasonable to expect at least a couple to take a big step up by the time next year rolls around. Turay and Hamilton are key, but every team has key players they want to be able to send out there every game.
Many of these players were 2 or 3 star recruits, so I suppose some people would question how many of them can really develop into formidable B1G players. I am optimistic that at least a few of them will, based on how much they have already developed.
Experience - We should have a great balance of thoroughly seasoned players and more inexperienced players.
I think this will be the strongest group on our team, especially if Panagos is still here to coach them. I don't think there is much argument that he is a strong coach and a strong presence. I also think a strong defensive line is a key to any team's success, because first priority is to control the line of scrimmage.
Of course, this is all projected, and one can never predict with 100% accuracy what the future will bring. I see far more reasons for optimism here than reasons for pessimism concerning this group.
I decided to look at the major areas of our team and try to put a balanced perspective on our prospects.
First is the defensive line
Depth - Looking at who has played and who hasn't, I believe our defensive line will be the deepest ever. This year the following players have seen significant time: John Bateky (freshman), Darnell Davis, Jr. (RS sophomore), Jimmy Hogan (RS freshman), Sebastian Joseph (RS sophomore), Quanzell Lambert (RS junior), Julian Pinnix-Odrick (RS junior), Komoko Turay (RS sophomore), Eric Wiafe (RS freshman), and Kevin Wilkins (RS freshman). In addition, Darius Hamilton will be available (if Flood is retained). That is a total of 10 experienced guys. In addition, we have Carter, Ford, Nash, Previlon, and Seymour waiting in the wings. We should be able to sustain some injuries and transfers without missing a beat. Kudos to the staff for building this kind of depth. I don't believe we ever had d-line depth like this in the past. I don't believe it was even close.
Talent - Turay and Hamilton are both talented. If they are available, I could see us having one of the top defensive lines in the B1G. We don't know how much the rest will develop, but many have shown flashes of excellent play. I don't think it is unreasonable to expect at least a couple to take a big step up by the time next year rolls around. Turay and Hamilton are key, but every team has key players they want to be able to send out there every game.
Many of these players were 2 or 3 star recruits, so I suppose some people would question how many of them can really develop into formidable B1G players. I am optimistic that at least a few of them will, based on how much they have already developed.
Experience - We should have a great balance of thoroughly seasoned players and more inexperienced players.
I think this will be the strongest group on our team, especially if Panagos is still here to coach them. I don't think there is much argument that he is a strong coach and a strong presence. I also think a strong defensive line is a key to any team's success, because first priority is to control the line of scrimmage.
Of course, this is all projected, and one can never predict with 100% accuracy what the future will bring. I see far more reasons for optimism here than reasons for pessimism concerning this group.
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