Smothers will be the backup for now - more time in the system and trust. Haarberg has more potential down the road. RB starter doesn't matter since 5 guys will be getting carries. It will sort out as we go along with the season. Too bad we don't play Fordham first. Payne and Rogers better see the field often, if not be starters.
Agree with this. You can't teach height and natural arm strength so the theoretical ceiling is high for HH, but we saw how that all played out with Sam Keller and Joe Ganz. What matters most is the decisions they make and their ability to just go out there and ball. HOWEVER if Smothers got loose on a run in game action and really showed off his speed, we all know how this fanbase would eat that up. They'd have him changing his number to 7 and parting his hair in the middle because he's Eric Crouch all over again.
They need to manage Smothers
very carefully this offseason. If he thinks he's dropped to 3 behind a true freshman it would shock me if he didn't leave. If I'm the coaches my plan is for Smothers to be #2 and I'm telling HH "Don't worry about the depth chart right now, you're a true freshman and the sky is the limit, you just redshirt and learn this offense and you guys are going to battle it out for the job in 2022."
WR chart is pretty well set, but pray for health for those top 3 guys. We might get another transfer in now that Houston and Nance are leaving. This staff's ability to get NOTHING out of these duck-r types has been nothing short of astounding through 3+ years. Queue up Nixon as the next great thing at that spot.
I'll be surprised if there isn't some churn at RB between now and the first game. There are so many bodies in that room and too many scholarship guys that you don't know if they're any better than a walk-on chosen at random. We'll see how the RB market looks, if a proven guy comes along I don't see how you can say no.
OL they need to keep fighting it out. So many young guys, that situation will remain fluid. Who'd have thought two years ago we'd be sitting here with Jaimes having left a year on the table and being like, "Man, wish you could start 6 or 7 of em!"
DL no surprises coming, just a question of how many guys are in the rotation. Hutmacher sure looks like a monster in the making. It's gonna be him and Ty Robinson for several years with Henrich and Reimer behind them and that's a happy thought.
OLB...please God somebody emerge here. I keep hearing Kpai is "twitchy" which is lovely I guess? Other than that it's pretty quiet on these guys, I'm guessing it's some combination of Payner, Tannor and what's his name from Scottsbluff getting most of the reps.
I guess I'm forgetting Jojo and Javin Wright which is a pretty big oversight. I love me some Jojo but I'll forever wish he could have played safety and not been forced down to OLB. He's solid but I think safety was his natural position and he could have been great there.
DB it wouldn't surprise me if they bring in a transfer or two. Nadab Joseph was a highly-rated dude coming out of JUCO and it's been dead silent on him. Not exactly the Zackary Bowman experience. They still have roster holes from their 4* Florida kids bailing out last summer.