How many FRESHMEN break the starting lineup this season?

#151
#151
Darth_Shiveman said:
Jeeze, people forget that Coleman actually did SOME things pretty well at least. He was pretty good against the run for us last year. He wasn't awful in zone coverage. He didn't blow many assignments. He just couldn't play in man coverage very well at all (which may be a bit of an understatement, actually). Granted, that's a pretty big hole to have in your game for a NB, but it's not like he was utter garbage all around.

We may have had a guy or two available who could play man better than Coleman, but I don't think we had one available who could do the rest as all.

Good thing we should have a healthy Gaulden this year. He should be able to do all of those better than Coleman did.
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Um...wrong Coleman. Unless Justin Coleman was covering Pharoh Cooper, which would explain a lot about that game
 
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#152
#152
I really think we need to get Dormady or Sheriron as many snaps as we can during our first two games (if they aren't too close) because we are thin at QB and we need backups who at least have some feel for the college tempo.
 
#154
#154
VFL-82-JP said:
No, saying if I'm off by one or two freshmen starting early in the season, KMac and Kirkland would be the one or two. Other than them, don't see any other freshman starting early on.

I honestly don't believe we'll see any freshman start the first game.

They're both definitely in the two-deep, from the start, barring off-field issues.
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If Derek Barnett can be a starter from the first game, then so can Kahlil McKenzie and Drew Richmond. Why recruit 5 star studs if you're gonna slow play then just to do it?
 
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#155
#155
Vol8188 said:
Yes. Coleman was the best option available. Due to Dooleys poor recruiting.

You think he played him because CbJ wanted to lose?
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So why's he being moved to center then?
The person who is likely going to start at RT this year is the same one who Coleman replaced last year...
 
#156
#156
Dobbs 4 Heisman said:
If Derek Barnett can be a starter from the first game, then so can Kahlil McKenzie and Drew Richmond. Why recruit 5 star studs if you're gonna slow play then just to do it?
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This 100% last year our best O-lineman and D-lineman were freshmen. With DR and K-Mac coming in then our best tackles this year may be freshman
 
#158
#158
Tommy Townsend at Punter
Kahlil McKenzie at DT......I think after about 4-5 games for him to start, course if he sets the world on fire at training camp then starts day1
Darin Kirkland Jr......towards the end or against like Western Carolina to get him experience
 
#160
#160
Dobbs 4 Heisman said:
If Derek Barnett can be a starter from the first game, then so can Kahlil McKenzie and Drew Richmond. Why recruit 5 star studs if you're gonna slow play then just to do it?
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D4H, I do like the idea of one or more of our true freshmen being so incredibly awesome that they just have to start from the very first day. And I agree that KMac could be that kind of player.

Would not mind it at all.

Having said that, I still think chances are best we'll have no true freshman in the starting line up the first game of the season. If I'm wrong, KMac will be the one.

I do think we'll have seven or eight in the two-deep, and some of those could grow into starting roles over the course of the season.

Go Vols!
 
#162
#162
Dobbs 4 Heisman said:
We've got a consensus top 5 recruiting class coming in (ranked as high as #3 by 24/7). Even Alabama who has as much experienced depth as anyone in the country has stud freshmen win starting jobs for them year in and year out. Butch has recruited at such an elite level that it isn't asking much to expect 2-3 of these freshmen to turn into instant starters. Who do ya'll think can break the lineup this season? I'm pretty confident these 3 guys start from the jump.

Darrin Kirkland Jr. - starting MLB
Kahlil McKenzie - starting DT
Drew Richmond - starting RT

Shy Tuttle should be starting by mid-season.
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You catch a lot of flak but this was a good call from last year on your part. FTR, I don't think anyone could have predicted a RS for Richmond, given his ranking and our perceived weakness on the OL. In hindsight, there were indications that he didn't have the strength necessary to compete at a high level in the SEC, so a RS was appropriate.

I thought DKJr was our best true freshmen last year. The biggest surprise for me was how well the two freshmen OL (Jones and Hall) played in some crucial SEC minutes, especially against UGA. I was disappointed with Kmac but that was my own fault for having unrealistic expectations, given his one-year playing hiatus. I think he'll dominate this year, as expected. I'm concerned about Tuttle returning to form since he's been off his leg so long and DTs can easily put on bad weight when they're not active (Kmac's sr year in high school is a good example). Tuttle should probably be redshirted if he is not in playing shape by September. If Alexis Johnson is not playing this year then we may have to play Tuttle even if his conditioning is poor. He may not stay four years, much less five, anyway. Back to Johnson, assuming the staff intends to keep him, I think he should be redshirted to allow the lawsuit to fade away and not provide ammo. His charges aren't dropped until October anyway.

Moving on, I also wasn't surprised that P. Williams was mostly ineffective, given that he couldn't cut due to his injury. He basically only ran go routes all season and that had very little value, if any at all, outside of the WCU game. I expect him to have a breakout soph season, however, based on spring play.

D4H, I've seen you post your thoughts on the 2016 class. I vaguely recall that you predict Byrd will have the biggest impact. I'd be curious to read your thoughts on the 2016 freshmen class for this upcoming season again in this thread.

My prediction:
1) Kongbo starts the second half of the season and plays his way into an early draft exit candidate.
2) Warrior is the freshmen class special teams stud but gets limited snaps in the secondary.
3) Guarantano redshirts as widely anticipated. Both Dormady and S. Jones get backup minutes in a season that provides ample garbage time. I just hope the coaches let them use the playbook in these mop up minutes (which I doubt they will, as they never have before).
4) Osborne is the freshmen stud on the defensive side of the ball and gets starts at nickel in the second half of the season.
5) Callaway and Byrd log important minutes at WR but neither have significant production as freshmen.
6) Jeff George has significant production at WR and becomes a possession-type receiver. Same could be said for Latrell Williams, who is forced into action early due to our limited true slot receiver options.
7) Desmond Henderson gets valuable reps in the second half of the season as a backup CB as the staff begins to anticipate losing J. Martin to the draft based on a stellar second season.
8) If one of our 3 OT signees gets minutes this year, it'll likely be Johnson. I suspect all three RS, however. This will result in an interesting logjam for next year since we are likely to sign at least 2 blue chip OTs in the 2017 class (Trey Smith plus several other top250 candidates). I bet (hope) we also sign Eze, who definitely needs a RS, so he won't logjam like a Trey Smith and/or Jedrick Wills might. Imagine us having 5 freshmen OTs and a sixth redshirting in 2017!
9) I hope we have the luxury of RS our two freshmen TEs and our RB (CFA). I actually think we could (should) see up to 10 redshirts in the 2016 class.
2017 and beyond for the 2016 class:
10) Longer term, Byrd moves back to the secondary (where he belongs) and the 2016 DB class plus the upcoming 2017 DB class turn UT's secondary into one of the best in the country and arguably one of the best secondaries in UT's modern football era year-in and year-out over the next 3-4 seasons. The strength of the 2016 class is without a doubt an incredible collection of DB talent, with Warrior, Osborne, and Byrd all possessing the talent and ability for All SEC-type production. Henderson may be surprisingly good as well. Buchanan has the bloodlines.
I anticipate that the 2017 DB class could be just as good, if not better. We are realistic contenders for three DBs who have 5 star potential (JaCoby Stevens, Deangelo Gibbs, Lamont Wade) and several more top250 players (Maleik Gray, Jamyest Williams).
All of this only enhances Shoop's status as a secondary specialist (ala Nick Saban), which remains untarnished the entirety of his stay at UT as DC. I don't believe he'll be here long, however (two-to-four years, tops), as a result of his (anticipated) success.
11) Guarantano does not start in 2017 as a RS FR. He will, however, be exceptional once his time comes in 2018 or beyond.
12) Bituli and CFA do not get much, if any, snaps as freshmen, but both go on to have fabulous careers.
 
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#164
#164
Hmm I believe we could see a few possibilities, I definitely could see Osborne starting, maybe see Byrd or Callaway starting but will be hard if Preston, JJ, Malone and Smith stay healthy and develop. I could see some contributing on special teams. I guess as of now the only freshmen I believe will be Osborne.
 
#167
#167
junder13 said:
You catch a lot of flak but this was a good call from last year on your part. FTR, I don't think anyone could have predicted a RS for Richmond, given his ranking and our perceived weakness on the OL.
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you sure? stj sure did on page one of hte thread:



Agreed except I suspect they will try to RS Richmond. I know I would.
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#168
#168
D4H missed the truly key freshmen, by and large.

He was more or less right on Kirkland, and might have been correct on Shy if the young man hadn't been injured. He (and many of us, this isn't a knock on D4H alone) got KMac way wrong. And he missed on Richmond as well:
  • Kirkland is where D4H was closest to right. One can argue Darrin should have been our starting MLB from the first game, but he didn't get the starting job until game 3 or 4.
  • Richmond, of course, redshirted. And yes, it was predictable: SJT called it.
  • KMac never made it to starter. He was in the two-deep throughout the year, but had very limited playing time in the first half of the season because he still needed work on conditioning (he got gassed too quickly to stay in long).
  • Shy played in 6 games, but didn't start any of them. He was in the two-deep. Then he got injured, so we'll never know how it might have played out.
So somewhere between a 25% and 50% "Nostradamus" grade for D4H. Remember, he predicted Kirkland, KMac, and Richmond would be starters from the very first game ("instant starters," "start from the jump")...which wasn't true for any of them.

More significantly, D4H missed other freshmen who contributed in even bigger ways in 2015. Guys like Chance Hall (played in 10, started 7), Juaun Jennings (6 starts in 11 games), Jack Jones (9 games, starting in 1), Preston Williams (8 games, 1 as starter), and Micah Abernathy (12 games)...I'd put them all up there with Kirkland and ahead of Shy, KMac, and Drew for their impact in 2015.

So look for the guy who called out Chance, Darrin, Juaun, Jack, Preston, and Micah. If anyone did that, he's the real VolNation Nostradamus.
 
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#169
#169
What will freshmen break into the starting lineup this year? I would think only 1 at best this year if any.
 
#170
#170
USCGVOL said:
What will freshmen break into the starting lineup this year? I would think only 1 at best this year if any.
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the beauty is that we don't NEED any to. if any do, it will be (except in case of injury) because of production.
 
#171
#171
USCGVOL said:
What will freshmen break into the starting lineup this year? I would think only 1 at best this year if any.
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Maybe one will emerge. (Callaway, Byrd, Osborne, Warrior)

This is what a championship team is supposed to look like, freshman are not supposed to start unless they are the caliber of Lewis or Berry.
 
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#172
#172
letsgoUT29 said:
Maybe one will emerge. (Callaway, Byrd, Osborne, Warrior)

This is what a championship team is supposed to look like, freshman are not supposed to start unless they are the caliber of Lewis or Berry.
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Osborne and Warrior are my picks as well...Some say that Warrior may be a better kick returner than Berry, hard to believe but that would be amazing to see them side by side for the kickoff.
 
#173
#173
johnrlansford said:
Osborne and Warrior are my picks as well...Some say that Warrior may be a better kick returner than Berry, hard to believe but that would be amazing to see them side by side for the kickoff.
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We will never find this out unfortunately.. No team will dare kick to EB or anyone for a chance to make a return. 😢
 
#175
#175
johnrlansford said:
Osborne and Warrior are my picks as well...Some say that Warrior may be a better kick returner than Berry, hard to believe but that would be amazing to see them side by side for the kickoff.
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Wow that would be fun to watch. Kind of reminds me of when EB was here and I would be excited every time we were on D. I cant remember a time I was excited for kick offs but If this was true I would get excited every time. They cant avoid both of them every single kick. Can they?
 
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