How many FRESHMEN break the starting lineup this season?

[sjt18]

FWIW, I think a few Fr will play and have an impact. Closer to the average number that top tier teams end up playing than what UT has played the last several years.... which is to say less than half of them barring injury.

This does not include the JUCOs.

I've already said I think Byrd and Osborne will contribute.

I think it would be a disservice to any of the LB, DL, or OL prospects to play them without giving them a chance to build the strength needed to compete well.

I could be wrong about Callaway and CFA. Maybe they will be strong enough to hold up physically.

Others could get ST's time but why waste a year of eligibility if you don't have to?

 

[butchna]

Please take no disrespect but your disagreement is as much with Jones as with me. He expects that most Fr will RS when he has the program where he wants it. He has said so.

Not all 4/5* kids are immediate impact. On a roster with good depth in all groups.... only a few Fr are ready to contribute enough to break in. If they "leave like crazy" then it won't be because Jones refused to burn a year of eligibility just to get them mop up reps. Most of them will likely see the wisdom in taking a RS to get them really ready to play at that level before trying and failing.


You STILL assume that a LOT of these kids are ready to knock developed, experienced, upper classmen out of PT. Very, very few are. UT has had to play Fr because they didn't have talent or experience or developed players. Now they do.

When we're redshirting quality OL and DL we'll be where we need to be as a program. You can't recruit scared. The best want to be part of something better.

 

[sjt18]

When we're redshirting quality OL and DL we'll be where we need to be as a program. You can't recruit scared. The best want to be part of something better.

What do you think about this year? Seems obvious the JUCO DL's were brought in to play right away. I don't think they signed any fr DL's, did they? I suspect all of the Fr OL's will RS barring injury.

 

[QuickSmurf]

When we're redshirting quality OL and DL we'll be where we need to be as a program. You can't recruit scared. The best want to be part of something better.

Like last year red shirting a 5 star o tackle Drew Richmond?

 

[QuickSmurf]

If I'm not mistaken Kongbo had already redshirted

 

[butchna]

What do you think about this year? Seems obvious the JUCO DL's were brought in to play right away. I don't think they signed any fr DL's, did they? I suspect all of the Fr OL's will RS barring injury.

The OL they signed this year are prototype RS candidates. Fine athletes who can spend a year bulking up solid and developing. The fact they redshirted Richmond and Boulware last season was surprising but will pay huge dividends. Wasn't an ideal year in DL recruiting...still not in a place where we can RS quality DTs. If we would have landed Brown, he'd most likely have started or been in two deep IMO.

 

[butchna]

Like last year red shirting a 5 star o tackle Drew Richmond?

He wasn't happy...he got over it.

 

[QuickSmurf]

He wasn't happy...he got over it.

Lol

 

[tonybologna]

Please take no disrespect but your disagreement is as much with Jones as with me. He expects that most Fr will RS when he has the program where he wants it. He has said so.

Not all 4/5* kids are immediate impact. On a roster with good depth in all groups.... only a few Fr are ready to contribute enough to break in. If they "leave like crazy" then it won't be because Jones refused to burn a year of eligibility just to get them mop up reps. Most of them will likely see the wisdom in taking a RS to get them really ready to play at that level before trying and failing.


You STILL assume that a LOT of these kids are ready to knock developed, experienced, upper classmen out of PT. Very, very few are. UT has had to play Fr because they didn't have talent or experience or developed players. Now they do.

21 total incoming newcomers. 19 of them are freshmen. I say 9 of them are most definitely capable & ready to contribute to this program coming in right away. No less than 7 for sure.

The ones that are absolutely ready to not only play but provide us a big contribution are Tyler Byrd, Kasongo(JUCO), Marquill Osborne, Marquez Callaway, Nigel Warrior, & Alexis Johnson(if cleared to play). Maybe also Jeff George(JUCO) as well but not too high on him.

That means I have 5 true freshmen listed above as ready to play & contribute players. 2 JUCO's which are going to come in & most likely not redshirt anyhow. Rarely does JUCO transfers take redshirts. The rest of the incoming freshmen I can most definitely see fitting as redshirts. Not the ones I mentioned though.

Tyler Byrd is one of the most dynamic return man I've ever seen on video. His athleticism & agility are outright unbelievable. He has to have a spot somewhere either at WR or strictly special teams.

Nigel Warrior can be a special teams nightmare for other teams. Maybe he won't see too much action at DB but he can make a big impact on special teams.

Callaway is one that is a question mark. He's going to be used at WR but he was also viewed as a DB coming out of high school. We have quite a few WR's. Maybe if that's where we want to play him then he would be best taking a redshirt but he has so many skills.

Of course, the 2 JUCO's in Kongbo & George will play but Kongbo will make the most impact. I see us using George as a short yardage WR used in 2nd & 3rd downs in short yardage situations like 5 yards & under. Very tall target to get the ball to with solid hands.

 

[sjt18]

21 total incoming newcomers. 19 of them are freshmen. I say 9 of them are most definitely capable & ready to contribute to this program coming in right away. No less than 7 for sure.

Then how do you disagree with me? I'm not sure it came to 7 but I acknowledged that some of the guys were likely RS or ST's.

The ones that are absolutely ready to not only play but provide us a big contribution are Tyler Byrd, Kasongo(JUCO), Marquill Osborne, Marquez Callaway, Nigel Warrior, & Alexis Johnson(if cleared to play). Maybe also Jeff George(JUCO) as well but not too high on him.

The only one there I would argue with is Callaway who could use a RS if they can afford to give it to him and especially if he hasn't packed on some serious weight. He was listed at 170 as a recruit iirc.... which probably means he was closer to 160 at 6'2". Even at 185 he'd struggle to block SEC DB's.... and Jones has shown an aversion to playing WR's who can't block.

JUCO's are usually signed to play but sometimes they just can't. Witness Blair who everyone was predicting to establish himself at a TREMENDOUS position of need.

Tyler Byrd is one of the most dynamic return man I've ever seen on video. His athleticism & agility are outright unbelievable. He has to have a spot somewhere either at WR or strictly special teams.

He's the one I think has the greatest potential to start and contribute. He has the open field skills like you said. UT needs a slot with.... explosive ability in the open field.

When you went into detail.... you pretty much agreed with me.... :good!:

 

[tonybologna]

Then how do you disagree with me? I'm not sure it came to 7 but I acknowledged that some of the guys were likely RS or ST's.

The only one there I would argue with is Callaway who could use a RS if they can afford to give it to him and especially if he hasn't packed on some serious weight. He was listed at 170 as a recruit iirc.... which probably means he was closer to 160 at 6'2". Even at 185 he'd struggle to block SEC DB's.... and Jones has shown an aversion to playing WR's who can't block.

JUCO's are usually signed to play but sometimes they just can't. Witness Blair who everyone was predicting to establish himself at a TREMENDOUS position of need.

He's the one I think has the greatest potential to start and contribute. He has the open field skills like you said. UT needs a slot with.... explosive ability in the open field.

When you went into detail.... you pretty much agreed with me.... :good!:

I thought you wasn't for any freshmen playing this coming season. I thought you said all of them should be redshirted? I guess I must have misread your posts. Thanks!

 

[chaseasl]

I think Byrd, Callaway, Osbourne, and Warrior will all play . CFA won't play unless there is an injury to one of our other RBs. I think Williams plays if we suffer any injuries to our WRs.

 

[butchna]

21 total incoming newcomers. 19 of them are freshmen. I say 9 of them are most definitely capable & ready to contribute to this program coming in right away. No less than 7 for sure.

The ones that are absolutely ready to not only play but provide us a big contribution are Tyler Byrd, Kasongo(JUCO), Marquill Osborne, Marquez Callaway, Nigel Warrior, & Alexis Johnson(if cleared to play). Maybe also Jeff George(JUCO) as well but not too high on him.

That means I have 5 true freshmen listed above as ready to play & contribute players. 2 JUCO's which are going to come in & most likely not redshirt anyhow. Rarely does JUCO transfers take redshirts. The rest of the incoming freshmen I can most definitely see fitting as redshirts. Not the ones I mentioned though.

Tyler Byrd is one of the most dynamic return man I've ever seen on video. His athleticism & agility are outright unbelievable. He has to have a spot somewhere either at WR or strictly special teams.

Nigel Warrior can be a special teams nightmare for other teams. Maybe he won't see too much action at DB but he can make a big impact on special teams.

Callaway is one that is a question mark. He's going to be used at WR but he was also viewed as a DB coming out of high school. We have quite a few WR's. Maybe if that's where we want to play him then he would be best taking a redshirt but he has so many skills.

Of course, the 2 JUCO's in Kongbo & George will play but Kongbo will make the most impact. I see us using George as a short yardage WR used in 2nd & 3rd downs in short yardage situations like 5 yards & under. Very tall target to get the ball to with solid hands.

Kongbo can't redshirt. Did already at Wyoming.

 

[JohnMcA60]

Osborne, Byrd, Callaway, are guys I expect to see getting solid minutes. Also Warrior will get some looks more once the season gets into October and so on.

 

[LittleVol]

Not trying to be snotty or throw water on your excitement over these Fr.... but if UT is that dependent on Fr then this season won't go as we all hope it will.

Do you have a reason for your thoughts on Gaulden? I think they are working hard at putting good weight on him, aren't they? Even at 170, he was a pretty fearless hitter. Usually the guy who takes the hit to the opponent isn't the one who gets hurt.

Not snotty at all.

I don't anticipate any of them starting. But contributing a lot?
Yep!
Warrior has to beat out Gaulden and Berry. No disrespect to Rashaun. Gaulden brings everything hes got! Hes a man out there... but at the same time... hes not a durable one.
Hes injured his wrist badly... ofcourse the foot last year. His frame is narrow and hard to bulk.

You know actually... he won't get injured. Because I think Evan Berry is going to take that spot.
I think they rotate with Berry being the starter. Gaulden will make Berry realize his potential. Evan is going to have to step it up BIGTIME... if he wants to beat Gaulden. But he has the talent to do just that.

 

[LittleVol]

Why won't Gaulden hold up at safety? Says he's up to 184. He wasn't injured as a freshman, played a lot of special teams and was about as good as we had there. Had an unfortunate foot injury. Kid is tough as nails and the coaches rave about him. Heard Thig tell Doug Mathews that we'd have won both the Oklahoma and Florida games last year had Rashaan been on the field.

No, he's not the biggest kid in the world, but then neither was Dale Carter who was about the same size and like a Mac truck like RS. How about we let him have more than one injury that keeps him out of a regular season game in 2+ years before we label him "not able to hold up".

Gaulden is tall. Hes legit 6'1". but his frame wont allow him to get over 195 probably. IMO he needs to be 205 at that height. He is tough. He could prove me wrong.

But he is so slender at tension points on his body. I see him being best utilized at nickel and special teams. But not playing over 40 snaps a game.

Now KB... if somehow he can add the right weight and stay healthy... then hes the secondarys version of Jaylen Reeves-Maybin.
Gaulden is good! But like I told SJ, Ive also got high expectations for Evan Berry

IOW... I dont really know.

 

[Darth_Shiveman]

Not arguing... just discussing... but my thought would be that you save a year of eligibility for him if you don't have to use him on ST's. UT should not have to use them considering the talent returning. You also put those guys at significant risk of injury even if you just put them on ST's without being physically ready for it.

I don't disagree with any of those points. But none of that logic has stopped the coaches from playing young guys on STs in the past few years if they thought they could give us an edge.

 

[Darth_Shiveman]

Why won't Gaulden hold up at safety? Says he's up to 184. He wasn't injured as a freshman, played a lot of special teams and was about as good as we had there. Had an unfortunate foot injury. Kid is tough as nails and the coaches rave about him. Heard Thig tell Doug Mathews that we'd have won both the Oklahoma and Florida games last year had Rashaan been on the field.

No, he's not the biggest kid in the world, but then neither was Dale Carter who was about the same size and like a Mac truck like RS. How about we let him have more than one injury that keeps him out of a regular season game in 2+ years before we label him "not able to hold up".

FTR, Gaulden did miss some time off and on throughout camp and the season as a freshman. Then he had an injury that kept him out of much of spring ball in 2015.

To date his foot injury has been the only major one he's dealt with, but he's stayed dinged up in one way or another for much of his time on campus. That's just football, of course, but I'd say smart money is probably on Gaulden missing at least a game or two in 2016, especially with increased reps.

That being said, I can't wait to see what he brings to the table for us. I have a feeling the combination of him and Shoop will be huge for us.

 

[butchna]

I don't disagree with any of those points. But none of that logic has stopped the coaches from playing young guys on STs in the past few years if they thought they could give us an edge.

Because of talent deficiencies in past years. It was never ideal...but it was necessary. Now we have UPPERCLASSMEN who don't have starting roles, but abundant talent.

 

[KBVol]

Gaulden is tall. Hes legit 6'1". but his frame wont allow him to get over 195 probably. IMO he needs to be 205 at that height. He is tough. He could prove me wrong.

But he is so slender at tension points on his body. I see him being best utilized at nickel and special teams. But not playing over 40 snaps a game.

Now KB... if somehow he can add the right weight and stay healthy... then hes the secondarys version of Jaylen Reeves-Maybin.
Gaulden is good! But like I told SJ, Ive also got high expectations for Evan Berry

IOW... I dont really know.

I understand what you're saying to a point. Rashaan doesn't have broad shoulders or a "wide frame". He's fairly tall and slender, so that's why I mentioned the guy he reminds me of in that regard, Dale Carter, who played at 6'2 182 at Tennessee. I remember seeing Carter on campus, in particular in Morrill Hall when I was a student and I couldn't believe that was the same guy who was doing what he was doing on the field.

Thus far, Gaulden hasn't had any shoulder or neck injuries that I'm aware of, just the freak foot injury last year. I'm hoping that means he's just a little different from your normal 184 pounder who likes to launch his body. You may be right about his body not being able to hold up, but then again maybe not if he's like Carter in more ways than just stature.

 

[KBVol]

FTR, Gaulden did miss some time off and on throughout camp and the season as a freshman. Then he had an injury that kept him out of much of spring ball in 2015.

To date his foot injury has been the only major one he's dealt with, but he's stayed dinged up in one way or another for much of his time on campus. That's just football, of course, but I'd say smart money is probably on Gaulden missing at least a game or two in 2016, especially with increased reps.

That being said, I can't wait to see what he brings to the table for us. I have a feeling the combination of him and Shoop will be huge for us.

Iirc, he participated in all of 2015 spring practice except the last practice or two and the O&W game due to a thumb. He was given the "Andy Spiva Defensive Player Award" at the Orange & White game for his outstanding work in Spring Practice last year.

I don't recall him missing time as a freshman but certainly could be wrong there. I do know that he played in 11 games as a freshman and was very good on special teams.

He didn't miss any time this Spring so hopefully that's a good sign going forward. Hopefully 184lbs is an optimal weight for him and he stays healthy at that size.

 

[sjt18]

I thought you wasn't for any freshmen playing this coming season. I thought you said all of them should be redshirted? I guess I must have misread your posts. Thanks!

No. I'm kind of excited to see if Byrd can give the O what it has been missing since Pig left.

Warrior looks physically ready but UT seems to have a glut of talented guys at S now. I could see a RS to save eligibility or a significant ST's role depending team needs.

I think Osborne has already staked a claim to either a ST's or back up role.

I don't think UT will need as much help from the Fr this year which will allow Jones to do what he would rather do anyway- red-shirt them and develop them before throwing them into the fire. This should reduce injuries and on the field mistakes.

There will almost always be a few guys in each class that are ready to play. UT has played quite a few over the last 3 years that weren't ready.

 

[sjt18]

Not snotty at all.

I have a history I'm trying to change. Sometimes I write things in ways that make people feel attacked when really I'm just trying to exchange and challenge our thoughts.

Trying to be a "kindlier, gentler" sjt18.

I don't anticipate any of them starting. But contributing a lot?
Yep!
Warrior has to beat out Gaulden and Berry. No disrespect to Rashaun. Gaulden brings everything hes got! Hes a man out there... but at the same time... hes not a durable one.
Hes injured his wrist badly... ofcourse the foot last year. His frame is narrow and hard to bulk.

You know actually... he won't get injured. Because I think Evan Berry is going to take that spot.
I think they rotate with Berry being the starter. Gaulden will make Berry realize his potential. Evan is going to have to step it up BIGTIME... if he wants to beat Gaulden. But he has the talent to do just that.

You could be right. The types of injuries he's had don't usually relate to bulk do they? But some guys are more prone to injury and his pattern suggests that could be the case with him. Hopefully not. I LOVED his ST's play as a Fr.

I don't know what the disconnect has been with Berry. Maybe Jancek's system? Not sure. He has looked like the best athlete they've had at S for a while but doesn't get the PT you might expect.

 

[sjt18]

Thus far, Gaulden hasn't had any shoulder or neck injuries that I'm aware of, just the freak foot injury last year. I'm hoping that means he's just a little different from your normal 184 pounder who likes to launch his body. You may be right about his body not being able to hold up, but then again maybe not if he's like Carter in more ways than just stature.

You allude to something that could be a difference between Gaulden and Carter. Some of the new hitting rules seem to make the defender receive more of the "pain" of a hit.

I'm hoping Gaulden can stay healthy.... but I kind of wish they could leave him at CB due to his possible size limitations.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

I have a history I'm trying to change. Sometimes I write things in ways that make people feel attacked when really I'm just trying to exchange and challenge our thoughts.

Trying to be a "kindlier, gentler" sjt18.

Seent and appreciated, SJT. :good!: