DG’s TL;DR Position Group Overview

[DiderotsGhost]

Only two more grueling weeks to go before the season opener. Here’s my TL;DR stab at a position group overview.


First, let's do the short version:

Offense

Quarterbacks: B+
Running Backs: B+
Wide Receivers: B-
Tight Ends: B+
Offensive Line: A-

In spite of struggles last season, the O-line should be the strength of this offense. If it’s not, that’s a problem, as we are absolutely loaded talent-wise. Quarterbacks show great promise, but don’t have a lot of experience. Similar situation IMO at Running Back (outside of John Kelly), but I’m optimistic about the group we have and think Chandler could be pretty good. I suspect we might be a bit slow coming out the gate with so many inexperienced players and new coaches, but that we’ll find our way over the course of the season. Depth at the Wide Receiver is my biggest concern.

Defense

Defensive Line: B+
Linebackers: B-
Secondary: A-

Our defense could dramatically improve this season. We were hobbled last season by having lost more starts due to injuries than any other FBS program. While we lose some greats such as Derek Barnett, our D-line has a lot of talent if only we can avoid the injury bug. Our secondary, at least on paper, looks loaded. If Charlton Warren can improve the coaching, expect a big improvement with D-backs. The LB position is my biggest concern.

Special Teams: A-

If there’s anywhere we’ve been consistently good during the Butch Jones era, its special teams. Hopefully that continues in 2017. We bring back Senior Kicker Aaron Medley, as well as Senior Punter Trevor Daniel. Evan Berry is back and we should have some intriguing other options for returners, as well.

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Now for the extended cut!

Quarterbacks

Overall: B+
Ceiling: A+
Floor: C

1st String: Quinten Dormady
2nd String: Jarrett Guarantano
3rd String: Will McBride

According to college football media, this is the worst QB situation we’ve had since 2013. I’m willing to wager that the media is significantly underrating us in this regard. We have not one, but two, very good QB prospects in Dormady and Guarantano. There’s a good chance that both could prove to be better passers than Josh Dobbs. At the same time, it’s unlikely that either will be able to replace Dobbs’ running production. Dobbs was our leading rusher last season with 831 yards on 150 carries. Those stats significantly understate his production since sacks count against rushing yards in the NCAA; and Dobbs was sacked 25 times last season. Factor that in and Dobbs was likely a 1,000+ yard rusher.

Dormady has shown a strong arm, great accuracy, and good judgment. Guarantano also has a strong arm and has shown good accuracy. Right now, it seems as if Dormady leads the race, but it’s close. Both these guys have the potential to be special.

The hiring of Mike Canales has had a positive impact on our QBs. IMO Dobbs’ inconsistent performance in the passing game can partly be attributed to a lack of emphasis on the position. Canales immediately came in and changed this and has tried to correct some of the issues (such as poor footwork). It’ll take some time to judge Canales, but for now, I see him as a major upgrade over the previous situation.

Overall, I’d put us in the 2nd tier of SEC QBs with South Carolina (Jake Bentley), Georgia (Jacob Eason), and Mizzou (Drew Lock), right behind the more proven commodities (Jalen Hurts, Jarrett Stidham at Auburn, Nick Fitzgerald at Miss State), with potential to move up into that 1st tier.

On one hand, it's easy to say that there are other teams out there with a better QB situation. On the other hand, I’d have a difficult time saying that I would trade QD and JG for anyone else in the SEC. I'm that high on both players' potential.


Running Backs

Overall: B+
Ceiling: A
Floor: C

Starters: John Kelly (undisputed), Ty Chandler
Back-ups: Carlin Fils-Aime, Tim Jordan

John Kelly doesn’t get enough respect from the national media, but he averaged 5.8 yards per carry last season and had a knack for finding the end zone. From a statistical perspective, Kelly has been a much better rusher than Jalen Hurd. The only downside is that he’s not nearly the prolific receiver that Kamara or Hurd were. I feel very good with John Kelly overall. The big question mark is “what do we have behind him?”

The early indications look positive for highly recruited talent Ty Chandler. I have a hunch he’s going to be our #2 RB this season. Sounds like Chandler can also catch the ball, which should help, particularly given that we'll probably be throwing the ball more this season. Nevertheless, until we see Chandler out on the field, it’s a bit early to get too excited. For now, we'll say he looks like he's got great potential and could be an immediate contributor.

Tim Jordan, like John Kelly, was a lightly recruited 3-star RB, who may have been underrated by the analysts. Jordan has been getting some rave reviews. If nothing else, he'll hopefully add some quality depth.

Sophomore Carlin Fils-Aime remains a bit of a question mark. He didn’t get major playing time last season in any meaningful games, so difficult to know what we’ve got. Hoping he steps us this year, but doesn’t feel like we’ve heard much yet.

As far as coaching goes, I’d consider Robert Gillespie to be our most proven position coach. The running game has consistently been strong under him, even under less than ideal circumstances with the O-line in 2014 and 2015.

Overall, there are lots of reasons for optimism with this group, but also some question marks given that we mostly have unknown commodities. We’ll have a much better sense of what we have at RB after September is over. For now, I’d say we’re about a “B+” and likely also in the 2nd tier of the SEC behind teams like LSU (Guice) and Georgia (Chubb, Michel).


Wide Receivers

Overall: B-
Ceiling: B+
Floor: D

Starters: J. Jennings, Tyler Byrd, Marquez Calloway
Backups: Josh Smith, Brandon Johnson, Latrell Johnson, Josh Palmer, Jeff George

Like much of the offense this season, it’s probably going to take a few games before we know what we have at WR. We lose Josh Malone, who was our leading receiver last season with 50 receptions, 972 yards, and 11 TDs, including an impressive 19 yards per catch.

Jauan Jennings is our obvious new #1 receiver this season. JJ is still significantly underrated on a national level. Beyond JJ, it’s less certain what we have, but we do have some promising young players, including most notably Tyler Byrd, who amassed 15 catches and 209 yds in 2016 during his Freshman campaign (after switching over from defense) and Marquez Calloway, who saw limited action last season. We bring back Senior Josh Smith, who had a bit of a disappointing season last year, but was much more productive in 2015. Sophomore Brandon Johnson saw limited action last season (4 games, 7 recs, 93 yards), but is likely to make a bigger contribution this year. We have R-Freshman speedster Latrell Williams, who may turn into a threat at some point. And Freshman Josh Palmer has drawn some positive reviews.

We lose WR coach Zach Azzanni, who I believe was significantly underrated. We replaced him with Kevin Beard, who we just don’t know much about yet. I’m not pessimistic on Beard by any stretch, but I do think it’s a “wait-and-see” type deal.

Overall, though, WRs concerns me more than any other offensive position group. I don’t think we’re bad by any means, but it’s the group with the most question marks. I also think an injury to Jennings would be likely to have a significantly negative impact on the offense, as he may be our only major big-play threat.

Would love to hear other perspectives, though.


Tight Ends

Grade: B+
Ceiling: A
Floor: C

Starter: Ethan Wolf
Backups: Jakob Johnson, Latrell Bumphus, Eli Wolf

TEs have been under-utilized for much of the Butch Jones Era. Hoping to see that change with Larry Scott being promoted to OC. Senior Ethan Wolf is back as our starter. His brother, Eli, just earned a scholarship. Jakob Johnson’s hard-work appears to finally be paying off during his Senior year, and he’s drawing very positive reviews from the coaches. True Freshman LaTrell Bumphus was recruited by most programs at Defensive End, but Larry Scott saw him as a Tight End. Bumphus is thus far drawing rave reviews.

Overall, I feel reasonably good about Tight End. If Jakob Johnson’s improvement catching the ball turns out to be legit, we have some options.


Offensive Line

Grade: A-
Ceiling: A+
Floor: C
Starters: Drew Richmond (LT), Jack Jones (LG), Jashon Robertson (C), Trey Smith (RG), Brett Kendrick (RT)
Backups: Venzell Boulware, Coleman Thomas, Ryan Johnson, Marcus Tatum, Devante Brooks, Nathan Niehaus

Talent-wise, we are absolutely loaded at O-line. This gives me some hope that we may much better than expected, as football analysts often focus too much on skill positions and too little on the guys in the trenches. That said, you can make a good argument that our O-line underperformed for 1.5 out of the last 2 seasons. We looked very good at the end of 2015, but then the O-line struggled again in 2016.

Walt Wells may be the most integral position coach this year. Last season, we basically had 3 O-line coaches (Mahoney, DeBord, and Wells) and it didn’t work out very well. Can Wells succeed where Mahoney / DeBord failed?

It’s rare to see true Freshmen that can start on the O-line and be successful, but Trey Smith already looks like he’s 23 years old. And it’s not just his body that has developed early. He’s very mature and will make an excellent leader on this unit.

We probably have the best situation we’ve had at Tackle during the entire Butch Jones era. Drew Richmond is looking like the starting Left Tackle, R-Sr Brett Kendrick is solid, and Marcus Tatum has been better than expected. Technically, we have a few more guys who could shift over to Tackle as well. The only negative is that we’ve lost Chance Hall for the season; it’s a big blow, but at least we have a lot of depth right now.

I’m optimistic that this could be one of the best O-lines in the SEC this season. Given that we’re breaking in a lot of new starters at skill positions, O-line play is going to be key to offensive success this year. If the O-line underperforms again, we’re in trouble. If this unit can play to its potential, though, it’s going to make the transition a lot easier.


Defensive Line

Grade: B+
Ceiling: A
Floor: C

Starters: Darrell Taylor (DE), J. Kongbo (DE), K. McKenzie (DT), Kendal Vickers (DT)
Backups: Quay Picou (DT), Kyle Phillips (DE), Shy Tuttle (DT)

In spite of losing Derek Barnett and Corey Vereen, we still have a lot of talent on the D-line. I’ve been waiting a few seasons to see Darrell Taylor get some major action; he’s an athletic freak and has the potential to be great. Reports are that Kongbo is looking pretty good, as well. Not to mention Kyle Phillips could have a big impact, too. We might not outperform last year’s Barnett-Vereen combo, but we won’t drop off much either.

On the inside, we look reasonably good with Kahlil McKenzie, Kendal Vickers, and Quay Picou. The two big questions are can we get Shy Tuttle back at full-strength and can Alexis Johnson turn into a legit option. IMO, Shy Tuttle is one of the most elite defensive players in the country when healthy; unfortunately, we haven’t had him healthy for an entire season yet.

D-line could end up being a source of strength this year, but I’ll play a bit conservative and give us a “B+” given that we’re breaking in new starters and there are still some question marks with injuries and player improvement.


Linebackers

Grade: B-
Ceiling: B+
Floor: D

Starters: Darrin Kirkland, Cortez McDowell
Backups: Colton Jumper, Daniel Bituli, Quart’e Sapp, Elliott Berry, Will Ignont, Austin Smith

Last preseason, Linebacker depth was my biggest concern. This preseason, LBs are still one of my bigger concerns. The GT game particularly worries me as we’re likely going to have to play 3 linebackers most of the game and that’s not to our advantage.

If Darrin Kirkland is back and healthy, that’s a huge benefit for us. After Kirkland, though, there’s not another top-notch LB on our roster. Cortez McDowell currently looks like the other starter at LB. A healthy Quart’e Sapp, however, could make a push for the other starting spot, as well.

The one thing I can say is that I do feel better about the overall depth this season. A lot of guys gained valuable experience last year after we got destroyed by injuries. Would be nice to see Sapp or Bituli emerge this year, but I have to think there are some big question marks in this group until I see otherwise.


Secondary

Grade: A-
Ceiling: A
Floor: B

Starters: Rashaan Gaulden (N), Shaq Wiggins (CB), Justin Martin (CB), Nigel Warrior (S), Todd Kelly Jr (S)
Backups: Baylen Buchanan, Evan Berry, Micah Abernathy, Marquill Osborne, E. Moseley

Some might knock my grade here, but Charlton Warren was my favorite off-season coaching hire. He was excellent at UNC. I also think secondary is the position group where we look the most well-stocked on defense. We significantly underperformed last season; that was partly due to injuries and partly due to coaching. I’m optimistic that both of these problems are now remedied.

I really like our Safeties! I view Nigel Warrior and TK Jr as one of the most solid parts of our defense. We have good starters at every position and great depth as well with guys like Baylen Buchanan, Evan Berry, Marquill Osborne, and Micah Abernathy in the rotation.

Ok, so there are still some question marks after last season and maybe I’m being overly optimistic, but I really do expect this unit to improve quite a bit. Certainly, I have fewer concerns about it than I do at LB.

 

[nesbuddha66]

sp


fair assessment! i like your write ups.

If WR is your biggest concern, D-line is mine. I like the depth at WR. Im so rattled by last years injuries that I wish we had one or two more options especially in the middle. I like piccou and bain as depth in there though.

Overall some exciting potential, i like the depth, and hope on top of hope the guys stay upright more often this year

 

[GAVol]

Need to edit the title, but I'm not sure what you were going for?

 

[DiderotsGhost]

Need to edit the title, but I'm not sure what you were going for?

I can't edit the title.

I like to think of most of the stuff I write as being pure crap, but if someone wants to change it to "TL;DR Position Group Overview", I wouldn't be opposed.

 

[Crazy Ivan]

Interesting, DG. But out of curiosity, you have an A or A+ as the ceiling for pretty much every position other than WR and LB, where you have their ceilings as B+. Just curious as to why you don't think those 2 groups, which seem to have plenty of talent, can reach at least an A-. I understand somewhat with LBs as you think we don't have any quality LBs beyond DKjr, although I disagree, but I am really curious about WR, where not only do I think we have plenty of quality talent, albeit inexperienced, but also seemingly upgraded with the position coach. Thanks.

 

[wildorange]

First let me say I thought you summary was pretty much spot on, you did a great job breaking it all down. My takes aren't very different than yours but my few subtle differences would be that LB is the position that worries me the most. While your point at WR are very well warranted I think the WR's will do well. My biggest concern there is will they be in synch right off the bat. I believe Tyler Byrd is going to become a good one and with a OL that I expect to play well, I think Dormady will be able to find his receivers. I agree with you on Coach Warren I think he is going to really help the secondary reach it's potential. I like all our new coaches, I really hope the OL plays to it's potential it's along time coming. I truly think this line will be a very good one. GBO!!!!! P.S I do agree your title headline is a little confusing when first looking at it. LOL!!! GBO!!!!!

 

[Plateauvol]

nice review, thanks for putting in the work to give us your assessment .:rock:

 

[thegasman54]

We have exactly 2 LBs ( w significant experience) that are SEC grade ... this is by far our thinnest area. McDowell is a good backup , good for 15-20 snaps a game. Any snap that he is tired , he turns to a liability. Need Ignot to grow up quickly , smith to catch on or Kelly to move to LB.

WR isn't that big of a concern at all. If all other position groups are reasonably healthy we are a 8-4 to 10-2 team.

We are capable of winning all our games except Alabama. We SHOULD beat Florida and about 50/50 vs uga and lsu.

 

[DiderotsGhost]

Interesting, DG. But out of curiosity, you have an A or A+ as the ceiling for pretty much every position other than WR and LB, where you have their ceilings as B+. Just curious as to why you don't think those 2 groups, which seem to have plenty of talent, can reach at least an A-. I understand somewhat with LBs as you think we don't have any quality LBs beyond DKjr, although I disagree, but I am really curious about WR, where not only do I think we have plenty of quality talent, albeit inexperienced, but also seemingly upgraded with the position coach. Thanks.

It's all in comparison to the rest of the SEC. I see an "A" grade as being "top tier."

With WRs, I don't see as have having enough 1st Tier talent at WR right now to be near the top in that category. Jauan Jennings is a huge threat that defenses will struggle to defend against. Aside from JJ, is there anyone on the unit that would scare opposing defenses? I do think Tyler Byrd will be solid and we have a lot of other potentially solid guys on the roster at WR, but I don't see another "elite" type WR on the roster other than JJ. Compare that to South Carolina (which arguably has at least 3 big threats), Florida (Callaway, Powell, Cleveland), or Bama (Ridley, Sims, Diggs) --- I don't think there's much of a case that we'll be among the best in the SEC at WR. We need more than JJ.

Similar deal with LBs. Hopefully, we have a lot of guys that have improved, but I don't see an elite player there other than Kirkland. As I said, perhaps Bituli or Sapp will surprise this year and take a huge step forward, but for now, I don't see that other guy. I feel like depth has certainly been upgraded, at least, though, as last year, I thought we would be totally screwed if Kirkland and JRM were injured, and that turned out to be true.

 

[wesleydmartin]

thanks for taking the time, i dont know if i agree with all the assessments (Secondary/DB's) but still a nice read to end my day at work, so thanks! At LB i love Kirkland. As for Colton as anyone who watched him be slayed by this board last year can comment, he actually did an awesome job in the situation he was placed in.

Go Vols!

 

[KBVol]

Good write up, thanks for the time, thoughts and energy you put into it.

Agree with most of everything you wrote and your projected starters and depth chart. Would disagree with a couple of grades....wouldn't rate TEs higher than a 'C' at best given Wolf as our starter and the lack of depth at the position. Bumphus has great potential but otherwise, we're not deep behind an average starter in Ethan Wolf.

Also, OL SHOULD be our offensive strength given our personnel and experience at the position. But given what we saw last year, until we get evidence that they're much improved in 2017, I think a "C" to a "C-" is a more accurate grade.

 

[amillz]

I think our WR group is very talented but unproven. The 2016 WR group of Bryd,Johnson,Callaway, and L.Williams is very underrated and will suprise folks.

 

[MustafaRasta]

Solid write up. I agree with a lot of what you said.

I think Beard has had a positive impact on the WR's. I see him as an upgrade. I didn't have a huge problem with Coach Azz by the way but I cooled on him more over time.

I think Charlton Warren is another huge upgrade. Martinez seemed to get the least production with the most talent. I always saw him as the weakest staff member - over all the years.

I like Brady on the DL as well but loved Strip so I see this more of a continuation.

I was never a Debord hater so my hope is Coach Scott keeps the offense going well. Part of me thinks they are working Jakob Johnson at FB in closed practice sessions. I hope so.

Walt Wells is the man.

I agree with you on John Kelly.

I may catch a little flack but I disagree on J. Jennings. I definitely think he is a beast but he is a #2 WR in my eyes. He's not a great pattern runner and he has good but not great hands, slightly above average speed. He's fierce and ultra competitive but I always wish it were he and Nigel Warrior at safety. I digress. I don't think he will get doubled so the young WR group has to show out. I think the will. The ones you mentioned after the 3 "starters" will all get playing time. Brandon Johnson is nice and I don't discount Josh Smith. I hope Jennings proves me a fool.

I agree with KBvol on the TE situation. Ethan has been solid at best and after that not too much to go on for the other guys. They could be a bunch of AJ Branisel's. (check my spelling Butchna)

Defensively the unit is strong. Losing guys to the NFL that barley played save for Barnett Vereen and Lewis is not troubling to me.

Linebacker worries me a little here as well. DK has to show out and be what he was and one of the other talents need to show they have a knack to make plays. Colton Jumper takes a lot of ish on this board but he's progressed, shows toughness and has stayed healthy. More than we can say about most of our LB's.

D line is very solid and hope Shy gets back soon.

I agree with you at corner but think Mosely and Wiggins may share more time.

At safety, if Warrior has improved on his reads and technique he is a sure starter. I think the other guy is Abernathy though. TKjr may be the odd man out as far as a "starter" but I think the 3 safeties will see almost equal time.

 

[RollerVol]

I can't edit the title.

I like to think of most of the stuff I write as being pure crap, but if someone wants to change it to "TL;DR Position Group Overview", I wouldn't be opposed.

well, yeah, it's crap until it's proven...good post bro'...good overview...my overview is...we'll see...and I'm gonna enjoy every view of it...

GO VOLS!

 

[OrangeByBirth]

Maybe TL but DID read. Found it reasoned but perhaps optimistic. If accurate, a good year is on the horizon.

 

[ChattaTNVol]

Good write up, thanks for the time, thoughts and energy you put into it.

Agree with most of everything you wrote and your projected starters and depth chart. Would disagree with a couple of grades....wouldn't rate TEs higher than a 'C' at best given Wolf as our starter and the lack of depth at the position. Bumphus has great potential but otherwise, we're not deep behind an average starter in Ethan Wolf.

Also, OL SHOULD be our offensive strength given our personnel and experience at the position. But given what we saw last year, until we get evidence that they're much improved in 2017, I think a "C" to a "C-" is a more accurate grade.

From the recruiting forum on the Wed night scrimmage:

Scrimmage was definitely dominated by defense, some things that stood out to me:

Kongbo definitely has a gear we didn't see last year
We have to get more creative getting Byrd the ball
QD did all the ones until he went out with injury
Legit chance medley isn't our kicker.
I'm really worried about our OL as a whole
Will ignot is very promising and just has the knack for always being around the ball.
Secondary is wayyyyy more grabby and physical than last year which is a good thing imo.

Trey smith is everything you can hope for. But for whatever reason we just haven't been able to have a good showing up front yet. Maybe our DL is playing great, which could be some of it. But there are definitely some concerns for me.

I think this OL can be successful. But we're gonna have to have a lot of moving pockets, screens, quick reads etc. dobbs isn't there to turn a sack into a positive play which happened so much last year

I think we could have one of those weird defenses where we may get give up a lot of yards and maybe points but we get a lot of sacks and turnovers. Just my feeling

 

[BACKDOC]

Only two more grueling weeks to go before the season opener. Here’s my TL;DR stab at a position group overview.


First, let's do the short version:

Offense

Quarterbacks: B+
Running Backs: B+
Wide Receivers: B-
Tight Ends: B+
Offensive Line: A-

In spite of struggles last season, the O-line should be the strength of this offense. If it’s not, that’s a problem, as we are absolutely loaded talent-wise. Quarterbacks show great promise, but don’t have a lot of experience. Similar situation IMO at Running Back (outside of John Kelly), but I’m optimistic about the group we have and think Chandler could be pretty good. I suspect we might be a bit slow coming out the gate with so many inexperienced players and new coaches, but that we’ll find our way over the course of the season. Depth at the Wide Receiver is my biggest concern.

Defense

Defensive Line: B+
Linebackers: B-
Secondary: A-

Our defense could dramatically improve this season. We were hobbled last season by having lost more starts due to injuries than any other FBS program. While we lose some greats such as Derek Barnett, our D-line has a lot of talent if only we can avoid the injury bug. Our secondary, at least on paper, looks loaded. If Charlton Warren can improve the coaching, expect a big improvement with D-backs. The LB position is my biggest concern.

Special Teams: A-

If there’s anywhere we’ve been consistently good during the Butch Jones era, its special teams. Hopefully that continues in 2017. We bring back Senior Kicker Aaron Medley, as well as Senior Punter Trevor Daniel. Evan Berry is back and we should have some intriguing other options for returners, as well.

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Now for the extended cut!

Quarterbacks

Overall: B+
Ceiling: A+
Floor: C

1st String: Quinten Dormady
2nd String: Jarrett Guarantano
3rd String: Will McBride

According to college football media, this is the worst QB situation we’ve had since 2013. I’m willing to wager that the media is significantly underrating us in this regard. We have not one, but two, very good QB prospects in Dormady and Guarantano. There’s a good chance that both could prove to be better passers than Josh Dobbs. At the same time, it’s unlikely that either will be able to replace Dobbs’ running production. Dobbs was our leading rusher last season with 831 yards on 150 carries. Those stats significantly understate his production since sacks count against rushing yards in the NCAA; and Dobbs was sacked 25 times last season. Factor that in and Dobbs was likely a 1,000+ yard rusher.

Dormady has shown a strong arm, great accuracy, and good judgment. Guarantano also has a strong arm and has shown good accuracy. Right now, it seems as if Dormady leads the race, but it’s close. Both these guys have the potential to be special.

The hiring of Mike Canales has had a positive impact on our QBs. IMO Dobbs’ inconsistent performance in the passing game can partly be attributed to a lack of emphasis on the position. Canales immediately came in and changed this and has tried to correct some of the issues (such as poor footwork). It’ll take some time to judge Canales, but for now, I see him as a major upgrade over the previous situation.

Overall, I’d put us in the 2nd tier of SEC QBs with South Carolina (Jake Bentley), Georgia (Jacob Eason), and Mizzou (Drew Lock), right behind the more proven commodities (Jalen Hurts, Jarrett Stidham at Auburn, Nick Fitzgerald at Miss State), with potential to move up into that 1st tier.

On one hand, it's easy to say that there are other teams out there with a better QB situation. On the other hand, I’d have a difficult time saying that I would trade QD and JG for anyone else in the SEC. I'm that high on both players' potential.


Running Backs

Overall: B+
Ceiling: A
Floor: C

Starters: John Kelly (undisputed), Ty Chandler
Back-ups: Carlin Fils-Aime, Tim Jordan

John Kelly doesn’t get enough respect from the national media, but he averaged 5.8 yards per carry last season and had a knack for finding the end zone. From a statistical perspective, Kelly has been a much better rusher than Jalen Hurd. The only downside is that he’s not nearly the prolific receiver that Kamara or Hurd were. I feel very good with John Kelly overall. The big question mark is “what do we have behind him?”

The early indications look positive for highly recruited talent Ty Chandler. I have a hunch he’s going to be our #2 RB this season. Sounds like Chandler can also catch the ball, which should help, particularly given that we'll probably be throwing the ball more this season. Nevertheless, until we see Chandler out on the field, it’s a bit early to get too excited. For now, we'll say he looks like he's got great potential and could be an immediate contributor.

Tim Jordan, like John Kelly, was a lightly recruited 3-star RB, who may have been underrated by the analysts. Jordan has been getting some rave reviews. If nothing else, he'll hopefully add some quality depth.

Sophomore Carlin Fils-Aime remains a bit of a question mark. He didn’t get major playing time last season in any meaningful games, so difficult to know what we’ve got. Hoping he steps us this year, but doesn’t feel like we’ve heard much yet.

As far as coaching goes, I’d consider Robert Gillespie to be our most proven position coach. The running game has consistently been strong under him, even under less than ideal circumstances with the O-line in 2014 and 2015.

Overall, there are lots of reasons for optimism with this group, but also some question marks given that we mostly have unknown commodities. We’ll have a much better sense of what we have at RB after September is over. For now, I’d say we’re about a “B+” and likely also in the 2nd tier of the SEC behind teams like LSU (Guice) and Georgia (Chubb, Michel).


Wide Receivers

Overall: B-
Ceiling: B+
Floor: D

Starters: J. Jennings, Tyler Byrd, Marquez Calloway
Backups: Josh Smith, Brandon Johnson, Latrell Johnson, Josh Palmer, Jeff George

Like much of the offense this season, it’s probably going to take a few games before we know what we have at WR. We lose Josh Malone, who was our leading receiver last season with 50 receptions, 972 yards, and 11 TDs, including an impressive 19 yards per catch.

Jauan Jennings is our obvious new #1 receiver this season. JJ is still significantly underrated on a national level. Beyond JJ, it’s less certain what we have, but we do have some promising young players, including most notably Tyler Byrd, who amassed 15 catches and 209 yds in 2016 during his Freshman campaign (after switching over from defense) and Marquez Calloway, who saw limited action last season. We bring back Senior Josh Smith, who had a bit of a disappointing season last year, but was much more productive in 2015. Sophomore Brandon Johnson saw limited action last season (4 games, 7 recs, 93 yards), but is likely to make a bigger contribution this year. We have R-Freshman speedster Latrell Williams, who may turn into a threat at some point. And Freshman Josh Palmer has drawn some positive reviews.

We lose WR coach Zach Azzanni, who I believe was significantly underrated. We replaced him with Kevin Beard, who we just don’t know much about yet. I’m not pessimistic on Beard by any stretch, but I do think it’s a “wait-and-see” type deal.

Overall, though, WRs concerns me more than any other offensive position group. I don’t think we’re bad by any means, but it’s the group with the most question marks. I also think an injury to Jennings would be likely to have a significantly negative impact on the offense, as he may be our only major big-play threat.

Would love to hear other perspectives, though.


Tight Ends

Grade: B+
Ceiling: A
Floor: C

Starter: Ethan Wolf
Backups: Jakob Johnson, Latrell Bumphus, Eli Wolf

TEs have been under-utilized for much of the Butch Jones Era. Hoping to see that change with Larry Scott being promoted to OC. Senior Ethan Wolf is back as our starter. His brother, Eli, just earned a scholarship. Jakob Johnson’s hard-work appears to finally be paying off during his Senior year, and he’s drawing very positive reviews from the coaches. True Freshman LaTrell Bumphus was recruited by most programs at Defensive End, but Larry Scott saw him as a Tight End. Bumphus is thus far drawing rave reviews.

Overall, I feel reasonably good about Tight End. If Jakob Johnson’s improvement catching the ball turns out to be legit, we have some options.


Offensive Line

Grade: A-
Ceiling: A+
Floor: C
Starters: Drew Richmond (LT), Jack Jones (LG), Jashon Robertson (C), Trey Smith (RG), Brett Kendrick (RT)
Backups: Venzell Boulware, Coleman Thomas, Ryan Johnson, Marcus Tatum, Devante Brooks, Nathan Niehaus

Talent-wise, we are absolutely loaded at O-line. This gives me some hope that we may much better than expected, as football analysts often focus too much on skill positions and too little on the guys in the trenches. That said, you can make a good argument that our O-line underperformed for 1.5 out of the last 2 seasons. We looked very good at the end of 2015, but then the O-line struggled again in 2016.

Walt Wells may be the most integral position coach this year. Last season, we basically had 3 O-line coaches (Mahoney, DeBord, and Wells) and it didn’t work out very well. Can Wells succeed where Mahoney / DeBord failed?

It’s rare to see true Freshmen that can start on the O-line and be successful, but Trey Smith already looks like he’s 23 years old. And it’s not just his body that has developed early. He’s very mature and will make an excellent leader on this unit.

We probably have the best situation we’ve had at Tackle during the entire Butch Jones era. Drew Richmond is looking like the starting Left Tackle, R-Sr Brett Kendrick is solid, and Marcus Tatum has been better than expected. Technically, we have a few more guys who could shift over to Tackle as well. The only negative is that we’ve lost Chance Hall for the season; it’s a big blow, but at least we have a lot of depth right now.

I’m optimistic that this could be one of the best O-lines in the SEC this season. Given that we’re breaking in a lot of new starters at skill positions, O-line play is going to be key to offensive success this year. If the O-line underperforms again, we’re in trouble. If this unit can play to its potential, though, it’s going to make the transition a lot easier.


Defensive Line

Grade: B+
Ceiling: A
Floor: C

Starters: Darrell Taylor (DE), J. Kongbo (DE), K. McKenzie (DT), Kendal Vickers (DT)
Backups: Quay Picou (DT), Kyle Phillips (DE), Shy Tuttle (DT)

In spite of losing Derek Barnett and Corey Vereen, we still have a lot of talent on the D-line. I’ve been waiting a few seasons to see Darrell Taylor get some major action; he’s an athletic freak and has the potential to be great. Reports are that Kongbo is looking pretty good, as well. Not to mention Kyle Phillips could have a big impact, too. We might not outperform last year’s Barnett-Vereen combo, but we won’t drop off much either.

On the inside, we look reasonably good with Kahlil McKenzie, Kendal Vickers, and Quay Picou. The two big questions are can we get Shy Tuttle back at full-strength and can Alexis Johnson turn into a legit option. IMO, Shy Tuttle is one of the most elite defensive players in the country when healthy; unfortunately, we haven’t had him healthy for an entire season yet.

D-line could end up being a source of strength this year, but I’ll play a bit conservative and give us a “B+” given that we’re breaking in new starters and there are still some question marks with injuries and player improvement.


Linebackers

Grade: B-
Ceiling: B+
Floor: D

Starters: Darrin Kirkland, Cortez McDowell
Backups: Colton Jumper, Daniel Bituli, Quart’e Sapp, Elliott Berry, Will Ignont, Austin Smith

Last preseason, Linebacker depth was my biggest concern. This preseason, LBs are still one of my bigger concerns. The GT game particularly worries me as we’re likely going to have to play 3 linebackers most of the game and that’s not to our advantage.

If Darrin Kirkland is back and healthy, that’s a huge benefit for us. After Kirkland, though, there’s not another top-notch LB on our roster. Cortez McDowell currently looks like the other starter at LB. A healthy Quart’e Sapp, however, could make a push for the other starting spot, as well.

The one thing I can say is that I do feel better about the overall depth this season. A lot of guys gained valuable experience last year after we got destroyed by injuries. Would be nice to see Sapp or Bituli emerge this year, but I have to think there are some big question marks in this group until I see otherwise.


Secondary

Grade: A-
Ceiling: A
Floor: B

Starters: Rashaan Gaulden (N), Shaq Wiggins (CB), Justin Martin (CB), Nigel Warrior (S), Todd Kelly Jr (S)
Backups: Baylen Buchanan, Evan Berry, Micah Abernathy, Marquill Osborne, E. Moseley

Some might knock my grade here, but Charlton Warren was my favorite off-season coaching hire. He was excellent at UNC. I also think secondary is the position group where we look the most well-stocked on defense. We significantly underperformed last season; that was partly due to injuries and partly due to coaching. I’m optimistic that both of these problems are now remedied.

I really like our Safeties! I view Nigel Warrior and TK Jr as one of the most solid parts of our defense. We have good starters at every position and great depth as well with guys like Baylen Buchanan, Evan Berry, Marquill Osborne, and Micah Abernathy in the rotation.

Ok, so there are still some question marks after last season and maybe I’m being overly optimistic, but I really do expect this unit to improve quite a bit. Certainly, I have fewer concerns about it than I do at LB.

Kelly averaged 6.4 yds per carry last year.

 

[armchair]

I think the OP overrated all of our units by at least half a grade. A B+ for QBs who have almost no experience? That's overly optimistic. Same with RBs. Everybody on this board overrates Kelly pretty substantially in my view.

Defensively line? Unless Kmack really shows out and Tuttle comes back, a B+ is probably too generous for this group too.

D-backs? A-? They have the potential to be a solid group, but I doubt they rate an A/-.

 

[Ertel]

It's all in comparison to the rest of the SEC. I see an "A" grade as being "top tier."

With WRs, I don't see as have having enough 1st Tier talent at WR right now to be near the top in that category. Jauan Jennings is a huge threat that defenses will struggle to defend against. Aside from JJ, is there anyone on the unit that would scare opposing defenses? I do think Tyler Byrd will be solid and we have a lot of other potentially solid guys on the roster at WR, but I don't see another "elite" type WR on the roster other than JJ. Compare that to South Carolina (which arguably has at least 3 big threats), Florida (Callaway, Powell, Cleveland), or Bama (Ridley, Sims, Diggs) --- I don't think there's much of a case that we'll be among the best in the SEC at WR. We need more than JJ.

Similar deal with LBs. Hopefully, we have a lot of guys that have improved, but I don't see an elite player there other than Kirkland. As I said, perhaps Bituli or Sapp will surprise this year and take a huge step forward, but for now, I don't see that other guy. I feel like depth has certainly been upgraded, at least, though, as last year, I thought we would be totally screwed if Kirkland and JRM were injured, and that turned out to be true.

i feel strongly that palmer will finish the year as one that teams "Fear". Hes just a freshman but wr and rb seem to be two of the easiest spots for naturally talented players to break through in their freshman years. He gives us the best combination of speed and size outside of jennings.

*Edit, got curious and googled the roster, didnt realize callaway was also 6'2 and actually one pound heavier than palmer. So i guess hed be our best speed/size combo and im even more excited to see him this year now

 

[savannahfan]

Interesting, DG. But out of curiosity, you have an A or A+ as the ceiling for pretty much every position other than WR and LB, where you have their ceilings as B+. Just curious as to why you don't think those 2 groups, which seem to have plenty of talent, can reach at least an A-. I understand somewhat with LBs as you think we don't have any quality LBs beyond DKjr, although I disagree, but I am really curious about WR, where not only do I think we have plenty of quality talent, albeit inexperienced, but also seemingly upgraded with the position coach. Thanks.

Seems to me you are only reading the "grades", author goes on the explain his positions on every group. What he is not coming right out and saying is he doesn't think these groups are quite good enough players to be "A" grade.

 

[DiderotsGhost]

Kelly averaged 6.4 yds per carry last year.

You are correct, Sir! Nice catch.

I was using my modified stats that excluded "cupcake" opponents. It's a more accurate way to measure RB performance IMO, but I should've noted it, and would've noted it if I had realized that I had done it.

Here is JK's ESPN's profile page:
John Kelly Performance

Basically, my stats are the same as those, except remove the Tennessee Tech game.

 

[DiderotsGhost]

Everybody on this board overrates Kelly pretty substantially in my view.

I'd strongly disagree with that.

Jalen Hurd was very overrated by the media. John Kelly has been very underrated by the media. JK's stats are significantly better than Hurd's on almost every facet, except for receiving. And while I don't want to go crazy with true Freshmen players who haven't played a down yet, I do think Ty Chandler could become a top 10 SEC back in very short order.

Our RBs have been good for the entire Butch Jones era and Robert Gillespie doesn't get enough credit as being one of the best RB position coaches in the nation. I think we're going to be better at RB than expected.

At the very least, it's nowhere near the top of my list of concerns. I'd rate concerns as:

(1) Linebackers,
(2) Wide Receivers,
(3) Injuries on D-line creating a drop-off in performance,
(4) Breaking in new QB,
(5) Tight Ends underperforming,
(6) O-line underperforming

The only significant concern I have at RB is whether Carlin Fils-Aime is going to pan out.

 

[Montrell Hardy]

I'm amazed people feel good about our OL going into the season after last year's mess. They were terribly soft last year, struggled consistently to get any kind of a push against quality teams. If not for Dobbs scrambling ability, it would have been downright brutal.

Now I agree Wells is an upgrade. I have no doubt he'll instill some toughness that was sorely lacking, but it's going to take him a while to change the mental makeup of that group IMO. Certainly more than one off-season. I also think the talent on the OL is greatly overrated by the fans, especially in the senior class. Those are all very average football talents, who have also consistently missed valuable practice and development time throughout their entire careers and the same cycle seems to be repeating itself once again this fall camp with all the "minor injuries".

 

[Tin Man]

Defensive Line

Grade: B+
Ceiling: A
Floor: C

Starters: Darrell Taylor (DE), J. Kongbo (DE), K. McKenzie (DT), Kendal Vickers (DT)
Backups: Quay Picou (DT), Kyle Phillips (DE), Shy Tuttle (DT)

No mention of Paulie. PB. Bain. How come?

 

[Tin Man]

We replaced him with Kevin Beard, who we just don’t know much about yet.

Lord, heed the prayer of this sinner. Please, let there be a return of Air Volunteers, with rocket fast wide receivers and QBs who can place the ball perfectly to an F-22 on takeoff. Amen.