Almost certain returnees
OT Sanders*
OC Pendleton*
OT/OG Perry*
OG Umarov*
OT Warren
OC Moore
IOL Ogumoro
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
IOL Anderson - mentioned in War Room as likely backup OG if Moe can't go vs. UF
OC Satterwhite - has played a decent amount;, but what does he think about his role with Pendleton seemingly entrenched and Nic Moore on his heels?
IOL Ginther - nonfactor so far
OT J. Heard - nonfactor so far
OT Grant - nonfactor so far
Signees:
OT Osenda
OL Blair
IOL Baker
1-2 of IOL G'Nivre Carr/IOL Micah Smith/OT Joseph Muya
That's 4 guys who've started a lot of games this season and 2 (Sanders and Perry) who have played at a consistent level that gives confidence they'll both continue to improve and also be high level SEC/CFP contender OL. I *think* Pendleton has a lot of room to keep getting better in terms of his skill and ability; I'm less confident that at this point Umarov is going to meaningfully improve and IMO has been the weakest link all season when he's played.
NFL Decision to Make
OT Heard (50/50 per AP)*
IOL Moe (~90% per AP)*
*Started games this season
-If neither of Heard/Moe return, you're looking at a starting lineup - ***before the portal*** - of, L to R: Sanders, Umarov, Pendleton, Perry, Warren
- If only Moe returns, you're looking at a starting lineup - ***before the portal*** - of, L to R: Sanders/Moe/Pendleton/Perry/Warren OR Sanders/Umarov/Pendleton/Moe/Perry
- If both return, you're looking at a starting lineup of, L to R: Heard/Moe/Pendleton/Perry/Sanders, which would likely be VERY good and also mean you've invested a good amount in both Heard and Moe for one more year and likely have no need to add in the portal. Especially because in the last 3 cycles you'll have created, IMO, a deep pipeline of talent that can continue to be developed.
Key Dates
Transfer portal opens January 2nd and closes January 16th
NFL early entry deadline is January 14th
Catch here is that the staff will need to have a good sense of what both Heard and Moe are going to do on 1/2/26 when the portal opens, even though they'll technically have almost 2 weeks to make a final decision. Because if they're both gone then IMO you probably need to add 1-2 guys with experience, one IOL and one OT, who if they aren't no-brainer plug and play starters like Pendleton and Moe were last cycle then at the very least will come in and compete for starting spots at their respective positions. Given what you're likely going to have to pay to land those types of guys in the portal, let alone the fact that they'll be new to the program and the system, my hope is that Heup+Spyre decide to invest bigly in bringing both Heard and Moe back. The 2026 OL would absolutely be championship caliber, and when combined with an elite WR/TE corps and a good (not great) RB room would make it much much easier for the talent of either GMac or Brandon to shine through and allow us to once again compete for a CFP berth and beyond.
Thoughts? Cc: @Ericvol2096
OT Sanders*
OC Pendleton*
OT/OG Perry*
OG Umarov*
OT Warren
OC Moore
IOL Ogumoro
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
IOL Anderson - mentioned in War Room as likely backup OG if Moe can't go vs. UF
OC Satterwhite - has played a decent amount;, but what does he think about his role with Pendleton seemingly entrenched and Nic Moore on his heels?
IOL Ginther - nonfactor so far
OT J. Heard - nonfactor so far
OT Grant - nonfactor so far
Signees:
OT Osenda
OL Blair
IOL Baker
1-2 of IOL G'Nivre Carr/IOL Micah Smith/OT Joseph Muya
That's 4 guys who've started a lot of games this season and 2 (Sanders and Perry) who have played at a consistent level that gives confidence they'll both continue to improve and also be high level SEC/CFP contender OL. I *think* Pendleton has a lot of room to keep getting better in terms of his skill and ability; I'm less confident that at this point Umarov is going to meaningfully improve and IMO has been the weakest link all season when he's played.
NFL Decision to Make
OT Heard (50/50 per AP)*
IOL Moe (~90% per AP)*
*Started games this season
-If neither of Heard/Moe return, you're looking at a starting lineup - ***before the portal*** - of, L to R: Sanders, Umarov, Pendleton, Perry, Warren
- If only Moe returns, you're looking at a starting lineup - ***before the portal*** - of, L to R: Sanders/Moe/Pendleton/Perry/Warren OR Sanders/Umarov/Pendleton/Moe/Perry
- If both return, you're looking at a starting lineup of, L to R: Heard/Moe/Pendleton/Perry/Sanders, which would likely be VERY good and also mean you've invested a good amount in both Heard and Moe for one more year and likely have no need to add in the portal. Especially because in the last 3 cycles you'll have created, IMO, a deep pipeline of talent that can continue to be developed.
Key Dates
Transfer portal opens January 2nd and closes January 16th
NFL early entry deadline is January 14th
Catch here is that the staff will need to have a good sense of what both Heard and Moe are going to do on 1/2/26 when the portal opens, even though they'll technically have almost 2 weeks to make a final decision. Because if they're both gone then IMO you probably need to add 1-2 guys with experience, one IOL and one OT, who if they aren't no-brainer plug and play starters like Pendleton and Moe were last cycle then at the very least will come in and compete for starting spots at their respective positions. Given what you're likely going to have to pay to land those types of guys in the portal, let alone the fact that they'll be new to the program and the system, my hope is that Heup+Spyre decide to invest bigly in bringing both Heard and Moe back. The 2026 OL would absolutely be championship caliber, and when combined with an elite WR/TE corps and a good (not great) RB room would make it much much easier for the talent of either GMac or Brandon to shine through and allow us to once again compete for a CFP berth and beyond.
Thoughts? Cc: @Ericvol2096
