current position evaluations

These evaluations are based mostly on who we lost vs who we gained for the coming season though experience does factor in somewhat.

QB evaluation: not as good
Losing Card was big. Now we have no experienced backup. On the bright side however, Ewers should be better, gaining much experience. Murphy and Wright more knowledge and practice experience. Then we have Arch coming in EE. But, overall, we are worse off IMO.

RB evaluation: Not as good
Losing Bijan and Roschon was huge. The worse hit position group. We went from a 9.5 to 7.5. But all is not lost we have quality backups and Baxter is an EE with high potential.
WR evaluation: much much better
Probably the strongest position group.. We gained a whole lot more than we lost..

TE evaluation: weaker
we lost more than we gained. Billingsley was under used.

OL evaluation: much better
much more experience and a really good 2-deep. A strength of the team

edge evaluation: Better
My gut tells me the edge position will be more productive this coming season due to experience.

DL evaluation: worse
Losing Coburn and Ojomo was huge. However, Sweat is back and we have quality depth.

LB evaluation: not as good
Losing Overshown, a playmaker was big. Thank goodness we have Ford back. Also, it is good we have EEs coming in especially Hill. Would feel better if we got in a portal here.

Safety evaluation: slightly better
we lost Cook but we got Catalon and D Williams.

CB evaluation: better
we lost Jamison but we got Holmes and Muhammad--both EE.

Specialist evaluation: slightly worse
Lost Trejo and got Sanborn who I don't know much about.

So in my evaluation of positions we got 1 more negative than positives. But I'm not worried or scared because we have a solid 2nd unit in every position except maybe LB and QB. I am hoping Ewers is much improved. He as the QB is the pivotal position where we need solid play which the qb position usually is.
Another big help is the number of EEs coming in.
I do expect to lose 2--4 but also to gain a couple in the portal at the end of spring.

 

receivers?

 

Poms, I agree with your assessment on all except QB. I think Murphy will be much better than Card was as a backup and QE will be much improved.
JB and Blue are no slouches at RB, but yeah losing BR will hurt a little.
But hopeful at that position also.
WR should be much more improved also.

 

I like this sort of post.

I'm mostly in agreement.

DBs - I think safeties will also be noticeably better (and they were already pretty good). Our DB next year may be at the point where we're DB-U again. DB-U is back!!!

LB depth concerns me. Hill and Lefau are good, but they're true Freshman. Wouldn't hurt to grab an experienced upperclassman LB in the portal.

OLs should be better. I don't know about being a lot better, but at least somewhat better.

WRs had better be a lot better. Our WR coaching has been absent (or confused) for the better part of a decade.

BIG interior DTs won't be much worse. Coburn was a stud, but Murphy was the tops last year. Ojomo was probably the 4th or 5th best we had last year. So, we've got Sweatt, Murphy, Collins, Broughton (there's a very good 2-deep). 3rd team + is Bryant (big dude from Mississippi with good big-man movement), Ross (quick undersized), Bledsoe (quick undersized), and Swanson (converted DE). So basically, 5 good ones that are ready right now. S&C and the cooks/chefs need to work on Ross, Bledsoe, and Swanson (dude needs to heat up and chow down a bunch of those frozen dinners--and not the low calorie ones). Get these 3 DT lightweights North of a muscular 275-280 lbs and they're good to go, based on their quickness.

 

I said before the bowl game and will say it again, losing Overshown was by far the biggest hit to our team performance. I just really hope that someone steps up as a replacement before August.
The TE position should be much improved due to experience coming back and losing only Billingsley, who was a non factor anyway.

 

There are too many factors at play to give a rating on anything other than depth. For example, QE could have Ehlinger-style growth from freshman to sophomore year (+20 passer rating, +14 TD, +7 completion percent, +1 yard/att), and we'd look back and see "not as good" for QB evaluation when it actually was fine.

My position group concerns:

• RB - without Baxter or Wisner we don't have anyone who could reliably touch the ball 10+ times a game.
• OL - unproven depth behind starters, and we ALWAYS have some type of season-ending injury there.
• Edge - needs a complete retooling (personnel, scheme, etc.).
• LB - going to end up using a bunch of freshmen to support Ford.
• CB - while Watts is serviceable, we need depth.
• P - we should never be "worried" about punting. I am.

 

It is nearly impossible to exaggerate the value of OL experience operating as a unit. To wit: DJ Campbell will certainly prove out to be All-Conference but when inserted for an injury, he was guilty of two ole blocks that cost dearly. Watching post-play interactions he clearly missed DL switch.. They will be virtually unrecognizably better. There are no slouches in the 2-deep. None. And they have a full practice year more experience.
And as far as Anthony Hill being a freshman, did everybody miss Harold Perkins rack *** all over the SEC? There are some talents (normally at non-unit sorts of positions) who are simply never freshmen. On the record, Ant Hill will be a major force on our D. Having him will create edge mismatches that will add there but not on Hill’s stat sheet.
Massively improved OL means better possessions. Better ability to convert 3rd and 5. RPO focus for defense, more time for QB. Longer possessions equals fresher defense and round and round. We have 3 legit All-conference players and studs who could start elsewhere on the 2-deep. OL wins championships. See: Minnesota 1934,1935, and 1940. It’s been 100 years, but the game hasn’t changed-in this regard.

 

TE worse? First, you need to wait to see if we get Duce, 5* recruit. Second, how does not using Billinglsy last year hurt us next year? Lost opportunity yes but not necessarily worse.

DL: You should mention Sweat and Murphy coming back. Murphy is more than just quality depth.

 

It’s in there:

WR evaluation: much much better
Probably the strongest position group.. We gained a whole lot more than we lost..

 

Agreed. Our LT last year was like our best OL and he was a freshman.

 

Yep. Murphy was our best DT last year, and will probably be our best DT this year. Not to discount Coburn's substantial contributions to our D.

 

How can you say Murphy will be better than Card when he is totally inexperienced while Card was proven?
I think that is hopeful thinking.
At this point all we can say is that Ewers will probably be better. I hope so.

 

Brooks may surprise you next year. None of these guys are Bijan, But he's good.

 

Billingsley was really good but we didn't use him, for whatever reason. So now we don't even have him. If Sanders can't play, for whatever reason, then we would be in a world of hurt.

 

Yep.

See also...

Alabama in recent years, even when they didn't have a stud QB.

Ohio State in recent years.

Dallas Cowboys in the Emmett Smith years.

Denver Broncos when they were the champs.

Us in 2005.

Nearly every good LSU team.

Every USC team that won the N.C. Formidable O-lines--5 men that could pull really well and still mow you over.

Wisconsin has fielded some really good teams that were basically just a really good OL + mediocre QB and skills players.

If your OL sucks, you can't run your offense.

 

I think our o-line will be a strength this coming season especially since we have quality backups. Though every oline no matter how good will have hiccups every now and then we are really solid, championship solid.

 

Because of what we've seen from his injury tweaks, and the fact that he's only received more than 10 touches once in his career, I don't think we can say "hey here's the rock" like we have with our run game for the past 4 years. The last time I was surprised someone could handle the work load was 2016 with Foreman, so I'd love to be surprised again. Except that team sucked *** and the 2023 definitely should not (lest Sark be fired).

 

Good point and very true.

 

I am just going on my own observation of watching Malik Murphy in two live games. Yes, he could still be rusty after the injury and year off and Manning could beat him out. But we ARE better there this year than last IMO.

 

I can taste that TV dinner and the tray its cooked in.

 

Good thread kids.

QB - better because in the off-season it’s 95% about the starter. More consistent Oline. Sark will tailor to said QB. Experience everywhere except RB, but those guys are multi- years in the program.

Oline - better for every reason. Experience, maturity, talent.

DB - better. Thompson and Barron. Other guys more mature.

DL - this is the big question. Who will step up? Can Murphy turn into all-conference? Broughton and/or Collins be consistent? Who takes over for Ovie? These guys set the tone for the D. You want a top 20 D, you need a top 10 Dline.

LB - will be fine. Those clamoring for frosh here are off base in my opinion. Blackwell has shown some maturity signs. Now, if the frosh can get after the passer, that’s a different story. We don’t blitz them a ton, but their impact in the pass game is significant.

 

To me the only area where we “could” take a step back is LB. And yes, that concerns me. There’s plenty of talent and potential, but very little experience — with talent — after Ford. But then again, when have we had an incoming LB class like this one?

Not worried about the D-line. Lots of talent, and some of the younger players could surprise us. Murphy may be a beast. Sweat was very good in 22. He’ll be better this year. Collins should finally emerge. We all saw what Sorrell can do. And I haven’t mentioned the young edge guys, one of which might just break out.

The secondary could be special. The two portal additions plus maturing players like Brooks and Baron are reasons to be very optimistic. Then there’s Watts and Thompson. Both very good in 22, and almost certainly even better this year.

The OL is moving toward dominance. The talent and depth is approaching a level we haven’t seen since 2005.

The RBs will be fine. The room is deep, and unlike some other positions, freshmen frequently contribute. Yes, we will miss Bijan, but Brooks is the real deal, and Baxter is going to be a stud.

Agree with everyone about the receivers.

TE is solid, but not “elite” deep IMO. However, to me Sanders is the best player we have seen at the position since David Thomas, if not Jermichael Finley. Sanders will make some All-American lists.

Then there’s the QB. As I have expressed many times recently, I believe 23 could be a breakout year for Ewers. In fact, I am expecting it. Obviously depth is the question. If someone else has to step in, it could be a crapshoot. But we could also be pleasantly surprised by Murphy. I suspect that, quietly, the dude has been evolving behind the scenes.

 

Murphy is kinda dead to me. If ever he gets on the field at Texas it will be to handoff in a big lead.

 

Well, safety depth just improved ...

 

DB-U

 

I don’t know.

Exhibit A: Matt Cassel, USC

Cassel began his college career in 2001 and spent that entire Trojan career as a backup behind Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. He played in the NFL for 14 years.

Exhibit B: Mac Jones

New England Patriots starting quarterback Mac Jones was once third on the depth chart at Alabama, where he played behind Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa, but in his fourth year of college, Jones became the full-time starter and produced the most efficient season by a quarterback that the sport has ever seen. Now, all three quarterbacks are NFL starters, even though Jones had to wait his turn. That patience paid off.

 

Off season gonna off season.

 

perhaps, you are right

 

The last time I was surprised when the coaches asked Roshon to switch from QB to running back and he turned into a genuine stud. Could have started in most programs. Only Bijan's off the charts talent kept Roshon from being a 2 year starter and all conference RB, imo.

Our RB room will not be near as good as last year due to losing Bijan and Ro. But that doesn't mean it won't be above average and by season's end it might be way above average. I think Brooks and Baxter will be better than most expect. Especially since we should have a quality O line and an improved QB.

And if Malik gets meaningful snaps then he adds a duel threat QB which makes our running game even better.

 

M Murphy is not a runner according to all I’ve ever read. But Sark doesn’t require it and barely allows it.