catdaddyp

I think the staff has done a really nice job recruiting the OL. In general, it just takes longer to develop offensive linemen than most other positions. The OL was in rough shape when Moorhead took over. There were a handful of players that had talent, but still needed developing. The rest really should have been nothing more than situational backups. From the 1st class (2022) Landers started as a freshman and unfortunately was lost to JUCO. The following year Williams and Davis became starters as redshirt freshmen (expecting both of them to only get better from here). Whigan was an immediate starter and All-MAC guard from the portal. Banes was a starter from the portal when he wasn’t injured. The 2nd class (2023) brought in two starters from the portal in Blanchard and Frank. All of the freshmen (Morris, James, and Mann) redshirted, so still too early for them, but they look promising. The 3rd class (2024) has 2 JUCO All-Americans (Walker and Fox), 1 JUCO that was on the All-American watchlist before the year began (Burrell), 1 All-MEAC (Thomas), a part-time starter at Miami (Seymore), a starter at Southern (Fields), a former Alabama recruit (Shor), and a prep recruiting win over Boston College (Mitchell). There were 5 linemen that transferred out this offseason and 5 that transferred out last offseason from the previous staff. So 10 OL didn’t get the job done at a high enough level that the current staff inherited. That’s tough. They won’t all work out but the talent and athleticism has been increased dramatically. As far as the stars go, most of these guys would be fringe 3 star guys according to Rivals ratings, which basically means either a multi-year starter, potential all-conference player, or potential late round pick in the NFL draft. This ought to be the year we see substantial improvement from the OL.

I won’t have much to add about the specialists except stats, but I figured it was time for an update with so much turnover. (K) Garrison Smith - [Redshirt Junior, New] - Transfer from McNeese State. Was 48 of 48 on extra points and 18 of 21 on field goals in two years at McNeese. Also handled kickoff duties. FCS freshman All-American. Owen Wiley - [Sophomore, Returning] - Went 12 for 12 on extra points and 4 of 6 on field goals. Only misses were beyond 40 yards. Matthew Schramm - [Freshman, New] - Chose Akron over Marshall. (P) Dante Jackson - [Redshirt Senior, Returning] - Former JUCO. 3 for 3 on extra points and 2 of 3 on field goals. 65 punts for a 37.5 average. Also handled kickoff duties. Avery Book - [Senior, New] - Transfer from Augustana. 48 punts for a 44.8 average in 2023. 1st Team All-conference for two years. Joseph Castle - [Sophomore, Returning] - Did not play in 2023. (LS) Liam Reardon - [Redshirt Junior, New] - Transfer from Iowa. Emmet Rhoades - [Redshirt Freshman, New] - Transfer from Florida A&M.

Bumping all of these. I think I have everyone added now.

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Great question. We have 3 players who are best suited at RT (Blanchard, Thomas, Walker) but one of them will likely play LT. My best guess is Blanchard since he started there last year before injuries limited most of his season. LT = Blanchard LG = Davis C = Williams RG = Seymore RT = Thomas Coach Rodriguez likes to play anywhere from 8-10 linemen each game so I’m sure if this ends up being the actual lineup we’ll still probably see Walker, Lyons, Fox, Burrell, and Fields work in. If James is ready to be the starter at LT like he was in the spring game, that’d give even more options. Perhaps Shor starts to play up to his potential too? We finally have an experienced OL with enough versatility and depth, should a few players get injured for any length of time, it shouldn’t derail performance like it did last season.

In the process of updating the positions and realized both Fox and Walker were 1st Team JUCO All-Americans this past season. Not sure what went on at Texas State with Walker, but I’d imagine both players will be pushing for starting spots. At first I thought Fox would be the backup (and he still may be the backup), but he should at least push Williams for first team snaps.

Pittsburgh is/was legitimately interested in him, but haven’t offered yet. They still might if they miss on other targets. If that happens, I’m not holding my breath he’ll stick to his commitment.

Both Granger and Walker could end up being sneaky good pickups. They are boom or bust types, so why not take a swing and see what happens. Fox was most recently a JUCO and I assume would be on scholarship. He should compete for the backup center spot. Kumfert is probably a walk-on. I don’t think he played at St. Francis. If he did, it wasn’t much.

This will be Moorhead’s most talented team since his arrival. In that sense there should be plenty of optimism. On the flip side, the three Power games early in the schedule make for a difficult setup to start the season. All the conference games are winnable.

Big time get for us. Syracuse was firmly after him. He took a round of OVs - with one of them being to Syracuse and finished his OVs with us. The staff apparently sealed the deal at that time. The Syracuse insiders at Rivals were all over this one and predicted the commitment to Akron yesterday.

Probably a good career move at this point. UCLA’s football program sounds like it’s a mess.

I think the additions of Reed and DeWalt may have been in response to the losses of Jester and Laing-Taylor. Regardless, I’m looking forward to what they can bring to the table. Hunter was added last year and could be an All-MAC CB if he can stay healthy. He’s dealt with injuries since his time at South Carolina. If he’s healthy he should start opposite of Golden-Nelson. I know Laing-Taylor was working in with the 2s before his issue and I believe Jester was too, so they were both in the running for the two deep. That said, I agree that Greenwood and Lewis will likely at least see starter type of snaps.

I’ll update this thread soon. We only have 14 scholarship seniors by my count and a few of them may have an extra year. With that being the case, it’s not surprising we do not have many high school commitments - especially considering JoeMo prefers to take around 12-15 HS players per class.

My best guess on the OL would be: LT - Blanchard LG - Lyons C - Williams RG - Seymore RT - Thomas Davis could also start in place of Lyons. Wouldn’t be surprised to see James, Morris, and Mann work their way somewhere onto the 2 deep with a strong summer. I’m curious to see how Fields and Shor factor in as well. Regardless of who starts, this will be the most athletic OL we’ve had in Moorhead’s tenure - by far. Disappointing about Laing-Taylor and Jester. Both looked the part.

A few roster notes: OL Keon Kindred is no longer listed. DL LaJoshua Jackson is no longer listed. DB David Jester is no longer listed. DB Zayden Laing-Taylor is no longer listed. JUCO signee WR Jacobi Moore still isn’t listed. He’s probably not coming at this point. DT Zy Brockington (Memphis) has been added. Not that it matters much, but both of the Fraziers are currently listed as DEs. All other signings that were not enrolled in the spring are now listed. 2 Long Snappers, 3 Kicker, and 1 Punter are currently listed.

Spoke to him a while back, before social media briefly buzzed about his last name. Very respectful kid. I hoped we would offer as I think he’ll turn out to be a productive player. Last name isn’t pronounced the way it would get an announcer fired.

Bump for Phil Steele.

It’s that time of year again. Athlon is the first I’ve seen for 2024. Athlon Sports All-MAC Teams 1st Team = CJ Nunnally (DL) and Bryan McCoy (LB) 2nd Team = Alex Adams (WR), Antavious Fish (LB), Darrian Lewis (DB) 3rd Team = N/A 4th Team = Bennett Adler (DL), Devontae Golden-Nelson (DB), Daymon David (DB) Phil Steele All-MAC Teams 1st Team = CJ Nunnally (DL) and Bryan McCoy (LB) 2nd Team = Antavious Fish (LB) 3rd Team = Alex Adams (WR) and Bobby Golden (PR) 4th Team = Lama Lavea (DL)

Antonio Smith to Valdosta State