catdaddyp

I think 9 return from last year, although not all played. Almost 100% turnover from when Moorhead took over. Lyons is currently the lone holdover on the OL from the last staff.

He did, but only a handful of snaps.

KJ Martin to NC State.

Goes to show how badly Auburn is struggling along the OL. In Chambers’ defense, he was solid at RT, but was a bit out of his depth at LT. Good enough to play in the SEC? I’d say no, but apparently Auburn thought differently. I know of another SEC team that is heavily looking at a few linemen from the G5 level that played less than half the season last year and P5 OL that played less than 150 snaps. It’s crazy what some teams are willing to take on the OL at this point in the year.

I was as surprised at the commitment as everyone else, but here’s what he had to say just a few months ago: "I'm big on quality over quantity when it comes to the offers and where I want to go. That means just having a great relationship with everybody. Even a smaller school like Toledo, right now is one of the top of my list. I was just there today. My bond with Coach (Robert) Weiner and coach (Jason) Candleis amazing. That team can compete with anybody from at the Power Four level right now."

Yep, OL are at a premium in the portal. I’m not sure where Auburn stands now, but they had around 8 scholarships to fill not too long ago. They also are hurting for OL depth (I guess that part is fairly obvious). Quality DL are also at a premium.

Committed to Kent State. Kent should actually have a pretty good receiving corps now. Whether they have someone to throw them the ball may be a different story…

Below is a list of all the outgoing transfers since Moorhead’s arrival. An * has been placed beside players that Moorhead’s staff brought in. Only scholarship players are listed as I did not include the high amount of walk-ons that have left the team. QB: Joey Marousek = DII Ryan Jankowski = UMASS *Dijon Jennings = Weber State *Steele Wasel = Oklahoma RB: Jonzell Norrills = DII *Cam Wiley = DII *Anthony Stallworth = N/A *CJ Price = Jackson State Blake Hester = DII WR: Anthony Williams = Alcorn State (Started 2 games and played in 7) Jasaiah Gathings = UCONN *Caleb Anderson = Alcorn State Oran Singleton = JUCO - Eastern Michigan *Dakota Thomas = JUCO - Southern Miss TE: Tristan Brank = Retired *Caden Clark = Retired Brycen Yarmo = DII *Marquell Darnell = N/A Nik Ognenovic = N/A OL: Xavier Gray = Liberty (Started and played in 14 games) *Max Banes = Houston (Started 1 game and played in 8 ) Jordan Daniels = Charlotte (Started 4 games and played in 5) - Western Carolina Owen Murphy = East Carolina (Started 9 games and played in 11) Ryan Beckman = East Carolina (Played in 2 games) *Ka’Marii Landers = JUCO - Baylor *Jourden Hale-Frater = JUCO Ronan Chambers = Auburn Nate Williams = San Diego State Alex Robarge = Southern Illinois Tony Georges = Kent State Brian Kilbane = N/A Caleb Herring = N/A DL: Curtis Fann = Western Carolina (Played in 10 games) Bryce Wilson = Western Carolina (Played in 9 games) Nazir Sy = Northwestern State (Started and played in 6 games) Ryan Johnson = Southern Miss *Antonio Smith = DII *Kyle Thomas = DII Janirr Wade = JUCO - N/A David Hooks = N/A Julian Richardson = N/A *Devon Robinson = N/A LB: Jeslord Boateng = Louisiana Tech (Started 11 games and played in 12) Luke Bauer = Morehead State (Started 8 games and played in 11) *Jaharon Griffin = Alcorn State Andrew Behm = Southern Illinois Connor Francz = DII Ryan McClain = N/A Juan Jarrett = N/A Reggie Corner = N/A Yveny Petithomme = N/A DB: Charles Amankwaa = Rutgers (Played in 1 game) Ronald Jackson = Montana (Started 3 games and played in 15) Tyson Durant = Washington State Corey Thomas = Virginia Rishad Hence = Eastern Kentucky *KJ Martin = NC State *Jaden Woods = East Tennessee State Adetutu Daranijo = N/A Chu Ogbonna = N/A Woobendy Guerrier = N/A Randy Cochran = N/A MyJaden Horton = N/A *Cam Threatt = N/A

UTEP DT with 2 years of eligibility remaining. Former JUCO.

Here’s a name to monitor. Jonathan Denis. Played C at Miami (FL) alongside Seymore. Originally committed to Oregon when Moorhead was there.

It did, but that doesn’t mean someone entered without us knowing about it. The staff was also offering select DTs before the spring, so it’s also possible no one has entered and the staff has been looking to add another body this whole time. With multiple scholarships now open, it’d be a good time to re-assess position scholarship allotment.

I’m guessing a current player hit the portal, but I’m not sure who.

DL from Western Kentucky. Formerly Colorado. Ryan Williams has 2 years of eligibility left.

I’d think so. I’m just not sure where the staff stands as far as how they feel about Bullock being able to win games for this team. Do they go after a QB that comes in and competes for the starting spot? Or go after a guy with 3-4 years of eligibility left that’s more advanced than Wasel, but not quite ready to be given the reigns yet?

I don’t have confidence in either Bullock or Roggow winning games for us this year if they are pressed to fill for substantial snaps. Unless one of them takes a major leap over the next few months. I’m just not sure how the staff feels about the situation right now. They may feel better about it than we do? I agree, at the moment the offense rides on a healthy Finley.

DT from FAU. One year of eligibility remaining. Transferred to FAU from Illinois State.

I think the heat would be turned up if this team went 2-10 again, although I don’t see that happening. Last year, there were 7 games decided by one score or less and only 2 of those went our way. The year before, 5 games were decided by one score or less and only 1 went our way. Moorhead has this program on the cusp and is close to breaking though. I thought that breakthrough would happen last year and it didn’t (I won’t rehash the multitude of reasons behind that). Unfortunately, this year’s non-conference schedule is brutal, so that doesn’t help. I think 4-5 wins should be the minimum expectation with the possibility of more if things go our way. The reason I say that is no team in the conference is ahead of us talent wise anymore (except maybe Toledo). Taking a look at the MAC teams we play: Ohio - Blistered by the portal. Still have talent, but how will it all fit? Bowling Green - Holes to fill in a number of areas outside of QB. If injuries hit, it will be an issue. WMU - Questions at QB and depth is still an issue in a number of areas. EMU - There is plenty of young talent, but almost a complete rebuild on the OL, DL, and at LB. Not to mention a new QB. Buffalo - New staff. Questions almost everywhere except RB. NIU - Concerns at QB. Kent State - Almost like another rebuild in year two. Toledo - Lost several All-MAC players, including at QB. Plenty of talent, but low on experience. I’m not saying the conference schedule will be easy, but wanted to point out almost every team we play is beatable due to their own issues they are attempting to figure out.

I would think so. Going into the season with only 3 scholarship QBs (one of them being a true freshman) is definitely not ideal. The question is how does the staff feel about Bullock? If they feel he has progressed enough to win some games, we’ll probably see someone with 3-4 years of eligibility signed from the portal. I imagine no matter who it is will be further along in their development than Wasel.

Who is QB1? I don’t think there’s much doubt Finley is the leading candidate. Finley makes quick decisions and throws a catchable ball. He also has enough mobility to be effective in the run game and when scrambling. Finley has played at a high level in the past, so there shouldn’t be many overwhelming moments for him at the G5 level. Bullock has not developed as much as I hoped. My take is that he is mentally processing too slowly because his physical tools are not lacking. He is still an asset to the offense due to his bruising running style and should be utilized in short yardage/goal line situations. Will Akron have much of a run game? Purely speaking about the running backs, the answer is yes. There is not a RB on the roster with the makeup of Lingard, however, all of the backs are made for RPO type offenses. What I mean by that is they have a rapid burst once the ball is in their hands and catch the ball well out of the backfield. They can make the first defender miss and have enough speed to create explosive plays. Who will replace All-MAC receivers George and Gathings? The first choice would be Norton. The true sophomore has the make-up to be an all-conference player in just his second season. If Adams is healthy, he will return to his role in the slot, leaving the typical third receiver position up for competition. It’s possible that player is not currently on the roster. Multiple offers have gone out during the spring. How about the OL? It’s still a work in progress, but the starters will likely resemble most of the first combination displayed in the Spring Game. They were facing a defensive front that is reasonably one of the better defensive fronts in the MAC, so it’s hard to say how much improvement has been made. What was clear was the increased athleticism as the offensive line (especially the tackles) were able to climb to the second level of the defense and give the run game room on the speed options and perimeter plays. Inside runs were harder to come by in the Spring Game. Is there a better defensive front in the MAC? Maybe, but not by much. Miami has one all-conference defensive lineman and two all-conference linebackers returning (Zips have Nunnally and McCoy), so they can lay claim to this title in the pre-season. Zips have impressive depth at defensive tackle and linebacker. The only question is at the backup defensive end spot. The 2023 JUCOs could step up or perhaps one of the redshirt/true freshmen will see significant time. How’s the secondary looking? Long, athletic, and physical. Coach Renna and former CBs coach Bell have done an excellent job recruiting and developing talent. The downside? There is a void of actual game experience outside of Golden-Nelson, D. Lewis, and a few of the transfers. There may be some growing pains early in the season, but this is a talented group that should be assisted by the excellent defensive front. What’s the status of the Special Teams? Jackson returns at punter and was solid in that role in 2023. Wiley was strong down the stretch on FGs and PATs. Zips received a commitment from an FCS Freshman All-American kicker in March. New long snappers will also be arriving soon. Is the roster complete? No. By my count there are currently about 5 open scholarships. Most of the recent offers have gone out to wide receivers and offensive linemen. The roster is in the best place it’s been since Moorhead’s arrival and this year’s spring portal options are much deeper than last year’s. There is a good chance a difference maker or two will be signed. Who are the new coaches? QB - Michael Shuster (Duke Grad Asst.) WR - JD Brookhart CB - Kresean Reed (Northern Arizona CBs) ST - Ryan Matviko (Offensive Analyst) Which MAC team has been hit the hardest by the portal? Ohio. The Bobcats have also brought in some players who should be quality replacements, but they will be heavily tested this year. A substantial drop off in wins from the previous two seasons would not be a surprise.

There it is.

I believe all but 6 players are at this point.