grizghost said:
said Troy Andersen moving back to offense because they are loaded up on defense and should be good ..
Will play offense and defense this fall but you will see him more on defense. He was never going to solely play defense or offense despite what was said in the media or by Choate himself.
Choate said that the other QB's never really challenge Murray for the starting position...
Quarterbacks should be changed to quarterback. Going into this spring, Murray, Tucker Rovig, and transfer Travis Jonsen (Oregon/JUCO) were supposed to compete. Unfortunately, Travis slipped on the ice in January and broke his ankle so the competition only came down to Murray and Rovig. Chris responded well and has made noticeable physical improvements on top of a better understanding of the offense. In my opinion, the jury is still out on the consistency of his throwing mechanics. Rovig had a bum thumb on his throwing hand all spring and the coaches also were changing up his footwork. Regardless, Chris was 100% the best QB during spring and Tucker will likely compete for the #2/3 spot this fall. Travis Jonsen is a very talented football player but has yet to cease an opportunity to be a starting QB. He was in competition as a freshman with Dakota Prukop and Justin Herbert a few years back but had an injury that spring that limited his effectiveness. Dakota won the job, Herbert won the backup, and Travis transferred to Riverside CC. At Riverside, he competed against Vic Viramontes who was the Top JUCO QB. Vic signed with Minnesota in the offseason and Travis signed with the Bobcats. Travis and Chris are similar QBs but Travis definitely has the stronger arm and smoother throwing motion. But Chris is ahead of Travis in some very key areas like understanding of the offense, trust from teammates, and Chris is still really f***ing fast & a better overall runner than Travis. Which leads me to my next point.
was concerned for Murray academics...
Travis Jonsen was not only a good QB to bring in for competition on the field...but off the field as well. Travis is nearly a 4.0 student and the model student-athlete coaches want to have on their team. When I said Murray responded well this spring, I meant both on AND off the field. So if Chris has any slip ups and Travis has a good fall camp, I won't be surprised to Jonsen out there at some point this fall. Rovig is a solid student but needs some more seasoning to be considered ready to compete. Murray and Jonsen are both juniors so the perfect situation would be for Rovig to be ready to roll his junior year in a few years. But Rovig will be pushed each year by younger guys as Choate will recruit a QB every year.
overall he felt like the team was looking really good and will be competing...
All the kids are bought in. Its starting to look like the roster Choate wants, especially on defense and in the trenches on offense. They were good enough to compete last year but, once again, it will come down to the QB and, more importantly, the offensive system the Bobcats want to run. It has kind of changed each year since Choate was hired based off personnel on offense. Will be interesting to see what adjustments they've made.
especially with defense they will be very tough!
Pass rush was a major concern last year and the few years prior to that. The Bobcats just have not been able to develop kids to rush the passer. They believed they have finally solved the problem through a mix of transfers and development from a few kids. Transfers have included:
Bryce Sterk - University of Washington transfer who was recruited by Choate a big kid (6'5", 255 lbs.) who was a high school hurdle champion. Was buried on the depth chart and decided to transfer to play under Choate for his final two years of eligibility. A physically imposing player who just needs to prove he can make it happen on Saturdays. He will get his shot.
Dante Spiraco - University of Colorado transfer who played for the Buffs last year as a true freshman before an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year. Some coaching changes happened and he felt his future would be better used elsewhere. His father Dino played for the Cats back in the late 90s and his mother also graduated from MSU. It was one of those fits that just worked at the right time. Dante is a quick-twitched, 6'5", 250 lbs. kid who played OLB/DE for the Buffs. He may be the #1 reason why the Bobcats will be able to use Troy more on offense than initially expected this season. Dante will be a sophomore.
Daniel Hardy - JUCO transfer who has four years to play three. More of a raw athlete than finished product at this point. He is a long, 6'4", 215 lb. OLB who will be developed to play the Buck spot. We'll see how he looks during fall camp but because of the depth, I don't see why Choate wouldn't redshirt Daniel this fall to put some more weight on his frame. Anyway, another kid with inherent pass-rushing ability but also a player who needs some development in being an overall player.
Jacob Hadley - will be a sophomore. Sat out 2017 because of a torn ACL during spring ball last year. All but won the starting Sam spot prior to the injury. He will now move down to the Buck spot. Jacob is about 6'5", 245 lbs. so he has added the strength to anchor against the run. Another kid who is very long and is not afraid to be physical at the point of attack. It will all depend on his recovery (which all signs have pointed he will make a full one). He sat out this spring for precautionary reasons as Choate was very adamant about losing players to injury during the spring (even though arguably the Cats best receiver, Jabarri Johnson, tore up one of his knees during a routine WR drill...can't control injuries). Anyway, Jacob gives the Bobcats yet another option to get after the QB.
Kyle Finch - Kyle is from the same class as Jacob but Finch has been developed at the same position (Buck) since he walked on campus. Now going into his redshirt sophomore season, Kyle is ready to contribute. One of the more technically sound defensive football players I've seen on tape out of high school since I started doing the scouting thing, Kyle just needed to simply get bigger. He'll be up to around 230+ by the time fall comes around and he got a ton of reps with the 2's this spring behind Sterk at the Buck spot. He isn't as explosive as the top four kids listed above but Kyle gives relentless effort which can make a good pass-rusher a great one.
Grant Collins - Grant was one of the two true pass-rushing threats (the other being strong-side end Derek Marks) last year for the Cats but because of the injury to Josh Hill along with depth at the Mike spot, Grant moved to MLB for a few games last year. When Josh came back for the EWU game, Grant moved back to Buck but tore up his shoulder on one of the pivotal plays chasing down Gabe Gubrud. Grant may not have the sack totals but he has affected the pocket since he moved the Buck spot two years ago. He was the only player who could really dip his shoulder and set the edge as a pass-rusher on the roster. Choate said Grant will be expected back around midseason next year. But obviously, the Choate and Gregorak knew they had to add more horses to the stable if they wanted to get after the passer with four lineman.
So there you go. I'm a little concerned about the safety depth. There will be some young players who will have to step up. Other than that, the defense should be pretty dicey.