Man oh man - does it feel good to be posting about football once again? We're about 2 weeks away from the start of spring camp and I've been itching to get this post up. As always, this is my observational opinion and I could be way off in a few assessments here. Feel free to chime in.
#1 Quarterback: wide-open
Shay Smithwick-Hann - I've read and seen more reports where the players talk about how smart of a player Shay is. Coach Delaney has stated that Shay will enter spring ball as the starter. This would lend hand to what we're hearing that the team will move to more of a power running team and mix in some pistol offense. Shay throws a good deep ball, knows the WRs well, and has been here a while. There's concerns of course with his arm strength and speed. He's not much of a running option at this level.
Trent McKinney - Trent lost his job this last year to Shay and my best guess is because of accuracy issues in passing, anything beyond 10 yards or so became an issue. I had also heard he was not looking through his reads the best either. If Trent is more dialed in then he could rapidly push Shay with a stronger/faster arm and as a better runner. However if accuracy remains an issue I don't know where he'll land.
Brady Gustafson - The scout team player of the year in 2012 and coming out of the fall with a lot of hype Brady could surprise this year. He's a big kid but can run the pistol and some option. He's got a cannon for an arm. Short range/quick pass accuracy has been the issue I've seen, also knowing/trusting the play and knowing where to find his WRs. I'm anxious to see how he's improved through his first year.
Jordan Johnson? - In all honesty I don't know if JJ will be back by the time spring ball starts, but lets just presume that he does. If so, there's lots of questions about where Jordy is ("football shape"). Yes, he's been working out, but is he doing the same/similar winter condo drills the other guys are right now? He may have to ramp up into spring camp. Where will his stamina and arm strength be? Obviously if he's in good shape and ready to go, he could rocket back up and grab the #1 spot by the end of spring I'd think - but we'll have to see.
2. Running back: Jordan Canada and Joey Counts appear to be locked in but then...
TraVon Van - I'm excited to see what TraVon will bring to the table. A lot of times transfers have a slower start ramping up to the system and getting on page with the team. I have very little to go off with this guy outside of a few highlights so we'll have to see what he brings to the field.
Brett Kirschner? - Brett was rumored to be moving to safety, but then the Griz bring in a safety transfer. Personally l'd like to see him stay at RB, he was a powerful runner and I was looking forward to seeing what he'd do this year when the opportunity to get carries opened up with the departure of Moore, Nguyen, and Walden.
Jacob Elder - Had some quick bursts last fall camp. Will be facing an uphill battle for the ball this spring however with the departure of 3 backs to graduation and if Kirsch is headed to safety then he'll get a lot of touches.
3. Tight End: Wide open doesn't even begin to describe it, and the best option might not even be here yet.
Gavin Hagfors - Converted RB, was the 3rd string option at TE last year, had a few good catches but he's a little undersized to be an every-down TE.
Clay Pierson - A good physical player, solid blocker, catching improved through the season. Health has always been a concern. If I were to guess I'd bet he enters spring camp as the starter at TE.
Aschan Richards - I've been waiting for Aschan to show Griz Nation something. This could be his time. He's the tallest of the TEs we have (6-6) and will probably not come in as heavy as Pierson but should be close in size. He has the physical potential to be the most dominating of the TEs on the field, but he's got to actually get out there and do that now.
4. Wide Receiver:
Ellis Henderson - I'm assuming he will be one of the starting split-out WRs. If Ellis can get on page with the eventual starting QB this could be a monster year for him.
Mitch Saylor - I would also guess Mitch will enter spring camp starting opposite of Ellis. I hope that with Rosenbach gone Saylor is used better, giving him quick dump-off passes isn't his game. Send the big 6-5 guy down field have him win jump/fade routes more often!
Sean Haynes - Hopefully can be ready and injury free for spring camp. Sean continued to impress me but vanished as some leg injury issues sprung up (not attitude issues as rumored on here). A healthy Sean Haynes will impress all of you.
Taylor Walcott - Burned his RS to get him a little bit of time this last season... I hope it pays off. Taylor will probably be backing up the split-out WRs. Hopefully the weight room has been good to him.
Cam Warren - Assuming he's our starting slot WR, I know he was dealing with shoulder issues in fall camp - will he practice or will he be out resting/re-habbing his shoulder?
Chase Naccarato - Another slot WR that I'm hoping to see lots of good things from. Another guy who kind of vanished as the season went on. Wondering how he'll do in run-blocking situations, if given any. Taking over in the slot he's filling in for Sam Gratton who did just about everything well.
There's also Spencer Hale, Brandon Maguire, Ryan Burke, Kevin Berland, and Jake Dellaserra. Outside of Maguire I think these other guys are still all underclassmen (soph or younger) and will be looking to fill in some gaps. Burke I believe took a red-shirt, the rest may have already done that. Maguire is a bigger and more physical guy, Berland is a quicker/returner type. Dellaserra fought and won a spot on the team coming out of spring camp as I recall.
5. Left Guard: Filling in the spot left by Jake Hendrickson
Samson Kalekini - I think Samson was the guy who was in off the bench first to fill in at guard and I'd bet the RS Soph will enter spring camp as the starter. He had quite a bit of opportunity on the field last year. It'll be interesting to see how he adapts to playing full time now. What I can't recall from Samson was if he played RG or LG - if he's a right guard then he might be waiting another year for Poehls to finish up his Griz career.
Jordan Hines - I believe he's the guard of the twin brothers. If Samson isn't getting the initial look to start at guard it will presumably be Jordan. I don't remember if he played much, I know his brother did to fill in at center when needed. I've had feedback from outgoing players that if Jordan wants to take this spot he needs to be "meaner" out there. It was the same criticism of Hendrickson when he came back in 2012 but he quickly proved that he can be a mean SOB out there, Jordan will need to do the same.
McCauley Todd - Big steam-roller of a kid who was slowed by injuries in fall camp. Should be all healed up now and ready to fight for a spot. Coming in as a RS-frosh he may be looking at a backup role, however if he plays as mean as he did in his high school highlight reel, he might make a push for the starting spot
Devon Detrich - I believe the other guy who is looking at the LG spot. I remember last fall camp the five freshman OL had issues at tackle and with center but the two guards held their own. That was Detirch and Todd.
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This isn't to say there's other positioning battles that will be interesting. It will be interesting to see the depth of this team develop. Like I said we had 5 freshman OL players coming off red shirts, and while maybe only 1 will push for a starting spot we'll have a few pushing to backup and rotate time.
