I’ve got a busy weekend in front of me so I’m getting this up early for discussion. We’re down to just two positions, those that fight in the trenches – OL and DL. Let’s go O-line this week and then the week after we can finish up the position discussions with the d-line.
OL: Kjelby Oiland, Logan Hines, Danny Kistler, John Schmaing, Max Kelly, Clint LaRowe, Devon Dietrich, Ben Weyer, Samson Kalekini, McCauley Todd, Jordan Hines, Will Poehls, Trevor Poole?
Projected Depth (starters/2nd string/depth)
T: Kistler (Sr) / Kelly (Frosh)
G: Hines (Jr) / Kalekini (Soph) / Deitrich (Frosh)
C: Oiland (Sr) / Hines (Jr)
G: Poehls (Sr) / Weyer (Frosh) / Todd (Frosh)
T: Poole (Jr) OR Schmaing (Soph) / Schmaing OR LaRowe (Frosh)
Strengths / Weaknesses
Danny Kistler – Lots of accolades for Danny this pre-season. He’s tabbed as one of the best tackles in the FCS. He’s a big dude and a strong blocker. A lot of posters on here muse that he’s probably a borderline NFL prospect, but at guard. His footwork is fairly quick but even in spring he was having some issues with speed-rushers. Giving him some support on the edge will help. Run blocking is rock solid, he can chew up most D-ends and drive them into linebackers or upfield.
Jordan Hines – Jordan really improved over the scrimmages I watched. His first scrimmage was not very good. Filling in for the graduated Jake Henderson he was pushed around by the DTs and couldn’t keep the quicker tackles (Kidder) contained. He gradually improved and looked pretty good in the last scrimmage. His run blocking is good, pass blocking went from questionable to serviceable. Hines I worried would be the weak link of the starting 5 but he showed great improvement.
Kjelby Oiland – Now a solid veteran in the trenches Kjelby is great with his shotgun snaps and I didn’t see many issues with the few under-center snaps that he did in the scrimmages. I didn’t observe any issues with defensive blitz/scheme recognition but honestly I didn’t watch for that too much. He’s a very good run blocker and works well with the guards to double-team players. He’s a quick adapter as well having to work with Hines on one side and Weyer on the other.
Will Poehls – I’d be interested to see who is the strongest of the O-linemen. I can think back over the last two years and remember some key plays where Will plowed through two or three players to spring a running back free. Footwork and lateral speed can sometimes be an issue, he’s not the quickest but he might be one of the strongest. He’s well suited as a guard, hard to move and can plant defenders on their ass. He missed spring ball so getting back into playing form and just getting back on page with the starters will be key.
Trevor Poole – Obvious speculation on here, there’s been posts from others that he’s all set to return to the team but needs Engstrom’s approval. Hopefully that comes in the next two week for Trevor. He’s a great protector for the QB, quick feet and can identify blitzes well. He’s a lock-down guy that when playing last year could usually tie up most d-ends. In 2011 and somewhat in 2012 run blocking wasn’t his strongest suit. There’s also the question that he’s been suspended from the team since the end of the season, missed spring camp, presumably hasn’t done summer conditioning or player-lead drills… so what kind of condition will he be in when he returns?
John Schmaing – Schmaing quietly took over for Poole last year and did his job pretty well for a freshman who was suddenly shoved into a starting role. His run-blocking wasn’t bad, hopefully this year he’ll be even more improved on pushing defenders back. In the spring he looked and played like a starter for the most part. Much like Kistler he was having some issues with the faster D-ends. Based on how long Poole has been out of playing time and team drills I’d expect Schmaing to start this season. He might share the load with Poole for a better half of the season. If Poole does return I wonder if Schmaing next year will move to take Kistler’s vacated spot.
Ben Weyer – Ben really made a splash this season as he moved all the way up and started the last two scrimmages at guard in place of Will Poehls. As I understand he’s being groomed to play center eventually. That would make sense as a common trend, we’ve seen Oiland, Sabin, and I think even JD Quinn go from guards to centers. Weyer’s strength as I saw it, especially in the 3rd scrimmage was run-blocking. He had issues with D-line shifts and stunts. If he’s called upon this season at guard we’ll be ok but he’ll have to improve his pass-blocking.
Logan Hines – Played a little bit last season at center and did a good job backing up Oiland in spring ball. He had issues with under-center snaps, that stood out to me. Not really a flashy blocker but could jam guys up pretty well. Doesn’t really get much of an upfield push that I saw. Had issues communicating and/or getting on the same page with the other guards and the 2nd string OL was chewed up quite a bit by the 2nd string DL.
Samson Kalekini – I actually thought Samson would beat out Jordan Hines to start at guard, but in spring ball he kind of vanished. I’m not sure if he was hurt or what the deal was. I remember seeing him out there in the scrimmages but he didn’t make much of an impression. Last year in spring/fall he needed to add more muscle/weight to improve on dominating his opponent and not getting pushed around as much. He’s a quicker guy that I’ve seen, doesn’t make a lot of glaring mistakes either.
Max Kelly – Had flashes of great plays here and there but for the most part like the rest of the 2nd string OL had big issues with pass protection. I think the run-blocking aspect for Kelly was pretty good but being able to work his side of the line when being blitzed on a passing play was challenging. He’s got fairly quick feet, good lateral movement – just needs to boost his play recognition and confidence out there.
Clint LaRowe – Could probably echo what I wrote about Kelly, Clint looked a little better in pass protection though but was not as strong with run-blocking. Just needs to improve his strength, play recognition, and confidence. I like how quick he is at tackle, he’s adjusted well so far to the FCS level of speed.
McCauley Todd – Played fall and spring camp on the mend but as I’m told is feeling much stronger/healthier now. He’s built like a guard and has the size to make an impact right now. Hopefully in fall camp he’ll play with a renewed energy now that’s he’s healthy. He’s a good run blocker but was unsure of himself at times when pass blocking. Funny thing is for this for Todd is that this year he may be buried in depth but if Weyer moves to center next year he will have an opportunity to start for the 2014 team.
Devon Deitrich – I see with the online roster he’s not pegged to a specific position. Played tackle in high school but if my memory serves correct he played more guard in spring drills. Looks like if the roster weight for him is correct he might still be a little light. This year will probably consist of mostly special teams roles and finding a spot on the line that he’s the most comfortable with.
OL: Kjelby Oiland, Logan Hines, Danny Kistler, John Schmaing, Max Kelly, Clint LaRowe, Devon Dietrich, Ben Weyer, Samson Kalekini, McCauley Todd, Jordan Hines, Will Poehls, Trevor Poole?
Projected Depth (starters/2nd string/depth)
T: Kistler (Sr) / Kelly (Frosh)
G: Hines (Jr) / Kalekini (Soph) / Deitrich (Frosh)
C: Oiland (Sr) / Hines (Jr)
G: Poehls (Sr) / Weyer (Frosh) / Todd (Frosh)
T: Poole (Jr) OR Schmaing (Soph) / Schmaing OR LaRowe (Frosh)
Strengths / Weaknesses
Danny Kistler – Lots of accolades for Danny this pre-season. He’s tabbed as one of the best tackles in the FCS. He’s a big dude and a strong blocker. A lot of posters on here muse that he’s probably a borderline NFL prospect, but at guard. His footwork is fairly quick but even in spring he was having some issues with speed-rushers. Giving him some support on the edge will help. Run blocking is rock solid, he can chew up most D-ends and drive them into linebackers or upfield.
Jordan Hines – Jordan really improved over the scrimmages I watched. His first scrimmage was not very good. Filling in for the graduated Jake Henderson he was pushed around by the DTs and couldn’t keep the quicker tackles (Kidder) contained. He gradually improved and looked pretty good in the last scrimmage. His run blocking is good, pass blocking went from questionable to serviceable. Hines I worried would be the weak link of the starting 5 but he showed great improvement.
Kjelby Oiland – Now a solid veteran in the trenches Kjelby is great with his shotgun snaps and I didn’t see many issues with the few under-center snaps that he did in the scrimmages. I didn’t observe any issues with defensive blitz/scheme recognition but honestly I didn’t watch for that too much. He’s a very good run blocker and works well with the guards to double-team players. He’s a quick adapter as well having to work with Hines on one side and Weyer on the other.
Will Poehls – I’d be interested to see who is the strongest of the O-linemen. I can think back over the last two years and remember some key plays where Will plowed through two or three players to spring a running back free. Footwork and lateral speed can sometimes be an issue, he’s not the quickest but he might be one of the strongest. He’s well suited as a guard, hard to move and can plant defenders on their ass. He missed spring ball so getting back into playing form and just getting back on page with the starters will be key.
Trevor Poole – Obvious speculation on here, there’s been posts from others that he’s all set to return to the team but needs Engstrom’s approval. Hopefully that comes in the next two week for Trevor. He’s a great protector for the QB, quick feet and can identify blitzes well. He’s a lock-down guy that when playing last year could usually tie up most d-ends. In 2011 and somewhat in 2012 run blocking wasn’t his strongest suit. There’s also the question that he’s been suspended from the team since the end of the season, missed spring camp, presumably hasn’t done summer conditioning or player-lead drills… so what kind of condition will he be in when he returns?
John Schmaing – Schmaing quietly took over for Poole last year and did his job pretty well for a freshman who was suddenly shoved into a starting role. His run-blocking wasn’t bad, hopefully this year he’ll be even more improved on pushing defenders back. In the spring he looked and played like a starter for the most part. Much like Kistler he was having some issues with the faster D-ends. Based on how long Poole has been out of playing time and team drills I’d expect Schmaing to start this season. He might share the load with Poole for a better half of the season. If Poole does return I wonder if Schmaing next year will move to take Kistler’s vacated spot.
Ben Weyer – Ben really made a splash this season as he moved all the way up and started the last two scrimmages at guard in place of Will Poehls. As I understand he’s being groomed to play center eventually. That would make sense as a common trend, we’ve seen Oiland, Sabin, and I think even JD Quinn go from guards to centers. Weyer’s strength as I saw it, especially in the 3rd scrimmage was run-blocking. He had issues with D-line shifts and stunts. If he’s called upon this season at guard we’ll be ok but he’ll have to improve his pass-blocking.
Logan Hines – Played a little bit last season at center and did a good job backing up Oiland in spring ball. He had issues with under-center snaps, that stood out to me. Not really a flashy blocker but could jam guys up pretty well. Doesn’t really get much of an upfield push that I saw. Had issues communicating and/or getting on the same page with the other guards and the 2nd string OL was chewed up quite a bit by the 2nd string DL.
Samson Kalekini – I actually thought Samson would beat out Jordan Hines to start at guard, but in spring ball he kind of vanished. I’m not sure if he was hurt or what the deal was. I remember seeing him out there in the scrimmages but he didn’t make much of an impression. Last year in spring/fall he needed to add more muscle/weight to improve on dominating his opponent and not getting pushed around as much. He’s a quicker guy that I’ve seen, doesn’t make a lot of glaring mistakes either.
Max Kelly – Had flashes of great plays here and there but for the most part like the rest of the 2nd string OL had big issues with pass protection. I think the run-blocking aspect for Kelly was pretty good but being able to work his side of the line when being blitzed on a passing play was challenging. He’s got fairly quick feet, good lateral movement – just needs to boost his play recognition and confidence out there.
Clint LaRowe – Could probably echo what I wrote about Kelly, Clint looked a little better in pass protection though but was not as strong with run-blocking. Just needs to improve his strength, play recognition, and confidence. I like how quick he is at tackle, he’s adjusted well so far to the FCS level of speed.
McCauley Todd – Played fall and spring camp on the mend but as I’m told is feeling much stronger/healthier now. He’s built like a guard and has the size to make an impact right now. Hopefully in fall camp he’ll play with a renewed energy now that’s he’s healthy. He’s a good run blocker but was unsure of himself at times when pass blocking. Funny thing is for this for Todd is that this year he may be buried in depth but if Weyer moves to center next year he will have an opportunity to start for the 2014 team.
Devon Deitrich – I see with the online roster he’s not pegged to a specific position. Played tackle in high school but if my memory serves correct he played more guard in spring drills. Looks like if the roster weight for him is correct he might still be a little light. This year will probably consist of mostly special teams roles and finding a spot on the line that he’s the most comfortable with.