I'm not a football expert, so take these with a grain of salt.
I think we're going to have an improved team next year, but it may not show in the record due to the tough schedule we face. I do think we'll have a better record, but maybe not the kind we would hope to have.
Our offense should be fine. I would say our main losses from this past year were Bobby Blizzard and Jeb Terry. And Blizzard missed a lot of time due to sickness and injury, and was never really effective anyway.
We have Durant as a senior, and a lot of options to throw to. Look for Pollock to be one of the main threats again -- he's small, but he always seems to find a way to get open. Mason, Bowman and Holley should be an outstanding sophomore trio. Brooks Foster and Del Roberts are two incoming freshman that could make an impact if they aren't redshirted. Add in some other returning guys, and we should be fine at WR.
At RB, we only lose Willie Parker -- who struggled last year anyway. It'll be interesting to see how McGill follows up a strong freshman year. Also, Jacque Lewis and Chad Scott should get plenty of PT.
The offensive line loses Terry, but they should be a year stronger and wiser. Guys like Jason Brown, Skip Seagraves and Willie McNeil have been around for awhile and should anchor the line. We've also got some good sophomores and freshmen coming in.
On defense, we lose Reid and Waddell. Not to offend anyone, but I really don't think the loss of anyone else matters that much. On the line, we'll be adding a nice crop of guys -- including Terry Hunter and Khalif Mitchell. We'll also have some sophomores and redshirt freshmen ready to produce. We should be strong at LB with Larry Edwards, Fred Sparkman, Joe Kedra, and a core of other guys. In the secondary, I'm looking for Lionell Green to break out. I also want to see Cedric Holt come back from injury and be the player that I've heard he can be. Also, Mahlon Carey will have another year at safety. We're adding a strong DB class this year, so that should help out as well.
We lose Orner as placekicker, but we're adding one of the top freshman kickers in his stead. David Woolridge will have a year under his belt at punter, which should help a lot.
I don't know what exactly to expect, record-wise. But, I expect improvement. We don't seem to lose a lot -- while we seem to be adding a lot to an already young group of guys. I look for the team to be faster and stronger next year, which is where we need improvement. I think we could be pleasantly surprised with what we see out on the field
-JD
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