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I figured I'd take a shot at the Depth Chart. Just want to get the names out there and drive some discussion. I didn't really try to project any roles for the Freshmen class outside of the Punter. I realize there will be Freshmen moving up the Depth Chart all over the place. If anyone has any insight on LT, I'd love to hear it. That position seems wide open to me and could even see a true Frosh at that spot in AJ Reed. Also, I have no idea which redshirt Freshmen OL have stood out this year in practice.


QB: Jon Wassink/Reece Goddard/Chris Riddle/Kaleb Eleby
RB: LeVante Bellamy/Jamauri Bogan/Davon Tucker/Matt Falcon/Prince Walker/Leo Ekwoge/Chase Brown
WR: Dee Eskridge/Giovanni Ricci/Jaylen Hall/DaShon Bussell
WR: Anton Curtis/Luke Sanders/Hunter Broersma/Jayden Reed
WR: Keishawn Watson/Tyron Arnett/Ryan Lezzer
TE: Odell Miller/Brett Borske/Mitch Heimbuch/Anthony Torres/Lee Payton
LT: Jaylon Moore/Elliott Jordan/Dylan Deatherage/AJ Reed
LG: Curtis Doyle/Mike Caliendo/Mark Brooks/Trevor Campbell
C: John Keenoy/Alex Keys/Tom O'Mara
RG: Luke Juriga/Jordan Asbury/Wesley French/Mohamad Elazazy
RT: Zach Novoselsky/Spencer Kanz/Zenden Dellinger

LE: Antonio Balabani/Kailen Guillory/Tanner Mathias/Andre Carter
DT: Nick Matich/Ken Finley/Dezmond Lance/Will McCabe
NT: Steven Clark/Daniel Jackson/Ralph Holley/Ken Aguirre
RE: Eric Assoua/Ali Fayad/Jamal Williams/Ronnie Buford
WLB: Najee Clayton/Dwayne Chapman/Corvin Moment/Ryan Selig
MLB: Drake Spears/Treshaun Hayward/Tanner Motz/Austin France
SLB: Alex Grace/Derrick Hubbard/Roy McCree/Matthew Stuckey
CB: Sam Beal/Dontre Boyd/KJ Anderson/Kmare Carey/Ginial Isma
CB: Obbie Jackson/Emanuel Jackson/Patrick Lupro/Kenih Lovely
FS: Stefan Claiborne/Brad Tanner/Zaire Barnes
SS: Justin Tranquill/Davontae Ginwright/AJ Thomas

K: Josh Grant
P: Nick Mihalic/Izaak Gerkis

This is probably pretty close to reality, before knowing what we really have with the incoming freshmen.

TE and LT are wide open. Reed could come in and compete for that left tackle spot immediately. TE I think will be a battle between Borske, Heimbuch and Torres, with Miller coming in for 2-TE sets as a blocker.

WR is kind of a crapshoot, with nobody really separating themselves this season. Watson is at the head of the group, but after that...who knows? I think Bussell could see playing time right away. I'm really impressed with his tape, plus he's a state champion from a good program. A lot will happen between now and the season opener, so I expect this group to change quite a bit. Arnett could win a starting spot as well. Sanders and Ricci are just as capable too. Hard to predict.

I'd really like to know the status of Tranquill and Falcon. Both have suffered numerous knee injuries and I have to assume their football careers are in question.

(12-26-2017 04:59 PM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  This is probably pretty close to reality, before knowing what we really have with the incoming freshmen.

TE and LT are wide open. Reed could come in and compete for that left tackle spot immediately. TE I think will be a battle between Borske, Heimbuch and Torres, with Miller coming in for 2-TE sets as a blocker.

WR is kind of a crapshoot, with nobody really separating themselves this season. Watson is at the head of the group, but after that...who knows? I think Bussell could see playing time right away. I'm really impressed with his tape, plus he's a state champion from a good program. A lot will happen between now and the season opener, so I expect this group to change quite a bit. Arnett could win a starting spot as well. Sanders and Ricci are just as capable too. Hard to predict.

I'd really like to know the status of Tranquill and Falcon. Both have suffered numerous knee injuries and I have to assume their football careers are in question.

Yeah, I had the same questions on Tranquill & Falcon. Did Falcon suffer another knee injury this year?

(12-26-2017 05:31 PM)BroncoMinor Wrote:  

(12-26-2017 04:59 PM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  This is probably pretty close to reality, before knowing what we really have with the incoming freshmen.

TE and LT are wide open. Reed could come in and compete for that left tackle spot immediately. TE I think will be a battle between Borske, Heimbuch and Torres, with Miller coming in for 2-TE sets as a blocker.

WR is kind of a crapshoot, with nobody really separating themselves this season. Watson is at the head of the group, but after that...who knows? I think Bussell could see playing time right away. I'm really impressed with his tape, plus he's a state champion from a good program. A lot will happen between now and the season opener, so I expect this group to change quite a bit. Arnett could win a starting spot as well. Sanders and Ricci are just as capable too. Hard to predict.

I'd really like to know the status of Tranquill and Falcon. Both have suffered numerous knee injuries and I have to assume their football careers are in question.

Yeah, I had the same questions on Tranquill & Falcon. Did Falcon suffer another knee injury this year?

Not sure if it was re-aggravated or what, but yes he did.

(12-26-2017 03:32 PM)BroncoMinor Wrote:  I figured I'd take a shot at the Depth Chart. Just want to get the names out there and drive some discussion. I didn't really try to project any roles for the Freshmen class outside of the Punter. I realize there will be Freshmen moving up the Depth Chart all over the place. If anyone has any insight on LT, I'd love to hear it. That position seems wide open to me and could even see a true Frosh at that spot in AJ Reed. Also, I have no idea which redshirt Freshmen OL have stood out this year in practice.


QB: Jon Wassink/Reece Goddard/Chris Riddle/Kaleb Eleby
RB: LeVante Bellamy/Jamauri Bogan/Davon Tucker/Matt Falcon/Prince Walker/Leo Ekwoge/Chase Brown
WR: Dee Eskridge/Giovanni Ricci/Jaylen Hall/DaShon Bussell
WR: Anton Curtis/Luke Sanders/Hunter Broersma/Jayden Reed
WR: Keishawn Watson/Tyron Arnett/Ryan Lezzer
TE: Odell Miller/Brett Borske/Mitch Heimbuch/Anthony Torres/Lee Payton
LT: Jaylon Moore/Elliott Jordan/Dylan Deatherage/AJ Reed
LG: Curtis Doyle/Mike Caliendo/Mark Brooks/Trevor Campbell
C: John Keenoy/Alex Keys/Tom O'Mara
RG: Luke Juriga/Jordan Asbury/Wesley French/Mohamad Elazazy
RT: Zach Novoselsky/Spencer Kanz/Zenden Dellinger

LE: Antonio Balabani/Kailen Guillory/Tanner Mathias/Andre Carter
DT: Nick Matich/Ken Finley/Dezmond Lance/Will McCabe
NT: Steven Clark/Daniel Jackson/Ralph Holley/Ken Aguirre
RE: Eric Assoua/Ali Fayad/Jamal Williams/Ronnie Buford
WLB: Najee Clayton/Dwayne Chapman/Corvin Moment/Ryan Selig
MLB: Drake Spears/Treshaun Hayward/Tanner Motz/Austin France
SLB: Alex Grace/Derrick Hubbard/Roy McCree/Matthew Stuckey
CB: Sam Beal/Dontre Boyd/KJ Anderson/Kmare Carey/Ginial Isma
CB: Obbie Jackson/Emmanuel Jackson/Patrick Lupro/Kenih Lovely
FS: Stefan Claiborne/Brad Tanner/Zaire Barnes
SS: Justin Tranquill/Davontae Ginwright/AJ Thomas

K: Josh Grant
P: Nick Mihalic/Izaak Gerkis

Disagree on a few positions

TE- I think Lester and Moreland want get a TE to stretch the field. Borske, Torres, and Payton may fit that bill, Miller and Heimbach in short yardage.
DE- We’re thin and a little undersized at DE. I think one of these freshmen will see the field. Also, Deshawn Phillips, although undersized, will see PT. Earned it.
WR- Bussel will likely see PT.
DT- Holly should see significant time
S- AJ Thomas will get on the field either as S or possibly replacing Brown at
PR/KR- Bussel will challenge to replace Phillips.

The other thing, coaches tend to lean towards their own recruits is if two players are neck and neck. A player like Derrick Hubbard might get the nod over Grace.

One thing for sure, there’s a lot of depth in this grou.

My guess is Falcon’s career is done.

I bet Tranquill will still give it another shot next season.

Bussell starts at PR/KR and WR next year as a true freshmen.

I think Jaylen Hall has a shot to join Watson and Bussell as our top 3 wideouts. I really like Eskridge but feel he just isn’t cut out to be a WR. Doesn’t have the hands. He either needs to transition back to RB, special teams as a PR/KR, or maybe even try him at CB.

Agree with Dip on Borske is

I like either Kanz or Reed as a true freshman to start at LT.

Holley or Fayad over Matich, maybe. Assoua is way too good to get replaced but I could maybe see someone young slide in over Balabini even though he’s a solid player.

Dip's right. When it's close, Lester will go with his recruits. Which means some freshmen are going to play. I think you are going to see guys like Anton Curtis taking backseats to guys like Tyron Arnett. Bussell and maybe even Reed. Watson is probably too good to not have on the field. Eskeridge is a game breaker if he can hold onto the ball. Prince Walker will play. The offensive line is pretty set. I could see Reed pushing Jaylen Moore at LT. They want an athlete there. And Jordan isn't in the conversation. Lupro and Lovely will push Obbie Jackson. Watch out for Emmanuel Jackson there. He was pretty consistently mentioned as a guy they like. AJ Thomas will start at one of the safety spots. I think Clayton is a lock at one of the LB spots, but all the LB's they recruited last year are going to compete with Spears and Grace. If I'm them, I put Spears back at safety and let Chapman, Hayward and Moment really compete for those two spots other than Clayton.

Assoua is our most gifted pass rusher, and with a good offseason, I could see Balabani sticking. His problem is he can't put on weight, but he has a good motor.

Nobody's spot is all that safe defensively other than Clark and Beal.

Offensively, you have Keenoy and Juriga as a lock. I think they like how Caliendo developed. The two tackle spots are up for grabs and I think Reed and Kanz win it.

Doubt all those four QBs are on roster come spring. I wouldn't count out Falcon just yet. I also wouldn't be surprised if he moves to other side of the ball.

[/quote]

Disagree on a few positions

TE- I think Lester and Moreland want get a TE to stretch the field. Borske, Torres, and Payton may fit that bill, Miller and Heimbach in short yardage.
DE- We’re thin and a little undersized at DE. I think one of these freshmen will see the field. Also, Deshawn Phillips, although undersized, will see PT. Earned it.
WR- Bussel will likely see PT.
DT- Holly should see significant time
S- AJ Thomas will get on the field either as S or possibly replacing Brown at
PR/KR- Bussel will challenge to replace Phillips.

The other thing, coaches tend to lean towards their own recruits is if two players are neck and neck. A player like Derrick Hubbard might get the nod over Grace.

One thing for sure, there’s a lot of depth in this grou.
[/quote]

Yeah, I agree on a lot of this. I had AJ Thomas too far on the depth chart. I think you meant Deshawn Foster at DE?

The one thing I can’t identify is who will be a play maker. A player teams have to plan for.

There isn’t a Corey Davis, Ameer Ishmael, Greg Jennings, Jason Babin, or Darius Phillips that can change games. There may be one, but I don’t know who it is. That said, other than maybe Sutton Smith of NIU, or UBs QB, (Jackson, who Fleck could have had) I don’t see a lot of game changers.

Hopefully our Oline combined with a healthy Bellamy, Tucker, Bogan, Falcon, will pick up where it left off. There is enough talent, speed, and size at receiver that a healthy Wassink should find a receiver or two who is a threat. On defense, Beals, Drake Spears, and Steven Clark could have big years.

Keishawn Watson looked like he has potential to become "that guy." But I agree, interesting to see if/when someone emerges to be the go-to playmaker.

I think Sam Beal and Steven Clark are the two guys that are going to keep coaches up at night.

Wassink, Watson, Bellamy (if healthy), and Bussell all have playmaker ability as well.

I think we might be pleasantly surprised by Prince Walker... apparently he was killing it on the scout team this year while on redshirt...

(12-27-2017 10:55 AM)BuickBronco Wrote:  Doubt all those four QBs are on roster come spring. I wouldn't count out Falcon just yet. I also wouldn't be surprised if he moves to other side of the ball.

(12-27-2017 01:50 PM)flushtheherd Wrote:  I think we might be pleasantly surprised by Prince Walker... apparently he was killing it on the scout team this year while on redshirt...

No one gets hit on scout team so everyone looks good; especially receivers.

(12-27-2017 01:50 PM)flushtheherd Wrote:  I think we might be pleasantly surprised by Prince Walker... apparently he was killing it on the scout team this year while on redshirt...

He was the offensive scout team POTY. He also looked good in spring ball as a true frosh. But he'll have to do spectacular things to move in front of all the other guys ahead of him on the depth chart.

Bellamy is a game breaker if he can put on 15-20#. His legs are spindles. Wicked fast though

Bogan can still be 'the man' on offense. We could do a lot worse than leaning on him, especially if we have to rely on a freshman LT.

We're not going to start a freshman LT. Reed dominated in HS, but he has a ways to go before he's ready for Div 1 football-in strength, conditioning and knowledge of the offense. Too many players in front of him. The only freshman Tackle/Guard I can ever remember Western starting was Paul Hutchins on our 1988 team-and I believe he was a RS freshman who was elevated due to injuries. I think we also threw Gary Vanderweele in their as a frosh for a few games at the end of the 1985 season, due to injuries at starters.

(12-29-2017 12:49 AM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  We're not going to start a freshman LT. Reed dominated in HS, but he has a ways to go before he's ready for Div 1 football-in strength, conditioning and knowledge of the offense. Too many players in front of him. The only freshman Tackle/Guard I can ever remember Western starting was Paul Hutchins on our 1988 team-and I believe he was a RS freshman who was elevated due to injuries. I think we also threw Gary Vanderweele in their as a frosh for a few games at the end of the 1985 season, due to injuries at starters.

I think Chukes started as a Freshman... maybe RS.

(12-29-2017 12:49 AM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  We're not going to start a freshman LT. Reed dominated in HS, but he has a ways to go before he's ready for Div 1 football-in strength, conditioning and knowledge of the offense. Too many players in front of him. The only freshman Tackle/Guard I can ever remember Western starting was Paul Hutchins on our 1988 team-and I believe he was a RS freshman who was elevated due to injuries. I think we also threw Gary Vanderweele in their as a frosh for a few games at the end of the 1985 season, due to injuries at starters.

Chukes rotated as a Freshman (true), but didn't start. Likely Novo moves to LT, and others compete at the left spot.