🏈 Depth chart, as I see it, coming out of week two.

[TerryP]

...and this is purely a guessing game.

SE
Mike McCoy
Tarence Farmer
Chris Jackson

FL
Nikita Stover
Brandon Gibson
Marquis Maze

WR
Darius Hanks
Earl Alexander
Will Oakley

TE
Nick Walker
Travis McCall
Preston Dial

RT
Drew Davis
Taylor Pharr

RG
Marlon Davis
Evan Cardwell
David Ross

C
Antoine Caldwell
William Vlachos
Brian Motley

LG
Michael Johnson
Patrick Crump
Brad Pounds

LT
Andre Smith
Scott Deaton
Charles Hoke

QB
John Parker Wilson
Greg McElroy
Nick Fanuzzi

FB
Jeramie Griffin
Patrick Hanrahan
Joe Robinson

RB
Terry Grant
Roy Upchurch
Glen Coffee (I suspect this will flip in fall)

PK
Leigh Tiffin
Corey Smith
Andrew Friedman


DT
Bobby Greenwood
Alfred McCullough
Luther Davis

NG
Lorenzo Washington
Josh Chapman
Juan Garnier

E
Deaderick
Nick Gentry
Milton Talbert

OLB
Chavis Williams
Eryk Anders
Ezekial Knight (?)

ILB
Rolando McClain
Charlie Higgenbotham
Charlie Kirschman

ILB
Jimmy Johns
Cory Reamer
Jennings Hester

JACK
Brandon Fanney
Alex Watkins
Baron Huber

RCB
Javier Arenas
Chris Rogers
Lionel Mitchell

FS
Rashad Johnson
Tyrone King Jr.
Hampton Gray

SS
Justin Woodall
Ali Sharrief
Sam Burnthall

LCB
Kareem Jackson
Marquis Johnson
Chris Scott

P
P.J. Fitzgerald
Heath Thomas
Corey Smith

 

[Guest]

Do you think that Griffin is the answer to the short yardage back we have been missing since Castille and Leron graduated? A good FB would have won us some games last year.

 

[firestorm]

Hey Terry, some things what I can understand (or what I'm wondering) about your depth chart posted.

- I'm surprised with the odds on Nikita Stover as our featured receiver. Last year, at the begin of the season, I had high expectations on him but he underachieved. However, the incoming talent with Julio Jones leading the way, should move him away (one more time) to make an impact in his last season.
- Is Darius Hanks projected to be our slot receiver? I don't know anything about him. What are his strengths on the field?
- I watched each of the workout tapes you've posted here and I like what I watched out Earl Alexander. He could make some mismatches in the endzone with his height and physical abilities. What's the role expected of him? He came here as a highly touted recruit.
- Drew Davis & Taylor Pharr seems to be under a hard battle for the right tackle spot. How do you see it?
- I like to see Jeramie Griffin at the top of the depth chart in his position. I think He's got a huge frame to be an answer into the short yardage such as receiver or as a runner. He was one of the best fullbacks in the nation in his recruiting class one year ago.
- Fanney goes on working in the jack position. After the scrimmage, Do you still see young incoming talent there? What about Alex Watkins? Although seems he isn't bulked enough...
- Everybody is talking about Arenas as a factor on the other side of Kareem Jackson. Do you think he's gonna be the deal in the right spot? Specially with the arriving of Zo Lawrence or Robby Green...
- Who is working as the true nickel man? Sharrief?
- And my last question, How about the strong safety position? Young incoming talent there as well or is Woodall really ready to hold his own?

Thanks Terry.

RTR,

 

[TerryP]

Do you think that Griffin is the answer to the short yardage back we have been missing since Castille and Leron graduated? A good FB would have won us some games last year.

Good question and it's hard to even make a guess. Saturday scrimmage spent so much time in passing situations there wasn't a lot of short yardage/goal line work.

I see us improving in that area, but I don't think as much of it rides on who carries the ball as much as it does the OL...a group, that as a whole, that is stronger this spring than last fall.

McElwain likes using TE's and FB's in interchangeable roles...who says we don't see Dial in that short yardage role (moving the pile.)

 

[TerryP]

Hey Terry, some things what I can understand (or what I'm wondering) about your depth chart posted.

- I'm surprised with the odds on Nikita Stover as our featured receiver. Last year, at the begin of the season, I had high expectations on him but he underachieved. However, the incoming talent with Julio Jones leading the way, should move him away (one more time) to make an impact in his last season.
- Is Darius Hanks projected to be our slot receiver? I don't know anything about him. What are his strengths on the field?
- I watched each of the workout tapes you've posted here and I like what I watched out Earl Alexander. He could make some mismatches in the endzone with his height and physical abilities. What's the role expected of him? He came here as a highly touted recruit.
- Drew Davis & Taylor Pharr seems to be under a hard battle for the right tackle spot. How do you see it?
- I like to see Jeramie Griffin at the top of the depth chart in his position. I think He's got a huge frame to be an answer into the short yardage such as receiver or as a runner. He was one of the best fullbacks in the nation in his recruiting class one year ago.
- Fanney goes on working in the jack position. After the scrimmage, Do you still see young incoming talent there? What about Alex Watkins? Although seems he isn't bulked enough...
- Everybody is talking about Arenas as a factor on the other side of Kareem Jackson. Do you think he's gonna be the deal in the right spot? Specially with the arriving of Zo Lawrence or Robby Green...
- Who is working as the true nickel man? Sharrief?
- And my last question, How about the strong safety position? Young incoming talent there as well or is Woodall really ready to hold his own?

Thanks Terry.

RTR,

In our WR sets, it's almost impossible to actually label a certain position a guy is going to line up in. I've got Stover listed in the Flanker position (staff uses the term Z spot) and I could easily put Hanks there as well. Where they line up is all going to depend on who is one the field at a given time. As example, if we had Alexander and Hanks on the field I would think Alexander lines up at the WR spot and Hanks at the FL position. Keep in mind, depending on who you are talking to, they may use the term flanker and slot receiver interchangeably.

Davis and Pharr are the ones battling it out right now for that right tackle spot this spring. How it ends up in the fall is anyone's guess. I wouldn't be surprised to see Vlachos get looks at center and them sliding Caldwell out to RT as well. It's a work in progress to find the 5 best but it isn't as great of a concern this year (for me at least) as it was in '06 and '07.

*comments on Griffin are in the post right before this one.

Fanney and JACK...I think we'll see two guys with serious playing time from our freshman class, Hightower and Harris. Watkins is growing, but isn't as big as they would like him to be for his position. The staff wants to have an 8-9 man rotation for our LB'ers. Meaning, we'll need a few to step up from the incoming class.

Arenas is sliding into the Star position when we go to the nickel (with Johnson coming in at corner) and Sharrief is also playing that position as well. If we were to play today, I think we'd see both rotations...but, the Arenas at Star and Johnson at corner to be considered the "starters." King has been having a good spring as has Rogers. Much like the LB'ers, our DB's (corners and safties) will have a rotation as well. The idea of seeing 10 different guys with a lot of playing time doesn't seem foreign to me. Considering we are still recruiting safety and corner type players tells me Saban and Smart still don't think we've got enough quality depth in our defensive backfield. I'd think Woodall will see the field a lot (he's progressing) but he's going to be challenged, no doubt. He's beginning to make adjustments (calls to his side on schemes) which shows he is beginning to understand the system to a greater degree.

Last, but not least, the depth chart is literally a guessing game. The notes I've made are based on who is lining up where and seeing the most reps in those positions.

 

[firestorm]

Hey Terry, Thanks. Seems Saban was right when he talked about our depth chart is only something for administrative purposes. :lol:

RTR,