Chris Evans (image via 247 Sports)
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Back in August I took a look at how the depth chart might look in 2017 (LINK), and then I updated it in September (LINK), November (LINK), January (LINK), February (LINK), March (LINK), and April (LINK). Of course, things are always fluid, there will be early departures, there will be injuries, etc. But now that we have the 2017 class signed or enrolled early, things are perhaps a little bit clearer.
This update is posted with knowledge of the spring game and the last few practices in Rome.
Hit the jump for another early look at 2017.
QB: Wilton Speight (RS Jr.), Brandon Peters (RS Fr.), John O’Korn (5th), Dylan McCaffrey (Fr.)
RB: Chris Evans (So.), Karan Higdon (Jr.), Ty Isaac (5th), Kareem Walker (RS Fr.), O’Maury Samuels (Fr.), Tru Wilson (So.), Kurt Taylor (Fr.)
FB: Khalid Hill (5th), Henry Poggi (5th), Michael Hirsch (RS Jr.)
WR1: Kekoa Crawford (So.), Donovan Peoples-Jones (Fr.), Nate Schoenle (So.)
WR2: Tarik Black (Fr.), Maurice Ways (RS Jr.), Nico Collins (Fr.)
WR3: Eddie McDoom (So.), Nate Johnson (So.), Grant Perry (Jr.), Oliver Martin (Fr.)
TE: Ian Bunting (RS Jr.), Tyrone Wheatley (RS So.), Zach Gentry (RS So.), Sean McKeon (RS Fr.), Nick Eubanks (RS Fr.)
LT: Mason Cole (Sr.), Nolan Ulizio (RS So.), Joel Honigford (Fr.), Grant Newsome (Jr.)*
LG: Ben Bredeson (So.), Ja’Raymond Hall (Fr.)
C: Patrick Kugler (5th), Cesar Ruiz (Fr.), Andrew Vastardis (RS Fr.)
RG: Michael Onwenu (So.), Stephen Spanellis (RS Fr.)
RT: Jon Runyan, Jr. (RS So.), Juwann Bushell-Beatty (RS Jr.), Chuck Filiaga (Fr.), Andrew Stueber (Fr.)
SDE: Rashan Gary (So.), Carlo Kemp (RS Fr.), Deron Irving-Bey (Fr.)
DT: Maurice Hurst Jr. (5th), Michael Dwumfour (RS Fr.), Lawrence Marshall (RS Jr.), Carl Myers (So.), James Hudson III (Fr.), Phillip Paea (Fr.)
NT: Bryan Mone (RS Jr.), Aubrey Solomon (Fr.)
WDE: Chase Winovich (RS Jr.), Donovan Jeter (Fr.), Luiji Vilain (Fr.), Ron Johnson (RS Fr.), Reuben Jones (RS So.), Kwity Paye (Fr.), Corey Malone-Hatcher (Fr.)
Viper/SAM: Khaleke Hudson (So.), Jordan Glasgow (RS So.), Noah Furbush (RS Jr.), Joshua Uche (So.), Drew Singleton (Fr.)
MIKE: Devin Bush (So.), Michael Wroblewski (5th), Elysee Mbem-Bosse (So.), Ben Mason (Fr.)
WILL: Mike McCray (5th), Jordan Anthony (Fr.), Devin Gil (So.), Joshua Ross (Fr.), Jared Wangler (RS Jr.)
CB: Keith Washington (RS So.), Lavert Hill (So.), Ambry Thomas (Fr.)
CB: David Long (So.), Brandon Watson (RS Jr.), Drake Harris (RS Jr.), Benjamin St-Juste (Fr.)
FS: Tyree Kinnel (Jr.), Jaylen Kelly-Powell (Fr.), Brad Hawkins (Fr.)
SS: Joshua Metellus (So.), Jordan Glasgow (RS So.), J’Marick Woods (Fr.)
K: Quinn Nordin (RS Fr.), Ryan Tice (RS So.)
P: Brad Robbins (Fr.), Will Hart (RS Fr.), Quinn Nordin (RS Fr.)
LS: Andrew Robinson (RS Jr.), Camaron Cheeseman (RS Fr.)
NOTABLE CHANGES SINCE LAST TIME
- Moved Tarik Black from #3 at WR2 to #1 at WR2. Black looked good in the spring game and seems to have passed the other guys on the depth chart, including fellow freshman Donovan Peoples-Jones.
- Moved Drake Harris from WR to CB. Harris announced this himself on Twitter.
- Moved Brad Hawkins from WR to FS. This was confirmed by the coaching staff.
- Moved Brandon Peters from QB#3 to QB#2. Insider reports say Peters has passed O’Korn, and Peters also played better than even starter Wilton Speight in the spring game and in the open practice in Rome.
- Moved Jon Runyan, Jr. from LG#2 to RT#1. Juwann Bushell-Beatty has fallen behind, partly due to injury.
- Moved Keith Washington from CB#3 to CB#1. Washington looked like the best corner on the team in the spring game.
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One note: Put Glasgow behind Hudson at Viper. Well done!
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Fair enough. I was trying to put each player on there only once so I only had Glasgow at SS, but it’s no big deal to include him at Viper, too.
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I definitely believe James Hudson will be above Marshall and Myers. He’s gonna play somewhere, he even has the speed to play strongside end. Also think Vilian will be 2nd weakside end. I could see us going 10 deep on the D-Line just based on talent and less pressure on learning the entire playbook for the freshmen.
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did you intend to list drake harris ahead of st juste?
doesnt seem too logical for obvious reasons (unless you just prefer to list a frosh last since though its highly unlikely for any 17 frosh DBs, a redshirt still possible).
st juste struggled a bit this spring and has a long way to go but i actually think he could be a real player. he got beat a few times but if he continues to refine techniques hes taught and develops a better feel (and learns when to play man and when to play ball), he should be tough. hes long, pretty quick and sounds like he doesnt mind contact.
also are you separating CB by field / boundary? kinda looks like it with hill and thomas behind washington and seemingly bigger bodied dudes like watson and st juste behind long. just curious.
great series as always though – fun offseason exercise for football junkies and good way to get variety of chatter going. and looks pretty darn accurate too – at least from outside looking in thats how most would project much of the depth chart
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I always enjoy this series and I like the section that breaks out changes.
In general – my luke warm take on this is that the Rome stuff is being given too much weight. Some of this is just injury/travel blips. What gets out there to the media can be overstated and a big chunk of the Rome trip was about media relations. Same for the spring game. For example, does anyone really expect that Washington is going to start over Hill given everything we knew before?
The other quibble I have is the WR1-3 thing and CB/CB thing. ” from #3 at WR2 to #1 at WR2.” or maybe he should be #2 at WR 1? Or #1 at WR 3? This is confusing at best, nonsensical at worst. I’d say lump all the WRs (and CBs) together or explain what the distinction is (big/medium/small, boundary/field?).
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Well, we can go on recruiting rankings and practice reports from last year…or we can go on the most recent visible information. Hill missed a lot of time this spring – in practice, in the spring game, and in Rome. Furthermore, Washington looked like perhaps the best corner on the team. Of course there’s no guarantee that Washington will remain there or that Hill will remain injury-prone, but the spring/Rome stuff is a part of the equation, just like every other little tidbit.
I don’t think it’s confusing at all how the WRs are deployed. Two receivers on the field? WR1 and WR2. Three receivers? Add WR3 to the mix.
There’s no way to encapsulate an entire team on a paper chart. There are too many moving parts. Even in high school, you have certain packages where you put a DL at FB or a nickel package where you remove a defensive lineman and insert an extra safety, stuff like that. You might have certain plays where you want Nate Johnson on the field instead of your top overall receiver, or where you want your #3 running back on the field instead of your starter.
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RE: Hill. I’d go on him playing meaningful snaps against FSU. Games mean more than practices.
I think your arguments about WR support my point.
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how much did hill play vs fsu and it what situations / packages? dime looks? or with starting CBs getting a quick rest? im just curious as i dont recall the specifics. and that game would certainly be a great measuring stick given the big stage and the fsu talent.
maybe ill try to carve out a little time to rewatch some of that game this summer (if for no other reasons than i love football and the final 1/3 or so of that game was incredible)
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I think he was in dime packages. He played CB against Iowa, Indiana, OSU — meaningful downs. Against FSU his role was bigger (with Peppers out) but I don’t know specifics. I remember him getting beat at least once.
Hill is the most experienced CB we have with the exception of Watson, who might be limited to nickelback duties.
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he also supposedly started against MSU – not something I remember
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I’m excited to see who gets more snaps: Ambry Thomas or Drake Harris.
Seeing the defensive depth chart puts my mind at ease a bit seeing the number of bodies across the DL (excluding NT), but then seeing the FR and RS FR dials the worry right back up.
Safety depth isn’t fantastic. Corners I feel ok about.
OL. We’re going to have to wait and see about that one.
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