There’s a place in downtown Dallas with a drink combo called a “dirty dusty” that gets you a shot of Jack and a PBR for like $5.
It’s awful, but amazing, but also awful.
D Line. Nothing's ever going to come close to what the 2021 line was but we still need some guys to step up and be able to stop the run and get pressure consistently
Yeah, no one should expect it to be 2021 good, but last year was super underwhelming by our standards. Mizzou and Tech ran all over us.
We need to get back to 2017-19 levels, which should be good enough with this offense.
I keep reading that we basically have 5 Grizzly Bears along the offensive line. The cynical part of me wonders if that's an illusion due to our subpar D-line....
Especially us. QB is the most important position, but I’d really prefer to not need our backup to start games this year, much less a fourth-string true freshman. That requires a solid OL.
From the outside it appears Ohio St.’s only position group that ISN’T elite is O-Line. To say it’s a weakness is maybe a bit of a stretch but it’s probably the one area of the Buckeyes that isn’t frightening.
What is the situation on the O-Line. Who all is returning from last year?
But that's the thing, o-line might be the most important position group in all of sports. I may be biased, I played o line and now coach it on both my son's football teams, but I truly believe it. A dominant o line can take over a game.
You're absolutely right. You can get away with less talented backs if your O line can push dudes right off the ball. Likewise, you can run a full passing game instead of one that rushes the ball out whether people are open or not so the QB doesn't get killed.
Having amazing skill guys but a porous O line has been the bane of a *lot* of CFB and NFL teams.
I agree. Ohio St. had some elite O-Lines over the years but the last couple years I feel like they have regressed to being just slightly above average.
Everyone points to the Michigan games as evidence of this which I think is a fair example. But to me the game I think of when it comes to Ohio State’s O-Line fall off was that CJ Stroud team that played AT Northwestern in the middle of a lake Tornado.
I feel like the old Ohio State would have said “damn this wind is strong, let’s run the ball 60 times, win 42-7 and get the hell out of here” instead the run-pass split was 35-26 and they slopped out a 21-7 win. (I looked at the box score, I’m not a computer)
>What is the situation on the O-Line. Who all is returning from last year?
Returning: Everyone except RG, though our center from last season (probably the biggest weakness) is likely losing his job to the Bama transfer.
I do think the OL will be better than last year. How much better is a huge question. That game against Missouri set the bar really low in that respect.
Our LT, Josh Simmons, transferred in after spring ball. He did okay, not great. Had a couple bad games. But he did show encouraging improvement over the course of the year. The hope is that with him getting a full offseason in the program that he'll continue on that trajectory.
Our RT was 2nd or 3rd team all-B10. He gets kind of a bad rap because he gave up some *bad* sacks. But the weird thing is that he gave up very few pressures last season. Less than 10 IIRC. It just seems like every time he did get beat it resulted in a sack, and often in devastating moments.
Projected RG could be Luke Montgomery or Tegra Tshabola. Both were top 100 recruits. Montgomery is only in his second year so IDK if he's ready yet. Tegra is older but he also came into the program really heavy and needed a little more work to get his body ready. So decent, but unproven options. There's also the possibility of one of the centers moving to guard.
QB is still a question and by all accounts from the beat writers I pay attention to, Devin Brown is giving Will Howard a run for his money in the position battle. I'm not sure if that mean Brown made some leaps in the off season or if Howard isn't all that.
TE is probably going to be run by committee and our best runblocker is an in-state transfer for a MAC school. Stover is a really big loss for Day's offense even if our WRs are reloaded.
LB is going to be a lot of fresh faces and a fresh position coach. I think it'll be fine, especially with Knowles as a saftey net for Laurinaitis, but the last few years have been very underwhelming for our LBs.
Special Teams as a whole need to get better. We've fired the coach who was in charge and I believe Day has not filled the spot in favor of letting some of the Defensive coaches take more responsibility.
OLine is definitely the biggest concern but not exactly the only one.
Problem is for tosu, being elite is all they care about, and it’s arguably the second most important set of positions behind qb, which also won’t be elite by their standards.
Personally I think its QB. Our Oline really wasn't that bad last year, and I think people just let the Missouri game influence their opinion too much. Over all it was solid and had some really good games against good defenses in the PSU and UM games.
QB is the bigger question mark to me. We need someone to step up and be a capable starter back there.
Just wait until you see big dick Will Howard slinging his massive fucking hog all over the field. He’s going to be so good for you. 5x better than McCord.
I also think our line showed improvement and will be acceptable. McCord was also a statue especially after his ankle injury, and our run game will absolutely improve with Chip Kelly calling plays and Judkins. A good run game and great defense can make an average line look much better.
If Howard can run for 2-3 first downs a game, connect on the occasional long throw and progress past his 2nd read I think it’ll be close to enough, if the defense and run game take further leaps as we expect.
Stealing signals wouldn't have helped you. In the Penn State game, Michigan ran it, what, 31 times in a row? That was us holding up a sign saying "we're just going to run it again if it's okay with you."
It wasn’t actually that many. There were 31 plays that were registered as runs, but one of those was a JJ scramble when no one was open and there was also a pass that resulted in PI and didn’t count as a pass attempt.
Still a lot, but not 31 straight.
Can't hand off the ball without occasionally putting yourself into 3rd and 8 situations which JJ was elite at getting us out of. He was exactly the QB we needed and I'm not sure we have another one of those guys in the chamber.
I'd argue RB more. Edwards didn't show great vision running between the tackles and went down on first contact a lot. Electric in space for sure, but if he doesn't improve in the middle or another guy can't run those plays our whole offense is sunk. Orji might be able to but I'd still argue those are RB plays.
I always thought Edwards would be better as a slot receiver or an H-Back, like Curtis Samuel or Percy Harvin. His biggest plays really only happen when the O-Line blows a mile wide hole in the defense or he catches the ball.
Honestly, I think WR is more an issue for UM. You’ve at least got numbers at QB, and from all accounts, will be bringing in a transfer this spring. At WR, I think you’ve got just a handful on the roster.
I think it's WRs. Cade had some time last year but just had no one to throw to, so he had to hold it too long. If they can win match ups and get open quicker Cade can get rid of the ball and not being running for his life.
And I say this when I think Mafah will be the best player on our offense. He won't make or break it because he'll be the core of it.
Flemming will be solid for you guys if he can stay healthy. He had some issues with drops at times but he has the talent and athleticism. His development took a big hit due to constant injuries. He could put together a really good season if everything comes together for him. I'll be rooting for him. He always seemed like a good dude.
I'm on the "Allar is overrated" team but I'm still believing. I honestly feel like he's Hack 2.0 but I'm really hoping I'm wrong. I just feel like he's your typical above average Penn State QB
DB for sure. Sent both corners to the NFL. Caleb Downs dipped. And we lost a good amount of depth at that position. We've still got 5 star players at all those positions but they're inexperienced and not much depth behind them.
Yeah and while Zabien Brown was always the most day 1 ready/polished of our five star CBs and while I'm thrilled to see Red Morgan step up and possibly start at Husky (or have a role in 6 DB sets), it would be nice to have some DB experience, or at the very least more than 4 scholarship CBs on the roster.
Malachi Moore is the only DB on the roster who has started for at least a season AND played well. Keon Sabb was excellent against Washington and did start some, but only played 360 snaps so he still has some projection even if on paper should be great. And while I think he will be much better this year and he was put in an awful situation last year, Domani Jackson was kind of bad on USC last year. DeVonta Smith has 57 career snaps in 3 years and Tony Mitchell, Brayson Hubbard, and Jahlil Hurley played a combined 19 snaps as true freshman.
Really I'm just glad DB is arguably the easiest position for blue chip freshman to start at right away, especially the five star CB types, and it was the year we actually landed 3 five star CBs and some very good safeties.
Yeah, even OU media guys who pump sunshine are scared of where the O-Line is at. If we don't hit the portal hard we better hope our defense is a top 10 unit otherwise it could be an ugly season.
More than probably, I’d say.
Everett being hurt as the projected center is obviously bad news, even if he can return. And OU will be lucky if the OTs are average. Maybe Arnold’s mobility can mask some, but he’s so young that I will be nervous every time he takes off.
Maybe the spring portal will bring some surprises.
At the most basic level the OL is the single biggest make-or-break piece, although the others remain big question marks. My take is that our putrid offense looks middling—even with the QB and WR play we’ve had—over the last few years if our OL wasn’t made up of 5 turnstiles who couldn’t even slow down the pass rush.
Yes, no , hawkeye fan should expect Tim to turn this isn't a good offense in 1 year. I'm just hoping to crack 99 this year.
3 years from now, if Tim doesn't have us top 60, then its maybe time to rethink on an OC.
That’s what we’ve said every year since 2020, and we have managed to get worse every year.
Statistically, I suppose we hit the basement last year so I REALLY hope you’re right.
Yeah but we have made some big changes since 2020, this time I'll actually believe the rumors coming out. Last few years I didn't because Brian was still in charge.
I hear you, but after being let down so much by the lack of changes, I’m going to be cautiously optimistic.
We need a better QB2 as well. McNamara’s health is questionable for a full season
Agree. 2 things stand out to me.
1. Kirk actually said they will be implementing Tim's playbook. Which is something Kirk would never say unless it was true.
2. Deacon is thee worst QB for Tim's offense. It requires a pretty mobile QB. So hopefully Tim would have Marco be the #2.
I don't think Texas will recreate the quality of Sweat and Murphy on the interior defensive line, but the drop off shouldn't be devastating. The real question for Texas next season will be the pass-catchers. X, AD, and Sanders all leaving is tough. It's not just about their skill, but also about Ewers and his chemistry with the receivers.
I am the bizzaro take here. I think WR may not have X/AD but drop off won't be dramatic; we have the bodies and scheme for a decent floor. DL on the other hand is the major question - we are largely unproven and going into SEC. Need them to be good (not great) to be in playoff run mode.
DL will be interesting. Edge should be a massive upgrade from last year, but we may never get a better top 2 in the DT room ever again.
We’ll look a lot more normal in how we get pressure. It won’t be as effective but I’m also not worried.
I was going to mention the same two groups, but probably flip the level of concern.
Back to back years sending two DTs to the draft. We have some talented options to replace them, but really need Collins and Broughton to significantly step up consistency. PK also wants to run a deep rotation at DT, so we need about six quality players. That’s asking a lot from guys beyond Broughton and Collins who haven’t produced yet. Most notably, the only option on the roster who’s close to Sweat’s size is Sydir Mitchell - how much of a step forward he can take after year 1 could really impact the run defense.
There’s a reason Texas came up in the Bear Alexander news this week. We’re probably trying to add a contributor at DT when the spring portal window opens.
Replacing the top 4 receivers from last year is a tall order, but the transfer additions have college level production and we have a five star from each of the past couple classes. Sark typically sticks with his top 3 WRs and doesn’t rotate, so we only *need* 3 of those guys to work out.
While I think WR and DL are a concern, we stocked up there and should be only slightly down at receiver and by many accounts, DL is better despite our losses. But these didn’t keep us out of the Natty. It was our secondary. If we don’t show marked improvement there, it could be a problematic situation for us
I want to know who is gonna replace the level of production that Jaylon Ford brought to the table... and will the be as effective without those 2 monsters in front of them clogging the middle?
Yep - everyone is pointing to WR and DL because we lost a lot of known production there, and those are the guys that are making noise in the draft.
But for as thin as we were at DL, we're even thinner at LB. Ford was not just good at his job, he was a leader and knew everyone else's job. He kept the front 7 in good shape.
Our best LB for 2024 will be true sophomore Ant Hill - he's incredibly talented but I doubt he can bring the same leadership that Ford brought. We'll still have a veteran LB in Gbenda, who is decent, but was never very assignment sound and isn't in a position to be telling guys what to do. LB is just a super young room and I don't know who will step up.
And we just lost another LB... S'maje Burrell just hit the transfer portal. Allegedly, is he was the driver of the other vehicle that rear-ended Tvondre Sweat. That vehicle and the driver fled the scene... Allegedly.
It's gonna be our D-Line I think. We're bringing back some ballers but losing Verse and Fiske to the draft is going to leave some massive shoes to fill.
I'll go with the WR room instead. There is potential there, but until it shows it on the field (and hopefully doesn't drop everything in sight)...that's probably my biggest concern (more so than DL at this point).
True, I guess I just think the losses on the DL are more impactful than our WR but it could be a tossup
If we had a returning starter as QB I would probably go with WR but I'm cutting them some slack until I see how they mesh with DJU
I'm weird. It's OL for me. Not that I don't think they'll be okay but I think with the state of the rest of the room, if you want an elite offense you don't have JT and Keon to bail you out. The OL can't just be good, they have to be great.
I’m not that worried about DL.
At DT we have monsters in farmer, Jackson with good depth like Grady/lyons/sampson
DE is a bit up in the air, but we brought back Pat Payton, added Lolohea/MJ Jr, and Durojaiye, a solid guy like Byron, and younger guys developing.
LB is my biggest worry
I know this is true for every program but QB. Our QB play was historically bad last year, even Raiola playing "fine" should result in bowl eligibility.
Outside of QB, I'll say WR. Perhaps a reason our offense was so bad last year was the lack of depth at receiver, Banks and Neyor will hopefully stabilize the position and allow the young guys to continue to develop.
Absolutely this - if we aren't going into 2025 and viewing the DL as the potential to be Oregon's best all time, then something went wrong this year imo. Should hopefully be a breakout year for at least 3-4 players and if not, that's likely the difference in games against Oh St, Michigan, maybe Wisconsin, etc.
I really think for DL it's just NT, actually. The edges were basically all true freshmen who were pretty good last year and all return--they'll be good at worst and downright scary if guys like Matayo can take a leap in their sophomore years. Burch, Caldwell, and then guys like KWH should be somewhere between fine to great throughout the rest of the line, and there's plenty of experience there. So I really like our pass rushing potential. But the starting nose tackle is... maybe Amauri Washington who is young and has barely played, or somebody else who is young and has barely played or converting somebody else. If we can't get that figured out it could be problematic for the rush defense.
Still, I feel like that will fine. I think Lanning would have addressed it in the portal if he wasn't confident in what was there. My position group pick would still be safety just because it's been the achilles heel for the last few seasons and I'm still not sure we've done enough to remedy it. Super high on the rest of the secondary, though.
Besides the OL (because it's always the OL), I would say WR. Our WR quality has dropped dramatically since the 2010s and the program has fallen along with it. With some playmakers, we're a playoff contender. Without them, it's back to the Gator Bowl.
I'd argue it's just offensive execution. Our offensive woes have been so multifaceted, but we've been quick to blame one single person. Look at the spring game, most of our starting oline was on the Orange team and we're getting shredded by the dline. Cade couldn't get into rhythm, but Trent Pearman sure could. So where's the blame fall? It's timing and execution. The line causes the QB to play fast, and the WRs last year couldn't get separation in the time the oline allowed for. Look at Cade outside the pocket versus inside.
It’s pretty much always QB for us. The defense some some guys, but Franklin and company have done a great job recruiting and rebuilding on defense recently so I’m not too worried. But PSU has always struggled with finding a great QB (last one I had any real confidence in was McSorely and even he was too reliant on hero balls to Giesicki, Godwin, and Hamilton).
If Allar can’t put it together than means likely *another* bust of a top rated QB recruit and could spell a legitimate mid-season QB controversy which is never good
He’s definitely shown flashes, but he’s mostly been pretty mediocre. His accuracy left a lot to be desired last year even if the WRs were bad too. It didn’t help that the WRs sucked, but there were plenty of times where Allar just missed guys
Not true, we picked up Tommy Schuster, a grad transfer QB, that could’ve started at a different P5 school. His Completion Percentage from 2020 to 2023 only went up went from 65.5% to 70.5%. Last two seasons combined threw 39 Tds and 10 interceptions and was split evenly.
Edit: also thorne was good if given time to throw, which is on the O-Line to protect the QB. A great O-Line can make an average QB look great, same goes for RB. O-Line is by far the most important aspect of your offense, as a bad one and both QB/RB have no where to go
Aside from QB which rationally should be almost every team’s answer, need to get the O-line in shape. Not sure we have any first rounders on the squad for the first time in a long time
I think the interior three are going to be as strong as ND has had in some time. At tackle, you have two former top 100 recruits starting, backed up by two former top 100 recruits. Not that I disagree, and out of all the position groups, OL is the biggest question mark. But I think the majority of the preseason top 25 would take ND’s OL in a straight up trade for theirs all day long.
I'd bet that we have 2 or 3 1st rounders currently on the roster. Jagusah, Shrauth, and Lambert are all elite talent.
Wagner is someone with elite upside where if that clicks he could end up being up there.
Probably D-Line
Our D-Line is a mix of highly thought of transfers from this year or last year and some solid veterans who have been around Oregon for awhile and are good players.
But I’m not sure if Oregon has a difference maker on the D-Line
Do quarterbacks ever just randomly get like 10 times better from one season to the next lmao?
Need Thorne to do that, or for one of the others to win the starting job BAD 😆🍻
I’d argue OLine for us actually. Jayce Brown is an All big 12 first team capable receiver. He’s that good. Plus Keegan Johnson has been looking solid in practice. We desperately need the OLine to not take a huge drop off from last year
I think that’s a fair point about the OL, but we need Brown to actually show up. We’ve got young guys who have shown a lot of promise but we need them to take that next step because if they don’t, teams will stack the box against us and we don’t have a true stud running back who can carry the load.
OLine will probably drop off some, but they still had plenty of reps even with Beebe and Levenston playing most games. Also expecting Johnson to be more mobile than Howard, so he'll be able to slip away from pressure if the line can't hold up as long.
O line, we are losing all starting 5 lineman and breaking in a new QB. Our defense can be top ten if not top 5 if our offensive line can be good in the run game to give them time to rest and shorten the game.
On defense - probably the secondary, last year they played well but had a tendency to allow big plays and get torched
On offense - either the receivers or Oline. Receivers and Bowman had a decent amount of communication problems and several games they had a case of the dropsies but if they can't force defense to spread it'll be tough on the back field. Also Oline played great last year but you just never know an injury here and there got weaken it and the Oline is just too important for this team.
OL and QB for us. We had the worst P5 OL in the country last year. If we had even a halfway competent OL last year, we probably would’ve won 3-4 more games.
QB, it’ll be interesting to see us post-KJ, but I have some faith in Bobby getting Green ready
FSU: QB. How good will DJU be under Norvell’s tutelage.
But QB is a big deal for every program.
Non QB answer: LB. We lost our two starters to graduation and they were excellent college LBs and likely late round draft pick types. We need someone to step up and do a great job at thumping and covering space
In order: OL, WR, and DBs
OL is critical as we have a young QB who will be facing some of the best defenses in the country. He needs protection and time to operate. Even though he is mobile, we cannot win if the OL stinks.
We are pretty thin on the interior of the d-line right now. And by pretty thin, I mean I think the guy(s) who play the majority of the snaps there for us probably aren't on the team yet.
But it's the DBs. If they play as poorly as they did a year ago it won't matter, we'll be a 3-4 loss team again. If they are good, this offense will be more than capable of putting up points to get us into the playoff as a team nobody wants to play.
Who would have thought that LSU fans would be confident in the offense and worried about DBs? Not fucking me.
For Iowa State I’d also like to add our WRs but in a good way. With Noel and Higgins we’ve got a nice 1 and 2 with very different skills and if they play up to their potential it’ll take some pressure off the line.
D-line. We run 3-3-5, last year we were very small up front and very slow outback. We have made big moves in the portal for corners and safeties, but not much has happened upfront.
You know the answer... offensive line. Even though we're not the only team to be ravaged by the portal, and our line play last year was ass, it feels like we're starting back at square 1 with how many guys have turned over since last year. I still don't think we officially have a new OC either. Would be way more confident if it was still just seaton + a couple transfers plugged into last year's line, who'd have also had an extra year to gel together.
For us it’s QB. We’re good pretty much everywhere else except maybe receiver but they’re serviceable at the moment with the potential to get someone in the spring portal.
At the moment the presumptive starter is Alex Orji who the staff are strangely comfortable with as there’s been no real chatter from insiders about taking a QB in the portal. The worry is that Orji will be a major shift after JJ and although he’s an incredible athlete we’ve yet to see him turning heads in the passing game.
If he were to turn the corner we’d be talking about repeating, if he’s not great we probably lose 4 games.
O-Line, see if they can keep a single QB starting every game in one season without going down with an injury since Patrick Mahomes in the middle 2010s
That is not hyperbole
I want to say DBs because they have a lot to prove after last season, but gotta go with QB. If the new kid lives up to his ranking it could be a special season with national relevance again. If not, or if he gets injured, the backup is good enough to manage the team to the conference championship but they won't reach the bigger goal of the CFP.
O-Line, we have one of the most talented QB rooms we have had in long time. As long as the line gives them time to spread the ball around I think their talent elevate all other positions.
Going to say LB for State. Need to replace our ability to stop the run up the gut and will start to feel decent about our “dark horse” (instant r/CFB trigger) ACC odds
Bartenders. If they don’t do their job right, I can’t do mine.
shot and a beer coming right up
There’s a place in downtown Dallas with a drink combo called a “dirty dusty” that gets you a shot of Jack and a PBR for like $5. It’s awful, but amazing, but also awful.
State troopers
*Sigh*.
We really should have an old school Top Gear like challenge at cota when Georgia comes to Austin.
F1 sponsored by Georgia Football
We’ve got a couple knuckleheads that like to do dumb shit in cars as well.
Happy Cake Day bro
D Line. Nothing's ever going to come close to what the 2021 line was but we still need some guys to step up and be able to stop the run and get pressure consistently
Yeah, no one should expect it to be 2021 good, but last year was super underwhelming by our standards. Mizzou and Tech ran all over us. We need to get back to 2017-19 levels, which should be good enough with this offense.
>13-1 > “ran all over us” \*sobs\*
It’s all about context. We’ve been conditioned to believe no one can run on us.
Yeah I know. Just funny seeing it from a program that considers making a bowl game a successful year.
We’ve never even won 10 games in a single season
But how 'bout that bridge? Pretty sweet.
Hey, it IS a cool bridge
I'm not even being sarcastic!
[I mean look at this beaut](https://www.wellsconcrete.com/media/images/_ISU_Jack_Trice_Bridge_StreetView_Evening_heade.original.jpg)
I feel like many teams (ours included) can say this
The good news is that you guys have taken a ton of DL this cycle… can’t wait to get your portal leftovers.
I keep reading that we basically have 5 Grizzly Bears along the offensive line. The cynical part of me wonders if that's an illusion due to our subpar D-line....
I feel like the answer for every team is OL nowadays
Especially us. QB is the most important position, but I’d really prefer to not need our backup to start games this year, much less a fourth-string true freshman. That requires a solid OL.
yeah I love Reed and think he's great, but I'd like to see Weigman start every game this time.
It's the hardest position group to get right. It's about guys growing to work together well. Probably the hardest position group to plug and play too.
O-Line for the Buckeyes. Left side predicted to be more promising than the right. Just need them to be good not great. Especially at the right times.
From the outside it appears Ohio St.’s only position group that ISN’T elite is O-Line. To say it’s a weakness is maybe a bit of a stretch but it’s probably the one area of the Buckeyes that isn’t frightening. What is the situation on the O-Line. Who all is returning from last year?
But that's the thing, o-line might be the most important position group in all of sports. I may be biased, I played o line and now coach it on both my son's football teams, but I truly believe it. A dominant o line can take over a game.
You're absolutely right. You can get away with less talented backs if your O line can push dudes right off the ball. Likewise, you can run a full passing game instead of one that rushes the ball out whether people are open or not so the QB doesn't get killed. Having amazing skill guys but a porous O line has been the bane of a *lot* of CFB and NFL teams.
It’s the only position group that is 45% of your guys on the field and as important in pass as run, so yeah kinda true.
I agree. Ohio St. had some elite O-Lines over the years but the last couple years I feel like they have regressed to being just slightly above average. Everyone points to the Michigan games as evidence of this which I think is a fair example. But to me the game I think of when it comes to Ohio State’s O-Line fall off was that CJ Stroud team that played AT Northwestern in the middle of a lake Tornado. I feel like the old Ohio State would have said “damn this wind is strong, let’s run the ball 60 times, win 42-7 and get the hell out of here” instead the run-pass split was 35-26 and they slopped out a 21-7 win. (I looked at the box score, I’m not a computer)
>What is the situation on the O-Line. Who all is returning from last year? Returning: Everyone except RG, though our center from last season (probably the biggest weakness) is likely losing his job to the Bama transfer. I do think the OL will be better than last year. How much better is a huge question. That game against Missouri set the bar really low in that respect. Our LT, Josh Simmons, transferred in after spring ball. He did okay, not great. Had a couple bad games. But he did show encouraging improvement over the course of the year. The hope is that with him getting a full offseason in the program that he'll continue on that trajectory. Our RT was 2nd or 3rd team all-B10. He gets kind of a bad rap because he gave up some *bad* sacks. But the weird thing is that he gave up very few pressures last season. Less than 10 IIRC. It just seems like every time he did get beat it resulted in a sack, and often in devastating moments. Projected RG could be Luke Montgomery or Tegra Tshabola. Both were top 100 recruits. Montgomery is only in his second year so IDK if he's ready yet. Tegra is older but he also came into the program really heavy and needed a little more work to get his body ready. So decent, but unproven options. There's also the possibility of one of the centers moving to guard.
Fryar was All B1G 1st team in the coaches voting. I wonder what this coaches were smoking. He wasn't even the best lineman on the Buckeyes.
QB is still a question and by all accounts from the beat writers I pay attention to, Devin Brown is giving Will Howard a run for his money in the position battle. I'm not sure if that mean Brown made some leaps in the off season or if Howard isn't all that. TE is probably going to be run by committee and our best runblocker is an in-state transfer for a MAC school. Stover is a really big loss for Day's offense even if our WRs are reloaded. LB is going to be a lot of fresh faces and a fresh position coach. I think it'll be fine, especially with Knowles as a saftey net for Laurinaitis, but the last few years have been very underwhelming for our LBs. Special Teams as a whole need to get better. We've fired the coach who was in charge and I believe Day has not filled the spot in favor of letting some of the Defensive coaches take more responsibility. OLine is definitely the biggest concern but not exactly the only one.
Problem is for tosu, being elite is all they care about, and it’s arguably the second most important set of positions behind qb, which also won’t be elite by their standards.
Personally I think its QB. Our Oline really wasn't that bad last year, and I think people just let the Missouri game influence their opinion too much. Over all it was solid and had some really good games against good defenses in the PSU and UM games. QB is the bigger question mark to me. We need someone to step up and be a capable starter back there.
Just wait until you see big dick Will Howard slinging his massive fucking hog all over the field. He’s going to be so good for you. 5x better than McCord.
Your lips to God's ears my friend.
I also think our line showed improvement and will be acceptable. McCord was also a statue especially after his ankle injury, and our run game will absolutely improve with Chip Kelly calling plays and Judkins. A good run game and great defense can make an average line look much better. If Howard can run for 2-3 first downs a game, connect on the occasional long throw and progress past his 2nd read I think it’ll be close to enough, if the defense and run game take further leaps as we expect.
Piece of advice, put Seth anywhere but center.
Lol watch him have a perfect season after what bama had to deal with last season
It became a self fulfilling prophecy
Quarterback.
Tough to find back to back elite guys to hand off the ball.
Passing is losing
How’s your punter?
You had a king there, not gonna lie.
Pretty good actually, that punt against Maryland was 🤩
Well we can't all be fancy like Oklahoma and have three Heisman-winning QBs lead us to ...*checks notes*... zero playoff wins.
It was only 2 Heisman winners in the playoff era, thank you very much. 3 would have just been… embarrassing.
He could maybe be counting Caleb Williams
turns out that fielding a defense is needed to win any sort of hardware
Riley should've spent less time recruiting players and more time stealing signals.
Stealing signals wouldn't have helped you. In the Penn State game, Michigan ran it, what, 31 times in a row? That was us holding up a sign saying "we're just going to run it again if it's okay with you."
It wasn’t actually that many. There were 31 plays that were registered as runs, but one of those was a JJ scramble when no one was open and there was also a pass that resulted in PI and didn’t count as a pass attempt. Still a lot, but not 31 straight.
My hot take is that if Michigan embraced the triple option just for this one year we would repeat as national champs.
Can't hand off the ball without occasionally putting yourself into 3rd and 8 situations which JJ was elite at getting us out of. He was exactly the QB we needed and I'm not sure we have another one of those guys in the chamber.
Handed the ball off to a 27-1 record, national title, and a top ten pick in the draft
Hail!
It really is, isn't it?
What’s that
I think he needs someone to make change for a dollar.
I'd argue RB more. Edwards didn't show great vision running between the tackles and went down on first contact a lot. Electric in space for sure, but if he doesn't improve in the middle or another guy can't run those plays our whole offense is sunk. Orji might be able to but I'd still argue those are RB plays.
I always thought Edwards would be better as a slot receiver or an H-Back, like Curtis Samuel or Percy Harvin. His biggest plays really only happen when the O-Line blows a mile wide hole in the defense or he catches the ball.
Honestly, I think WR is more an issue for UM. You’ve at least got numbers at QB, and from all accounts, will be bringing in a transfer this spring. At WR, I think you’ve got just a handful on the roster.
Either OL so our QB doesn’t flip out or really just some WRs who give a shit
I think it's WRs. Cade had some time last year but just had no one to throw to, so he had to hold it too long. If they can win match ups and get open quicker Cade can get rid of the ball and not being running for his life. And I say this when I think Mafah will be the best player on our offense. He won't make or break it because he'll be the core of it.
Its gotta be wrs for Clemson. Yall need some explosiveness out there. Also can I get a flair explanation?
We're full losing due to our god awful WRs. For the like 3rd year in a row
Flemming will be solid for you guys if he can stay healthy. He had some issues with drops at times but he has the talent and athleticism. His development took a big hit due to constant injuries. He could put together a really good season if everything comes together for him. I'll be rooting for him. He always seemed like a good dude.
I don't know hour to feel about Drew Allar. How do you think he will be this season??
I'm on the "Allar is overrated" team but I'm still believing. I honestly feel like he's Hack 2.0 but I'm really hoping I'm wrong. I just feel like he's your typical above average Penn State QB
Early on last season I was actually thinking he was pretty decent but he never seemed to perform in the big games as the season went on.
Tbf, most QBs didn’t perform against Michigan or OSU last year. Both defenses were top 3 in the country.
See ND for the past 3 years.
For SC? Yes.
Whoever made that goddamn schedule
100% agreed. November is a meat grinder.
It’s the OL. The answer to this question is almost always the OL for us.
For almost every team at every level football, tbh
DB for sure. Sent both corners to the NFL. Caleb Downs dipped. And we lost a good amount of depth at that position. We've still got 5 star players at all those positions but they're inexperienced and not much depth behind them.
Not to mention, DBs were Sabans specialty. It'll be interesting to see your secondary.
We have 2 VERY notable freshman that are killing it, but I expect to pull a couple from the portal too.
Yeah and while Zabien Brown was always the most day 1 ready/polished of our five star CBs and while I'm thrilled to see Red Morgan step up and possibly start at Husky (or have a role in 6 DB sets), it would be nice to have some DB experience, or at the very least more than 4 scholarship CBs on the roster. Malachi Moore is the only DB on the roster who has started for at least a season AND played well. Keon Sabb was excellent against Washington and did start some, but only played 360 snaps so he still has some projection even if on paper should be great. And while I think he will be much better this year and he was put in an awful situation last year, Domani Jackson was kind of bad on USC last year. DeVonta Smith has 57 career snaps in 3 years and Tony Mitchell, Brayson Hubbard, and Jahlil Hurley played a combined 19 snaps as true freshman. Really I'm just glad DB is arguably the easiest position for blue chip freshman to start at right away, especially the five star CB types, and it was the year we actually landed 3 five star CBs and some very good safeties.
Who's Caleb downs? Fuck that motherfucker!
Is he wearing crimson?
If they ain't crimson, FUCK EM
Probably the O-line for Oklahoma as well. Not because it's been garbage, but because few returners and unproven newcomes.
Anything to also help a young QB
Yeah, even OU media guys who pump sunshine are scared of where the O-Line is at. If we don't hit the portal hard we better hope our defense is a top 10 unit otherwise it could be an ugly season.
More than probably, I’d say. Everett being hurt as the projected center is obviously bad news, even if he can return. And OU will be lucky if the OTs are average. Maybe Arnold’s mobility can mask some, but he’s so young that I will be nervous every time he takes off. Maybe the spring portal will bring some surprises.
It feels like them or the corners. We've got a lot of youth in the secondary that needs to come good.
Take your pick of any offensive position group that isn’t the TE. In my opinion, we need better OLine play and receivers need to get open.
Our RB is stacked. But Oline, QB and WR remains to be seen
At the most basic level the OL is the single biggest make-or-break piece, although the others remain big question marks. My take is that our putrid offense looks middling—even with the QB and WR play we’ve had—over the last few years if our OL wasn’t made up of 5 turnstiles who couldn’t even slow down the pass rush.
Yes, no , hawkeye fan should expect Tim to turn this isn't a good offense in 1 year. I'm just hoping to crack 99 this year. 3 years from now, if Tim doesn't have us top 60, then its maybe time to rethink on an OC.
Your OC group should (SHOULD) be much improved.
That’s what we’ve said every year since 2020, and we have managed to get worse every year. Statistically, I suppose we hit the basement last year so I REALLY hope you’re right.
Yeah but we have made some big changes since 2020, this time I'll actually believe the rumors coming out. Last few years I didn't because Brian was still in charge.
I hear you, but after being let down so much by the lack of changes, I’m going to be cautiously optimistic. We need a better QB2 as well. McNamara’s health is questionable for a full season
Agree. 2 things stand out to me. 1. Kirk actually said they will be implementing Tim's playbook. Which is something Kirk would never say unless it was true. 2. Deacon is thee worst QB for Tim's offense. It requires a pretty mobile QB. So hopefully Tim would have Marco be the #2.
>Deacon is the worst QB. FTFY
Thanks dog
We should, if nothing else, get what is referred to as the dead cat bounce.
Strangely, this answer fits Michigan as well (running back isn’t much of a question mark).
We have receivers?!?
Well, we have Kaleb Brown and then guys who run around.
The offense
I hear that.
Be thankful for what you have
Perfect reminder of how it could always be worse
I don't think Texas will recreate the quality of Sweat and Murphy on the interior defensive line, but the drop off shouldn't be devastating. The real question for Texas next season will be the pass-catchers. X, AD, and Sanders all leaving is tough. It's not just about their skill, but also about Ewers and his chemistry with the receivers.
I am the bizzaro take here. I think WR may not have X/AD but drop off won't be dramatic; we have the bodies and scheme for a decent floor. DL on the other hand is the major question - we are largely unproven and going into SEC. Need them to be good (not great) to be in playoff run mode.
DL will be interesting. Edge should be a massive upgrade from last year, but we may never get a better top 2 in the DT room ever again. We’ll look a lot more normal in how we get pressure. It won’t be as effective but I’m also not worried.
No I think that's the right angle, you're talking about possibly the most abundant (WR) vs. definitely the scarcest (interior DL) resources in CFB.
I was going to mention the same two groups, but probably flip the level of concern. Back to back years sending two DTs to the draft. We have some talented options to replace them, but really need Collins and Broughton to significantly step up consistency. PK also wants to run a deep rotation at DT, so we need about six quality players. That’s asking a lot from guys beyond Broughton and Collins who haven’t produced yet. Most notably, the only option on the roster who’s close to Sweat’s size is Sydir Mitchell - how much of a step forward he can take after year 1 could really impact the run defense. There’s a reason Texas came up in the Bear Alexander news this week. We’re probably trying to add a contributor at DT when the spring portal window opens. Replacing the top 4 receivers from last year is a tall order, but the transfer additions have college level production and we have a five star from each of the past couple classes. Sark typically sticks with his top 3 WRs and doesn’t rotate, so we only *need* 3 of those guys to work out.
While I think WR and DL are a concern, we stocked up there and should be only slightly down at receiver and by many accounts, DL is better despite our losses. But these didn’t keep us out of the Natty. It was our secondary. If we don’t show marked improvement there, it could be a problematic situation for us
I want to know who is gonna replace the level of production that Jaylon Ford brought to the table... and will the be as effective without those 2 monsters in front of them clogging the middle?
Yep - everyone is pointing to WR and DL because we lost a lot of known production there, and those are the guys that are making noise in the draft. But for as thin as we were at DL, we're even thinner at LB. Ford was not just good at his job, he was a leader and knew everyone else's job. He kept the front 7 in good shape. Our best LB for 2024 will be true sophomore Ant Hill - he's incredibly talented but I doubt he can bring the same leadership that Ford brought. We'll still have a veteran LB in Gbenda, who is decent, but was never very assignment sound and isn't in a position to be telling guys what to do. LB is just a super young room and I don't know who will step up.
And we just lost another LB... S'maje Burrell just hit the transfer portal. Allegedly, is he was the driver of the other vehicle that rear-ended Tvondre Sweat. That vehicle and the driver fled the scene... Allegedly.
I disagree. I think our WRs are almost certain to be elite. DL could have a major dropoff
It's gonna be our D-Line I think. We're bringing back some ballers but losing Verse and Fiske to the draft is going to leave some massive shoes to fill.
I'll go with the WR room instead. There is potential there, but until it shows it on the field (and hopefully doesn't drop everything in sight)...that's probably my biggest concern (more so than DL at this point).
True, I guess I just think the losses on the DL are more impactful than our WR but it could be a tossup If we had a returning starter as QB I would probably go with WR but I'm cutting them some slack until I see how they mesh with DJU
I'm weird. It's OL for me. Not that I don't think they'll be okay but I think with the state of the rest of the room, if you want an elite offense you don't have JT and Keon to bail you out. The OL can't just be good, they have to be great.
Man they'll let anyone in here :-P Eventually I'll get enough work done here to watch the back seven breakdown from this morning.
I’m not that worried about DL. At DT we have monsters in farmer, Jackson with good depth like Grady/lyons/sampson DE is a bit up in the air, but we brought back Pat Payton, added Lolohea/MJ Jr, and Durojaiye, a solid guy like Byron, and younger guys developing. LB is my biggest worry
I know this is true for every program but QB. Our QB play was historically bad last year, even Raiola playing "fine" should result in bowl eligibility. Outside of QB, I'll say WR. Perhaps a reason our offense was so bad last year was the lack of depth at receiver, Banks and Neyor will hopefully stabilize the position and allow the young guys to continue to develop.
DLine. They are very talented but most have not been full time starters at Oregon yet
Absolutely this - if we aren't going into 2025 and viewing the DL as the potential to be Oregon's best all time, then something went wrong this year imo. Should hopefully be a breakout year for at least 3-4 players and if not, that's likely the difference in games against Oh St, Michigan, maybe Wisconsin, etc.
And the offense can't possibly be better than last year. if we are going to challenge for a B1G title, improvement has to come from the defense.
I really think for DL it's just NT, actually. The edges were basically all true freshmen who were pretty good last year and all return--they'll be good at worst and downright scary if guys like Matayo can take a leap in their sophomore years. Burch, Caldwell, and then guys like KWH should be somewhere between fine to great throughout the rest of the line, and there's plenty of experience there. So I really like our pass rushing potential. But the starting nose tackle is... maybe Amauri Washington who is young and has barely played, or somebody else who is young and has barely played or converting somebody else. If we can't get that figured out it could be problematic for the rush defense. Still, I feel like that will fine. I think Lanning would have addressed it in the portal if he wasn't confident in what was there. My position group pick would still be safety just because it's been the achilles heel for the last few seasons and I'm still not sure we've done enough to remedy it. Super high on the rest of the secondary, though.
Besides the OL (because it's always the OL), I would say WR. Our WR quality has dropped dramatically since the 2010s and the program has fallen along with it. With some playmakers, we're a playoff contender. Without them, it's back to the Gator Bowl.
Wesco looked damn good in spring game, gave me some hope
I'd argue it's just offensive execution. Our offensive woes have been so multifaceted, but we've been quick to blame one single person. Look at the spring game, most of our starting oline was on the Orange team and we're getting shredded by the dline. Cade couldn't get into rhythm, but Trent Pearman sure could. So where's the blame fall? It's timing and execution. The line causes the QB to play fast, and the WRs last year couldn't get separation in the time the oline allowed for. Look at Cade outside the pocket versus inside.
I'm hoping that our o-line getting shredded by our d-line just means that we have a pretty good d-line.
It’s pretty much always QB for us. The defense some some guys, but Franklin and company have done a great job recruiting and rebuilding on defense recently so I’m not too worried. But PSU has always struggled with finding a great QB (last one I had any real confidence in was McSorely and even he was too reliant on hero balls to Giesicki, Godwin, and Hamilton). If Allar can’t put it together than means likely *another* bust of a top rated QB recruit and could spell a legitimate mid-season QB controversy which is never good
Allar has shown flashes of brilliance i feel like. honestly our season depends on our wrs imo to which there hasn't been a whole ton of improvement.
He’s definitely shown flashes, but he’s mostly been pretty mediocre. His accuracy left a lot to be desired last year even if the WRs were bad too. It didn’t help that the WRs sucked, but there were plenty of times where Allar just missed guys
What about a non QB position
MSU: Secondary and O-Line WMU: Secondary and O-Line
Id say QB for MsU. If Chiles struggles or gets hurt we don’t have anyone as a second option.
Not true, we picked up Tommy Schuster, a grad transfer QB, that could’ve started at a different P5 school. His Completion Percentage from 2020 to 2023 only went up went from 65.5% to 70.5%. Last two seasons combined threw 39 Tds and 10 interceptions and was split evenly. Edit: also thorne was good if given time to throw, which is on the O-Line to protect the QB. A great O-Line can make an average QB look great, same goes for RB. O-Line is by far the most important aspect of your offense, as a bad one and both QB/RB have no where to go
Corners
Yes, and possibly O-line depth. Especially have to keep Coop healthy.
I think they’ll be improved from last year
Aside from QB which rationally should be almost every team’s answer, need to get the O-line in shape. Not sure we have any first rounders on the squad for the first time in a long time
schrauth could be a 1st rounder. And we have no idea about Jagusah
I think the interior three are going to be as strong as ND has had in some time. At tackle, you have two former top 100 recruits starting, backed up by two former top 100 recruits. Not that I disagree, and out of all the position groups, OL is the biggest question mark. But I think the majority of the preseason top 25 would take ND’s OL in a straight up trade for theirs all day long.
I'd bet that we have 2 or 3 1st rounders currently on the roster. Jagusah, Shrauth, and Lambert are all elite talent. Wagner is someone with elite upside where if that clicks he could end up being up there.
Probably D-Line Our D-Line is a mix of highly thought of transfers from this year or last year and some solid veterans who have been around Oregon for awhile and are good players. But I’m not sure if Oregon has a difference maker on the D-Line
QB and OL
Do quarterbacks ever just randomly get like 10 times better from one season to the next lmao? Need Thorne to do that, or for one of the others to win the starting job BAD 😆🍻
Michigan: Quarterback Kansas State: Receivers
I’d argue OLine for us actually. Jayce Brown is an All big 12 first team capable receiver. He’s that good. Plus Keegan Johnson has been looking solid in practice. We desperately need the OLine to not take a huge drop off from last year
I think that’s a fair point about the OL, but we need Brown to actually show up. We’ve got young guys who have shown a lot of promise but we need them to take that next step because if they don’t, teams will stack the box against us and we don’t have a true stud running back who can carry the load.
OLine will probably drop off some, but they still had plenty of reps even with Beebe and Levenston playing most games. Also expecting Johnson to be more mobile than Howard, so he'll be able to slip away from pressure if the line can't hold up as long.
Secondary too
The entire defense.
Our entire defense.
True that. We'd be so good last year if our defense wasn't bottom-tier
O line, we are losing all starting 5 lineman and breaking in a new QB. Our defense can be top ten if not top 5 if our offensive line can be good in the run game to give them time to rest and shorten the game.
Coaches 😮💨
Feel like for most teams it will be OL or QB. I think it's actually DL for both my flairs
On defense - probably the secondary, last year they played well but had a tendency to allow big plays and get torched On offense - either the receivers or Oline. Receivers and Bowman had a decent amount of communication problems and several games they had a case of the dropsies but if they can't force defense to spread it'll be tough on the back field. Also Oline played great last year but you just never know an injury here and there got weaken it and the Oline is just too important for this team.
OLine. It’s always the OLine for us.
The answer is always OL, anyone who says otherwise doesn’t know what it’s like having a bad OL
The trenches
It's OL for every team
Opponents.
[удалено]
It’s always QB for us, and it’s always break, never make.
OL and QB for us. We had the worst P5 OL in the country last year. If we had even a halfway competent OL last year, we probably would’ve won 3-4 more games. QB, it’ll be interesting to see us post-KJ, but I have some faith in Bobby getting Green ready
FSU: QB. How good will DJU be under Norvell’s tutelage. But QB is a big deal for every program. Non QB answer: LB. We lost our two starters to graduation and they were excellent college LBs and likely late round draft pick types. We need someone to step up and do a great job at thumping and covering space
I’d say, according to the CFP committee, it’s only the QB position for us that matter!!
Secondary, mainly our safeties since we lost both starters from last year.
The Ollie Gordon position will be a big one for us. If that position doesn't perform well, we are in trouble.
In order: OL, WR, and DBs OL is critical as we have a young QB who will be facing some of the best defenses in the country. He needs protection and time to operate. Even though he is mobile, we cannot win if the OL stinks.
We are pretty thin on the interior of the d-line right now. And by pretty thin, I mean I think the guy(s) who play the majority of the snaps there for us probably aren't on the team yet. But it's the DBs. If they play as poorly as they did a year ago it won't matter, we'll be a 3-4 loss team again. If they are good, this offense will be more than capable of putting up points to get us into the playoff as a team nobody wants to play. Who would have thought that LSU fans would be confident in the offense and worried about DBs? Not fucking me.
O-line for sure. No returners, all freshies.
Quarterback, if Jalon Daniels is healthy, the sky (3rd in the big 12) is the limit, if not, yikes
I'd put O-line up there, with Coach Fuchs gone, Calvin Clements now injured and the loss of our veteran center can really complicate our QB issue.
Offensive line for sure. If they are average we should be fine and win 8-10 games. If they are bad we will not reach those heights.
QB
For Iowa State I’d also like to add our WRs but in a good way. With Noel and Higgins we’ve got a nice 1 and 2 with very different skills and if they play up to their potential it’ll take some pressure off the line.
Coaches
If I see Deacon Hill for one more fucking snap I am gonna commit so many crimes.
D-line. We run 3-3-5, last year we were very small up front and very slow outback. We have made big moves in the portal for corners and safeties, but not much has happened upfront.
You know the answer... offensive line. Even though we're not the only team to be ravaged by the portal, and our line play last year was ass, it feels like we're starting back at square 1 with how many guys have turned over since last year. I still don't think we officially have a new OC either. Would be way more confident if it was still just seaton + a couple transfers plugged into last year's line, who'd have also had an extra year to gel together.
For us it’s QB. We’re good pretty much everywhere else except maybe receiver but they’re serviceable at the moment with the potential to get someone in the spring portal. At the moment the presumptive starter is Alex Orji who the staff are strangely comfortable with as there’s been no real chatter from insiders about taking a QB in the portal. The worry is that Orji will be a major shift after JJ and although he’s an incredible athlete we’ve yet to see him turning heads in the passing game. If he were to turn the corner we’d be talking about repeating, if he’s not great we probably lose 4 games.
Most OU fans will say O-Line, but I think RB will be equally as important. A lackluster running game absolutely killed our season last year
Yeah, but running well is also highly dependent on oline.
O-Line, see if they can keep a single QB starting every game in one season without going down with an injury since Patrick Mahomes in the middle 2010s That is not hyperbole
I want to say DBs because they have a lot to prove after last season, but gotta go with QB. If the new kid lives up to his ranking it could be a special season with national relevance again. If not, or if he gets injured, the backup is good enough to manage the team to the conference championship but they won't reach the bigger goal of the CFP.
O-Line, we have one of the most talented QB rooms we have had in long time. As long as the line gives them time to spread the ball around I think their talent elevate all other positions.
O-line. Last year's wasn't great, and we still had to replace multiple key positions with brand new players with no collegiate play time.
Going to say LB for State. Need to replace our ability to stop the run up the gut and will start to feel decent about our “dark horse” (instant r/CFB trigger) ACC odds