2016 red shirt burns
- Thread starter mybrotha
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Possibly Carnifax if our DE rotation is worse than anticipated. But would guess only Lees.
I think Skowronek has a chance because of our unsettled WR rotation and I would say that Campbell, Vogel and Larkin are talented enough to play right away if we have injury problems at their respective position groups.
Campbell has a very steep hill to climb with Hartage, Williams, Mayo, and others already on campus and clear of their redshirt year. Similar for Larkin behind Jackson, Long, Moten, and Anderson. For both those position groups, we may very well be so screwed anyway that burning a year isn't worth the future cost.
Vogel still has a fair bit of work to do physically to compete at the BCS level and I don't know whether Skowronek has the wheels to compete for playing time right away.
All that said... The depth in our program is finally such that any freshman forcing his way onto the field is a good thing because it means he's a pretty damn good player. Only potential exception is the WR group.
Not Corbi, but... They do have similar games. Neither will blow you away with their physical skills, but seem to have a feel for running the ball to set up blocks and have outstanding balance. Larkin's build is probably a bit more conducive to the position.
I believe Carnifax had surgery for a labrum issue. If so, I have some doubts about his ability to prepare fir this season. It's possible he has not lifted a weight since the injury last fall, and he sat on the spring.
My darkhorse candidate would be Jake Saunders at DT.
My darkhorse candidate would be Jake Saunders at DT.
I think he might be the best athlete in the WR room when he sets foot on campus. Phenomenal tape.
He had the labrum surgery in December or January. He should theoretically be healthy enough to play come fall, albeit in a harness.
Saunders would also have a long hill to climb with Thompson, Lancaster, Robbins, Kuhar, and Wyatt already in the rotation.
Aidan Smith will burn his shirt to be the placekick holder to replace the legendary Christian Salem.
Being a holder shouldn't count against a red shirt year. Not like you're actually playing football if you're a holder......
Hey! My brother was a holder for the dreaded Ohio State Buckeyes back in the 90s. It was pretty cool. He was a walk-on receiver who caught one pass in his career yet he got his name announced on national tv every Saturday. Holding is legit!
I can't argue that, my concern is how quickly he gets accustomed to the college WR position, and how willing the staff is to get plays into the play-book for him that get him the ball quickly in space. I hate bubble screens, but he's that type of play-maker for the Cats. He's a terrific football player, my hope is he quickly becomes a terrific WR.
Right. I was thinking that if there are issues at DE that necessitated Robbins and perhaps even Thompson spending time there, plus an injury to another interior player might open the door for Saunders.
My vote is for him as more of an Ebert-type slot guy, though reps might be in short supply there with Vault, McShepard, and others.
But isn't he changing position and doesn't that take a bit of time? I understand the athleticism. But wouldn't there be a learning curve for the new position?
Eh. He's starting from the same place as all the other wideouts in terms of knowing the scheme, maybe even with a potential (small) head start from QBing essentially the same system for two years. And while playing WR in HS is an advantage insofar as routinely catching the ball and such, the jump from HS to BCS football is enough that he shouldn't be at a terribly significant disadvantage.
Agree that Skowronek and Lees are most likely based on need. That said, we shouldn't forget our current crop of incoming RS freshmen, including Fessler, Cameron Green, along with recruiting classmates Nagel and Roberts.
Plus we also add vault, Reese, and Mcshepherd. We seem to have enough bodies. Now let's hope that between that group a couple of them can hold onto the ball.
Isn't a lot of being a good WR the footwork to get free or work to gain separation? Wouldn't he behind on that since he would have concentrated on the footwork of being QB? Wouldn't he have to unlearn and then relearn footwork?
I would guess that the WR position has gotten a bit more sophisticated since then and that transition would be more difficult now.
I thought Bates was a backup QB as a true Frosh before before switching to WR as a soph in 1995. Took a medical redshirt in 1997 and graduated in 1998.
Not really. All the incoming WRs are going to have to learn a TON in very short order if they want to play as true freshmen.
Bates was redshirted his freshman year and was a scout team QB and later moved to WR. Bates was a 2nd-year freshman playing WR in 1995 (his first season playing).
He never took a medical redshirt in 1997. He simply sat out the year injured. He could have, perhaps, if he wanted to play in 1999, but he would have had to apply for it.
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