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Who will be the hardest to replace next year?

DaCat

DaCat

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We are graduating a very accomplished senior class. The program has come a long way, and we are actually in a position to reload instead of having to rebuild. I think the most difficult players to replace (not necessarily the best) are as follows:
  1. Montre Hartage, CB. Our best lockdown cornerback since Sherrick McManis. His late season injury allowed some younger players to get game experience, but no one seems to be at his level yet. Hopefully Newsome and Ruiz could develop into "island" corners like Hartage. Also looking forward to incoming frosh Rod Heard, who could challenge Ruiz for a starting spot.
  2. Jake Collins, P. Yes in terms of replacing a key player, he may be the one guy that we took for granted and may miss a lot next year as a punter. Field position was a key to our success this season.
  3. Defensive Tackles. Jordan Thompson, DT, Fred Wyatt, DT and Ben Oxley, DT. These guys helped plug the middle for one of the best run defenses in the league, but with these three graduating, Alex Miller, Trevor Kent, and younger guys will have to step up big time.
  4. Clayton Thorson, QB. Winningest QB in program history, great game manager. Luckily we have Hunter Johnson waiting in the wings, so hopefully the transition will be smooth.
  5. Nate Hall, LB. Gonna miss his playmaking and leadership. Bergin had important playing time during his absences, so hopefully another smooth transition. This unit is loaded with talented young players like Grayson Mann, Khalid Jones, Jaylen Rivers, incoming Bryce Gallagher, and others preparing for their chance.
  6. Offensive Line starters: Blake Hance, OT, JB Butler, OG, and Tommy Doles, OG. These guys were much-criticized but it's hard to replace experience. When injuries hit this group early in the season, we struggled mightily. It's critical for the next group of guys like Gerak, Stovall, Meyler, Vogel, Wiederkehr, etc. to step it up. Fortunately, we return our two best linemen, Rashawn Slater and Jared Thomas.
  7. Flynn Nagel, WR. Had a breakout season, but also had some quiet games and injuries. We are in decent shape for WR, with some younger guys needing to step up big time next season.
  8. Chad Hanaoaka, RB. Who is going to be the sparkplug and inspirational #1 next year? The Flyin Hawaiian was a solid contributor on and off the field.
  9. Jared McGee, S. Was having a great season until he got injured. Luckily we have Travis Whillock and JR Pace at safety, and some young talent like Bryce Jackson and Jeremiah McDonald also developing.
  10. Rest of the seniors like Solomon Vault, Jelani Roberts, James Prather, Trey Klock, etc. Gonna miss their leadership and contributions.
Overall, we have a great core of players returning for another championship run.
 
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DaCat said:
We are graduating a very accomplished senior class. The program has come a long way, and we are actually in a position to reload instead of having to rebuild. I think the most difficult players to replace (not necessarily the best) are as follows:
  1. Montre Hartage, CB. Our best lockdown cornerback since Sherrick McManis. His late season injury allowed some younger players to get game experience, but no one seems to be at his level yet. Hopefully Newsome and Ruiz could develop into "island" corners like Hartage. Also looking forward to incoming frosh Rod Heard, who could challenge Ruiz for a starting spot.
  2. Jake Collins, P. Yes in terms of replacing a key player, he may be the one guy that we took for granted and may miss a lot next year as a punter. Field position was a key to our success this season.
  3. Defensive Tackles. Jordan Thompson, DT, Fred Wyatt, DT and Ben Oxley, DT. These guys helped plug the middle for one of the best run defenses in the league, but with these three graduating, Alex Miller, Trevor Kent, and younger guys will have to step up big time.
  4. Clayton Thorson, QB. Winningest QB in program history, great game manager. Luckily we have Hunter Johnson waiting in the wings, so hopefully the transition will be smooth.
  5. Nate Hall, LB. Gonna miss his playmaking and leadership. Bergin had important playing time during his absences, so hopefully another smooth transition. This unit is loaded with talented young players like Grayson Mann, Khalid Jones, Jaylen Rivers, incoming Bryce Gallagher, and others preparing for their chance.
  6. Offensive Line starters: Blake Hance, OT, JB Butler, OG, and Tommy Doles, OG. These guys were much-criticized but it's hard to replace experience. When injuries hit this group early in the season, we struggled mightily. It's critical for the next group of guys like Gerak, Stovall, Meyler, Vogel, Wiederkehr, etc. to step it up. Fortunately, we return our two best linemen, Rashawn Slater and Jared Thomas.
  7. Flynn Nagel, WR. Had a breakout season, but also had some quiet games and injuries. We are in decent shape for WR, with some younger guys needing to step up big time next season.
  8. Chad Hanaoaka, RB. Who is going to be the sparkplug and inspirational #1 next year? The Flyin Hawaiian was a solid contributor on and off the field.
  9. Jared McGee, S. Was having a great season until he got injured. Luckily we have Travis Whillock and JR Pace at safety, and some young talent like Bryce Jackson and Jeremiah McDonald also developing.
  10. Rest of the seniors like Solomon Vault, Jelani Roberts, James Prather, Trey Klock, etc. Gonna miss their leadership and contributions.
Overall, we have a great core of players returning for another championship run.
Click to expand...

Out of that list, the only ones I worry about replacing are Montre Hartage, Nate Hall, our DT's, especially Jordan Thompson, and Doles. Probably should include the other two OL as well just because they are probably better than what's coming.

Nagel was good, but I think we have better talent coming in. McGee was good, but Whillock is already better. Thorson may be the winningest QB in our history, but I think Johnson will be an upgrade, more a reflection of Johnson's talent than any negativity on Thorson. Collins was average IMO (maybe remembering too much the shank that allowed dOSU to go up 10). Hanaoka is a nice story, but c'mon man.
 
Collins basically had one bad punt the whole year. He was important in a lot of our close wins with helping us win good field position. The main concern is, next year who will replace his consistency and punts inside the twenty?
 
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It’s the OL I worry about most. The talent on the roster may be there—I’m not sure about this—but I continue to have doubts about the position coach’s ability to have a coordinated, effective OL ready until sometime in October.
 
It's a good list. I feel reasonably confident about the talent in the secondary, though Hartage was a good a CB as we have seen in the Fitz era.

And Collins was excellent this year. He will be missed (for his tackling too!).

But I worry most about the interior defensive line. Those guys do a ton of work in the run game, where we excelled.
 
NorthNJCatsfan said:
It’s the OL I worry about most. The talent on the roster may be there—I’m not sure about this—but I continue to have doubts about the position coach’s ability to have a coordinated, effective OL ready until sometime in October.
Click to expand...

Talking to former OL and their parents, nobody says how much they miss Cushing's coaching. If that's not glaring, what is?
 
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My main concerns for next year are OL, CB and punter. I like our talent and depth pretty much everywhere else.
 
GOUNUII said:
Gotta hope Saunders and Carnifax are healthy and ready to go. Saunders is huge. Carnifax very stout.
GOUNUII
Click to expand...

Agree, but wonder if either or both have serious, long term injury issues. Saunders is a guy I was really hoping to see contribute. Did he get any playing time this year ?
 
Carnifax missed the entire year after getting injured in camp.

Saunders played vs. Duke, but there are no other statistical data for any other games (I thought he appeared in at least one other).

So both of these guys' status is up in there. It's not reassuring.
 
I know those two exist, but my concern is do they really? Of all our healthy bodies we boast none of any girth.
 
I do think a healthy Saunders is a significant player but a healthy Saunders is also a significant wish.
 
EvanstonCat said:
Out of that list, the only ones I worry about replacing are Montre Hartage, Nate Hall, our DT's, especially Jordan Thompson, and Doles. Probably should include the other two OL as well just because they are probably better than what's coming.

Nagel was good, but I think we have better talent coming in. McGee was good, but Whillock is already better. Thorson may be the winningest QB in our history, but I think Johnson will be an upgrade, more a reflection of Johnson's talent than any negativity on Thorson. Collins was average IMO (maybe remembering too much the shank that allowed dOSU to go up 10). Hanaoka is a nice story, but c'mon man.
Click to expand...
Well said! I agree
 
I would say DT will be biggest challenge. Alex Miller only returner with significant PT to my knowledge.

Although I thought similarly last year that biggest challenge was replacing Tyler Lancaster but Oxley and Wyatt stepped up big time.
 
I enjoyed watching Ben Oxley play for the 'Cats. He went to the same high school as I did (many years apart), and he was a solid utility lineman over his NU tenure, as I recall for a stretch, he moved to the offensive line before finishing as a defensive tackle. If he finds his way back to Avon Lake and we happen to be in the same establishment, I'm buying that guy a drink...once his eligibility is exhausted, of course!
 
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haywood jahblowme said:
Thorson 100% - the team won when he was back and "healthy". without him? we saw the early performances. yes I get HJ is a stud (we hope), but hes never played a colelge game or led a college team.
Click to expand...


He actually did play in 7 games at Clemson as a true freshman in 2017 (21-27 234 yards , 2 TD 1INT)...but I get what you're saying, Haywood.
 
It’s Thompson and Hartage for me.

re: Thompson...we were saying the same thing about Lancaster last year, and JT became a force this year. Hopefully Wyatt develops further or another guy steps in.

Hartage is NU’s best corner since McManis. There’s not really replacing him. That said, I like that the staff likes Newsome enough to play him this past weekend, redshirt be damned. Presumably, they think he can be that replacement.
 
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haywood jahblowme said:
Thorson 100% - the team won when he was back and "healthy". without him? we saw the early performances. yes I get HJ is a stud (we hope), but hes never played a colelge game or led a college team.
Click to expand...

I agree. I have the same concern. I think HJ will be fine on the field, but replacing a guy who has started 50 games at the most important position is no easy task no matter how much physical talent you have. He’s gotta replace him in the locker room and in practices too.
 
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NUCat320 said:
It’s Thompson and Hartage for me.

re: Thompson...we were saying the same thing about Lancaster last year, and JT became a force this year. Hopefully Wyatt develops further or another guy steps in.

Hartage is NU’s best corner since McManis. There’s not really replacing him. That said, I like that the staff likes Newsome enough to play him this past weekend, redshirt be damned. Presumably, they think he can be that replacement.
Click to expand...

Wyatt is graduating. Miller and Kent will make a very nice tandem. Saunders, Spivak will add good depth While Gaziano and Goens have the ability to be effectove inside, especially on passing downs. We’ll be alright there. CB I am less confident about because we have nobody that has already proven they can play at the level that is necessary to be successful. I would not be surprised if Rod Heard makes a strong run at playing time next year.
 
mikewebb68 said:
CT, and it is not close for me. HJ has enormous shoes to fill; hope he can do it!
Click to expand...
This. It will be hard to replace that track record. Just like JJTBC. Larkin easily had the talent to pick up where he left off, but we all saw that talent is great, but health and longevity are not guaranteed.
 
mikewebb68 said:
CT, and it is not close for me. HJ has enormous shoes to fill; hope he can do it!
Click to expand...

The comparisons will begin for Hunter Johnson from Day One (assuming he is the starter) when he faces Stanford in next season's opener. Thorson led NU to victory over Stanford in the first game of his NU career as a redshirt freshman. It will be a challenging debut for Hunter as a Wildcat, and hopefully he will wow us.
 
DaCat said:
We are graduating a very accomplished senior class. The program has come a long way, and we are actually in a position to reload instead of having to rebuild. I think the most difficult players to replace (not necessarily the best) are as follows:
  1. Montre Hartage, CB. Our best lockdown cornerback since Sherrick McManis. His late season injury allowed some younger players to get game experience, but no one seems to be at his level yet. Hopefully Newsome and Ruiz could develop into "island" corners like Hartage. Also looking forward to incoming frosh Rod Heard, who could challenge Ruiz for a starting spot.
  2. Jake Collins, P. Yes in terms of replacing a key player, he may be the one guy that we took for granted and may miss a lot next year as a punter. Field position was a key to our success this season.
  3. Defensive Tackles. Jordan Thompson, DT, Fred Wyatt, DT and Ben Oxley, DT. These guys helped plug the middle for one of the best run defenses in the league, but with these three graduating, Alex Miller, Trevor Kent, and younger guys will have to step up big time.
  4. Clayton Thorson, QB. Winningest QB in program history, great game manager. Luckily we have Hunter Johnson waiting in the wings, so hopefully the transition will be smooth.
  5. Nate Hall, LB. Gonna miss his playmaking and leadership. Bergin had important playing time during his absences, so hopefully another smooth transition. This unit is loaded with talented young players like Grayson Mann, Khalid Jones, Jaylen Rivers, incoming Bryce Gallagher, and others preparing for their chance.
  6. Offensive Line starters: Blake Hance, OT, JB Butler, OG, and Tommy Doles, OG. These guys were much-criticized but it's hard to replace experience. When injuries hit this group early in the season, we struggled mightily. It's critical for the next group of guys like Gerak, Stovall, Meyler, Vogel, Wiederkehr, etc. to step it up. Fortunately, we return our two best linemen, Rashawn Slater and Jared Thomas.
  7. Flynn Nagel, WR. Had a breakout season, but also had some quiet games and injuries. We are in decent shape for WR, with some younger guys needing to step up big time next season.
  8. Chad Hanaoaka, RB. Who is going to be the sparkplug and inspirational #1 next year? The Flyin Hawaiian was a solid contributor on and off the field.
  9. Jared McGee, S. Was having a great season until he got injured. Luckily we have Travis Whillock and JR Pace at safety, and some young talent like Bryce Jackson and Jeremiah McDonald also developing.
  10. Rest of the seniors like Solomon Vault, Jelani Roberts, James Prather, Trey Klock, etc. Gonna miss their leadership and contributions.
Overall, we have a great core of players returning for another championship run.
Click to expand...
easiest question to answer. Thorson. I know all of you homers have ordained Hunter Johnson as the next Dan Marino but I've learned through years of watching football that the hardest thing to replace is a longtime starting QB. Look, Thorson wasn't the best we have had around here but don't underestimate the gap we will have for next year. Hopefully, I am wrong. To be sure, I have seen young QB's jump right in and win championships but I really haven't seen that at a school like Northwestern since we don't have 5 star recruits and NFL experienced assistant coaches. Our program is built on a lot of hard work, so not surprisingly, our best players are upper classmen who had to work their arses off for 4 years.

This doesn't mean that I think Hunter Johnson sucks, it only means that he has some big shoes to fill.
 
Turk said:
easiest question to answer. Thorson. I know all of you homers have ordained Hunter Johnson as the next Dan Marino but I've learned through years of watching football that the hardest thing to replace is a longtime starting QB. Look, Thorson wasn't the best we have had around here but don't underestimate the gap we will have for next year. Hopefully, I am wrong. To be sure, I have seen young QB's jump right in and win championships but I really haven't seen that at a school like Northwestern since we don't have 5 star recruits and NFL experienced assistant coaches. Our program is built on a lot of hard work, so not surprisingly, our best players are upper classmen who had to work their arses off for 4 years.

This doesn't mean that I think Hunter Johnson sucks, it only means that he has some big shoes to fill.
Click to expand...

Except Hunter WAS a 5 star recruit. He will also be starting his 3rd year of college ball, has played in 7 college games at Clemson. The only reason he transferred here is the same reason a former starting QB that was 1st team ACC and was 16-2 as a starter is transferring to Missouri.
 
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Yeah, I don't think it's a shot at CT to say that we should have arguably higher expectations for Johnson's 2019 campaign than Thorson's 2018 campaign given CT was coming off surgery and took a few weeks to really get comfortable.


Hunter's going to be starting as a 21 year old QB that's had 2.5 years of training in college programs at Clemson and Northwestern.


Doesn't mean he'll look like a young superstar QB, but he should be considerably more developed than any redshirt freshman would look.
 
EvanstonCat said:
Except Hunter WAS a 5 star recruit. He will also be starting his 3rd year of college ball, has played in 7 college games at Clemson. The only reason he transferred here is the same reason a former starting QB that was 1st team ACC and was 16-2 as a starter is transferring to Missouri.
Click to expand...
He supposedly can make any throw, so we are getting the same template as Thorson, i.e., the whole passing playbook is open. But he apparently is harder to sack than Thorson, from the reports. I'm not saying there will be a dropoff because the QB rating this year was abysmal with just as many INT's as TD's and the lowest yard per attempt this century. But, I don't care what the QB rating is, the question was what will be the hardest player to replace. And when you replace a QB, you have to replace the playbook, and sometimes the complete offence. Just like in baseball. The Cubs had to replace Arietta. Much easier to replace an outfielder, catcher, or infielder. So much is dependent upon the QB and his style of play. That's why I find it strange when some coaches, like Fitz recruit "the best available QB" instead of a QB that is duel or pro or classic drop back only. Hunter seems to be a mix.
 
BleedingPurple15 said:
Our defensive line is going to look more like Washington State's. That is, smaller and quicker, but may get pushed around by physical teams.
Click to expand...
We won't be any smaller than we were this year and we certainly didn't get pushed around this season. Saunders and Kent are already as big as Thompson, Wyatt and Oxley and they will both have another year in the weight room.
 
Turk said:
easiest question to answer. Thorson. I know all of you homers have ordained Hunter Johnson as the next Dan Marino but I've learned through years of watching football that the hardest thing to replace is a longtime starting QB. Look, Thorson wasn't the best we have had around here but don't underestimate the gap we will have for next year. Hopefully, I am wrong. To be sure, I have seen young QB's jump right in and win championships but I really haven't seen that at a school like Northwestern since we don't have 5 star recruits and NFL experienced assistant coaches. Our program is built on a lot of hard work, so not surprisingly, our best players are upper classmen who had to work their arses off for 4 years.

This doesn't mean that I think Hunter Johnson sucks, it only means that he has some big shoes to fill.
Click to expand...
In college, a "longtime" starting QB is a guy who has started for 2 years in most cases. 4 year starters are extremely rare. The biggest adjustment is the staff's familiarity with the incumbent's skillset, but that is not a terribly difficult transition for any coordinator worth his salt (cue beyotching about Mick).

The closest thing we have had to HuJo as a QB recruit was Baz, who was OK as a frosh and struggled as a sophomore. HuJo already has a fair amount of seasoning at NU. I think he will be fine.
 
haywood jahblowme said:
Thorson 100% - the team won when he was back and "healthy". without him? we saw the early performances. yes I get HJ is a stud (we hope), but hes never played a colelge game or led a college team.
Click to expand...
He has played several college games for Clemson and was #2 QB at there as a Frosh.
 
Turk said:
easiest question to answer. Thorson. I know all of you homers have ordained Hunter Johnson as the next Dan Marino but I've learned through years of watching football that the hardest thing to replace is a longtime starting QB. Look, Thorson wasn't the best we have had around here but don't underestimate the gap we will have for next year. Hopefully, I am wrong. To be sure, I have seen young QB's jump right in and win championships but I really haven't seen that at a school like Northwestern since we don't have 5 star recruits and NFL experienced assistant coaches. Our program is built on a lot of hard work, so not surprisingly, our best players are upper classmen who had to work their arses off for 4 years.

This doesn't mean that I think Hunter Johnson sucks, it only means that he has some big shoes to fill.
Click to expand...
Um, HJ was a 5 star recruit and has playing experience at Clemson. Granted he does not have experience behind our OL
 
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