I think Mo Richardson, Mo Crum and Brian Smith are going to comprise the main core of the LB unit with S. Filer & T.Smith as well as some others filling depth roles and rotating in and out of the line-up. Also, what's the latest on Vernaglia? Is there any chance he will be coming back for a 5th year? I haven't heard anything on it, but if he does come back, then I would expect him to play a big role on the unit.
LB is definitely going to be an area that I pay close attention to because there it is an area of flux that has a number of talented players including some very highly touted freshman coming in. It will be extremely interesting to see how Weis and co. handle this position. Does he redshirt McDonald, Posluszny or Fleming? Does Paskorz see the field? These are all great problems to have.... but I am definitely interested in seeing how it breaks down.
This is my prediction for what we'll see at the LB position:
OLB - Brian Smith
ILB - Steve Filer
ILB - Mo Crum
OLB - Mo Richardson
I think John Ryan will almost certainly be moved back to DE because he doesn't possess the skill set to play OLB out in space. If I had to choose one player that I was most disappointed with this year it was Ryan... but I'll leave it at that because I try not to bash the student athletes.... I think playing OLB was probably good for Ryan, I'm sure it taught him a thing or two about playing in space... and it could make him a better DE, but ultimately, I think he needs to move back to the line if we are going to get the most out of him.
On D-line, I think we will see:
DE - Pat Kuntz
NT - Omar Hunter/Ian Williams
DE - John Ryan
Ian Williams should see plenty of time subbing at various spots along the line throughout the game and giving the three starters a rest. Omar will probably be amazing in his freshman season, and there is no doubt that he is a man among boys at the high school level.... but he is still a freshman and will still need to be worked in slowly and learn the college game, so I predict that he and Williams basically split time.
It will also be interesting to see how Ethan Johnson's knee holds up and if he even sees the field in his freshman year. I think that if the knee injury never happened, he probably would have pushed for a starting spot in his freshman year. He definitely would have seen the field... but now, I will be interested to see if he is redshirted to give him a chance to fully heal and learn from the sidelines... This is another are that I will be watching closely.
In the defensive backfield, I am really anxious to see what Robert Blanton can do. Everything I have seen and read on this kid indicates that he could very well be the best DB on the team in 2-3 years.... so will he be able to earn a nickel or dime spot in his freshman year? I believe he will, and I think he will be one of the guys that fans are most excited about by the time it's all said and done. This is my prediciton for the defensive backfield:
CB1 - Terrail Lambert
CB2 - Darrin Walls
NB - Raeshon McNeil
DB - Robert Blanton/Gary Gray
FS - Kyle McCarthy
SS - David Bruton
Bruton is probably the most talented athlete on the team (in my opinion). i have no doubt that he will become a defensive captain this year and consistently be the best player on defense. He will probably take over for Zibby as the heart and soul of the defense along with Mo Crum.
I would have added Dan McCarthy in here too, but I don;t know how his injury is going to affect his chances of playing in his freshman year. They say that he should be back to 100% before the B&G game... but who knows. Injuries like his have a way of lingering sometimes... so I will wait and see how that plays out. Gary Gray is also an interesting story and I am anxious to see hoe he recovers from the injury and how well he plays this year. He should play a role in the secondary, it's just a matter of how much of a role....
Offensively, I don't think we are going to see much change. So hopefully the boys do enough work in the off-season to make a big difference next year.
The O-line is still the same basic group of guys. Lane Clelland and Braxston Cave might get into the mix, but it's doubtful that they will be better than what we currently have in their freshman season... so I expect to see Olsen, Wenger, Turko, Young and Stewart beef up even more in the off-season and make major strides over the performance they offered in 2007... they need to, because the success of this team hinges on that happening in my opinion.
Quarterback is obviously not going to change unless Dayne Crist steps on the field and dominates the competition. I actually wouldn't be surprised if that happened, but logic says that Charlie will redshirt Dayne in his freshman year and then let him compete for the job in 2009. If I'm not mistaken, being redshirted was one of Dayne's criteria when he chose ND anyway, so I would be shocked if he wasn't. Jimmy will be our guy for the next 1-3 years most likely.
Receiver and running back are the two areas that will probably change the most next year.
At receiver, I fully expect Golden Tate and Duval Kamara to be the top receivers with West, Parris, Floyd and Hord filling the depth spots.... Tate was under-utilized this year and talent wise, he and Kamara are the best we have, so we need to find a way to optimize those two players in my opinion. I am also interested to see if Michael Floyd can make a contribution to the offense in his freshman year.
At RB, we will probably see a committee approach again. I am hopeful that Robert Hughes will get the bulk of the carries with Armando Allen and James Aldridge providing a change of pace and 3rd down presence, but what I would truly like to see is Hughes put on a few more pounds and line up as a FB in a Hughes/Allen backfield. And then use James Aldridge as a change of pace. In my opinion, Hughes is the most talented guy in the ND backfield, so I would like to see him featured more.
This is what my offense would look like (if it were up to me):
OT- Sam Young
OG- Mike Turkovich
C- Dan Wenger
OG- Eric Olsen
OT- Chris Stewart
TE- Mike Ragone/Will Yeatman
WR1- Duval Kamara
WR2- Golden Tate
WR3- George West/Robby Parris/Michael Floyd/DJ Hord
QB- Jimmy Clausen
RB- Armando Allen/James Aldridge
FB- Robert Hughes
Anyway, these are just some thoughts that are rattling around in that empty head of mine. I could be completely wrong about some of these things, but ultimately it is what I think we might see.
