2019 Preseason Player Predictions

[Luckylucci]

It might be fun to do this before and after Fall Camp and see if any of our answers change between now and then.

MVP (best player): Book
Most Important (indispensable) Player: Book
Most Improved: Armstrong
Most Surprising: Michael Young
Best Position Group: DL
Worst Position Group: LB
Most Improved Position Group: LB
Most Productive Freshman: Lacey
Most Surprising Freshman: Bertrand

I'll update this post if there are any suggestions on other categories that are worth it that haven't been included.

 

[zelezo vlk]

By most improved position group, do you mean over the course of the season or most improved from last year?

 

[IrishLion]

MVP (best player): Chase Claypool
Most Important (indispensable) Player: Ian Book
Most Improved: Tommy Kraemer
Most Surprising: Lawrence Keys III
Best Position Group: Defensive Line
Worst Position Group: Cornerback
Most Improved Position Group: Offensive Line
Most Productive Freshman: Jacob Lacey
Most Surprising Freshman: Cam Hart

Kind of cheating with Keys (who got good reviews all Spring), and maybe Hart (he's been noted for showing up in good shape).

I think Claypool is going to be the MVP over Book as long as he stays healthy. He's going to be a matchup nightmare now that he's got a chance to be THE guy, and he's going to be a safety net if Jurkovec needs to play.

I have major reservations about the CB position. If Pride is better for having matched up with Claypool all offseason, and if Bracy and Griffith get better, and if Crawford can contribute, AND they all stay healthy, it will be fine... but the position is two injuries or a lack of development away from being a disaster.

I think continuity on the OL is going to be huge, as will a more in-shape Tommy Kraemer.

I think Lacey is going to be the beneficiary of Kareem, Okwara and Hayes giving opposing OL's headaches... he's going to rush from the interior in 1-on-1 looks with OG's, and he's gonna feast once he gets his legs under him.

Cam Hart is in BK's wheelhouse when it comes to identifying under-the-radar WR's. If I were especially cruel, I'd predict that his emergence will push one or two of the sophomore WR's out.

 

[Luckylucci]

By most improved position group, do you mean over the course of the season or most improved from last year?

Over the course of the season. I included Spring through Fall camp in my thought process. So, the LB's won't be improved on how they performed last year but they should improve immensely over where they were in the Spring.

 

[Luckylucci]

Massive brain fart on Lacey. Edited the OP. Seems like a shoe-in for that category with how many snaps he'll play.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

MVP (best player): Okwara
Most Important (indispensable) Player: Pride
Most Improved: Ademilola
Most Surprising: Avery Davis
Best Position Group: Safety
Worst Position Group: Linebacker
Most Improved Position Group: Offensive Line
Most Productive Freshman: Bramlett (if that's cheating then Lacey)
Most Surprising Freshman: Harrison Leonard (if that's cheating then Williams)

 

[Crazy Balki]

MVP: Kareem
Most Important: Book
Most Improved: Tony Jones
Most Surprising: Drew White
Best Position: Tie between DL and WR
Worst Position: LB
Most Improved Position: OL
Most Productive Freshman: Wallace
Most Surprising Freshman: NaNa

 

[IrishLion]

MVP (best player): Okwara
Most Important (indispensable) Player: Pride
Most Improved: Ademilola
Most Surprising: Avery Davis
Best Position Group: Safety
Worst Position Group: Linebacker
Most Improved Position Group: Offensive Line
Most Productive Freshman: Bramlett (if that's cheating then Lacey)
Most Surprising Freshman: Harrison Leonard (if that's cheating then Williams)

Pride is a really good answer, and I thought about going that way based on my worries about the CB group... but the safeties are going to help mask some of the issues at CB, I think.

Plus, the offense can cover for the defense if the defense ends up allowing more points than expected. But they can't do that if Book goes down. Jurkovec needs more time.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

MVP (best player): Book
Most Important (indispensable) Player: Pride
Most Improved: Kareem/Kraemer
Most Surprising: Keys
Best Position Group: DL
Worst Position Group: ST
Most Improved Position Group: LB
Most Productive Freshman: Lacey
Most Surprising Freshman: Bertrand

 

[GrangerIrish24]

MVP (best player): Book
Most Important (indispensable) Player: Gilman
Most Improved: Kramer
Most Surprising: Vaughn
Best Position Group: WR
Worst Position Group: Special Teams
Most Improved Position Group: LB
Most Productive Freshman: Lacey
Most Surprising Freshman: Howard Cross
Ovie (redshirt)

 

[IrishFaninTX]

It might be fun to do this before and after Fall Camp and see if any of our answers change between now and then.

MVP (best player): Book
Most Important (indispensable) Player: Book
Most Improved: Armstrong
Most Surprising: Michael Young
Best Position Group: DL
Worst Position Group: LB
Most Improved Position Group: LB
Most Productive Freshman: Lacey
Most Surprising Freshman: Bertrand

I'll update this post if there are any suggestions on other categories that are worth it that haven't been included.

MVP (best player): Okwara
Most Important (indispensable) Player: Book
Most Improved: Griffith
Most Surprising: Jahmir Smith
Best Position Group: WR
Worst Position Group: ST
Most Improved Position Group: LB*
Most Productive Freshman: Hamilton
Most Surprising Freshman: Bertrand

 

[Riddickulous]

I'm gonna go wild on some of these

MVP: Khalid Kareem
Most Important: Book
Most Improved: Tommy Kraemer
Most Surprising: Jayson Ademilola
Best Position Group: DL
Worst Position Group: CB
Most Improved Position Group: OL
Most Productive Freshman: Kyle Hamilton
Most Surprising Freshman: KJ Wallace

 

[BobbyMac]

MVP (best player) ........ Okwara
Most Important ............ The QB
Most Improved ............ Jay Ade
Most Surprising ............ Von McKinley
Newcomer OTY ............ Tommy Tremble
Freshman OTY ............. Derek Hamilton
Leader rushing ............. Jafar Armstrong
Leader receiving ........... Chase Claypool
Leader tackles .............. JOK
Leader INTs ................. Jalen Elliot
Leader Sacks ................ Okwara

Best Position Group ............................................ D Line
Worst Position Group .......................................... Kicking game
Most Improved Position Group over 2018 ............. O Line
Most Improved Position Group over the season ..... LB's or else

 

[IrishFaninTX]

MVP (best player) ........ Okwara
Most Important ............ The QB
Most Improved ............ Jay Ade
Most Surprising ............ Von McKinley
Newcomer OTY ............ Tommy Tremble
Freshman OTY ............. Derek Hamilton
Leader rushing ............. Jafar Armstrong
Leader receiving ........... Chase Claypool
Leader tackles .............. JOK
Leader INTs ................. Jalen Elliot
Leader Sacks ................ Okwara

Best Position Group ............................................ D Line
Worst Position Group .......................................... Kicking game
Most Improved Position Group over 2018 ............. O Line
Most Improved Position Group over the season ..... LB's or else

I think you mean Kyle Hamilton. I believe Derek is his dad

 

[JD Irish]

Best Player: Okwara
Most Valuable Player: Book
Most Improved: Tommy Kraemer
Most Surprising: Jahmir Smith
Best Position Group: Defensive Ends
Worst Position Group: Kicker/Punter
Most Improved Position Group: Offensive Line
Most Productive Freshman: Jarrett Patterson
Most Surprising Freshman: Isaiah Foskey

 

[arrowryan]

MVP (best player): Book
Most Important (indispensable) Player: Okwara
Most Improved: Michael Young
Most Surprising: Tarik Bracy
Best Position Group: D-Line
Worst Position Group: K/P
Most Improved Position Group: Linebackers
Most Productive Freshman: Kyle Hamilton
Most Surprising Freshman: Kyren Williams

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

MVP (best player): Claypool (I've got a strong feeling about him this year).
Most Important (indispensable) Player: Troy Pride
Most Improved: Armstrong
Most Surprising: TaRiq Bracy
Best Position Group: S (Experienced vets with young studs)
Worst Position Group: LB
Most Improved Position Group: LB
Most Productive Freshman: Lacey
Most Surprising Freshman: Wallace

I feel like Book and Okwara are two of the key cogs of this team this year but MOST indispensable I think there are other positions with less depth. Phil J is still an unknown but he is a fringe 5 star QB out of HS and could win us some games, and you can make the argument that DE is our position with the most depth.

At CB, if Pride goes down, who knows what happens to that group.

 

[matman4593]

MVP (best player): Gilman
Most Important (indispensable) Player: Pride
Most Improved: Shane Simon
Most Surprising: Tommy Tremble
Best Position Group: Safety
Worst Position Group: K/P
Most Improved Position Group: Offensive Line
Most Productive Freshman: Kyle Hamilton
Most Surprising Freshman: KJ Wallace

Hopefully the "most surprising Freshman" doesn't get his chance because the "Most Important" player goes down

 

[Luckylucci]

Tremble was definitely on my list of most surprising. Some rumblings that he could push for some of those 2nd TE snaps behind Kmet.

 

[BobbyMac]

I think you mean Kyle Hamilton. I believe Derek is his dad

Oops. I played with Derrek on the summer camp / AAU circuit back in our glory days.

 

[GoIrish41]

It might be fun to do this before and after Fall Camp and see if any of our answers change between now and then.

MVP (best player): Book
Most Important (indispensable) Player: Book
Most Improved: Armstrong
Most Surprising: Michael Young
Best Position Group: DL
Worst Position Group: LB
Most Improved Position Group: LB
Most Productive Freshman: Lacey
Most Surprising Freshman: Bertrand

I'll update this post if there are any suggestions on other categories that are worth it that haven't been included.

What does it mean that our "Worst Position Group" is the same as our "Most Improved Position Group"? That seems like a really good thing, considering we are replacing about 200 tackles on our defense in that group. If they are going to be better this year, I'll take that all day.

 

[Luckylucci]

What does it mean that our "Worst Position Group" is the same as our "Most Improved Position Group"? That seems like a really good thing, considering we are replacing about 200 tackles on our defense in that group. If they are going to be better this year, I'll take that all day.

As noted above, it wasn't a comparison to last year as it was to where they were at in the Spring. They were/are the worst position group, IMO, during the Spring. But I expect them to improve quite a bit during Fall Camp and throughout the season. Not a comparison to last years LB's.

 

[stlnd01]

MVP (best player) ........ Okwara
Most Important ............ The QB
Most Improved ............ Jay Ade
Most Surprising ............ Von McKinley
Newcomer OTY ............ Tommy Tremble
Freshman OTY ............. Derek Hamilton
Leader rushing ............. Jafar Armstrong
Leader receiving ........... Chase Claypool
Leader tackles .............. JOK
Leader INTs ................. Jalen Elliot
Leader Sacks ................ Okwara

Best Position Group ............................................ D Line
Worst Position Group .......................................... Kicking game
Most Improved Position Group over 2018 ............. O Line
Most Improved Position Group over the season ..... LB's or else

Keep that faith, Crus.
Looks like McKinley may get his shot, with Austin out for September. Would be great to see him have a year.