Starting Line up Predictions for next year..

[mikejND]

I say Steve Paskorz
Gary Gray (Not sure if that's a surprise)
John Goodman

-What are your predictions?

 

[The Polish Irishman]

I have a feeling Crum might lose his spot..I was dissapointed with his progession as the season when on. He was beaten badly several time verus Standford. McNeil will have something to say about cornerback next year as well.

 

[SoCalDomer]

I predict 11 starters on offense and this may be going out on a limb, but also 11 starters on defense.

 

[WeisWeisBaby]

I feel that Floyd might have a chance to break Kamara's TD record next year, Alidridge will surpirse many once his injury streak is finished, McNeill and Gray will make for some interesting DB battles in the spring, and Tate will have learned at least one more route by the first game.

 

[NDChatt]

I predict 11 starters on offense and this may be going out on a limb, but also 11 starters on defense.

I will take it a bit further, there will be at least one senior, junior, and sophomore start next year.

 

[mikejND]

Sorry guys, I previously posted 11 starters on each side of the ball but changed it when I saw someone had already started a thread on it.

-I bet the reason Maurice Crum has been non-existent over the last, what; 3 weeks, is beacuse of that turf toe. Pain from a turf toe can last for a while, in most cases you will need to stop doing the activities that cause the pain until the toe has improved. If you continue doing activities that cause pain, it will take longer to recover.

Turf toe results from excessive pushing off of the big toe when you run or jump. Jamming the toe into a hard surface can also cause turf toe. You can imagine how hard it is for him to move lateral, and push off if that's the case. If that's the case the greatest concern for me is our depth on the inside. I know he's the leader, but if guys like Toryan Smith can't come in and provide minutes I'm a little nervous. I'm not sure if I've even heard his name on the field this year, it almost seems as if he's redshirted. lol. That's why I expect a guy like Paskorz to step up.

 

[kjones]

I predict 11 starters on offense and this may be going out on a limb, but also 11 starters on defense.

well played sirrah.

 

[Irishtat]

Here's the lineup I like as of today... I know the DL may be a wee bit LARGE but I like the possiblities... Left ? where the comp should be thick and moved the versitile Bruton to strong because I like the idea of two freaks together. Crum needs to heal and lose 10 lbs for added quicks. Lots of young talent, fun times speculating....


Defense:
DE: Kuntz
NT: Hunter
DE: Williams
OLB: Neal
OLB: B.Smith
ILB: Crum
ILB: T.Smith, Paskorz
CB: Gray, McNeil
CB: Walls
FS: H.Smith, McCarthy
SS: Bruton

Offense:
LT: ? (Young)
LG: Turk
C: Wenger
RG: ?
RT: ?
TE: Yeatman/Ragone
WR: Kamara, Parris, West
WR: Floyd, Tate, Grimes
QB: Clausen
FB: ?
HB: ? (Huuuuuuuuughes)

 

[jonesman]

You guys crack me up. You are so fast to throw people to the curb and just insert people who have never played a down of college football in front of others who have played for 3 years. Let's get our heads on straight here a bit.
Defense:
DE: Kuntz - CW even said he was headed there
NT: Williams - He earned that spot thru the second half of the season
DE: Brown - Justin has shown some good flashes and with a final year of growth, he will be solid
OLB: Neal - He showed he is for real
OLB: Smith - Brian plays the game with true passion and talent to back it up
ILB: Crum - He will be defensive captain
ILB: Smith's - I believe Toryan and Scott will battle this one out.
CB: Walls - Probably on some preseason AA watch lists. He is so solid
CB: Lambert - He will return for a 5th year and anchor the other side.
S: Bruton - The other defensive captain and fearless hitter
S: Nobody knows this one. This will be one of the fearest battles on the team. McCarthy, Brown, Gaines, Harrison Smith will all battle for this one.
On defense there are some wild cards which could changed things around a bit. On the DL, will Kallen Wade become a factor, will Darrel Hand become an aggressive player, can Omar, Cwynar, Ethan or anther freshman make an Ian type impact?? At LB, can Paskorz use his size and speed to impact things, will Vernaglia return to live up to his billing, could Richardson move to ILB and make an impact?? At OLB, can John Ryan strengthen to be a physical player, could Fleming have a freshman impact like Brian Smith?? At CB, if Lambert happens not to return who can step in, McNeil, Prince, Gray?? At Safety, is there a deeper position on the team??

Offense:
QB: Clausen - The reigns are officially his. It is nice to know we have a good back up too.
RB: Committee - Have you heard of him. He never gets hurt or tired. Yes, we will utilize Allen, Hughes and Aldridge. Do not be so fast to throw James to the side. I went back and looked at the games, he is very solid. Hughes has a bit better balance, but James has more top end speed. Allen is just damn fast. I love this backfield
FB: Schwaap - This one makes me ill. He is soo bad, but CW likes him. I do think Luke gets much more time in 2008 though.
WR: Kamara - He is entrenched and deserves to be so.
WR: Grimes - He had the dropsies in a couple games following his injury, but recovered nicely. He will never put the fear of God in a D, but is solid all day.
WR: UNKNOWN. This position is wide open. Parris gave this one away.
TE: Yeatman for blocking. Ragone for receiving.
OT: Young. He will recover from a weak sophmore season.
OG: Turk. He was a weak link early, but progressed to be a strength late season.
OC: Wenger. He is already better than Sully.
OG: Olsen. He makes some bonehead penalties, but plays with an edge.
OTuncan/Stew. Duncan will probably start, but Stew will sub alot.
On Offense there are some things that will be of serious interest at each position. At QB, can we keep Jimmy healthy, can Evan stay at back up so Crist can redshirt?? At RB, will CW keep all three happy, can we redshirt Jonas especially if Jabbie returns?? At FB, can we please get Luke on the field?? At WR, will Floyd and Goodman make Kamara type impacts, can Golden become the third WR?? At TE, will Rudolph be able to crack the line up to use his size?? At OL, will the fact we now have talented depth make the starters become leeps and bounds better??

In final analysis, all this will be so fun to watch this spring

 

[notredomer23]

Here's the lineup I like as of today... I know the DL may be a wee bit LARGE but I like the possiblities... Left ? where the comp should be thick and moved the versitile Bruton to strong because I like the idea of two freaks together. Crum needs to heal and lose 10 lbs for added quicks. Lots of young talent, fun times speculating....


Defense:
DE: Kuntz
NT: Hunter
DE: Williams

I gaurentee you Hunter wont start. He will ne great but he wont start. Kuntz, Williams, and Hand or Brown will be the starting D line

 

[johnnd05]

Great post, Jonesman. IMO, Stewart will probably be the starter at RT. I also think Romine has a shot to get some serious p/t, or even a starting job, at one of the OG spots.

 

[ColonialHead]

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.

 

[Rizzophil]

I personally believe that Sam Young is going back to RT because that's where he's at his best. Then, I believe that they will put Christ Stewart at RG and have a devastating right side to run behind. IMO

 

[notredomer23]

CH, Why no Kerry Neal at OLB

 

[ColonialHead]

CH, Why no Kerry Neal at OLB

I like Neal a lot domer. I failed to list him, but I do think he'll play a role. I just don't think he'll start. Mainly because I think Mo Richardson, Brian Smith and Vernaglia (assuming he returns and depending on whether they use him on the inside or outside) will provide a better option. But I have no doubt that Neal will get some meaningful playing time and be a major player in 2009.

Of course, I could be way off.

 

[jonesman]

Colonial,
I have to pick on you with a couple of your thoughts. I like your passion and your enthusiasm for our incoming class, but here are some thoughts on what you said.
LB - Filer is great, but will not step right in and start as a freshman inside. This position is too tough with all the reads and such. He will get time but not as a starter.
OLB - Richardson could barely get on the field to sub for Neal last season. Neal anchors opposite Brian Smith.

DL - John Ryan is NOT going to start at DE. He will need a full season more to gain the size necessary. He was just totally outphysicalled at OLB taking on TE's. Imagine him taking on 320# tackles. He needs about 30#'s on his frame. Brown and Kuntz will man the DE's. At NT, Omar will be like Ian was this year, getting gradually building time.

CB - I really doubt we see Blanton on the field this season. CW has so much depth at this position, I bet he would like to spread the years out. Gray will be heavy in the mix, CW even said in his year end summary, that Gray was coming on.

Safety - You did not even mention Harrison Smith. He WILL be a factor this fall. CW talked about him two weeks ago and how good he is looking. This position has unbelievable depth.

OL - The current freshmen we have committed will all redshirt in 2008, so Clelland and Cave will not be in the mix. They have talent, but need time to mature.

WR - You did not even list David Grimes. He will start out as the number two receiver. Kamara is a lock, then Grimes and the final spot is up for grabs, with Tate hopefully stepping up. Parris lost serious ground last season with the drops in the last several games.

Not picking on you, just some things you had missed. It is exciting to many options.

 

[aaronb]

Offense:

Qb-Clausen

Tb-Aldridge

Fb-Schwapp, Schmidt sees lots of PT

Wr-Kamara

Wr-Jackson,Tate,Floyd,Parris,West in order of depth

Te-Yeatman gets opening week start, Ragone plays more during season

Lt-Young,Romine is primary Tackle backup on both sides

Lg-Turk

C- Wenger, Bemenderfer is primary backup and LS

Rg- Olson, Stewart plays alot and probably earns at least 1 start

Rt- Duncan

Defense:

Le-Kuntz

Nt-Ian Williams

Re-Justin Brown

Olbs- Kerry Neal and Brian Smith both start

ILB- Crum and Vernaglia both back for 5th years to start

Cb- Walls and McNeil start
Gray and Gordon fill nickle and dime slots

S- Bruton and Kyle McCarthy start with Sergio Brown backing both slots (ala McCarthy's role this year)

P- Maust
K-Walker

Returns handled by

Gallup
Floyd
Goodman
Jonas Gray
George West

 

[irish4ever]

I predict 11 starters on offense and this may be going out on a limb, but also 11 starters on defense.

Is that with or without including a punter and kicker?

 

[aaronb]

Grimes is the 3rd reciever on my list.

 

[ColonialHead]

I predict 11 starters on offense and this may be going out on a limb, but also 11 starters on defense.

I missed that the first time around... good stuff SoCal!
And ultimately it's very true, 22 boys will take the field. That is about the only thing any of us do know for certain.
Reps.

 

[quiksilver253]

Offense
LT: Young
LG:Olson
C: Wenger
RG: Trevor Robinson
RT: Stewart/Duncan
TE: Ragone

QB: Clausen (Dayne redshirts)
#1 WR: Kamara
#2 WR: Floyd!
#3 WR: Grimes
FB: Schwaap (sadly)
HB: Hughes

Defense
RDE: Kuntz
NT: Ian Williams but Omar Hunter will get time
LDE: Will be Justin Brown but by end of the year, ethan johnson will be in the equation
CB:Walls
CB:Gray
OLB:Brian Smith
ILB:This is a big ?. probably Toryan smith cause there isnt anything else.
ILB: MOCRUM
OLB:Kerry Neal
SS: Bruton, no question
FS:Im going to go with Mcarthy

 

[AlbuquerqueIrishFan]

I think Floyd breaks out as an immediate weapon and gets major time at the 3rd and even 2nd receiver slot. Kamara is awesome, but Floyd has gamebreaking speed. I predict him to be one of ND's all time best.

 

[notredomer23]

I like Quicksilvers annalysis. reps. I just disagree with Ragone, he will be the 2nd TE behind yeatman. I think it doesnt matter who the starting RB is because they will all get fairly equal time, but Hughes will do the best.

 

[quiksilver253]

I like Quicksilvers annalysis. reps. I just disagree with Ragone, he will be the 2nd TE behind yeatman. I think it doesnt matter who the starting RB is because they will all get fairly equal time, but Hughes will do the best.

The reason i put ragone there is because i believe he has better hands than yeatman. Yeatman seems to be a better blocker than he is a reciever and assuming charlie gets back to his old playing style and sends the TE out and gets him more receptions, i believe that ragone will get more playing time than yeatman.

But that's just me...

 

[Irishtat]

I gaurentee you Hunter wont start.

I'm going to hold you to that...

 

[Junkhead]

. Kamara is awesome, but Floyd has gamebreaking speed.

Floyd doesn't really have elite speed. His strengths are size, body control, and hands. He is not a burner though.

 

[Irishtat]

You guys crack me up.... Let's get our heads on straight here a bit.

Thanks for your vote of confidence! Like I said lots of questions and speculation... Agree that it'll be fun to see how it shakes out.

 

[Junkhead]

The reason i put ragone there is because i believe he has better hands than yeatman. Yeatman seems to be a better blocker than he is a reciever and assuming charlie gets back to his old playing style and sends the TE out and gets him more receptions, i believe that ragone will get more playing time than yeatman.

But that's just me...

Ragone needs to add to his 230lbs frame to be able to block consistently at TE.

 

[quiksilver253]

Ragone needs to add to his 230lbs frame to be able to block consistently at TE.

this is true

 

[jonesman]

Quicksilver,
Good post, but I am willing to put 2 ND tickets up as a bet that Trev is NOT going to start in front of Turk. Turk came on strong late in the season and further, we do not even have a commit from Big Trev yet. He will be great, but he will be a freshman trying to take a Seniors spot who started a whole season.