OL depth and height
so, in putting together my mock OL (no laughing, we all have done it or are doing it), I notice that other than Cole, 6'6" seems to be the cut-off for playing tackle
6'6" and above = tackle, below G or C (heights listed from 247 website)
LT Cole – 6’4”
Stueber – 6’6”
Newsome (medical rs?) – 6’6”
LG Bredeson – 6’5”
Spanellis – 6’5”
Hall (rs) – 6’5”
C Ruiz - 6’3”
Kugler – 6’4”
RG Onwenu – 6’3”
Runyan – 6’4”
RT Ulizio – 6’6”
Filiaga – 6’6”
JBB – 6’7”
Honigford (rs) – 6’6”
so for 2018 recruiting, Ekiyor (6'2") is definitely a G/C, Ryan Hayes at 6'7" a tackle.
makes Jalen Mayfield at 6'5" a guard, so we are probably looking for a tackle over 6'6" to round out the class if heavily crystal balled Hayes and Mayfield commit
might explain why we aren't pushing hard for McCall (a 6'3" guard) or Reed (a borderline 6'5.5" G/T)
April 10th, 2017 at 12:56 PM ^
"6'6" seems to be the cut-off for playing tackle"
Your perceptual powers are truly breathtaking
I know Prince said sometimes it snows in April but these flakes are turning into an Avalanche.
And just so you know, it's more likely the Oline and run game will be much improved this year because the next five are assured to have more chemistry than the last five.
Kalas moving on is addition by subtraction because it allows new leadership to take hold and that will help them gell as a group. Hopefully that helps close the monster '19 Oline recruting class and all this angst can be saved for the QBs and DBs where it belongs.
Be careful what you wish for. The Oline will be much improved? That's really optimistic.
Didn't this OP just make a post like this yesterday or something? I don't see it now though.
about scholarships
if we add 4, we could lose 3 - Cole, Kugler and maybe JBB doesn't get a 5th year unless he is starting
all conjecture of course, but then again we have til September to kill so.....
...kill the next few months conjecting about the possibility that the Oline unit is going to be the strongest it's been in a decade because:
a) it's 3HB (3rd year of Harbaugh)
b) most of the Hoke era guys are gone
c) Greg Frey, and I can't believe I'm saying that because I hate fucking Eagles, man.
the OP was more about height (and therefore likely reach) and how we are recruiting people and where they might play
I am excited about the talent we have - would like a top 100-150 tackle or 2 this recruiting period to lock up an entire OL and then some of top 150 recruits with incredible depth
.....one of the few positions where chemistry is more important than the sum of the individual stars.
And like QB-WR chemistry, it's the most important factor to the unit's success.
IMO, after looking at the performance of the Oline last few years it seems they never really came together as a strong unit and often weak leadership of the group is the culprit for that. I think with Cole being the main upperclassman in the group, leadership will be stonger and the group will be more cohesive and effective.
What about width?
It's a 2 dimensional sport
Played the heck of that when I was a kid.
Saw one at WalMart a few months ago and almost got it for my son....just for the nostalgia
I'm sure you son is thrilled that you almost got it for him.
I think you mean girth
"Onwenu"
If a guy can play tackle, I don't think him being 6'5 will stop the coaches from putting him there.
I think you should re-read the OP. He totally proved his point with words and numbers.
Maybe in the pros you get pushed inside to guard if your not tall enough to use your hands to keep pass rushers at bay, but in college its that quick first step that protects the OB from getting mangled.
That's just what they are listed as. Ulizio is probably closer to 6'5".
the arm length than the height. Wingspan and height just normally have a really nice correlation. The farther away from the body that the tackle is able to make contact with a pass rusher the better. I'm pretty sure Mayfield is going to be a tackle.
Also, of all the guys listed at 6'6 or above, I'd be willing to be a lot of money that at least half of them are actually an inch or two shorter.
but if everyone is an inch shorter we just drop it to 6'5" and everything else remains the same lol
This super secret height information has let me see that Wisconsin is fucked this year. Of the 15 players listed as OL, only 6 of them are short enough to be a guard or a center! Plus of those guys 4 of them are 6'5" tall. If those guys grow another inch, then Wisconsin will only have 2 players on their roster eligible to play on the interior. They are so screwed LOLOL
It's definitely not that black and white. Yes, tackles tend to be taller and longer than interior linemen, but there are NFL tackles who are 6'4" and 6'5". Jalen Mayfield is definitely a tackle, and Graham Glasgow was a center despite being 6'6".
but it might be the philosophy of how this staff recruits
just like they want tall cornerbacks like when Harbaugh had Richard Sherman at Stanford
Mostly they have been using Hoke's recruits and have played Cole at LT. They also tried Bredeson at LT before Braden. Every report is that Mayfield is being recruited as a tackle. Generally speaking your taller OL play tackle. I don't see any indication that Harbaugh and staff take that as a rule more than anyone else does. You want your tackles to have good feet. I think arm length is next in importance.
You're right about the CBs as we've seen them pass on some very good shorter players.
Mayfield has good arm length and is really 6'6"
we'll see after the roster is full of Harbaugh recruits - I also think after 2016 he is starting to get pickier as he probably recruited better than he expected and took people he might not take going forward since so many want to head here now
6'8'' point guards are rare, but Jalen Rose made it work.
he was tall enough to be an effective tackle, yet stayed at guard. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
+1 informative
and height does have a lot to do with it, but I believe reach is the actual determining factor for OTs. If a person is 6'4 or 5" but is able to just as quickly pick up and stem the rush of a speedy, powerful DE I think they qualify at an OT.
had better OL recruits than Michigan ? No doubt we had an under-achieving OL for at least 3 years (note - Kalis is now gone), but I believe this line is going to be better than previous years. If Frey can make IU's running game good, then I like his chances in Ann Arbor.
Go Blue!
He did pretty well his first go around here. Looking forward to future development.
Funny you should bring this up. Just yesterday I was perusing some NBA rosters and it seems that most centers are like 6'10 or taller while guards are typically the shortest guys on the roster. Never really noticed that before.
Mind=Blown
Tackles tend to be taller than guards, who would have guessed that...
nobody who weighed 300 lbs or more in his first five seasons.
There's no hard-and-fast rule. Looking at the NFL's top tackles, most are 6'6" or taller, but about 25-30% are 6'5" or shorter. Kelvin Beachum is a solid NFL starter and he's only 6'2".
is that the optimally-sized offensive lineman occupies 51,192" of cubic space.