OL Future Question

Submitted by Ziff72 on

After the meltdown on Sat a lot of people have given up and started looking for next year.  I heard Brian mention on his podcast he thought specifically Kalis would/could start next year and saw several similar posts skimming thru the board. My question is for who?  

Personally I don't know what people are thinking, because next year we have

T- Schofield, Lewan

G-Barnum, Omameh

C-Khoury

 

My questions

Do you think this was some people filled with rage going off the deep end for a few days?

Has someone so underperformed that my starting 5 is not to be expected? 

Do they actually think these guys would be ready enough for the power game  to beat out 4th and 5th year players?

I understand that due to depth issues a RF or True Freshmen may be pressed into service next year but to think they might start right away seems farfetched and I think barring injury we look really good on OL for next year.....now 2013 is a different story.

 

 

Jon Benke

October 20th, 2011 at 1:05 PM ^

Some might think that Kalis is a better fit for this offense, at guard, than Omameh and Zach Banner could start at left tackle, moving Schofield to guard.  I can see one of these guys starting, but I can see both, if Banner picks UM, playing next year.  I highly doubt Kyle Kalis and Zach Banner would red-shirt.

And if they won't, they'll play.

Ziff72

October 20th, 2011 at 2:04 PM ^

I haven't seen too many instances of a true freshmen replacing a 5th yr senior who has 3 years of starts under his belt.  I think you're nuts, but weirder things have happened. We'll have to wait and see.

turtleboy

October 20th, 2011 at 7:49 PM ^

redshirted as Tackles. Interior linemen are much more likely to start as true freshman. Justin Boren was the latest lineman to play as a true freshman for us, Molk redshirted. I think lineman not redshirting would be more for the sake of depth than to replace starters, we'll have Chris Bryant next year, but by 2013 we'll need 5 backups in place plus at least a starting Guard if Jack MIller and Bryant play for the first team, more if Lewan is good enough to enter the draft early.

Syyk

October 20th, 2011 at 1:14 PM ^

You think Banner would start at LT over Lewan?  Why shift Lewan to the right side?

 

Edit: Meant as a reply to Jon Benke, not the OP.

Nick

October 20th, 2011 at 1:16 PM ^

The coaches should, if performance is relatively equal, redshift all the freshmen. They could have miller as backup center, mealer and Bryant as backup guards and then have omameh slide out to tackle if either gets hurt ( if lewan goes down slide schofield to LT and omameh to RT). Sure, have the freshmen on the two deep but no need to play em unless we sustain more than 2 injuries at tackle

msoccer10

October 20th, 2011 at 1:46 PM ^

I don't think Kalis will start at the beginning of the year but he could be in the two deep. . If Omameh struggles or Schofield struggles or there is an injury, I could see him starting. But besides the five listed above which will be the presumed starters for next year, we also will have a rs freshman 4 star guard in the form of Chris Bryant who might be ahead of Kalis at guard, at least in the beginning.

yoopergoblue

October 20th, 2011 at 2:54 PM ^

There will for sure be a few freshman Olineman in the two deep, with possible a few starting.  Lewan has LT locked up and RT could be Schofield but he needs to continue to put weight on and get stronger.  Center should be between Khoury and Miller so there is not much of a chance for a true Freshman there.  Guard is probably where a true Freshman has the best chance of starting next year.  Omameh has been really struggling this year and Barnum can't stay healthy.  Those two probably aren't as big and physical as what the staff wants to get to either.  I could see Kalis taking one of those guard spots and a battle for the second spot between Barnum and Omameh.  If we land Garnett he might even be in the discussion there too.

MichFan1997

October 20th, 2011 at 2:09 PM ^

who have given up and started looking towards next year can get bent. We are 6-1, can still win the division, have a bowl game, and still have a shot to beat Ohio. We have too much to play for to look to next year right now.

This being said, I have the feeling Kyle Kalis could come in and push for a job immediately. He'd be the first true freshman starter on the OL since Mr. Plow. If he becomes the next true freshman starter on the OL, the irony of how full circle eveything has come would be delicious.

I've also read interviews where Zach Banner has said the staff has told him they think he could also contribute immediately. Most HS kids aren't ready to come in and play college ball, but Kalis and Banner might be exceptions. Hopefully we have the chance to find out on Banner.

WolvinLA2

October 20th, 2011 at 2:13 PM ^

The way I see it, we only burn a redshirt if there are enough injuries. The guys you list will start, and guys like Miller, Bryant, Mealer and maybe a guy like Gunderson or Glasgow backing them up. Mealer has come in at OT this year, so if someone goes down, he'd be the first to come in at RT. If a guard goes down, Bryant will come in, or Miller could come in at C and Khoury moves over. Also, maybe one frosh lineman plays, but not more than that, and it will be a tackle or a guard, whichever spot needs it most. I highly doubt both will.

bacon1431

October 20th, 2011 at 2:30 PM ^

I think Kalis will be on the two deep next year and will play if there are multiple injuries because you'll see Bryant come in as the backup at the guard spots and Omameh will shift to OT if necessary. He'll travel and dress but he'll only play if absolutely necessary. If he doesn't play, he'll get the RS which would be ideal

m1jjb00

October 20th, 2011 at 5:22 PM ^

There's something to be said for spreading out some of the linemen by redshirting some but not all.  In addition, my own preference would be to have guys on the two deep with some experience by Big Ten play.  That means making a decision and then burning the redshirts of those who make the two deep.  Bars, Braden, Magnuson and Stacey all likely need weight-room work before they can be effective, which leaves Kalis and the player to be named later by default.

LSAClassOf2000

October 20th, 2011 at 5:58 PM ^

 

"Do you think this was some people filled with rage going off the deep end for a few days?"

 

A few people did. I think there were a fair number of cooler  heads with what I will call three-dimensional perspectives of both footnball and the UM-MSU rivalry. Clearly, the O-line folding on a number of occasions was an issue, but considering that there are five winnable games left, I am not going to panic about the O-line just yet. 

 

"Has someone so underperformed that my starting 5 is not to be expected?" 

 

No, but I would  be willing to bet that some of the incoming O-line recruits find themselves on the two-deep. If there are injuries, some of them might find playing time rather quickly. 

 

"Do they actually think these guys would be ready enough for the power game  to beat out 4th and 5th year players?"

 

2012 will be interesting, to say the least. I think the O-line still lacks the physical qualities that the current staff  wants, but this is what recruiting is for, no? They'll do what they can with what they have. I think that the staff walked into this in January maybe thinking that they might have to kick the can down the recruiting road in a few areas. 

cigol

October 20th, 2011 at 7:39 PM ^

The reason we rarely see true freshman start at O-line is size and athleticism.  Keeping things constant, Hoke will be bringing in a bunch of recruits who are 6'5-6'7 275-310 pounds for the rest of his tenure.  By the time they are 4th-5th year players, they will be at 300-330 of good solid athletic weight being in a conditioning program for 4-5 years.  But when you have a bunch of linemen who came in w/ RR or trained under him, we are finding that we are going to have freshmen getting to campus with more size than the experienced guys.  Sure, I know that Posada and Bryant showed up at 340, but gauging their recruiting rankings, they probably weren't the most coordinated duo.  I'm sure that the experienced guys will be more seasoned at the start, but with a 20 LB advantage by a freshman, that can be overcome much more quickly than in other situations.  

I cannot wait to see these recruits fill out their 6'7 frames and become more athletic during their years here.  You know those Badger lines we're envious of?  Those will be here by 2013-2014.

turtleboy

October 20th, 2011 at 8:10 PM ^

their playing status is pretty up in the air though (at least to me, I've been travelling for work and am not in on the latest gossip.) We have freshmen OG Bryant at 341, walkon OT Glasgow at 314, and the uncertain walkons Dallas Williams and Gary Yerden who aren't listed on the team roster, but have player bios on the team website, and team articles about them as recently as mid August. Williams is listed as a 314 lb OG, and Yerden is a 330 lb OT.

Also Elliot Mealer. 310. Most of our incoming kids in high school are bigger than our current starters.

Omar Comin Yo

October 20th, 2011 at 8:23 PM ^

If injuries were to arise Kalis is the only player we would be happy to see. Just pray Lewan doesn't get hurt. Magnuson is too young and Mealer is less than spectacular. If he were to get hurt they could slide Schofield over to LT and insert Kalis at RT.  If Khoury goes down we are screwed. Miller had better put in the work.. Kalis is by far the most important recruit in some time.  The tight end situation is scary next season too. Moore is unproven and R Miller needs some weight training. Ricardo could be a nice option down the road. Williams from the 2012 class should be a nice blocking TE for years to come if he doesn't get too big. Funchess is in the same boat as Ricardo.. A few years before he'll contribute.. Fing RR...

 

LT

Lewan

Magnuson

Mealer

Braden

 

LG

Barnum

Kalis

Bryant

 

 

C

Khoury

Miller

Stacey

 

RG

Omameh

Kalis

Bryant

 

RT

Schofield

Mealer

Kalis

Braden

Bars

 

 

Run Denard Run

October 20th, 2011 at 9:45 PM ^

Barring any unforeseen circumstances (injuries), we'll be fine on the offensive line. Jordan Diamond or Zach Banner will complete a stellar recruiting class for our OL coaches. We have several prospects that could see playing time if necessary. My biggest concern is Khoury replacing Molk. Hopefully, Khoury is reading for prime time next year. If so, most of our OL recruits should be able to redshirt.

Sac Fly

October 20th, 2011 at 11:37 PM ^

Is that the guards we have now are undersized and not the best fit for the system. Kalis on the other hand is the perfect fit to play guard for us.

Blue boy johnson

October 21st, 2011 at 8:29 AM ^

2011 OL situation is more precarious than 2013 IMO,

2011:

10 Scholarship players.11 until Posada's departure

2 true freshman. 3 until Posada's departure

New system

 

Approximation for 2013

2013:

14 Scholarship players

4 true freshman

Established system