Stephen Spanellis to Vandy
Per his Twitter (if someone could embed, thanks in advance), Stephen Spanellis has committed to Vanderbilt as a grad transfer. Really thought he'd grab a starting spot on the interior OL, but seeing as how he was one of the smartest dudes on the team, going to Vandy for a graduate degree isn't a terrible choice. Good luck to him
February 1st, 2020 at 1:37 PM ^
Attending Vandy for academic reasons is a brilliant move; not so much if football is even a little important to you though.
February 1st, 2020 at 1:58 PM ^
Why not? If he does well against sec competition he will get drafted and he will likely get a chance to do it
February 1st, 2020 at 2:08 PM ^
Edit: didn't know how to phrase my comment in a way that doesn't come across as a knock on spanellis so I'll stop
February 1st, 2020 at 6:58 PM ^
Vandy is no better than Michigan academically. It's probably a lot easier to start on their football team, though, which is likely the reason he transferred.
I hope he does well out there. I'm glad he didn't stay in the Big Ten.
February 1st, 2020 at 1:41 PM ^
Was passed by Carpenter here. Going to be great for him to start in the SEC and get a great graduate degree. Spam was a fun player to follow.
February 1st, 2020 at 1:49 PM ^
Passed at guard or center?
I have a lot of respect for him. He has been a great representative of the school.
February 1st, 2020 at 2:03 PM ^
Expect Carpenter to start at Center. I'd guess the line goes Hayes, Filiaga, Carpenter, Stueber, Mayfield. Rumler will fight for a Guard spot, and there's always the possibility we add a grad transfer like Devery Hamilton after signing day.
February 1st, 2020 at 2:23 PM ^
Did I miss that Ruiz is gone?
I have a 1 month old baby. I could have missed pretty much anything.
February 1st, 2020 at 2:25 PM ^
Yes. Declared for the draft.
February 1st, 2020 at 2:27 PM ^
All Glory To The Most High ?? LOVE ? pic.twitter.com/DG0S3bVI51
— King Ruiz 〰️?? (@_OverCees) January 3, 2020
February 1st, 2020 at 2:30 PM ^
Lol at me. Worst part is I highly likely read several threads about it. The brain just can’t keep up right now.
February 1st, 2020 at 4:34 PM ^
A lot of us have been there and remember it fondly! Congrats and I hope parents and baby are doing well.
February 2nd, 2020 at 11:56 AM ^
It's all good.
I posted the link not to be a dick but it's a great tweet to read.
February 1st, 2020 at 2:43 PM ^
Down voted for having a one month old? Tough crowd.
February 1st, 2020 at 3:10 PM ^
No doubt. I want to congratulate him; both for having a child and his priorities right.
February 1st, 2020 at 3:30 PM ^
Are you surprised though?
February 1st, 2020 at 2:26 PM ^
Obviously there is a lot of uncertainty on the interior of the line you're suggesting but personally I'm good with that group of starters. Michigan's recent O-Line recruiting is one part of the team we shouldn't complain about. All of those guys should be solid to good with the opportunity to improve as the season progresses.
Reasons for optimism: Hayes was already mentally capable, just needed more strength, Filiaga was a highly touted recruit and is a huge dude, Carpenter passed Spanellis and we saw that Spanellis was at least decent at his position, Stueber was pushing Mayfield at RT before going down to injury, Mayfield has gobs of potential and some experience now. The only guy on that line I'm truly skeptical of is Filiaga and if he doesn't pan out Rumler would be a great option for that position.
February 1st, 2020 at 2:34 PM ^
That's a pretty damn good line for 4 "new" starters. Mayfield looks like a stud. Hayes and Stueber have started games. Filiaga is 4th year player that was a top 200 guy. Carpenter by all reports is a beast and we had to beat Clemson head-to-head for him.
Should be a very solid line after a few games. Washington is a big test early.
February 1st, 2020 at 3:38 PM ^
Yeah this is probably the best possible scenario where you can lose four starters and be comfortable. Wisconsin is another school that comes to mind (outside of recruiting titans) that can replace that many starters and be okay.
Hayes played quite a bit last season and didn’t stand out as a sore spot when he was out there. Is he (or Mayfield if they move him to LT) better than Runyan? Probably not yet, but I wouldn’t classify it as a weakness either. Filiaga is probably a downgrade from Bredeson, but again, I’ll take a massive veteran with a few years under Warriner. Center, I expect a few hiccups with a young starter. But Vastardis didn’t look out of place last season, so if Carpenter is better than him then that seems like another good option. Stueber was head to head with Mayfield at RT so I fully expect him to be able to hold his own at guard. And year 2 Mayfield is an upgrade over year 1 mayfield.
Overall I don’t think we’ll look back at this line and think they were dominant or great. But every starting option seems like they will be solid/capable at the very worst. And not many teams breaking in four new starters would be able to say that. Solid seems to be well within reach for this group.
February 1st, 2020 at 8:08 PM ^
Our OL really finished strong.... and the line still looks quite good next year. Mayfield got a big uptick after Alabama...in fact I think he may go to LT, with Hayes to RT. Steuber was even with Mayfield and should do great inside. Carpenter must be pretty good to beat out so many players. That LG spot is unknown to me.
February 1st, 2020 at 5:16 PM ^
Hmm carpenter over runner at center, Ice read that carpenter had position versatility but figured it was G/T not G/C. I was high on Rumler so if carpenter has passed him and he won scout team player of the year that’s the stuff of a great OL. That interior is Going to continue to be massive all three of those mentioned are north of 6-5 and over 330.
February 1st, 2020 at 4:29 PM ^
Zach Carpenter is an interesting player. He was a 3 star, and ranked 554th in the Nation, but both Ed Warinner, and Robbie Caldwell at Clemson, wanted him. And now it looks like he's going to start. He was 100% Crystal Ball'd to Clemson, including by Steve Wiltfong.
February 1st, 2020 at 1:54 PM ^
We'll always have the incredible block against ND. Good luck Stephen!
February 1st, 2020 at 2:12 PM ^
Wish him luck - he'll likely get a chance to compete for a starting spot in the SEC and get a solid grad degree.
February 1st, 2020 at 2:48 PM ^
Interesting. Good for him. I figured he'd choose a place like Vandy / UVa / Duke / Berkeley.
February 1st, 2020 at 4:18 PM ^
This man made a wise choice....Vandy is crawling with ultra-smart and beautiful women.
February 1st, 2020 at 5:12 PM ^
And now B1G transfers. They just took Alex Williams (DE) from OSU and have added guys from Wisconsin and MSU. And Oklahoma, Oregon, Florida,and UCLA. And Mason has turned over half his staff, including both coordinators. Hopefully something clicks now.
February 1st, 2020 at 6:46 PM ^
Good for him