2014 2-deep

[killme]

The "2014 Seniors" thread made me take a look at the 2-deep, with returnees years updated. O & D look good with juniors and seniors. This group should be confident about competing for the B1G next year.

Offense
LT	LG	C	RG	RT	TE (Y)	H	X	Z	FB	RB	QB
Lauer	Epping	T.Olson	Bak	Campion	Goodger	Engel	D.Jones	Fruechte	Henry	Cobb	Nelson
Lenkiewicz	Bjorklund	Christenson	Bush	Pirsig	Plsek	Hutton	Wolitarsky	Maye	M.Williams	Kirkwood	Leidner
Defense
E	T	N	E	SLB	MLB	WLB	CB	S	S	CB
Amaefula	Botticelli	Hageman	Cockran	Hill	D.Wilson	Campbell	Murray	Vereen	Thompson	Wells
H.Epke	R.Johnson	S.Epke	Keith	Rallis	Lynn	Manuel	Shabazz	Travis	A.Johnson	BBC
Special Teams
K	P	H	LS	KR	PR
Hawthorne	Mortell	Mortell	Filkins	M.Jones	M.Jones
				Johnson	Maye
’13 Senior	'14 Senior	'14 Junior	'14 Sophomore

 

[Unregistered User]

Never mind. Had trouble deciphering the "code".

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

Campion will be a Jr.

 

[Seany]

Thanks for the chart. I am loving the look of that offensive line, with that kind of experience, quality, and depth. Just tons of potential there so far as what we might be able to accomplish offensively next season, and I am loving it.

 

[mplsbadger]

Thanks for the chart. I'm probably most excited about #4. Hope he spends all of bowl practice, spring, and fall at WR. I know people were disappointed that Wheelright's brother ended up at UW but DJ had a better season and UW needed help at that position as much as MN did (after Abbrederis).

Thinking about who they might try to find in CC this year, it looks like LB again and perhaps WR are the two spots that need the most help.

 

[GophersOnTheRise]

Sorry if this has been discussed, but what do people think the odds are of Laster starting at SLB next year even if we get Poock? Has anyone heard about how he's looked in practice?

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

Sorry if this has been discussed, but what do people think the odds are of Laster starting at SLB next year even if we get Poock? Has anyone heard about how he's looked in practice?

He looked good in fall practice & would have played this year if not for a minor injury that set him back. He'll have a legit shot at starting next year unless they can upgrade the position, which they are feverishly trying to do via the Juco route. That said, I'm not sure Poock is that kind of Juco. He's a 4 to play 3 guy who Ryan Burns seems sure will red-shirt. Now that we're all but out of the Christian Russell sweepstakes Kill has turned his sites on other similar type Juco OLB's so here's hoping we land one & Laster/Poock can get their feet wet slowly & be ready to start as Jr's.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Thanks for putting that together.

BBC should be listed as a junior as he is almost certainly going to get a medical redshirt.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

So the only spots we need to replace are....

WR-Engel. Let's just assume Harbison comes back & works through his issues. Some combination of the same guys listed + Harbison. A Juco could also come into play here.

FB-Henry. I'm not sure what the plan is here but I'm confident we'll get it worked out.

DT-Hageman & RoJo. At Minnesota you don't just replace a playmaker like Hageman & RoJo is our best run stopper so this is obviously the toughest spot we need to address. Is Legania ready to give us anything as a Sr? Probably not if he couldn't even get in the rotation as a Jr. That leaves us with Hinojosa, Timms & Peppers to choose from. This scares me.

LB-Hill & Manuel. It's clear the staff wants to fill Hill's spot with a ready-to-play Juco. Laster is very talented but he's got zero game experience & just isn't ready to carry the load yet as the starter. There's Cody Poock, but I don't think the staff sees him as an immediate replacement to Hill. With 4 to play 3 we'd have some flexibility with him.

CB-Shabazz. Jalen Myrick steps in here & it should be an upgrade in time, with not much immediate drop off.

S-Vereen. Delatavious McGhee steps into the rotation. I'm excited to see him play. The staff mentioned him having NFL talent & there was quite a bit of buzz about him.

 

[Killjoy]

You need to add B. Boddy-Calhoun to the mix. He was starting at CB before he got injured in the first game.

 

[nc2mn]

Don't forget Scott Ekpe at DT

 

[pharmacygopher]

So the only spots we need to replace are....

WR-Engel. Let's just assume Harbison comes back & works through his issues. Some combination of the same guys listed + Harbison. A Juco could also come into play here.

FB-Henry. I'm not sure what the plan is here but I'm confident we'll get it worked out.

DT-Hageman & RoJo. At Minnesota you don't just replace a playmaker like Hageman & RoJo is our best run stopper so this is obviously the toughest spot we need to address. Is Legania ready to give us anything as a Sr? Probably not if he couldn't even get in the rotation as a Jr. That leaves us with Hinojosa, Timms & Peppers to choose from. This scares me.

LB-Hill & Manuel. It's clear the staff wants to fill Hill's spot with a ready-to-play Juco. Laster is very talented but he's got zero game experience & just isn't ready to carry the load yet as the starter. There's Cody Poock, but I don't think the staff sees him as an immediate replacement to Hill. With 4 to play 3 we'd have some flexibility with him.

CB-Shabazz. Jalen Myrick steps in here & it should be an upgrade in time, with not much immediate drop off.

S-Vereen. Delatavious McGhee steps into the rotation. I'm excited to see him play. The staff mentioned him having NFL talent & there was quite a bit of buzz about him.

I'm curious about this position. It seems to have a big impact in the Minnesota offense. With Cobb, R Williams, B Edwards, and potentially J Jones at running back - I wonder if there's any chance Kirkwood plays there? It would seem odd but he's stout, can pass protect, knows where the running back should be going, and it a way to get more weapons on the field at the same time.

 

[highwayman]

I'm curious about this position. It seems to have a big impact in the Minnesota offense. With Cobb, R Williams, B Edwards, and potentially J Jones at running back - I wonder if there's any chance Kirkwood plays there? It would seem odd but he's stout, can pass protect, knows where the running back should be going, and it a way to get more weapons on the field at the same time.

Kirkwood is not a good fit. You'll likely see Tyler Hartmann backed up by Plsek. They played Plsek at FB quite a bit though he didn't carry the ball.

 

[NukedSquid]

No Maxx?

 

[TCF=UnitedWeStand]

So the only spots we need to replace are....

WR-Engel. Let's just assume Harbison comes back & works through his issues. Some combination of the same guys listed + Harbison. A Juco could also come into play here.

FB-Henry. I'm not sure what the plan is here but I'm confident we'll get it worked out.

DT-Hageman & RoJo. At Minnesota you don't just replace a playmaker like Hageman & RoJo is our best run stopper so this is obviously the toughest spot we need to address. Is Legania ready to give us anything as a Sr? Probably not if he couldn't even get in the rotation as a Jr. That leaves us with Hinojosa, Timms & Peppers to choose from. This scares me.
LB-Hill & Manuel. It's clear the staff wants to fill Hill's spot with a ready-to-play Juco. Laster is very talented but he's got zero game experience & just isn't ready to carry the load yet as the starter. There's Cody Poock, but I don't think the staff sees him as an immediate replacement to Hill. With 4 to play 3 we'd have some flexibility with him.

CB-Shabazz. Jalen Myrick steps in here & it should be an upgrade in time, with not much immediate drop off.

S-Vereen. Delatavious McGhee steps into the rotation. I'm excited to see him play. The staff mentioned him having NFL talent & there was quite a bit of buzz about him.

I'm with ya, but yes, we'll have Ekpe and then I'm guessing (totally guessing) Salzwedahl will put on weight and end up at DT, not DE. Of the group, no big playmakers to date, but steady.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

I'm with ya, but yes, we'll have Ekpe and then I'm guessing (totally guessing) Salzwedahl will put on weight and end up at DT, not DE. Of the group, no big playmakers to date, but steady.

Botticelli is returning as well. He had a really nice season. I expect to see Botticelli and Ekpe start at DT (Botticelli will be a 3 yr starter and Ekpe has seen a lot of PT). I'm with you on Salzwedahl. I always thought he would end up at DT, but he is a bit leaner than I had thought, so we'll see

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

So the only spots we need to replace are....

WR-Engel. Let's just assume Harbison comes back & works through his issues. Some combination of the same guys listed + Harbison. A Juco could also come into play here.

FB-Henry. I'm not sure what the plan is here but I'm confident we'll get it worked out.

DT-Hageman & RoJo. At Minnesota you don't just replace a playmaker like Hageman & RoJo is our best run stopper so this is obviously the toughest spot we need to address. Is Legania ready to give us anything as a Sr? Probably not if he couldn't even get in the rotation as a Jr. That leaves us with Hinojosa, Timms & Peppers to choose from. This scares me.

LB-Hill & Manuel. It's clear the staff wants to fill Hill's spot with a ready-to-play Juco. Laster is very talented but he's got zero game experience & just isn't ready to carry the load yet as the starter. There's Cody Poock, but I don't think the staff sees him as an immediate replacement to Hill. With 4 to play 3 we'd have some flexibility with him.
CB-Shabazz. Jalen Myrick steps in here & it should be an upgrade in time, with not much immediate drop off.

S-Vereen. Delatavious McGhee steps into the rotation. I'm excited to see him play. The staff mentioned him having NFL talent & there was quite a bit of buzz about him.

Is Poock really more experienced than Laster?

They both graduated last year and Laster spent his time here, being a redshirt (learning the defense) and Poock spent his time at a JuCo.

So it really just depends upon on how you look at experience. . .
Same Age
Poock obviously played in games last year.
Laster has been in the program for a year.

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

Kirkwood is not a good fit. You'll likely see Tyler Hartmann backed up by Plsek. They played Plsek at FB quite a bit though he didn't carry the ball.

I mentioned earlier that I thought Kirkwoodland might end up there. What's your opinion as to why he's not a good fit? I've seen him on the punt team, so the staff must see that he's a pretty good blocker.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

What's the status of Isaac Hayes? Wasn't he supposed to be better than Pirsig?

 

[corcoran1]

What's the status of Isaac Hayes? Wasn't he supposed to be better than Pirsig?[/QUOTE Different positions JP-TL, IH-GD.
The chart is a great idea, but if you are going to show '13 seniors, three deep would be a lot more useful.
Kirkwood is really a tough kid, but if you see after practice without the shoulder pads, he is not that naturally big in the upper body, even though there is plenty of muscle. I'm not sure he could deliver the same blow Henry does.
After MSU not sure Bush is ahead of Bjorklund or IH.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

I'm with ya, but yes, we'll have Ekpe and then I'm guessing (totally guessing) Salzwedahl will put on weight and end up at DT, not DE. Of the group, no big playmakers to date, but steady.

Bottacelli & Ekpe will be the starters most likely, I was referring to the other DT's who'll step into the rotation.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

Is Poock really more experienced than Laster?

They both graduated last year and Laster spent his time here, being a redshirt (learning the defense) and Poock spent his time at a JuCo.

So it really just depends upon on how you look at experience. . .
Same Age
Poock obviously played in games last year.
Laster has been in the program for a year.

That's precisely my point. I don't think Poock is in the ready-to-play category as Christian Russell & the new LB out of Gulf Coast CC that they're recruiting are. I think part of what they like about Poock is that he could red-shirt & then have 3 years to play (Credit to Ryan Burns, these are really his thoughts). If they can't get a ready-to-play LB to replace Hill's spot I would imagine it'll be a competition with Laster/Poock the favorites for the job & Ray Dixon & Chris Wipson the dark horses.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I think most are aware, but there is a great scholarship grid over at The Daily Gopher that is very useful.

http://www.thedailygopher.com/pages/football-scholarship-grid

 

[MaxyJR1]

What's the status of Isaac Hayes? Wasn't he supposed to be better than Pirsig?

Hayes is a guard and Pirsig is a tackle. Pirsig was back-up all year and Hayes was on the 2-deeps for WI & MSU with Bak out.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

What's the status of Isaac Hayes? Wasn't he supposed to be better than Pirsig?

Pirsig was more heavily recruited.

Hayes will play plenty at some point. We're just stacked with quality young linemen right now. Next year is pretty set, but the year after in 2015-2016 I'd think we're looking at a depth chart something like this...

LT- Lauer r-Jr / A. Mayes r-So
LG- Bjorklund r-Sr / I Hayes r-Jr
C- Christenson r-Sr / C. Mayes r-Fr
RG- Bush r-Sr / I Hayes r-Jr
RT- Campion r-Sr / Pirsig r-Jr

Hayes could leapfrog Bush. Hayes could take over at #2 center behind Christenson until Connor Mayes is ready. What I know for sure is it's nice to have quality options/depth!!

 

[Spoofin]

So the only spots we need to replace are....

WR-Engel. Let's just assume Harbison comes back & works through his issues. Some combination of the same guys listed + Harbison. A Juco could also come into play here.

Us MN fans should know well enough that we can't count on JuCo WRs. I hope Harbison steps up, but he was INVISIBLE this year and that may indicate something. The coaching staff is making late pushes at some guys at this position. DJones needs to step up (I believe he can) and we likely need a true FR to make an impact too. Definitely a position of concern for next year.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Us MN fans should know well enough that we can't count on JuCo WRs.

Fruechte was a JC and Engel was a Div. 2 player. We counted on them this year.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Fruechte was a JC and Engel was a Div. 2 player. We counted on them this year.

Well. We counted on Engel.

Fruechte caught 10 balls for about 100 yards.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

Well. We counted on Engel.

Fruechte caught 10 balls for about 100 yards.

Ture, but Fruechte is an excellent blocker & it can't be stressed how important that is in our run based system. If you don't/can't block you won't play, doesn't matter how well you run/catch. DCT couldn't block, he's gone. Hopefully that's not Harbison's deal. Outside of some slot WR's, the guys we're looking at are all around 6'3"-6'4" 200lbs coming out of High School. Fruechte said Kill wanted him playing at 225-230lbs. Kill wants road graders at WR, it's one thing Fruechte does well.

The thing I'm most impressed with about Donovahn Jones is not his ability to catch the ball or make plays (obviously that's a great thing), rather his ability to block as true Freshman.

 

[Spoofin]

Well. We counted on Engel.

Fruechte caught 10 balls for about 100 yards.

Exactly my point. AND Issac (in his second year, BTW, less we forget the next year theme of this thread) is a better JC WR than past gems such as David Palmer, Hayo Carpenter, & G'Shun Harris. My point remains that we should not count on a JuCo WR in 2014.