A synopsis of my two day trek to Statesboro this past weekend, as I enjoyed a Friday afternoon practice and the first spring scrimmage of the year at Paulson Stadium on Saturday.
Easiest thing for me to do is to offer up a summary by position … one thing is certain, the number of returning starters who are currently relegated to a position of observing was quite noticeable, both in the raw numbers of kids who are banged up or who are being limited in drills and contact for various reasons.
Keeping in tradition with my ‘method’ of reporting, I will not delve into the specifics (if known) of any injuries or other limiting factors …. Again, it is just spring ball and some of the players banged up right now are known quantities when it comes to their work on the field, so I’ll at least wait until fall camp opens before I get too tied up with who is hurt and who isn’t.
Probably the easiest way for me to summarize what I saw Friday and Saturday is to break down by positions, and offer my thoughts:
Center
Depth chart looks nice at center, with experience returning in both Brandavious Mann and Blake DeBartola. While DeBartola is listed on the roster at OL, he has seen significant playing time at center and continued to see some Saturday. Matthew Gilbert (FR) falls in as the third center. Both Mann and DeBartola logged the majority of the scrimmage time, and both are capable of doing the job. Mann seems to have gained a few more pounds but not at the expense of losing any quickness. Considering he was playing light last season, I think that is a positive improvement. With either Mann or DeBartola under center, we are in a good position with good depth.
Defensive Back
The top three performers from what I observed on Friday and Saturday, would have to be Hudson Presume, Javonte Martin and Michael Butler in no particular order. Martin continues to impress me
and Hudson Presume seems to have regained his form and picked up where he left off after his injury and scare on the road at Appalachian State. Presume really stood out to me. Butler continues to do good work, and coupled with Laron Scott (sitting out spring after shoulder surgery), I feel our corner play will be a team strength in the fall. Kevin Martin has nice size, and might be another one to keep an eye on.
Defensive End
John Douglas and Josh Gebhardt were their usual selves, Dion Dubose is still recovering from last year but it was nice seeing him w/o crutches for the first time in a long time. Coaches were really focused on Omari Jones, seeing what he’s got. Looks to me to be a little taller than the 6’0” listing on the roster, and a little heavier than 216, but either way he looks to be a good addition along with Trey Trip at end. Both were getting a lot of ‘coaching’ and snaps in, which is never a bad thing provided you can take constructive criticism. One part of the team where our depth is rather thin.
Defensive Tackle
Well, pretty sure there has been a litany of discussion on Brent Russell’s condition, but I feel pretty comfortable in saying he’ll be ready come fall. He’s everywhere on crutches, but if there is a race where a participant would have to compete on one leg and two crutches, Russell would win without a doubt. During station changeouts at practice on Friday, and again on Saturday at the start of warm-ups, Russell was ‘running’ to the point that he was getting from one area to another quicker than some of the two footed participants, something which might not bode well for some when film is cut up. Bottom line, ManBearPig remains hungry and as Erk used to say he’s got a bad case of the wants. Glad he is an Eagle. I spent the majority of my time watching WKU transfer Korentheus Bailey, and there is definitely some potential there. It isn’t hard to envision a combo of him and Russell, him and Tinsley, Tinsley and Russell etc, causing some opponents some nightmares both in regards to depth and talent. Bailey made some nice plays in the interior, however he is bigger and to some degree slower than either Russell or Tinsley. Toss in the known contributions from Blake Riley and Javon Mention, and we truly have a nice, solid and talented THREE deep at tackle. Spent a lot of time watching Justice Ejike and he should be yet another strong contributor … pretty agile and quick to the ball … out of position occasionally but of course still learning the game speed at the collegiate level.
Fullback
The prevailing theme is who sat out, and Robert Brown has been on the shelf the better part of the week. The good news, for the backups, is that is an opportunity in which to excel (another Erk-ism for the newbies). Aaron Fisher seems intent on locking up the backup B-Back role, but Brent Thomas was selling out as well, especially during the scrimmage. Both had very nice runs at times, and neither put the ball on the ground from what I saw. Fisher seems to be the quicker of the two, and his initial burst is reminiscent of Jermaine Austin, with a running style similar to former Eagle Lester Efford. If Fisher can channel either or both of those former Eagle fullbacks, he’ll be a formidable challenge to Brown for playing time, especially if the fumbles continue. Xavier Sharp may be a factor in the fall, but I’d do my best to consider redshirting him if possible.
Linebacker
First off, just want to reiterate that these reviews are solely my opinion, and of course I’m far from a professional at evaluating football talent. That said, I’m going to give you my perspective here. If there is a position I’m somewhat nervous about, it is linebacker. Now, we certainly have some talented personnel returning … (Darius Eubanks, Josh Rowe, Carlos Cave, Michael Spaulding), but we enter the spring and fall with little proven depth. To me, QB and LB are the only positions that appear to have some depth questions. The good news at LB is that of the 15 or so players on the roster, there will be only three seniors. The four I listed previously have at least two years remaining, as does KR Snipes should he return for a fourth season. Snipes is the one I want to see out there the most. He did excellent work in Hatcher’s bandit role, and though he is undersized he could be very much a factor in providing depth. Roster has Eubanks listed at 6’0” and that looks to be off by at least two inches, if not three. Eubanks reminds me a lot of former linebacker Michael Berry …. A physical presence with a lot of speed and power. John Stevenson and Kyle Oehlbeck will likely round out the two-deep, in my opinion once camp breaks in the fall. Both are good solid players, and have seen a lot of action last year both in game situations and on special teams. Given our depth questions, it would not surprise me if signee Eric Worthen makes the defensive staff seriously consider bypassing a redshirt season.
Offensive Line
I love watching the offense, but like kid that goes to the dessert first, I generally spend a lot of time watching the backs, QB’s and WR’s and don’t generally spend as much time watching the O-line. So I’m not going to drill down to the tackle/guard level for this report and get into too much detail. That said, Lonas, Maxwell, DeBartola, McBurnett, Moore, Byrd and Mann are going to see a lot of playing time. I can never miss a moment to throw some major kudos out to Brett Moore, but my fellow Northside HS alum seems to do a fine job holding down the right corner of the line, and after last year seems poised to have an All-American caliber season in 2011. Due to that, I see a high hurdle for Josh Petkovich breaking into a starting role, but hopefully Josh can get some playing time in. I’ve been an advocate for moving Petkovch’s height and size to the DE position, one I understand that he would be comfortable in given his past play (in high school) on defense. My guess is that the coaches like him on offense because he does give them that nasty effort that Sewak and Johnson both enjoyed, when converting defensive players to the offensive side of the ball. It will be interesting to see if any incoming true freshmen make a mark and afford the opportunity for position changes with existing personnel.
Special Teams
Senior special ! Carter Jones (long snapper), Charlie Edwards, Adrian Mora and Billy Greer should be set for a strong senior season. Best question is who is waiting in the wings in the event of injury or graduation in a year ? Luke Cherry has a strong leg and was booming his punts during spring scrimmage warm-ups, and looks to be the heir apparent there. Placements seems to be a likely spot that Monken and staff will keep an eye on for transfer talent, as Statesboro native and Hatcher signee Graden Bozeman is no longer on the team. The Eagles did sign Barry Davis this February, so he will likely be penciled in as the emergency third string snapper, behind Brett Moore. The job will likely be Davis’ in 2012.
Running Back
Interesting how the official website has three players listed as RB …. Not as slotbacks or fullbacks. Tweeners, I suppose. The issues with Martez Eastland are pretty well documented, so that remains to play out however it will … my take is that you can’t miss what you never had … or something like that. Wouldn’t hold my breath at this point if he is even on the roster come fall, because he is missing valuable reps and there are others getting them. Darrieon Robinson looked to be his usually shifty self, however at least on one occasion on Saturday he was hung out to dry on a pitch and was swallowed up by at least eight Eagle defenders crashing to the ball. Terrell Jackson had a few nice runs, but my guess is the players here will be officially designated as slots or b-backs once fall camp breaks. Robinson is a solid punch at 190 lbs in that smaller frame, and has excellent footwork. Nice to know we still have two years left with him playing for the Eagles.
Safety
Derek Heyden returns as the featured guy in the defensive secondary, and his work is well documented. The player that stood out to me the most though was Deion Stanley… fluid athlete, around the ball, still learning but seems to pack a punch on the tackle. AJ McCray continues to impress me with his physical play, though he was torched on a nice TD pass from McKinnon to Kentrellis Showers during the scrimmage. Boyd Sasser is a local kid (Jenkins Co.) that plays well when given the opportunity, but Heyden and McCray will see the majority of the snaps in the fall. Add Lavelle Westbrooks to the mix and there is a nice starting tandem, as Westbrooks brings cover-corner skills to the safety position. This may be a position where you see a true freshman make an impact on playing time, if Riyahd Jones comes in the fall and delivers the goods. The Rivals 3-star signee has the kind of size that Eagle defensive coaches love to put at safety, however at 170 lbs he would likely benefit from a redshirt year to bulk up.
Slotback
What a nice sight to see Jonathan Bryant back out there mixing it up again, after his injury last season in the opener vs. Savannah State. Pound for pound I don’t think you’re going to get more effort out of a slotback than what he brings, though former high school teammate JJ Wilcox might argue otherwise. Wilcox was out, but he has put on more muscle and looks to be a complete force at slot for the Eagles in 2011. With Nico Hickey, Brian Wilcher and Darrieon Robinson, we should be set at slot again, and they will have all had a year under their belts understanding the blocking responsibilities. Will be interested to see if Alex Ford or some of the new signees make a mark here … would not surprise me if Seon Jones is not redshirted and gets some playing time in 2011.
Tight End
What is a tight end you say ? Well, again there are a few roster members listed here, so I’ll address them in my review as well. Interestingly enough, former Statesboro High signee Willie Burden has bounced his way across several positions, from D-line to O-line, now to TE. He joins Jacob Bagley and Tyler Sumner here. Sumner has gained more muscle, and looks good coming off the line but last season never had too many good looks thrown his way. If there are two players on this team that are tweeners, it is Sumner and Burden. Both are just a tad too short ,slow or underweight for what would likely be their natural positions. It happens … credit the coaches though for trying them in different places, and credit them for sticking with it. Signee Wilson Hudgins is a TE prospect, and if we run sets with the TE it may be Hudgins who leapfrogs the incumbents, as he runs a 40 in the low 4.6’s and is a blocking beast.
Wide Receiver
Some (myself included) have talked on the messageboards about the idea of moving JJ Wilcox to the edge as a WR, to gain his blocking prowess, but I am officially veering away from that, especially in light of Martez Eastland’s troubles and the realization that our team is better with Robert Brown at B-Back as opposed to the suggested move to A-back which would afford the opportunity to move Wilcox (holy run-on sentence !). Inhale. With both Mitchell Williford and Patrick Barker back from injuries during the 2010 season, I am hopeful both will play a more prominent role in their junior seasons. Add Tray Butler to the mix and spring scrimmage show-off Kentrellis Showers, and I think a team weakness is turning towards a strength, though results in the fall will have to bear that out. If there is a position where a 2011 signee makes an immediate impact, I’m predicting it will be at wide receiver. The question will be if Zach Walker or BJ Johnson can come in, block their hearts out and match up to collegiate defenders with a few more years under their belts.
So that is it, a recap of what I saw, my thoughts on the various positions and how it might fall out.
What ? I forgot a position ?
Oh yeah.
Quarterbacks
Jaybo is the obvious incumbent. He will be under center provided he’s healthy. Looked good overall in practice on Friday, but on the longer throws you can still see a little hesitancy there. I’m sure he’s been told to take it easy, and to that extent he didn’t take a snap in the scrimmage. Bottom line, he will easily be up to last year’s capacity, and hopefully once he is fully healed up he’ll be as good as new. Youyoute and McKinnon both ran well in Friday’s practice, but the ball was on the ground too much at the mesh point. Biggest concern from my point on Youyoute is if he is injury prone, or just been the subject of some bad luck. Regardless, McKinnon has made the most of the increased snaps. McKinnon looked completely more comfortable in shotgun during the scrimmage when passing the ball, and on several occasions took off and weaved his way through the defense. Jerick also seems to have put on some good weight, and seemed just as quick but was more decisive, similar to his running vs. Savannah State. McKinnon’s biggest needs right now in my opinion are to continue working on the reads, and the short passing. He still needs work on the short touch passes. Youyoute was out after the first play in the scrimmage, but he also has another gear that makes it hard for the defense to catch up. Russell DeMasi moved the ball extremely well at times, struggled somewhat throwing, and actually had some very nice runs which surprised the defense, cutting back on the lanes. Unfortunately for Russell, he took a hard hit on one of those runs going out of bounds. After that play, McKinnon got the red jersey for no-contact for the remainder of the scrimmage, so it would appear DeMasi is done until the fall. If McKinnon’s play at QB continues in line with what I saw Saturday, the talk by the messageboard coaches to move McKinnon to slotback may slow down or even cease. McKinnon, in the shotgun, reminded me a lot of Chaz Williams in his sophomore season … very strong runner who had a ways to go on the passing game. Like Williams, McKinnon can usually target an open receiver, as he did with the beautiful pass to Kentrellis Showers, but the challenge comes with putting the ball on target in traffic and down the seam where it has to be dropped in over the lineman on stride.
So there it is. I’ll have another recap if I’m able to make it down to Statesboro before spring practice wraps up, if not I will have to wait until fall camp opens.
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