with our shortage at several positions , who can shift and play multiple spots ?

[tophawg19]

We are short at LB , Safety , and OT. with only 7 total LB's and 4 Safeties we need help there . Also we only have 4 true OT's . were any of the DT/DE'S also OT's . who are guys we can move to get at least 3 deep at all positions ? Cross training helps but the skill set is different between OT and OG .  Also LB usually would get help from a hybrid safety but we are short at both. Maybe one of the smaller DE's helping at MLB ?  By next year i don't think this is a problem anymore . we should have good players all across the board

[Tim Harris]

For OT are you counting the recruits we have coming in?

At safety I think Ramirez will get a look there. Also maybe we finally get Duwop to try out defense.

I have no clue what we will do at LB.

[Lake City Hog]

I think that O'Line is fine.

Kirkland
Skipper
Tretola
Beck
Smothers   He will start and play most of the snaps at center.
Ragnow
Koehler
Danenhauer
Wallace

If you figure Smothers to keep the Center spot we have Skipper, Tretola, Kirkland, Ragnow and Wallace to fight over 4 spots! Then we have the loser of the top 5, Beck, Danenhauer and Koehler to back-up. I'm not counting out the 2 walk-ons, Hannah and Gibson.

We have 6 Linebackers, 4 young guys and 2 veterans. Ellis will be the bell-cow, Williams will play, Ramsey will play(unless he grows into a DE) and the Hackett/Eugene combo to back them up. If the light comes on for Williams like it did for Spaight people had better lookout!!!

We have 3 true Safeties on the roster and 4 guys listed as DB with the size to play Safety, D Dean, S Rameriz, C Floyd, and M Reynolds.

Guys, the simple truth is that we have PLENTY of talented players returning to have another top 25 defense. Are we going to miss the grads, absolutely! I think we may struggle just a bit to find the leaders to replace Spaight and Flowers, but Ellis and someone else will step up. Not hitting the ground against a top 20 team will give us the time to develop.

[tophawg19]

For OT are you counting the recruits we have coming in?

At safety I think Ramirez will get a look there. Also maybe we finally get Duwop to try out defense.

I have no clue what we will do at LB.

hoping we can redshirt the OT recruits . other than Merrit , i don't believe any are ready to go now . few freshmen are ready for SEC line play . Ramirez and Scott would help if we get Scott . Graham may be able to back up a spot at LB but i think we need 1 more in the worst way. Even a 2 year juco who could fill a spot for 2 years . king needs weight but could work as a hybrid

[tophawg19]

Lake 6 LB's are nowhere near enough . injuries can wipe them out to easy. same for safety . We need more OT's also . we wore down as the season ended at several positions . especially in the 2nd half of games . Quality depth gives you the ability to stay fresh late in the 4th quarter

[jkstock04]

Lake 6 LB's are nowhere near enough . injuries can wipe them out to easy. same for safety . We need more OT's also . we wore down as the season ended at several positions . especially in the 2nd half of games . Quality depth gives you the ability to stay fresh late in the 4th quarter

If you believe the propaganda (I don't really) that we need more depth on the O-line so we can constantly rotate guys in and out.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

If you believe the propaganda (I don't really) that we need more depth on the O-line so we can constantly rotate guys in and out.

You need more sheer numbers in O-Linemen so they can begin to matriculate at the position and learn for the future. 13 is enough to be able to rotate right now, but it isn't enough to begin to build for the future so that you don't have down years while kids are learning and getting some limited playing time to help bring them along. That is why 15-18 is the ideal number.

[tophawg19]

MHF in our offense i'd say 18 would be the right number . especially as rough as SEC play goes

[texas tush hog]

MHF in our offense i'd say 18 would be the right number . especially as rough as SEC play goes

Duwop would be All-SEC and possibly All American at wide receiver if he would just buy into it.

[tophawg19]

good point . hopefully he follows Derby's example

[BoynamedWooPigSooie]

I think that O'Line is fine.

Kirkland
Skipper
Tretola
Beck
Smothers   He will start and play most of the snaps at center.
Ragnow
Koehler
Danenhauer
Wallace

If you figure Smothers to keep the Center spot we have Skipper, Tretola, Kirkland, Ragnow and Wallace to fight over 4 spots! Then we have the loser of the top 5, Beck, Danenhauer and Koehler to back-up. I'm not counting out the 2 walk-ons, Hannah and Gibson.

We have 6 Linebackers, 4 young guys and 2 veterans. Ellis will be the bell-cow, Williams will play, Ramsey will play(unless he grows into a DE) and the Hackett/Eugene combo to back them up. If the light comes on for Williams like it did for Spaight people had better lookout!!!

We have 3 true Safeties on the roster and 4 guys listed as DB with the size to play Safety, D Dean, S Rameriz, C Floyd, and M Reynolds.

Guys, the simple truth is that we have PLENTY of talented players returning to have another top 25 defense. Are we going to miss the grads, absolutely! I think we may struggle just a bit to find the leaders to replace Spaight and Flowers, but Ellis and someone else will step up. Not hitting the ground against a top 20 team will give us the time to develop.

There's a heck of a lot to pick apart in this post and not much reality. I'll just pick the biggest 2 fails.

1) You think 5 OL with meaningful snaps under their belt is enough to get by on.  You saw the horrible Petrino/Klenakis lines and how it was so thin on numbers and quality we had  walk ons starting multiple spots for multiple years.  These weren't Brandon Burlsworth type of walkons that transformed themselves into an All-American and 2nd round draft pick.  I do credit David Hurd, he was really underappreciated.  Beck and Danenhauer have barely played and Koehler doesn't even get to dress out for home games. You think we can shift some of the DL that couldn't cut it as C/G back to the OL to play OT in the SEC? Relying on walkons and carrying less than 10 scholarship OL is how you go winless in the SEC.  One or two injuries and you're up the creek.  I just don't know how you could think the way you do about the OL after the watching Tyler Wilson have his NFL career snatched from him by taking those hits that he did, (which never got flagged).  What Petrino left us with was the worst Razorback team in our lifetimes, the OL was the biggest deficiency.  It's why Skipper and Kirkland started as freshmen and instantly became the best OL we have.  Bielema knows how to build this. Losing Pruitt to JUCO and not replacing him w/ an OT is something we'll feel this season.  For us to compete in the SEC in a sustainable way we have to build an OL that rock solid.


2)  We do not have PLENTY of talented players to return a top 25 Defense based on talent alone.  Ellis is an OK linebacker, but he's slower of foot and mind than what you need at MLB.  He often makes the wrong first step and then doesn't have the speed to make up ground and cover his mistaken first step.  This how we lost the A&M game and got burned up the middle in pass coverage when he was playing in his freshman year.  This is the year he does have to be the bellcow, but it's because of his experience not his athleticism. The young LB's are exciting, we need another 10 players like them.  We should be OK on DE, DT just went from strength to question mark with Philon entering the draft.  CB looks promising, S needs depth but Coley and the PB kid look to be coming into their own.  If the LBrs have a player that can make a  Spaight like improvement it needs to be Eugene, that guy has star written all over him in my opinion. Hackett could be a devastating player too.  We've got some talent, but it's not enough and you don't play great defense in this conference based on talent alone. 


I like your post but these 2 spots is where it misses the mark.

[FANONTHEHILL]

Perplexed by comments on Ellis. Slow of foot and mind? You don't have 68 tackles and 2 int while carrying a 4.0 GPA majoring in Pre-Med chemistry being slow of foot and mind.

[longpig]

I'm not seeing a lack of talented depth at any position, lack of experience maybe, but not talent.

[Hogarusa]

Duwop would be All-SEC and possibly All American at wide receiver if he would just buy into it.

Based on what?

[PORKULATOR]

Duwop can play anywhere on the field.  Qb... No problem, Safety... Shoot yeah, LB.... Twould be a Tight Ends nightmare, Center?? Fastest snap you've ever seen. Haaa

[Lake City Hog]

Guys, I'm not trying to compare us to some of the top 5 teams. I am just saying that with 25/85 it will take a long time to have 3 deep at every position. And the truth is again pretty simple, guys that are good enough to play ain't gonna hang around on the 3rd team!

Koehler is a RS Sophomore for 2015 so I'm not writing him off just yet. Beck and Danenhauer will be 5th year seniors and should be able to provide enough depth to give the starters a play or 2 off every quarter. Don't kid yourselves, there is a little drop-off on just about ANY team when a starter is out.

I do agree that we are a little out of balance here and there, we have more D'Linemen than O'Linemen and recruited that way again. And yes, injuries can make a huge impact, but 6 scholarship Linebackers should be enough to give us time to work with some of the newcomers. I won't even comment on the remark about Ellis!

This stupid crap about Petrino needs to stop, this ain't about Petrino vs BB. BP left us with some of our very best players from last year. BA, Smothers, Beck, Hatcher, JWill, Walker, Gaines, Philon, Flowers, Mitchel, Loewen, Mitchell, Winston, Lewis, Johnson, Hodge, Turner and others.

[Biggus Piggus]

We are short at LB , Safety , and OT. with only 7 total LB's and 4 Safeties we need help there . Also we only have 4 true OT's . were any of the DT/DE'S also OT's . who are guys we can move to get at least 3 deep at all positions ? Cross training helps but the skill set is different between OT and OG .  Also LB usually would get help from a hybrid safety but we are short at both. Maybe one of the smaller DE's helping at MLB ?  By next year i don't think this is a problem anymore . we should have good players all across the board

Wha?

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

I think that O'Line is fine.

Kirkland
Skipper
Tretola
Beck
Smothers   He will start and play most of the snaps at center.
Ragnow
Koehler
Danenhauer
Wallace

If you figure Smothers to keep the Center spot we have Skipper, Tretola, Kirkland, Ragnow and Wallace to fight over 4 spots! Then we have the loser of the top 5, Beck, Danenhauer and Koehler to back-up. I'm not counting out the 2 walk-ons, Hannah and Gibson.

We have 6 Linebackers, 4 young guys and 2 veterans. Ellis will be the bell-cow, Williams will play, Ramsey will play(unless he grows into a DE) and the Hackett/Eugene combo to back them up. If the light comes on for Williams like it did for Spaight people had better lookout!!!

We have 3 true Safeties on the roster and 4 guys listed as DB with the size to play Safety, D Dean, S Rameriz, C Floyd, and M Reynolds.

Guys, the simple truth is that we have PLENTY of talented players returning to have another top 25 defense. Are we going to miss the grads, absolutely! I think we may struggle just a bit to find the leaders to replace Spaight and Flowers, but Ellis and someone else will step up. Not hitting the ground against a top 20 team will give us the time to develop.

All true, and the last statement is dead nuttz on..!  +1

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

Duwop can play anywhere on the field.  Qb... No problem, Safety... Shoot yeah, LB.... Twould be a Tight Ends nightmare, Center?? Fastest snap you've ever seen. Haaa

I love crack cocaine too..!   

[PaintballHog]

I'm with OP, I would like to see more OT's coming in. It's alot easier to move inside if needed than to move outside from the guard position. I wonder about Ragnow, Smothers will likely finish out this season, and Zac Rodgers has been held as the center of the future. If that's true, could Ragnow be a solid tackle? That's what he was recruited as.


I'm not concerned with LB and safety because we are pulling alot of young talent that will pay major dividends going forward.