2017 Starters

[redleg]

Here is my best guess for the starting lineups for Game 1.
OFFENSE:
QB - #8 sr. Austin Allen 6'1" 210 lbs. 4.75
FB - #34 jr. Kendrick Jackson 6'1" 255 lbs. 4.65
TB - #22 jr. Rawleigh Williams III 5'10" 225 lbs. 4.5
WR - #5 soph. Brandon Martin 6'4" 215 lbs. 4.39
WR - #1 sr. Jared Cornelius 5'11" 210 lbs. 4.4
TE - #44 soph. Austin Cantrell 6'4" 265 lbs. 4.55
LT - #74 soph. Colton Jackson 6'6" 310 lbs.
LG - #51 jr. Hjalte Froholdt 6'4" 325 lbs.
C - #72 sr. Frank Ragnow 6'5" 320 lbs.
RG - #62 jr. Johnny Gibson 6'4" 340 lbs.
RT - #60 jr. Brian Wallace 6'6" 330 lbs.
DEFENSE:
DE - #3 soph. McTelvin Agim 6'3" 290 lbs. 4.65
NG - #78 sr. Bijhon Jackson 6'3" 330 lbs. 5.2
DE - #7 rfr. Briston Guidry 6'3" 295 lbs. 4.8
OLB - #10 jr. Randy Ramsey 6'4" 235 lbs. 4.5
ILB - #8 soph. De'Jon Harris 6'0" 250 lbs. 4.6
ILB - #23 jr. Dre Greenlaw 6'0" 230 lbs. 4.55
OLB - #91 jr. Michael Taylor 6'4" 245 lbs. 4.6
CB - #11 jr. Ryan Pulley 5'11" 200 lbs. 4.4
CB - #5 sr. Henre' Tolliver 6'1" 190 lbs. 4.45
SS - #9 jr. Santos Ramirez 6'2" 205 lbs. 4.45
FS - #28 sr. Josh Liddell 6'1" 210 lbs. 4.45
SPECIAL TEAMS:
PK - #9 jr. Cole Hedlund 5'10" 175 lbs.
P - #18 soph. Blake Johnson 6'0" 195 lbs.
KR - #6 soph. T.J. Hammonds 5'10" 195 lbs. 4.4 or
       #23 fr. Maleek Williams 6'0" 230 lbs. 4.4
PR - #1 sr. Jared Cornelius 5'11" 210 lbs. 4.4 or
       #6 soph. T.J. Hammonds 5'10" 195 lbs. 4.4

Who do you think will start?
:razorback:

[Boss Hog in the Arkansas]

Looks good. I have no confidence in our kicker past 30 yards though

[Biggus Piggus]

Where did you get the 4.4 speed for Henre' Toliver, Josh Liddell and Santos Ramirez?

Let's hope the Hogs can find a way to work some of the real speed into the secondary.

BTW they say Taylor's 270 now.

[redleg]

Looks good. I have no confidence in our kicker past 30 yards though

Hedlund was actually a pretty good placekicker last season. He hit all of his extra points (25), and was 5 of 7 on FG. He missed his only kick beyond 40 yards, but hit both between 30-39 to include a 38 yarder. Hopefully his legs and hips are stronger after a year in the system.
:razorback:

[redleg]

Where did you get the 4.4 speed for Henre' Toliver, Josh Liddell and Santos Ramirez?

Let's hope the Hogs can find a way to work some of the real speed into the secondary.

BTW they say Taylor's 270 now.

I am going by the athletic dept website, + or - 5 or 10 lbs. Tolliver has been clocked in the mid to low 4.4 range. Thought the same of the other two, but maybe not.

[younghog]

Where did you get the 4.4 speed for Henre' Toliver, Josh Liddell and Santos Ramirez?

Let's hope the Hogs can find a way to work some of the real speed into the secondary.

BTW they say Taylor's 270 now.

or 4.4 speed for JRED

[The_Iceman]

Maleek Williams on KOR?

[Boss Hog in the Arkansas]

Hedlund was actually a pretty good placekicker last season. He hit all of his extra points (25), and was 5 of 7 on FG. He missed his only kick beyond 40 yards, but hit both between 30-39 to include a 38 yarder. Hopefully his legs and hips are stronger after a year in the system.
:razorback:

Cole Hedlund is going into his 3rd year here, if im not mistaken. I just hope the light comes on for him this season.

[Biggus Piggus]

I am going by the athletic dept website, + or - 5 or 10 lbs. Tolliver has been clocked in the mid to low 4.4 range. Thought the same of the other two, but maybe not.

The weights on the roster have not been updated since last summer, except for new signees being added for the first time.

[Allhawgdawg]

Clearly I don't post much so no one around here knows me. So first off in no way am I bashing any players and wish all well on the the field and off. But with that said i am critical sometimes and would like to get some opinions. I think the play of our safeties has been one of the worst positions on this team for years now and would really like to see someone emerge this year as a play maker. I'll probably get hammered for this cause he is a instate kid but Liddel would get burnt several times a game, took poor angles, and couldn't tackle at statue last year. I know it's his senior year and I hope he steps up but if not I could really see a young guy stepping in and getting the majority of the snaps.  Liddel is kinda like Ellis last year. He lacks the talent and speed but BB keeps him in there cause he has experience. Ramirez is suspect as well especially in pass coverage but at least he will come up in the box and lay the wood on someone. Thoughts?

[FATHAWG08]

Clearly I don't post much so no one around here knows me. So first off in no way am I bashing any players and wish all well on the the field and off. But with that said i am critical sometimes and would like to get some opinions. I think the play of our safeties has been one of the worst positions on this team for years now and would really like to see someone emerge this year as a play maker. I'll probably get hammered for this cause he is a instate kid but Liddel would get burnt several times a game, took poor angles, and couldn't tackle at statue last year. I know it's his senior year and I hope he steps up but if not I could really see a young guy stepping in and getting the majority of the snaps.  Liddel is kinda like Ellis last year. He lacks the talent and speed but BB keeps him in there cause he has experience. Ramirez is suspect as well especially in pass coverage but at least he will come up in the box and lay the wood on someone. Thoughts?

I agree with your opinion. Safety has really been a weak spot for us the past 3 years.

[Boss Hog in the Arkansas]

Clearly I don't post much so no one around here knows me. So first off in no way am I bashing any players and wish all well on the the field and off. But with that said i am critical sometimes and would like to get some opinions. I think the play of our safeties has been one of the worst positions on this team for years now and would really like to see someone emerge this year as a play maker. I'll probably get hammered for this cause he is a instate kid but Liddel would get burnt several times a game, took poor angles, and couldn't tackle at statue last year. I know it's his senior year and I hope he steps up but if not I could really see a young guy stepping in and getting the majority of the snaps.  Liddel is kinda like Ellis last year. He lacks the talent and speed but BB keeps him in there cause he has experience. Ramirez is suspect as well especially in pass coverage but at least he will come up in the box and lay the wood on someone. Thoughts?

Understatement since this is your 1st post lol
I agree with you on Liddell, he was a liability at times last year. He was literally run over at the goal line several times. One of the opposing dual threat QB's also got him at the goal line. Think it was Fitzgerald from Mississippi State

[bennyl08]

OFFENSE:
QB - #8 sr. Austin Allen 6'1" 210 lbs. 4.75
FB - #34 jr. Kendrick Jackson 6'1" 255 lbs. 4.65
TB - #22 jr. Rawleigh Williams III 5'10" 225 lbs. 4.5
WR - #5 soph. Brandon Martin 6'4" 215 lbs. 4.39
WR - #1 sr. Jared Cornelius 5'11" 210 lbs. 4.4
WR - #13 r. Deon Stewart
TE - #44 soph. Austin Cantrell 6'4" 265 lbs. 4.55
TE  #xx Jeremy Patton
LT - #76 sr Paul Ramirez
LG - #51 jr. Hjalte Froholdt 6'4" 325 lbs.
C - #72 sr. Frank Ragnow 6'5" 320 lbs.
RG - #75 Zach Rogers
RT - #60 jr. Brian Wallace 6'6" 330 lbs.
DEFENSE:
DE - #3 soph. McTelvin Agim 6'3" 290 lbs. 4.65
NG - #78 sr. Bijhon Jackson 6'3" 330 lbs. 5.2
DE - #7 rfr. Briston Guidry 6'3" 295 lbs. 4.8
OLB - #10 jr. Randy Ramsey 6'4" 235 lbs. 4.5
ILB - #8 soph. De'Jon Harris 6'0" 250 lbs. 4.6
ILB - #23 jr. Dre Greenlaw 6'0" 230 lbs. 4.55
OLB - #91 jr. Michael Taylor 6'4" 245 lbs. 4.6
CB - #11 jr. Ryan Pulley 5'11" 200 lbs. 4.4
CB -   Kevin Richardson or perhaps Putu
SS - #9 jr. Santos Ramirez 6'2" 205 lbs. 4.45
FS - #28 sr. Josh Liddell 6'1" 210 lbs. 4.45
SPECIAL TEAMS:
PK - #9 jr. Cole Hedlund 5'10" 175 lbs.
P - #18 soph. Blake Johnson 6'0" 195 lbs.
KR - #6 soph. T.J. Hammonds 5'10" 195 lbs. 4.4 or
       Jordan Jones
PR - #1 sr. Jared Cornelius 5'11" 210 lbs. 4.4 or
       #6 soph. T.J. Hammonds 5'10" 195 lbs. 4.4

Probably won't have Cornelius returning punts with him being the only experienced receiver we have as far as game experience goes.

Also, this is what I think for week 1. Henre will effectively be a starter, but they like him as the nickel corner though he's basically the top backup to either of the outside spots. By the time the season is over, I would not be surprised to see some other players starting, particularly in the secondary. Could be Pulley and Curtis or Pulley and Calloway starting at corner. Brown and Curl and Smith are going to give the safeties all they can handle as well. Ramirez IMO is more likely to hold onto his position. Even if the starters don't change much, I'd be surprised if some of the freshmen don't factor heavily into the rotation back there. I.e. The starters may stay the same, but only playing 51% of the snaps type of thing.

[Biggus Piggus]

Why do you have Ramirez at left tackle, Benny? First day of practice, Ramirez was second-team right guard. I'm not sure Colton Jackson will hang onto the left tackle job this season either, but he's a lot better prepared than he was this time a year ago. Not saying it's impossible, just wondering.

And also - Rogers at guard? Not going to happen. Not in a bazillion years.

[The_Iceman]

Why do you have Ramirez at left tackle, Benny? First day of practice, Ramirez was second-team right guard. I'm not sure Colton Jackson will hang onto the left tackle job this season either, but he's a lot better prepared than he was this time a year ago. Not saying it's impossible, just wondering.

And also - Rogers at guard? Not going to happen. Not in a bazillion years.

I don't think Rogers will ever play anything other than Center. Too short. Should be Ragnow's replacement tho.

[bennyl08]

Why do you have Ramirez at left tackle, Benny? First day of practice, Ramirez was second-team right guard. I'm not sure Colton Jackson will hang onto the left tackle job this season either, but he's a lot better prepared than he was this time a year ago. Not saying it's impossible, just wondering.

And also - Rogers at guard? Not going to happen. Not in a bazillion years.

He was being looked at at LT last fall and getting glowing reviews from the coaches before his injury. His JUCO tape shows a great blend of athleticism and strength. His last given weight was 299. A 6'6, 299 pound player is suited for a tackle, but is small for a guard. Further, a tackle can almost always kick in and play guard a lot easier than a guard can kick out and play tackle. The tackle would lack some of the road grading and the height could pose an issue for the qb, but still more ideal than the shorter guard who lacks the athleticism playing tackle IMO. If it isn't Ramirez at LT, I'd expect it to be Jackson.

As for Rogers, why do you say not in a bazillion years? Rogers is being groomed to take over the center position, no? Generally speaking, most teams like the inside positions to be interchangeable. If Rogers is a bazillion years from being able to play guard, that would mean he is at least a billion years away from being ready to play center. That is not the impression I got from the coaches last year, much less this year. He was frequently part of the starting lineup rotation during fall camp to find the right pieces. That he wasn't a starter but was in strong contention last year (and he was tried at both guard and center), suggests to me that he is close to being a starter. Froholdt has the LG locked down it appears. Which leaves us with the RG position. Ragnow technically started a game there last season with Raulerson starting at center (Texas State), with Raulerson starting much of the season there before being replaced by Gibson. Gibson can start there, but his ceiling is lower than many of our other players though his floor is also higher. Merrick was the backup there last season and is a candidate as well as Malone to go along with Raulerson and Gibson. I do believe that Gibson loses his spot this year, which leaves us with Raulerson as the most likely candidate, along with Malone, Merrick, and Rogers.

The biggest reason I can think of to not have Rogers start at all is that our depth at center would be gone if he was injured. However, Raulerson has experience there as well, including a start here at Arkansas. So, that means that we have 3 players who can play the center spot with Ragnow, Rogers, and Raulerson, presumably in that order. Now, coaches have been talking up Raulerson this offseason so far so he would appear to be a safe bet to start there again this year. However, after making 7 starts there last season (with an 8th at center), he was then benched for a walk-on player. That gives me pause. So, I'm hesitant to give him the starting position (obviously the word "give" here is being used loosely as first, anybody who starts for our team has had to earn that start and I'm in no position to have literally any say in the matter). So, for my projection of starters, that leaves us with Merrick, Malone, and Rogers. Which to me, Rogers is the best player of that group.

[Allhawgdawg]

Understatement since this is your 1st post lol
I agree with you on Liddell, he was a liability at times last year. He was literally run over at the goal line several times. One of the opposing dual threat QB's also got him at the goal line. Think it was Fitzgerald from Mississippi State

lol You have to grow up at some point right? I lost my HV V card today. But I believe it was Fitzgerald you are thinking of. Poor kid had no chance and would would make my blood pressure rise watching him play at times. I know it's early but I could see or maybe just hope Brown is the real deal or maybe they move Richardson to FS.

[RebelW]

TJ Hammonds and a guy like Jon Jon Nance are ideal KOR

[Youngsta71701]

Looks good to me. Although I think Dwayne Eugene will start over De'Jon Harris at that ILB spot.

[Boss Hog in the Arkansas]

TJ Hammonds and a guy like Jon Jon Nance are ideal KOR

Havent seen nance so I cant comment on him, but TJ is what we've been missing as a return man. Cant just be a guy that can catch and fall after 3 steps, has to be a game changer that could change the flow of the game

[Pork Twain]

http://www.hogville.net/yabbse/index.php?topic=632338.0

[Youngsta71701]

Oh yeah, I forgot. I think T.J. Hammonds will be the primary kick returner and punt returner. Jared Cornelius will take on more of a load at receiver.

[hawginbigd1]

Clearly I don't post much so no one around here knows me. So first off in no way am I bashing any players and wish all well on the the field and off. But with that said i am critical sometimes and would like to get some opinions. I think the play of our safeties has been one of the worst positions on this team for years now and would really like to see someone emerge this year as a play maker. I'll probably get hammered for this cause he is a instate kid but Liddel would get burnt several times a game, took poor angles, and couldn't tackle at statue last year. I know it's his senior year and I hope he steps up but if not I could really see a young guy stepping in and getting the majority of the snaps.  Liddel is kinda like Ellis last year. He lacks the talent and speed but BB keeps him in there cause he has experience. Ramirez is suspect as well especially in pass coverage but at least he will come up in the box and lay the wood on someone. Thoughts?

Welcome aboard if this is representative of your posting ability i feel you have a great future because i agree 10000000%. I have been wrong at least once, but i feel we will be disappointed if at least one of these 2 don't lose their job if not both.

[hawginbigd1]

Looks good to me. Although I think Dwayne Eugene will start over De'Jon Harris at that ILB spot.

Whoever makes that decision would be an idiot imo.

[Youngsta71701]

Whoever makes that decision would be an idiot imo.

This staff has the tendency of putting experience over everything else. That's been the norm so far anyways. Unless the younger player is exceptional (McTelvin Agim exceptional).

[Pork Twain]

This staff has the tendency of putting experience over everything else. That's been the norm so far anyways. Unless the younger player is exceptional (McTelvin Agim exceptional).

Well CBB's first couple of years would indicate that is completely the opposite of how he approaches who plays.  Could be that this year and last, those that have the most time on campus are also the best suited for the tole.

[bennyl08]

This staff has the tendency of putting experience over everything else. That's been the norm so far anyways. Unless the younger player is exceptional (McTelvin Agim exceptional).

Really? On the OL, Skipper, Kirkland, Ragnow, Froholdt and Colton Jackson for a little bit all say hello.

At receiver, Cornelius and Hatcher both say hi.

At TE, Henry, Cantrell, O'Grady, and Gunter say hi.

At RB, JWill, Collins, RW3, and Whaley all say hi.

At QB, Brandon Allen says howdy.

On the DL, Froholdt, Ledbetter, Agim, Philon, Capps all say how do you do.

At LB, Ellis, Harris, Greenlaw all say pleased to meet you.

At the secondary: Hines, DJ Dean, Jared Collins, Rohan Gaines, Ryan Pulley

All played above upperclassmen and I'm probably missing some as well. Either all those players are Agim type exceptional, or Bielema has no problem playing younger players if they are more talented.

Or, maybe you could claim that many of these under classmen were competing against upperclassmen, but upperclassmen who weren't terribly experienced themselves. However, if you are limiting it to on the field experience that counts, then Eugene is barely more experienced than Harris himself is.

[Allhawgdawg]

Really? On the OL, Skipper, Kirkland, Ragnow, Froholdt and Colton Jackson for a little bit all say hello.

At receiver, Cornelius and Hatcher both say hi.

At TE, Henry, Cantrell, O'Grady, and Gunter say hi.

At RB, JWill, Collins, RW3, and Whaley all say hi.

At QB, Brandon Allen says howdy.

On the DL, Froholdt, Ledbetter, Agim, Philon, Capps all say how do you do.

At LB, Ellis, Harris, Greenlaw all say pleased to meet you.

At the secondary: Hines, DJ Dean, Jared Collins, Rohan Gaines, Ryan Pulley

All played above upperclassmen and I'm probably missing some as well. Either all those players are Agim type exceptional, or Bielema has no problem playing younger players if they are more talented.

Or, maybe you could claim that many of these under classmen were competing against upperclassmen, but upperclassmen who weren't terribly experienced themselves. However, if you are limiting it to on the field experience that counts, then Eugene is barely more experienced than Harris himself is.

Brets first two years he was forced to start true freshman on the oline due to lack of talent and the same for a few other posistions. And the majority of the other players you listed where uper classmen so are you saying he prefers to play upper classmen? And I have yet to see Frohldt take a snap on the defensive line. But I have been critical of BB for some time playing the older player over younger guys when I felt the young players where more talented especially on defense. Brooks Ellis is a prime example of this IMO.

[factchecker]

Really? On the OL, Skipper, Kirkland, Ragnow, Froholdt and Colton Jackson for a little bit all say hello.

At receiver, Cornelius and Hatcher both say hi.

At TE, Henry, Cantrell, O'Grady, and Gunter say hi.

At RB, JWill, Collins, RW3, and Whaley all say hi.

At QB, Brandon Allen says howdy.

On the DL, Froholdt, Ledbetter, Agim, Philon, Capps all say how do you do.

At LB, Ellis, Harris, Greenlaw all say pleased to meet you.

At the secondary: Hines, DJ Dean, Jared Collins, Rohan Gaines, Ryan Pulley

All played above upperclassmen and I'm probably missing some as well. Either all those players are Agim type exceptional, or Bielema has no problem playing younger players if they are more talented.

Or, maybe you could claim that many of these under classmen were competing against upperclassmen, but upperclassmen who weren't terribly experienced themselves. However, if you are limiting it to on the field experience that counts, then Eugene is barely more experienced than Harris himself is.

[factchecker]

And I have yet to see Frohldt take a snap on the defensive line.

You watch much Razorback football?

Froholdt played in 10 games on defense as a true freshman in 2015.

He had 3 tackles and a fumble recovery----- the fumble recovery is at  6:33

[Dwillhog66]

Brets first two years he was forced to start true freshman on the oline due to lack of talent and the same for a few other posistions. And the majority of the other players you listed where uper classmen so are you saying he prefers to play upper classmen? And I have yet to see Frohldt take a snap on the defensive line. But I have been critical of BB for some time playing the older player over younger guys when I felt the young players where more talented especially on defense. Brooks Ellis is a prime example of this IMO.

Your feelings about younger players being more talented are nothing more then guesses which is why you r posting on a message board and not coaching major college football

[bennyl08]

Brets first two years he was forced to start true freshman on the oline due to lack of talent and the same for a few other posistions. And the majority of the other players you listed where uper classmen so are you saying he prefers to play upper classmen? And I have yet to see Frohldt take a snap on the defensive line. But I have been critical of BB for some time playing the older player over younger guys when I felt the young players where more talented especially on defense. Brooks Ellis is a prime example of this IMO.

Decent troll job. I've seen better, but you did get one response out of me.

If you are adamant that you are not trying to troll, I'll need you to post that you didn't watch any games in 2015, find spelling/typing difficult, and have a tendency to not realize that it is hypocritical to say that a coach values experience over talent unless the inexperienced player is simply more talented.

[Allhawgdawg]

Brain fart by me. Completely forgot he did play on the d line his first year and thought he got moved to the oline right away. And no troll here just stating my opinion and that's exactly why I am merely a fan and not a coach that is there everyday. It's my opinion I  have seen flashes that make me believe we have some talented young guys on the team and hopefully that will show this year. I'll try to proof read and check my spelling next time so it's up to your standards 

[factchecker]

Brain fart by me.

I have them all the time despite my username.

Message-boards are rough.  Hard to tell when someone genuinely doesn't know or if they are trying to stir crap.

[bennyl08]

Brain fart by me. Completely forgot he did play on the d line his first year and thought he got moved to the oline right away. And no troll here just stating my opinion and that's exactly why I am merely a fan and not a coach that is there everyday. It's my opinion I  have seen flashes that make me believe we have some talented young guys on the team and hopefully that will show this year. I'll try to proof read and check my spelling next time so it's up to your standards 

Sure. List the upperclassmen that you mentioned in an earlier post, because everybody I listed was playing as a sophomore or younger and in front of players who had been here longer than they had.

You mention that the only young players that Bielema has played were of Agim level exceptionalism. I mention a heckuva lot of players that were sophomores or younger that were playing ahead of upperclassmen, most of which are well below Agim levels of talent.

You add that the first two years don't count because we didn't have enough talent. However, that is literally true every time an underclassmen plays in front of an upperclassmen. Every single time. Think about it, why did Agim get so much playing time last year? Because we didn't have enough talent in front of him to keep him off the field. If our DE rotation consisted of Flowers, Bequette, Chris Smith, and a healthy Wise Jr, all juniors or above, Agim redshirts unless we don't have enough talent on the interior of the line. If we have Philon, both Jones, Thomas, Green, Jackson, Hodge, and Harrison back there, Agim definitely redshirts.

12 of the players were underclassmen playing in the past two seasons (15 and 16) ahead of more experienced upperclassmen. That is half of our starters or at least 1/3 of the players who were among the regulars players rivaling the starters in playing time. Or, do you think that Cantrell, O'Grady, Gunter, RW3, Whaley, Froholdt, Froholdt again, Agim, Capps, Greenlaw, Harris, and Pulley are all Agim levels of exceptions, in which case we should be threatening to win the natty in no time.

[redleg]

I can see Hammonds as the number one punt returner and kick returner. It makes sense to let Cornelius focus on being the top receiver with the most experience.
I can see Jeremy Patton getting more playing time at TE as the season goes along, maybe even becoming the starter at some point.
For me, all of the o-line jobs are filled, except for LT. Jackson has it right now, but someone could take it from him. Although, I recently heard that Raulerson is really pushing Wallace at RT. Maybe Raulerson should be trying for the LT job. CBB has said that he has changed his body over the last year and has improved his upper body strength and hips. Something else to watch for!
The d-line is solid regardless who starts. Agim is a sure thing, Jackson or Capps at NG will be good either way, and I really like Guidry at the other end. Although, TJ Smith is going to fight for it.
At LB, I'm pretty sure Greenlaw is going to be on the inside, and Harris has the talent and size to be a Jermaine Petty type LB! I see Ramsey at one outside spot, but the other is open as far as I am concerned. Taylor is a good fit there, but so is Gabe Richardson, and so is Kyrei Fisher (←VERY excited to see this guy on the field!).
In the secondary, Pulley is a lock at left CB. Tolliver, Richardson, Curtis, and Calloway will fight it out at right CB. If Tolliver earns it, Richardson might be the nickel, and vice versa.
Ramirez is the SS, but I want to see Dalton step up and challenge him, along with Curl.
Liddell is the FS, mostly due to experience. Brown is the future there, but will the future start sometime during the 2017 season, or will it start in 2018? Who knows?! 
:razorback:

[Boss Hog in the Arkansas]

Sure. List the upperclassmen that you mentioned in an earlier post, because everybody I listed was playing as a sophomore or younger and in front of players who had been here longer than they had.

You mention that the only young players that Bielema has played were of Agim level exceptionalism. I mention a heckuva lot of players that were sophomores or younger that were playing ahead of upperclassmen, most of which are well below Agim levels of talent.

You add that the first two years don't count because we didn't have enough talent. However, that is literally true every time an underclassmen plays in front of an upperclassmen. Every single time. Think about it, why did Agim get so much playing time last year? Because we didn't have enough talent in front of him to keep him off the field. If our DE rotation consisted of Flowers, Bequette, Chris Smith, and a healthy Wise Jr, all juniors or above, Agim redshirts unless we don't have enough talent on the interior of the line. If we have Philon, both Jones, Thomas, Green, Jackson, Hodge, and Harrison back there, Agim definitely redshirts.

12 of the players were underclassmen playing in the past two seasons (15 and 16) ahead of more experienced upperclassmen. That is half of our starters or at least 1/3 of the players who were among the regulars players rivaling the starters in playing time. Or, do you think that Cantrell, O'Grady, Gunter, RW3, Whaley, Froholdt, Froholdt again, Agim, Capps, Greenlaw, Harris, and Pulley are all Agim levels of exceptions, in which case we should be threatening to win the natty in no time.

Agim is one of those players that only comes around a few times per generation. It didn't matter who was ahead of him, he was going to touch the field at some point. I expect him to really take it to the next level this coming season

[Peter Porker]

I thought I read where Harris is playing outside and not inside.

[hawginbigd1]

I thought I read where Harris is playing outside and not inside.

There was an article on wholehogsports that said he is the expected starter at Mike. Which is as it should be, like I have said barring injury people are going to be wowed by this player, not that it matters, but there was a reason why Saban went hard at this kid.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Wonder what Gibson's role moving forward will be and if this situation affects him starting once the season rolls around.

Whatever occurred, they are allowing him the opportunity to earn his way back into the good graces of the staff and the team. If he follows the path and requirements that they have laid out for him, he should be back in the starting rotation by Fall. Of course the danger of screwing up and getting demoted is that maybe someone who was situated below you, gets to show what they can do and displaces you and sometimes that is good enough that you find it difficult to overcome.

[Cure]

Briston Guidry will be a monster for the Hogs this season.

[snoop hawgy hawg]

Agim will be a savage this year. Mark my works..

[Paul]

Understatement since this is your 1st post lol
I agree with you on Liddell, he was a liability at times last year. He was literally run over at the goal line several times. One of the opposing dual threat QB's also got him at the goal line. Think it was Fitzgerald from Mississippi State

he will run over a lot of safeties in his career

[Stephen Greene]

Clearly I don't post much so no one around here knows me. So first off in no way am I bashing any players and wish all well on the the field and off. But with that said i am critical sometimes and would like to get some opinions. I think the play of our safeties has been one of the worst positions on this team for years now and would really like to see someone emerge this year as a play maker. I'll probably get hammered for this cause he is a instate kid but Liddel would get burnt several times a game, took poor angles, and couldn't tackle at statue last year. I know it's his senior year and I hope he steps up but if not I could really see a young guy stepping in and getting the majority of the snaps.  Liddel is kinda like Ellis last year. He lacks the talent and speed but BB keeps him in there cause he has experience. Ramirez is suspect as well especially in pass coverage but at least he will come up in the box and lay the wood on someone. Thoughts?

how dare you state your opinion without asking our permission

[snoop hawgy hawg]

Some of you may have already seen my topic about the o-line( sacs allowed). I personally believe our o-line will be very productive..so productive that we will have the leading rushing attack in the sec this season..I believe our starting O-line of ..

Jackson/froholdt/ragnow/gibson/wallace

Even with Gibson in the dog house I believe he is extremely talented and showed flashes of what he could be. If he can have a productive spring I think he will be back in the starting line up come fall camp.. add a talented and experienced o-line with two RB who I think will play in the NFL...I believe our run game will be dominant.

[OLjunkie]

He was being looked at at LT last fall and getting glowing reviews from the coaches before his injury. His JUCO tape shows a great blend of athleticism and strength. His last given weight was 299. A 6'6, 299 pound player is suited for a tackle, but is small for a guard. Further, a tackle can almost always kick in and play guard a lot easier than a guard can kick out and play tackle. The tackle would lack some of the road grading and the height could pose an issue for the qb, but still more ideal than the shorter guard who lacks the athleticism playing tackle IMO. If it isn't Ramirez at LT, I'd expect it to be Jackson.

As for Rogers, why do you say not in a bazillion years? Rogers is being groomed to take over the center position, no? Generally speaking, most teams like the inside positions to be interchangeable. If Rogers is a bazillion years from being able to play guard, that would mean he is at least a billion years away from being ready to play center. That is not the impression I got from the coaches last year, much less this year. He was frequently part of the starting lineup rotation during fall camp to find the right pieces. That he wasn't a starter but was in strong contention last year (and he was tried at both guard and center), suggests to me that he is close to being a starter. Froholdt has the LG locked down it appears. Which leaves us with the RG position. Ragnow technically started a game there last season with Raulerson starting at center (Texas State), with Raulerson starting much of the season there before being replaced by Gibson. Gibson can start there, but his ceiling is lower than many of our other players though his floor is also higher. Merrick was the backup there last season and is a candidate as well as Malone to go along with Raulerson and Gibson. I do believe that Gibson loses his spot this year, which leaves us with Raulerson as the most likely candidate, along with Malone, Merrick, and Rogers.

The biggest reason I can think of to not have Rogers start at all is that our depth at center would be gone if he was injured. However, Raulerson has experience there as well, including a start here at Arkansas. So, that means that we have 3 players who can play the center spot with Ragnow, Rogers, and Raulerson, presumably in that order. Now, coaches have been talking up Raulerson this offseason so far so he would appear to be a safe bet to start there again this year. However, after making 7 starts there last season (with an 8th at center), he was then benched for a walk-on player. That gives me pause. So, I'm hesitant to give him the starting position (obviously the word "give" here is being used loosely as first, anybody who starts for our team has had to earn that start and I'm in no position to have literally any say in the matter). So, for my projection of starters, that leaves us with Merrick, Malone, and Rogers. Which to me, Rogers is the best player of that group.

A few things to keep in mind about Raulerson.  He injured his ankle against TCU and could not push off of it until he quit playing on it full time.  He played RG at 295 lbs last season.  Even after Fro got hurt, he was the first off the bench to fill.  They move JG to LG and JR to RG. KA has said that we would compete with BWall at RT this spring before JG moved to the dog house.  JR is now healthy, and at a weight of 320 which both BB and KA have said is a major transformation.  This Spring is only his 3rd off season of his college career.  He had an appendectomy as a early enrollee at Texas, was healthy for his RS FR, RS SO seasons, graduated and elected to transfer for his RS JR Spring (worked on his own) and has now put on 25 lbs since December with Herbs.

JR will have a great shot to start at one of the 5 positions and at worst case be the replacement for 4 of the 5 positions.

[hobhog]

Oh yeah, I forgot. I think T.J. Hammonds will be the primary kick returner and punt returner. Jared Cornelius will take on more of a load at receiver.

Sounds like TJ has showed out early in drills. I expect him to see lots of action next year as 3rd receiver, and HOPEFULLY returner. He needs touches.

[Youngsta71701]

Well CBB's first couple of years would indicate that is completely the opposite of how he approaches who plays.  Could be that this year and last, those that have the most time on campus are also the best suited for the tole.

How many of those upper classmen had experience with Bielema when he first came? Exactly, none. Since he's been the coach the players with the most experience under him and his system usually get first dibs. It's up to them rather they keep the position or not.

[Youngsta71701]

Really? On the OL, Skipper, Kirkland, Ragnow, Froholdt and Colton Jackson for a little bit all say hello.

At receiver, Cornelius and Hatcher both say hi.

At TE, Henry, Cantrell, O'Grady, and Gunter say hi.

At RB, JWill, Collins, RW3, and Whaley all say hi.

At QB, Brandon Allen says howdy.

On the DL, Froholdt, Ledbetter, Agim, Philon, Capps all say how do you do.

At LB, Ellis, Harris, Greenlaw all say pleased to meet you.

At the secondary: Hines, DJ Dean, Jared Collins, Rohan Gaines, Ryan Pulley

All played above upperclassmen and I'm probably missing some as well. Either all those players are Agim type exceptional, or Bielema has no problem playing younger players if they are more talented.

Or, maybe you could claim that many of these under classmen were competing against upperclassmen, but upperclassmen who weren't terribly experienced themselves. However, if you are limiting it to on the field experience that counts, then Eugene is barely more experienced than Harris himself is.

Come on you know what I mean. If there is a situation where the under classman is clearly better than the upper classman and it's not even a debate the younger player will get the position. Is that the case with Eugene and Harris? Is Harris clearly the better option than Eugene? If not Eugene will get first crack at it.

[bennyl08]

Come on you know what I mean. If there is a situation where the under classman is clearly better than the upper classman and it's not even a debate the younger player will get the position. Is that the case with Eugene and Harris? Is Harris clearly the better option than Eugene? If not Eugene will get first crack at it.

Moving the goal posts.

I mean, what are you complaining about at this point? What you literally just said is if the younger player is better, he will play. If he is the same or worse, then the older or better player gets the nod. Is there any coach in the country that doesn't do that?

Eugene and Harris are two different positions. They aren't competing against each other for a starting spot unless something changes and they end up playing out of position. Eugene is a WLB and is competing against Greenlaw for playing time. Harris is a true MLB and was competing against Ellis and getting significant playing time in the process. Now that Ellis is gone, he has to compete against the likes of LaFrance who redshirted while Harris was getting in game reps. Now, Eugene can certainly play Harris's position as well and if Greenlaw holds onto his spot, Eugene would likely be the first to come in for relief of either Greenlaw or Harris.

However, from the looks of things, we are going to have a Coley-type player at the Razor as a LB/S hybrid, a WLB like Greenlaw/Eugene and one of the ILB positions, a MLB style player at the other ILB, and a Ramsey/Taylor type player at the Hog as a LB/DE hybrid.