Roadgraders and their Depth-Will they Plow & Protect?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Here is the O-Line depth going into 2017. I'm encouraged by the number of bodies that we have and the talent that is being developed within those numbers. But this O-Line has a lot to make up for from last season. I'm sure that they have focused on some of last seasons shortcomings over the off season. We allowed an uncharacteristic 35 sacks and 87 TFL last season compared to 14 and 60 in 2015 and 14 and 62 in 2014, even though some of the mistakes last year were not solely the fault of the O-Line.

It has been said that these kids have rededicated their focus and effort over this off season and Ragnow has had these guys out working on various techniques in voluntary workouts (other than normally scheduled), which of course is a good thing to see.

Phil Steele has our O-Line ranked 5th in the West behind 1) Alabama, 2) Miss State, 3) Auburn and 4) LSU for 2017. Only 6) Ole Miss and 7) Texas A&M come in behind us. 

We all realize how important the production of the O-Line is to both our rushing and passing games. How much of an improvement do expect them to make for 2017?

                     LT                                       LG                                      C                                       RG                                          RT
     C. Jackson, So., 6-6, 300           H. Froholdt, Jr., 6-4, 318       F. Ragnow, Sr, 6-5, 319            J. Gibson, Jr., 6-4, 344               B. Wallace, Jr., 6-6, 335
      P. Ramirez, Sr., 6-6, 299            Z. Rogers, Jr, 6-1, 306          Z. Rogers, Jr, 6-1, 306            J. Raulerson, Sr., 6-4, 301           J. Merrick, So., 6-4, 327
       S. Clenin, Fr., 6-6, 295            D. Malone, Jr., 6-3, 296         C. Sone, R/So., 6-2, 298            Z. Rogers, Jr, 6-1, 306              D. Wagner, Fr., 6-9, 330
       T. Hall, R/Fr., 6-4, 296             C. Sone, R/So., 6-2, 298        D. Hays, R/Fr, 6-3, 294             K. Adcock, Fr., 6-5, 300   
       J. Hannah, Jr, 6-2, 282      

[Al Boarland]

We have the added benefit of a number of elite pass rushers leaving for the NFL.

I'm sure the programs that recruit at a high level have potential replacements, but until they show it on the field it's just potential.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

We have the added benefit of a number of elite pass rushers leaving for the NFL.

I'm sure the programs that recruit at a high level have potential replacements, but until they show it on the field it's just potential.

That always helps any team, but the biggest thing that should help this team is being able to nail down the techniques taught by Coach Anderson in his second year over the OL. Sometimes it isn't about being the biggest or strongest O-Line if you don't have great technique, and you can't have great technique without lots of repetition of that technique in practice. I expect we will see a much more efficient O-Line for the Hogs this year.

And, they need to cut their sacks allowed in half and reduce their TFL Allowed by 30% over last year.

[nwahogfan1]

We have lots of older linemen with many having game experience so to me we have no excuse except bad coaching if we don't have a good OL this year.

[bennyl08]

Here is the O-Line depth going into 2017. I'm encouraged by the number of bodies that we have and the talent that is being developed within those numbers. But this O-Line has a lot to make up for from last season. I'm sure that they have focused on some of last seasons shortcomings over the off season. We allowed an uncharacteristic 35 sacks and 87 TFL last season compared to 14 and 60 in 2015 and 14 and 62 in 2014, even though some of the mistakes last year were not solely the fault of the O-Line.

It has been said that these kids have rededicated their focus and effort over this off season and Ragnow has had these guys out working on various techniques in voluntary workouts (other than normally scheduled), which of course is a good thing to see.

Phil Steele has our O-Line ranked 5th in the West behind 1) Alabama, 2) Miss State, 3) Auburn and 4) LSU for 2017. Only 6) Ole Miss and 7) Texas A&M come in behind us. 

We all realize how important the production of the O-Line is to both our rushing and passing games. How much of an improvement do expect them to make for 2017?

                     LT                                       LG                                      C                                       RG                                          RT
     C. Jackson, So., 6-6, 300           H. Froholdt, Jr., 6-4, 318       F. Ragnow, Sr, 6-5, 319            J. Gibson, Jr., 6-4, 344               B. Wallace, Jr., 6-6, 335
      P. Ramirez, Sr., 6-6, 299            Z. Rogers, Jr, 6-1, 306          Z. Rogers, Jr, 6-1, 306            J. Raulerson, Sr., 6-4, 301           J. Merrick, So., 6-4, 327
       S. Clenin, Fr., 6-6, 295            D. Malone, Jr., 6-3, 296         C. Sone, R/So., 6-2, 298            Z. Rogers, Jr, 6-1, 306              D. Wagner, Fr., 6-9, 330
       T. Hall, R/Fr., 6-4, 296             C. Sone, R/So., 6-2, 298        D. Hays, R/Fr, 6-3, 294             K. Adcock, Fr., 6-5, 300   
       J. Hannah, Jr, 6-2, 282

Might want to work on the formatting of the post. Pretty jumbled up and hard to read at the bottom.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Might want to work on the formatting of the post. Pretty jumbled up and hard to read at the bottom.

Looks fine to me. You must be using something other than a desktop or a laptop?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Here's is what a panel of the Media have to say about the prospects for the O-Line in 2017.

Tom Murphy: There's certainly no assurance the offensive front will be better without a senior like Dan Skipper replaced by an athletic sophomore in Colton Jackson. However, if C Frank Ragnow makes the strides the coaching staff feels he will and the other projected starters improve marginally over their 2016 performances, then the Razorbacks project to be stronger up front overall. I'm predicting the Hogs will rush 171 yards per game, an improvement of roughly 5 percent from last year's 164.2 yards per game. I think sacks will drop from 35 to 27. The passing average of 264.2 yards per game -- exactly 100 more per game than the rushing figure -- will remain static, if not drop by a small percentage IMO.

More comments inside:

http://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2017/jul/03/razorback-roundtable-offensive-line/

[bennyl08]

Looks fine to me. You must be using something other than a desktop or a laptop?

On a 24" screen desktop...

[MuskogeeHogFan]

On a 24" screen desktop...

Don't know what to tell you Benny. It looks fine on my screen.

[Ex-Trumpet]

Don't know what to tell you Benny. It looks fine on my screen.

Doesn't line up on my computer either.

[navyhog24]

Here's is what a panel of the Media have to say about the prospects for the O-Line in 2017.

Tom Murphy: There's certainly no assurance the offensive front will be better without a senior like Dan Skipper replaced by an athletic sophomore in Colton Jackson. However, if C Frank Ragnow makes the strides the coaching staff feels he will and the other projected starters improve marginally over their 2016 performances, then the Razorbacks project to be stronger up front overall. I'm predicting the Hogs will rush 171 yards per game, an improvement of roughly 5 percent from last year's 164.2 yards per game. I think sacks will drop from 35 to 27. The passing average of 264.2 yards per game -- exactly 100 more per game than the rushing figure -- will remain static, if not drop by a small percentage IMO.

More comments inside:

http://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2017/jul/03/razorback-roundtable-offensive-line/

I would use someone more credible than local media. The OL is still a huge question mark. AA loves to hang on to the ball longer than his older brother, who had a sense of the pocket that he helped the numbers look a lot better. With AA holding it longer trying to wait for his receivers to get open and the OL's general suckiness, don't give me much hope.

[bennyl08]

Don't know what to tell you Benny. It looks fine on my screen.

Happens in some of my threads too. Looks fine on my screen but is a bit jumbled on others.

Not really anything you can easily do other than make the post less wide especially when it looks fine on your end. Just letting you know that it won't be fine for everybody reading it.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Here is the O-Line depth going into 2017. I'm encouraged by the number of bodies that we have and the talent that is being developed within those numbers. But this O-Line has a lot to make up for from last season. I'm sure that they have focused on some of last seasons shortcomings over the off season. We allowed an uncharacteristic 35 sacks and 87 TFL last season compared to 14 and 60 in 2015 and 14 and 62 in 2014, even though some of the mistakes last year were not solely the fault of the O-Line.

It has been said that these kids have rededicated their focus and effort over this off season and Ragnow has had these guys out working on various techniques in voluntary workouts (other than normally scheduled), which of course is a good thing to see.

Phil Steele has our O-Line ranked 5th in the West behind 1) Alabama, 2) Miss State, 3) Auburn and 4) LSU for 2017. Only 6) Ole Miss and 7) Texas A&M come in behind us. 

We all realize how important the production of the O-Line is to both our rushing and passing games. How much of an improvement do expect them to make for 2017?

                     LT                                       LG                                      C                                       RG                                          RT
     C. Jackson, So., 6-6, 300           H. Froholdt, Jr., 6-4, 318       F. Ragnow, Sr, 6-5, 319            J. Gibson, Jr., 6-4, 344               B. Wallace, Jr., 6-6, 335
      P. Ramirez, Sr., 6-6, 299            Z. Rogers, Jr, 6-1, 306          Z. Rogers, Jr, 6-1, 306            J. Raulerson, Sr., 6-4, 301           J. Merrick, So., 6-4, 327
       S. Clenin, Fr., 6-6, 295            D. Malone, Jr., 6-3, 296         C. Sone, R/So., 6-2, 298            Z. Rogers, Jr, 6-1, 306              D. Wagner, Fr., 6-9, 330
       T. Hall, R/Fr., 6-4, 296             C. Sone, R/So., 6-2, 298        D. Hays, R/Fr, 6-3, 294             K. Adcock, Fr., 6-5, 300   
       J. Hannah, Jr, 6-2, 282      

Happens in some of my threads too. Looks fine on my screen but is a bit jumbled on others.

Not really anything you can easily do other than make the post less wide especially when it looks fine on your end. Just letting you know that it won't be fine for everybody reading it.

Can you read me now?

[bennyl08]

Can you read me now?

check.

[NashvilleHog]

The O-line was historically bad last year.  I don't know what happened, but it was a disaster and I have no idea how Allen was able to walk at the end of the year. 

I'd like to think it will be better, but just as it will be with our defense coming off a historically bad season, it will be a wait and see with the OL. 

[gmarv]

I can read it fine.what has happened to the kid named Heinrich (maybe misspelled) seems like he was highly thought of coming out of high school.

[bennyl08]

Also, to the OP, I expect our OL to make the average amount of improvement from one year to the next. I expect first year players to improve more than multi year players and first year starters to improve more than multi year starters.

While starters might get a little faster, a little stronger, and the such, I expect the biggest change to be the game slowing down for the 3 brand new starters we had last year. That should lead to a large decrease in mental errors made. Luckily for us, physically our line did pretty good last year, but mental errors were by far the biggest reason for failure.

I think by the end of the season, the OL will get more credit than they actually deserve though just like they took more blame last year than was really their fault.

What do I mean by that? The entire offense save for the receivers were extremely green last season. New qb, new running backs, new offensive line and new TE's outside of Sprinkle. Combine that with pass rushers beyond the norm for the schools we played. Bama had a historic year rushing the passer last year, with their ability to get sacks normally not that good. Aggies had the #1 overall draft pick as a pass rusher. Auburn had a DL that was able to pass rush way more than what they normally have. LSU had some good rushers though nothing that much more than usual. Combine that with a qb who wants to make a play rather than throw the ball into the stands and you suddenly have a lot more sacks than usual. For example, put in a junior BA and the number of sacks are easily halved. Throw in this OL and qb into the SEC 2 years ago and the sacks given up are probably a third less at least. Give AA the 2015 OL and hold everything else constant and sacks are down by half or so as well.

As bad as the OL was at times last year, we still put on a crazy good show on offense. While losing RW3 hurts a lot, our RB group is more experienced with more depth this coming year than it was last year. Whaley had a lot more experience as a true fresh than rawleigh did, Maleek was here for spring which Devwah was not. Walker had more experience than David, but not significantly. Thus, the RB's will be better able to see the holes that the OL creates which was an issue at times last year, and will likely make the OL look more improved than they will be. Austin will be better at reading defenses and quicker at making decisions in year 2 than he was year 1 as a starter which will make the OL look better. Further, he'll be able to audible to better plays and put the OL in better situations.

Essentially, we were very much in a 2013-esque situation last year in 2016. New OL, new RB's, new qb. The difference b/w 2013 and 2016 was that the talent level and depth with 2016's offense still being very potent.

I expect to see a proportionally similar jump as we saw in the offense from '13 to '14. There are several positive feedbacks at play. If we assume no physical improvement in the OL and assume similar levels of talent in competition, the experienced OL in 2017 will have fewer mental errors leading to fewer times that a defensive player is going unblocked. This gives Austin more time. But Austin is more experienced and doesn't need as much time to make a decision as last year meaning he can be doubly effective in shredding defenses through the air. Similarly, having the improved OL and improved backfield leads to a positive feedback loop. Another year of experience means the running holes should be a little bit bigger and last a little bit longer, meaning that with no improvement in the backs, they should have more success. However, we do have improvement with the backs meaning that even with the OL being the same, the same holes from last year will lead to more success in the running game this year. Combining the two could lead to a drastically improved run game. Which leads to the final major feedback. With the passing game being improved by fewer unblocked rushers and quicker decisions by the qb, the defense won't be able to load the box to stop the run, making it easier to run block. Similarly, with the improved running game, defenses will have to worry about gap control and maintaining contain making it harder to rush the passer making pass blocking easier. Normally, you don't have all three of these working at the same time. Maybe you return your qb and rb's, but lose 2-3 starters on the OL, or you return the OL but not the qb/rb and thus a lot of these things at best cancel out. Having all 3 of those be inexperienced last year, and all 3 returning a lot of talent and experience for this year could lead to a perfect storm offensively. The only thing we have to cancel some of this out is the loss of receivers. Young receivers would lead one to expect it to take them longer to get open which would cancel out the qb being able to more quickly make a decision, but you still have the OL being able to provide more time as well so the trifecta may be dampened a bit by the receivers, but not broken.

[bennyl08]

I can read it fine.what has happened to the kid named Heinrich (maybe misspelled) seems like he was highly thought of coming out of high school.

He redshirted as a true freshmen last year. Jeez, give the kid some time. He hasn't even been on campus for a full calendar year I don't think.

[GuvHog]

The O-line was historically bad last year.  I don't know what happened, but it was a disaster and I have no idea how Allen was able to walk at the end of the year. 

I'd like to think it will be better, but just as it will be with our defense coming off a historically bad season, it will be a wait and see with the OL. 

The O Line had problems last year because only 2 starters returned from 2015 and Anderson had to almost completely rebuild it with very little depth which is a recipe for disaster. This year however, the Hogs return 4 O Line starters with good depth. They should be solid up front.

[bphi11ips]

Phil Steele has in recent years been one of the few analysts to give CBB-led Arkansas any reason for optimism.

For Steele to state expectations this low regarding an area of the program CBB has tried to sell as one of his strengths is telling.

What has Steele said?  Am I missing something above?

[gmarv]

He redshirted as a true freshmen last year. Jeez, give the kid some time. He hasn't even been on campus for a full calendar year I don't think.

good grief it was just a question. I keep reading about the true freshmen and not much on him and wondered if anybody had any thoughts on how he was doing.

[bennyl08]

good grief it was just a question. I keep reading about the true freshmen and not much on him and wondered if anybody had any thoughts on how he was doing.

That's a very differently posed question. When you are asking what happened to a player, it implies that player's story here is past tense. What is happening with Heinrich or how is Heinrich developing, where is he fitting into the picture suggests that things are still changing and developing. Given the context from the first part of the post, it then reads as though rather than asking if he is still highly though of today because he was coming out of HS, it reads as though his status as being somebody highly thought of is strictly in the past and is no longer applicable.

Given your later response, it appears that was simply an honest miscommunication. Many, many, many posters on here do complain that somebody has been a bust when the player hasn't had a chance to be a starter yet. Because of the prevalence of such attitudes here, I did not give you the benefit of the doubt of what you were trying to communicate and assumed that you were among them. For that, I apologize.

To answer your question, he is developing well and was praised by the coaching staff in the fall camp last year and spring this year. However, he is just now going into his redshirt freshmen year and we have a lot of depth at OL this season.

[ImHogginIt]

Steele has our OL 5th in SEC West but 12th in the nation. Oh my the sky is falling 

[FANONTHEHILL]

Look for the freshmen to all redshirt.  Also, there have been a couple players shuffled around position wise.  Wait until camp begins.

[ricepig]

Look for the freshmen to all redshirt.  Also, there has been a couple players shuffled around position wise.  Wait until camp begins.

Or you could just spill the beans......

[Cinco de Hogo]

Steele has our OL 5th in SEC West but 12th in the nation. Oh my the sky is falling 

Problem with that is we do play in the SEC and we do face those teams so regardless of the overall ranking it won't help our record unless we prove them wrong on the field.  Offensive line is probably the position group I'm most interested in to see if they can settle into a formable group.  If not I feel sorry for Austin!

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Problem with that is we do play in the SEC and we do face those teams so regardless of the overall ranking it won't help our record unless we prove them wrong on the field.  Offensive line is probably the position group I'm most interested in to see if they can settle into a formable group.  If not I feel sorry for Austin!

Now come on, all that does is explain just how high the bar is set in the SEC West. It isn't like this is something new to us. There is no need to be negative or expect the worst at this point when the first snap hasn't even occurred yet. There will be plenty of time to complain and be negative if the O-Line doesn't demonstrate that they are vastly improved over last year.

[Cinco de Hogo]

Now come on, all that does is explain just how high the bar is set in the SEC West. It isn't like this is something new to us. There is no need to be negative or expect the worst at this point when the first snap hasn't even occurred yet. There will be plenty of time to complain and be negative if the O-Line doesn't demonstrate that they are vastly improved over last year.

I wasn't being negative but it's a waste of time to ignore facts.  As one of the players I would be looking at that and figuring out how much more work I need to put in so I turn a negative into a positive.  So as I said it's a position of great interest to me...as they all are.  LOL!

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I wasn't being negative but it's a waste of time to ignore facts.  As one of the players I would be looking at that and figuring out how much more work I need to put in so I turn a negative into a positive.  So as I said it's a position of great interest to me...as they all are.  LOL!

That's why I pointed out that some of the best O-Lines in the country reside in the SEC West. This isn't exactly revelation knowledge. Perhaps a better measure than ranking the O-Lines in the SEC West might be an evaluation of the front 7's that those O-Lines are going to face and also, when they are going to face them in the season? 

[bennyl08]

Problem with that is we do play in the SEC and we do face those teams so regardless of the overall ranking it won't help our record unless we prove them wrong on the field.  Offensive line is probably the position group I'm most interested in to see if they can settle into a formable group.  If not I feel sorry for Austin!

This is a great example of where rankings can be misleading. Behind Brady and Rogers in the NFL, there isn't a whole lot of difference b/w spots 3 through 10 and you can make lots of arguments over who should be where. If you have somebody of the likes of Rivers, Luck, Ryan, Newton, Rothlesberger, etc... you are doing just fine. Whether somebody ranks Newton above or below Ryan doesn't really matter. Let's say Ryan is ranked 3 and Newton is 8th. Carolina wouldn't make that swap for the world despite them being in the same division because the difference b/w the two is small and Cam works better for the panthers than Matt would. Same thing if the rankings were reversed. On the other hand, you could also have a huge dropoff between rankings as well. Compare the 2004 draft to say the 2010 draft. Very different dropoffs in rankings.

Us being 5th in the SEC could be a very bad thing. I could also be very arbitrary and virtually indistinguishable from ranking say 2nd.

[Cinco de Hogo]

This is July 3rd, we can talk past, present and future but won't know anything about what we have until they show us.  I expect they WILL prove to be better than 5th in the SECW.

[oldhawg]

Look for the freshmen to all redshirt.  Also, there has been a couple players shuffled around position wise.  Wait until camp begins.

  Seems to speak to the question of depth.  If all or practically all of the freshmen redshirt, perhaps its because there is more depth on this team than folks realize.

[bennyl08]

  Seems to speak to the question of depth.  If all or practically all of the freshmen redshirt, perhaps its because there is more depth on this team than folks realize.

Considering we could lose 8 players to injury and still have a full 2 deep without any repeated names, I'd say we have depth.

We have 14 scholarship players alone which is just one shy of a full 3 deep without including walk-ons.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I would use someone more credible than local media. The OL is still a huge question mark. AA loves to hang on to the ball longer than his older brother, who had a sense of the pocket that he helped the numbers look a lot better. With AA holding it longer trying to wait for his receivers to get open and the OL's general suckiness, don't give me much hope.

So you think that the comments made by Tom Murphy that I quoted were projecting too much improvement? Ha! OK.

I believe this O-Line will make significant improvement in 2017 and get back to what have been in the past, more normal levels of production. In sacks allowed for instance, we'll be fine if we get back to allowing one sack in every 25-26 passing attempts.

[parallaxpig]

Austin Allen proved last year if you can keep him upright he can be a very effective QB. After being hit so many times and then the knee injury his mechanics changed. The line has to improve on picking up blitzes. So to answer original question, yes I think they will be better. Between OL play and can defense stop the run will be key to whether they can break the 8-9 win total.

[jkstock04]

I'm not buying any kind of hype on O-line play til I actually witness it. Our O-line has been way over-rated going into the season the entire Bielema era. This time last year was high comedy hearing Anderson speak confidently about the new plug ins at positions.

Here's what to look out for if last year is an indication. If we are constantly moving guys around and bringing new guys in...we are in trouble, just like last year. Many people tried to spin this was a good thing "trying to find the right combination of guys to gel" but...no. If we have had to try out 3 different guys at starting left guard by game 3 that's not going to be pretty.

[ricepig]

As usual, those with a positive outlook on life see some hope, those that wallow in misery see suckage, typical HV thread.

[Al Boarland]

I'm not buying any kind of hype on O-line play til I actually witness it. Our O-line has been way over-rated going into the season the entire Bielema era. This time last year was high comedy hearing Anderson speak confidently about the new plug ins at positions.

Here's what to look out for if last year is an indication. If we are constantly moving guys around and bringing new guys in...we are in trouble, just like last year. Many people tried to spin this was a good thing "trying to find the right combination of guys to gel" but...no. If we have had to try out 3 different guys at starting left guard by game 3 that's not going to be pretty.

Agreed. You start shuffling guys around it diminishes the experience factor.

[jkstock04]

As usual, those with a positive outlook on life see some hope, those that wallow in misery see suckage, typical HV thread.

And as usual, people want to pretend things that happened in the past never actually happened. Seriously, it's like some of you guys have a mental block of what all has transpired the past 5 years.

Could this O-line be much improved? Yes, it could. I hope it is...I've said, for Bielema to be successful at Arkansas he is going to have to have dominant O-line play. This is a very important aspect of this era. Last year, we kind of turned into a passing team. What will the identity be this year? Can the O-line open some running room so we can return to Bielema ball?

Im just sayin...I've got to see it to believe it.

[FANONTHEHILL]

I'm not buying any kind of hype on O-line play til I actually witness it. Our O-line has been way over-rated going into the season the entire Bielema era. This time last year was high comedy hearing Anderson speak confidently about the new plug ins at positions.

Here's what to look out for if last year is an indication. If we are constantly moving guys around and bringing new guys in...we are in trouble, just like last year. Many people tried to spin this was a good thing "trying to find the right combination of guys to gel" but...no. If we have had to try out 3 different guys at starting left guard by game 3 that's not going to be pretty.

LG is a bad example. The same LG started every game last year. 
When they go through drills this summer:

Colton Jackson - LT
Hjalte Froholdt -LG
Frank Ragnow - C
Johnny Gibson - RG
Brian Wallace -RT

Barring injury, this is the startling 5 for FAMU.

Here's the biggest difference in 2017:

In the spring of 2016, there were 11 offensive linemen in spring camp.  Three of those, Gibson, Hannah, and Sone were walk ons.  This spring there were 19. 

Frank Ragnow was the only OL starter that returned to the same position.  Skipper had to move form RT to LT.  The LG (Hjalte) had never played a D-1 offensive snap. The RG (Raulerson) was new and had a bad leg all year and then was replaced by a walk on who was later awarded a scholarship (Gibson).  The RT was Skipper who moved to LT because Colton Jackson, a red shirt freshman, wasn't ready, so Brian Wallace moved to RT.  Frank is the best center in the country, no other comment necessary. 

Everyone points to the number of sacks and blames the OL exclusively.  The percentage of sacks per pass attempt went up 4% from 2015 to 2016.  The same people that complain that Brandon tree to many balls away, now fail to understand that holding on to the balm to try and make something happen leads to more sacks.  But the biggest reason there were more sacks year is currently in Seattle.  Alex Collins was a phenomenal pass blocker.  Rawleigh and Devwah gave effort, but simply the pass blockers Alex was.  Why do you think Kidy Walker played so much in the bowl game?  He's the best pass blocker to combat the blitz packages in VT's Bud Foster defense.  Changes are being made.  Schemes are being introduced to take pressure of the running backs pass blocking.  The OL has to improve, no question, but the QB decision making,  RB blocking, TEs chipping on their way into routes, and playing calling are all evolving in an effort to improve.  The players, position coaches, coordinator, and Head Coach are all adjusting.

[gmarv]

To answer your question, he is developing well and was praised by the coaching staff in the fall camp last year and spring this year. However, he is just now going into his redshirt freshmen year and we have a lot of depth at OL this season.

Thats all I was looking for thanks.

[Cinco de Hogo]

As usual, those with a positive outlook on life see some hope, those that wallow in misery see suckage, typical HV thread.

No one is wallowing in misery or suckage, I think there is a great deal of patience, mostly a wait and see attitude.  In fact I'll almost bet we don't think any different about the possibilities than you do.  The difference is how much you delve into preseason hype.  Some keep it "real" some don't.  It's a matter of personal choice and it doesn't make you one iota less or more of a Hog fan.  As usual some think there is no reason to express an opinion unless it's pure hype.  Pure fact is our Oline has a long ways to go and a lot to prove.  That's not any different than any unit on any team right now and THATs why we talk football.

[oldhawg]

LG is a bad example. The same LG started every game last year. 
When they go through drills this summer:

Colton Jackson - LT
Hjalte Froholdt -LG
Frank Ragnow - C
Johnny Gibson - RG
Brian Wallace -RT

Barring injury, this is the startling 5 for FAMU.

Here's the biggest difference in 2017:

In the spring of 2016, there were 11 offensive linemen in spring camp.  Three of those, Gibson, Hannah, and Sone were walk ons.  This spring there were 19. 

Frank Ragnow was the only OL starter that returned to the same position.  Skipper has to move form RT to LT.  The LG (Hjalte) had never played a D-1 offensive snap. The RG (Raulerson) was new and had a bad leg all year and then was replaced by a will in who was later awarded a scholarship (Gibson).  The RT was Skipper who moved to LT because Colton Jackson, a red shirt freshman, wasn't ready, so Brian Wallace moved to RT.  Frank is the best center in the country, no other comment necessary. 

Everyone points to the number of sacks and blames the OL exclusively.  The percentage of sacks per pass attempt went up 4% from 2015 to 2016.  The same people that complain that Brandon tree to many balls away, now fail to understand that holding on to the balm to try and make something happen leads to more sacks.  But the biggest reason there were more sacks year is currently in Seattle.  Alex Collins was a phenomenal pass blocker.  Rawleigh and Devwah gave effort, but simply the pass blockers Alex was.  Why do you think Kidy Walker played so much in the bowl game?  He's the best pass blocker to combat the blitz packages in VT's Bud Foster defense.  Changes are being made.  Schemes are being introduced to take pressure of the running backs pass blocking.  The OL has to improve, no question, but the QB decision making,  RB blocking, TEs chipping on their way into routes, and playing calling are all evolving in an effort to improve.  The players, position coaches, coordinator, and Head Coach are all adjusting.

An optimistic opinion given by someone who really has a little insight ---- thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[GuvHog]

No one is wallowing in misery or suckage, I think there is a great deal of patience, mostly a wait and see attitude.  In fact I'll almost bet we don't think any different about the possibilities than you do.  The difference is how much you delve into preseason hype.  Some keep it "real" some don't.  It's a matter of personal choice and it doesn't make you one iota less or more of a Hog fan.  As usual some think there is no reason to express an opinion unless it's pure hype.  Pure fact is our Oline has a long ways to go and a lot to prove.  That's not any different than any unit on any team right now and THATs why we talk football.

There is good reason to be cautiously optimistic about this year's O Line though. Returning 4 starters is quite a bit different than returning only 2 starters and moving one of those to a different position along with having a first year O Line coach which was the case last year.

[Dwillhog66]

No one is wallowing in misery or suckage, I think there is a great deal of patience, mostly a wait and see attitude.  In fact I'll almost bet we don't think any different about the possibilities than you do.  The difference is how much you delve into preseason hype.  Some keep it "real" some don't.  It's a matter of personal choice and it doesn't make you one iota less or more of a Hog fan.  As usual some think there is no reason to express an opinion unless it's pure hype.  Pure fact is our Oline has a long ways to go and a lot to prove.  That's not any different than any unit on any team right now and THATs why we talk football.

Based on the definition of what a fan is, it does make you less of a fan.

[ricepig]

And as usual, people want to pretend things that happened in the past never actually happened. Seriously, it's like some of you guys have a mental block of what all has transpired the past 5 years.

Could this O-line be much improved? Yes, it could. I hope it is...I've said, for Bielema to be successful at Arkansas he is going to have to have dominant O-line play. This is a very important aspect of this era. Last year, we kind of turned into a passing team. What will the identity be this year? Can the O-line open some running room so we can return to Bielema ball?

Im just sayin...I've got to see it to believe it.

And some are just saying they see some hope, just saying.....but of course, some have to quickly post how bad we suck. Offense hasn't been the problem, we've scored enough to win more, but it's all on the offensive line.

[ricepig]

No one is wallowing in misery or suckage, I think there is a great deal of patience, mostly a wait and see attitude.  In fact I'll almost bet we don't think any different about the possibilities than you do.  The difference is how much you delve into preseason hype.  Some keep it "real" some don't.  It's a matter of personal choice and it doesn't make you one iota less or more of a Hog fan.  As usual some think there is no reason to express an opinion unless it's pure hype.  Pure fact is our Oline has a long ways to go and a lot to prove.  That's not any different than any unit on any team right now and THATs why we talk football.

You must be read a different board, lol. Somebody posts that the o-line "could" be improved, and we get a litany of posts saying no way. I'm in the wait and see group as well, but it's like any halfway positive post must quickly be trounced upon. It's the off-season, if you can't have a little hope, how can you be a fan?

[Hoggish1]

Us being 5th in the SEC could be a very bad thing. I could also be very arbitrary and virtually indistinguishable from ranking say 2nd.

Exactly right. 

One through five tells you nothing if the difference between one and five is razor thin.  In that case it could have come down to gut feeling as the publishing deadline came to crunch time. 

Phil could have been equally comfortable with another order for the top five given a few more days to think about it.

[Cinco de Hogo]

You must be read a different board, lol. Somebody posts that the o-line "could" be improved, and we get a litany of posts saying no way. I'm in the wait and see group as well, but it's like any halfway positive post must quickly be trounced upon. It's the off-season, if you can't have a little hope, how can you be a fan?

Hope?  If your a Razorback fan that's your life! 😉

Ask Musk why he choose to include Steele's ranking in the OP.   Sparked some good discussion but anyone else that comments on it is a negative Nellie. 

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I'm not buying any kind of hype on O-line play til I actually witness it. Our O-line has been way over-rated going into the season the entire Bielema era. This time last year was high comedy hearing Anderson speak confidently about the new plug ins at positions.

Here's what to look out for if last year is an indication. If we are constantly moving guys around and bringing new guys in...we are in trouble, just like last year. Many people tried to spin this was a good thing "trying to find the right combination of guys to gel" but...no. If we have had to try out 3 different guys at starting left guard by game 3 that's not going to be pretty.

Every team has guys that they plug into and shift around into different positions. As an O-Line Coach, you are a real D.A. if you don't cross-train your guys.

Look at Miss State as an example, who Phil Steele says has the second best O-Line in the West this year. They have guys who played OG that also play OT. They have guys who have played OT move to OG to Center. They have guys who have played Center that also back up OT. Now to some folks that might look like a disorganized Chinese fire drill, but with the unpredictable nature of the game and with injuries being a frequent occurrence, if you aren't moving guys around to make sure you have your arse covered, you aren't doing your job.