Gone: Joel Figueroa, Harland Gunn, Tyler Horn, and Brandon Washington.
Returning: Ben Jones, Jeremy Lewis, Seantrel Henderson, Jermaine Johnson, Brandon Linder, Jared Wheeler, Jermaine Barton, Malcom Bunche, Johnathon Feliciano, Shane McDermott, and Hunter Wells.
It seems like Figs just landed on campus! Although he never was an All American at Miami, he was serviceable and a team player. Due to circumstances outside of his control he played out of his guard position in at tackle and it hurt his performance. He was a two star recruit and I believe he played better than the typical two star kid while at Miami overall. He seemed to become a bit injury prone, so his loss won't be too tough to overcome. Harland Gunn never really seemed to get out of the gates and become the guard/center many thought he would become. He was a four star recruit and outside of his senior year, he didn't get much burn on the OL. His time in Coral Gables has to be seen as a bit of a disappointment given the expectations of him coming out of high school. Tyler Horn was a two year starter. He was not a highly regarded stud out of high school and definitely outplayed his two star status. Tyler will be missed alot on the OL. He seemed to be a very bright intelligent center, though he never was a nasty mauler. His loss will be felt on the OL. Brandon Washington is leaving early. He came out of high school in 2008, but spent a semester in prep school. He outplayed his three star status. Brandon was very versatile at UM playing both tackle and guard. He will be sorely missed. Not only did he play guard and tackle, he was a very productive player on the OL. While I'm not an NFL scout, I think Brandon will be a tremendous value in the third round or later. Who knows, maybe he moves up into the first or second rounds?
There are alot of question marks with the offensive line heading into 2012. It is very much a crapshoot right now. First of all, there are several kids who havent played much at all. And several of those kids seem to be out of the plans of Al Golden's. Art Kehoe has his work cut out for him, as does Coach Swasey. So the returners that seem to be huge question marks are: Ben Jones and Jeremy Lewis. Jones was one of the Northwestern kids from 2008. He played defensive end in high school and had some knee issues. Will he emerge as a serviceable player? I'm not betting he will. Lewis a former defensive tackle has moved over to the OL. The move was a bit of a head scratcher. Did he move because of some talent the OL can utilize or because he couldn't cut it at defensive tackle? Will he move back to DT? I suppose the spring will ultimately sort it out. What will become of J Johnson? He came in at a time we needed some serious tackle help. It seemed he would come in and help out sooner than later since he had been out of high school for a couple of years. He hasn't really provided much yet. Can he be counted on start or contribute a lot next year at tackle? Jermaine Barton, who is this man? Will he make the step his team needs him to make? Barton is a young guy from St Thomas, so there is some hope for him. What we all want to know is what Kehoe and Swasey can do with kids like Barton? They come to UM as promising kids, but dont seem to get much better as they age. I actually think that it will be very telling of next year's OL if we just look at a kid like Barton. Hunter Wells, a late signee last year. Who is he? Will he be around next year? Is he more of a Kehoe project, or does he have potential? Unfortunately it is too early to call. He didnt play last year, and I dont see how he sniffs the field this year barring a catastrophe.
Seantrel Henderson is an All American waiting to happen. There is a common theme here, will Kehoe and Swasey help produce it? We were a better OL when Henderson played. Will he be 100% recovered from his back injury? If so I think that anything less than an AA season has to be considered a disappointment. Brandon Linder a true junior like Henderson. Will he play center or guard? Does a lack of productivity force him outside to tackle? Linder may be the most talented linemen we have. I also think that there have to be huge expectations for him as well. I think anything less than All Acc will be considered a disappointment for him. Johnathon Feliciano, Mr. False Start, returns as a true sophomore starter at tackle. I expect him to be much improved next year. But again, Kehoe and Swasey have their work cut out for them. I think that if Henderson and Linder meet expectations, itd be nice to see Johnathon become an honorable mention linemen in the ACC.
Now come the players that will be heavily counted on, but haven't played a bunch so far. Bunche will likely have high expectations since he had them entering this year. Will he be a guard or tackle? Will he be a starter, rotator, or a kid who never really plays much? I think that he really makes the team better if he earns a starting job or is the first tackle off the bench. McDermott is likely to take over at center. The question is, can he do it, or does Kehoe have to flip flop the OL around? Kehoe loves to play the best five guys. Not to beat a dead horse, but I believe that it would go a long ways to have McDermott earn the starting job. Jared Wheeler will likely be counted on the provide depth. Not just depth, but serviceable depth. I believe Wheeler is fighting for a spot on the OL. He may end up starting if he proves he is one of the best five.
Possible Starting Lineup:
Tackles- Henderson and Feliciano
Guards- Linder and Bunche
Center- McDermott
Does anything ever happen like we think, before the New Year even? NO! My possible lineup provided they are healthy is who I think starts day 1 in the spring. Im going to move Linder to center and Wheeler to guard, and say a kid like Barton has to step in at tackle.
I believe Swasey has his hands full this offseason. I believe Kehoe has his hands full with developing an OL that has underperformed for him for a decade. He has talent. He has some experience. **** he has a top 10 tackle, first-second round guard to work with. He has three returning starters. He has a few kids with playing experience. he has some green/raw kids. With no more Miller at RB and no more Washington on the OL, Kehoe has to find a way to get this unit to rise up and play better than they ever have and closer to their potential.
Returning: Ben Jones, Jeremy Lewis, Seantrel Henderson, Jermaine Johnson, Brandon Linder, Jared Wheeler, Jermaine Barton, Malcom Bunche, Johnathon Feliciano, Shane McDermott, and Hunter Wells.
It seems like Figs just landed on campus! Although he never was an All American at Miami, he was serviceable and a team player. Due to circumstances outside of his control he played out of his guard position in at tackle and it hurt his performance. He was a two star recruit and I believe he played better than the typical two star kid while at Miami overall. He seemed to become a bit injury prone, so his loss won't be too tough to overcome. Harland Gunn never really seemed to get out of the gates and become the guard/center many thought he would become. He was a four star recruit and outside of his senior year, he didn't get much burn on the OL. His time in Coral Gables has to be seen as a bit of a disappointment given the expectations of him coming out of high school. Tyler Horn was a two year starter. He was not a highly regarded stud out of high school and definitely outplayed his two star status. Tyler will be missed alot on the OL. He seemed to be a very bright intelligent center, though he never was a nasty mauler. His loss will be felt on the OL. Brandon Washington is leaving early. He came out of high school in 2008, but spent a semester in prep school. He outplayed his three star status. Brandon was very versatile at UM playing both tackle and guard. He will be sorely missed. Not only did he play guard and tackle, he was a very productive player on the OL. While I'm not an NFL scout, I think Brandon will be a tremendous value in the third round or later. Who knows, maybe he moves up into the first or second rounds?
There are alot of question marks with the offensive line heading into 2012. It is very much a crapshoot right now. First of all, there are several kids who havent played much at all. And several of those kids seem to be out of the plans of Al Golden's. Art Kehoe has his work cut out for him, as does Coach Swasey. So the returners that seem to be huge question marks are: Ben Jones and Jeremy Lewis. Jones was one of the Northwestern kids from 2008. He played defensive end in high school and had some knee issues. Will he emerge as a serviceable player? I'm not betting he will. Lewis a former defensive tackle has moved over to the OL. The move was a bit of a head scratcher. Did he move because of some talent the OL can utilize or because he couldn't cut it at defensive tackle? Will he move back to DT? I suppose the spring will ultimately sort it out. What will become of J Johnson? He came in at a time we needed some serious tackle help. It seemed he would come in and help out sooner than later since he had been out of high school for a couple of years. He hasn't really provided much yet. Can he be counted on start or contribute a lot next year at tackle? Jermaine Barton, who is this man? Will he make the step his team needs him to make? Barton is a young guy from St Thomas, so there is some hope for him. What we all want to know is what Kehoe and Swasey can do with kids like Barton? They come to UM as promising kids, but dont seem to get much better as they age. I actually think that it will be very telling of next year's OL if we just look at a kid like Barton. Hunter Wells, a late signee last year. Who is he? Will he be around next year? Is he more of a Kehoe project, or does he have potential? Unfortunately it is too early to call. He didnt play last year, and I dont see how he sniffs the field this year barring a catastrophe.
Seantrel Henderson is an All American waiting to happen. There is a common theme here, will Kehoe and Swasey help produce it? We were a better OL when Henderson played. Will he be 100% recovered from his back injury? If so I think that anything less than an AA season has to be considered a disappointment. Brandon Linder a true junior like Henderson. Will he play center or guard? Does a lack of productivity force him outside to tackle? Linder may be the most talented linemen we have. I also think that there have to be huge expectations for him as well. I think anything less than All Acc will be considered a disappointment for him. Johnathon Feliciano, Mr. False Start, returns as a true sophomore starter at tackle. I expect him to be much improved next year. But again, Kehoe and Swasey have their work cut out for them. I think that if Henderson and Linder meet expectations, itd be nice to see Johnathon become an honorable mention linemen in the ACC.
Now come the players that will be heavily counted on, but haven't played a bunch so far. Bunche will likely have high expectations since he had them entering this year. Will he be a guard or tackle? Will he be a starter, rotator, or a kid who never really plays much? I think that he really makes the team better if he earns a starting job or is the first tackle off the bench. McDermott is likely to take over at center. The question is, can he do it, or does Kehoe have to flip flop the OL around? Kehoe loves to play the best five guys. Not to beat a dead horse, but I believe that it would go a long ways to have McDermott earn the starting job. Jared Wheeler will likely be counted on the provide depth. Not just depth, but serviceable depth. I believe Wheeler is fighting for a spot on the OL. He may end up starting if he proves he is one of the best five.
Possible Starting Lineup:
Tackles- Henderson and Feliciano
Guards- Linder and Bunche
Center- McDermott
Does anything ever happen like we think, before the New Year even? NO! My possible lineup provided they are healthy is who I think starts day 1 in the spring. Im going to move Linder to center and Wheeler to guard, and say a kid like Barton has to step in at tackle.
I believe Swasey has his hands full this offseason. I believe Kehoe has his hands full with developing an OL that has underperformed for him for a decade. He has talent. He has some experience. **** he has a top 10 tackle, first-second round guard to work with. He has three returning starters. He has a few kids with playing experience. he has some green/raw kids. With no more Miller at RB and no more Washington on the OL, Kehoe has to find a way to get this unit to rise up and play better than they ever have and closer to their potential.
