Yes is does mean the depth/talent is atrocious but that's the way it's going to have to be this year until the staff gets some high end/elite level talent at DT in the 2024 class etc ...
We are going to have to suck it up and roll with what we have. That means guys need to step up. It means the young kids will have to forgo the training wheels and jump right in. That leaves us with the following at DT
Leonard Taylor
*Akeem Mesidor(extremely versatile)
Jared Harrison Hunte
Jacob Lichtenstein
Branson Deen
Thomas Gore
Ahmad Moten
Joshua Horton
*Reuben Bain( will play all over the DL)
Nobody is going to confuse us with UGA but the above is what we have to work with. Leonard Taylor should take the next step and be a high level starter. JHH has been here for what it seems like 8 years now so he's a solid player with experience so there's that. Mesidor will get some work inside for sure because it's necessary. Mesidor is very good player and he will help inside no doubt. Branson Deen is a solid player and Jacob Lichtenstein will give us decent depth. Gore is a body for depth and anything he gives us is a bonus. There is no way around it. Moten and Horton will have to get thrown into the fire. I'm actually high on Moten being the one that ends up filling the role that Darrell Jackson had but that won't happen out of the gate. By the second half of the season I think Moten will be that type of big presence inside we sorely need. I think Josh Horton was underrated coming out of High School and I love him as a prospect. He will most likely need to play but it's anyone's guess how effective he will be as a true freshman. We just don't really have a choice. I think we end up picking up someone in the portal between now and Fall but we're not likely to add anyone who can make a big enough difference. It's quite possible that Bain gets used inside a little more than the staff originally thought. I think he will move all around the line like Mesidor.
Overall this is clearly one of the weaker spots on the team. The situation is far from ideal but I've seen much worse. What we absolutely cannot afford are injuries. Especially to Taylor, Mesidor or JHH but it's almost certain that we have a couple. The key here will be coaching. Big Joe, Jason Taylor and DC Guidry will need to be smart and scheme a way to mitigate our weaknesses while taking advantage of our strengths. We are going to need career years from Taylor, Mesidor, JHH and Deen but I think Moten could be a huge key for us. We need to survive until reinforcements arrive in 2024.
