Position battles '15

[msstate7]

Which one are you most interested in?

I know there are probably more important ones, but mine is the slot. Myles are graham are returning and both are dangerous. Gray, dear, and mixon are supposed to be early entries. In '15 I think we're gonna finally have that guy that can take a short pass to the house

[GreenheadDawg]

If we can form a decent O-line, we will be pretty dangerous on offense. But that may be a big IF unless we can get Rankin

[thf24]

Bryant and Peters beating Coman and Evans so badly that the coaches can't help but at least put them at 1A.

[bulldawg28]

Safety and Rb. Josh refuses to block in these last games and Shumpert has come on. If Shump continues improving he'll take Robinson 's carries.

[Bothrops]

I think Graham and Myles are two of the quickest and fastest receivers we've had in a long time. Fred Ross is up there as well. I think Gray coming in makes every thing very very interesting. The other guys will probably redshirt, if I had to guess.

[Political Hack]

DT will make or break us next year IMO. We've got at least 2-3, but we need 4-5.

backup QB will be interesting.

KR.

TE.

The entire OL.

I want to see how many snaps Gerri Green can earn.

[HancockCountyDog]

I want to see who replaces the big five in our front seven.

Preston Smith, PJ Jones, Eulls, McKinney and Wells probably had 150 starts between the 5 of them. They set the tone for us defensively. They were the heart and soul of the 1A defense. They were the reason teams couldn't score on us in the redzone.

I feel great about B. Brown and good about Richie Brown in the middle, but we have a lot of talent and experience to replace in the front seven.

Offensively, the most under-appreciated 4 year starter at LT in the history of MSU. Clausell simply didn't get enough appreciation at LT, I think people will start to appreciate him starting next year. He was great in this offense and was reliable. Sure, he didn't have a great egg bowl, but he played a solid LT for almost 50 games at MSU. That isn't easily replaced.

[Leroy Jenkins]

DT will make or break us next year IMO. We've got at least 2-3, but we need 4-5.

backup QB will be interesting.

KR.

TE.

The entire OL.

I want to see how many snaps Gerri Green can earn.

Dare I say it....? Quay coming back?

[TrapGame]

Dare I say it....? Quay coming back?

It's up to him now. He can walk on next year and earn it. It won't be given to him.

[CadaverDawg]

DT will make or break us next year IMO. We've got at least 2-3, but we need 4-5.

I think Jones, James, Adams, Cory Thomas, Hoyett, and Harris will give us at least 4-5

backup QB will be interesting.

Mullen loves him some upperclassmen, so I'm prepared for Williams to be #2 even if he isn't good enough.

KR.

Should be Ross, Graham, Myles, Redmond, Gray, or even Fred Brown...but it will be Holloway and Hutcherson (or some other slower guy that can block)

TE.

I am very interested in this one. Hopefully Hutch comes on strong and Walley is more of a pass catcher. Where will Hammond fit in? He seems like a guy that if used properly could cause some mismatches. Rashun Dixon could be the guy to step up...I'll be interested in seeing what he does.

The entire OL.

Every year this is our biggest question mark. Yet every year a certain Coach says "all is well". Should be interesting.

I want to see how many snaps Gerri Green can earn.

I hope Green is KJ Wright 2.0. Could he be our MLB on the 1B defense next season? If so, our 1B MLB may be better than 1A. I'm anxious to see where JT Gray fits in, and will Harris come back without losing anything? Our 1B group could potentially be Harris, Green, and Gray. Wow, that is a talented group.

I agree with your list. But most of all, I'll be interested to see if it actually matters who wins a competition, or will our coaches simply play the one with more experience. It's different with guys like Jones versus guys like Peters. You can mask poor technique with a DL, but a mistake by a Safety can cost you points immediately....so I just don't think Mullen/Collins will put a freshman back at safety, much less 2. Should be interesting.

[ShotgunDawg]

For the future of this program, we all need to really hope Fitzgerald or Staley beats out Williams this Spring. It would say a lot if they can't, and I'm all for the best man being the back up. It shouldn't be given to Staley or Fitz, but I hope one of them earns it.

[GTHOM]

Safety and OL. the rest should be fine

[Sacrifice]

Safety and OL. the rest should be fine

Same for me. I would love for a pass rushing DE to emerge also...Chris Jones needs to get down to 270 or move back inside.

[Political Hack]

I keep wondering if JT could maybe move to S. if so, it would be a huge help.

[HoopsDawg]

Will we start and play our best players for the majority of the game or will we go with less talented players who have experience? That's the big question and unfortunately I already know the answer.

[Todd4State]

The MOST interesting to me is safety. Do we play the guys that will help us out immediately or do we play the guys that are older while being fed a line of coach speak while we watch Coman and Evans get burned over and over while being out of position and missing tackles?

How much can the former 4-5 star wild cards- Quay and Damien Robinson- contribute? If they can be even solid, that would be an upgrade.

I think you can call Rashun Dixon a wild card as well. Can he get up to football speed and become the H-back? If so, he could replace Malcolm.

The o-line is definitely something to watch. But we also have at least five guys that have started and/or played a lot in Senior, Malone, Clayborn, Desper, and Robinson.

We need our JUCO guys to come in and have an immediate impact- including Gray, Allen the TE prospect who I think we will offer and get a commitment from, Rankin who I also think we will get, Calvin, and Jung. I would not be surprised to see us go after a JUCO safety with Market out.

[Todd4State]

Will we start and play our best players for the majority of the game or will we go with less talented players who have experience? That's the big question and unfortunately I already know the answer.

It's depressing.

[HoopsDawg]

The MOST interesting to me is safety. Do we play the guys that will help us out immediately or do we play the guys that are older while being fed a line of coach speak while we watch Coman and Evans get burned over and over while being out of position and missing tackles?

How much can the former 4-5 star wild cards- Quay and Damien Robinson- contribute? If they can be even solid, that would be an upgrade.

I think you can call Rashun Dixon a wild card as well. Can he get up to football speed and become the H-back? If so, he could replace Malcolm.

The o-line is definitely something to watch. But we also have at least five guys that have started and/or played a lot in Senior, Malone, Clayborn, Desper, and Robinson.

We need our JUCO guys to come in and have an immediate impact- including Gray, Allen the TE prospect who I think we will offer and get a commitment from, Rankin who I also think we will get, Calvin, and Jung. I would not be surprised to see us go after a JUCO safety with Market out.

There is another option and that would be to move either Calhoun, Redmond, or Cleveland to FS to get some coverage ability back there. I would actually go ahead and do it in bowl practice. I would not want to play any team in a bowl game other than GT with the guys we used against OM.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

I really think we're 1 OT away from having a very solid OL. Senior, Malone, Clayborn, & Desper I'm comfortable with. If we can add Rankin or if Joq continues to build on how he's practice the past month or so we'll be fine. DL landing Swain or Carr, Swain preferably, would give us I think a solid 4 man rotation at DT. Jones, Adams, James, & Juco. Also allow Thomas & Hoyett to come along at a slower pace. We have 4 upper classmen at DE. Jefferson, Brown, Coleman, & Calvin. Harris will be the 5TH DE in the rotation. People are really sleeping on Jung in the LB rotation. If he gets here in January I could easily see Brown, Brown, & Jung starting with Jackson, Green, & Gray as 1B. Safety I'm not totally as down on Coman & Evans as others esp Coman. Saying that Bryant, Wells, Peters, & Mclaurin will have their opportunities to see the field & get as much playing time as they want if they're ready. Peters could start if he can pick up the mental aspect of the game bc the physical ability we haven't seen back there since Darren Williams.

[Todd4State]

I agree with your list. But most of all, I'll be interested to see if it actually matters who wins a competition, or will our coaches simply play the one with more experience. It's different with guys like Jones versus guys like Peters. You can mask poor technique with a DL, but a mistake by a Safety can cost you points immediately....so I just don't think Mullen/Collins will put a freshman back at safety, much less 2. Should be interesting.

If he doesn't start Peters, Bryant, and McLaurin or even Gray because they aren't as experienced as Evans and Coman, then Dan is an idiot. Peters and McLaurin are both at least as good as Coman and Evans right now without any college coaching. Bryant is better too- but we redshirted him.