Some miscellaneous thoughts on the offense as of today….
This spring is a great opportunity for the centers, tight ends and quarterbacks on the roster.
i think Reed was all but penciled in as starter at the center position until the NCAA vetoed that plan.
This is go time for Josh Ilaoa. He has had chances to play the last couple of seasons but has thus far really struggled in games. This might be his last chance to establish himself.
I expect we will see other OL given chances to play center as well. Wes Hoeh for sure. Maybe LI Cruz, Petry, Kauhi or Bradford too.
The way I see it, Enrique is a lock at LT. More is going to start at RT. Bleich is starting at RG. those are givens.
Ellis is a strong favorite to start at LG but he did not play well last season and I could see someone taking that spot from him, especially if he tries to play at 375 again this season. If SU ever updates the weights on the 2023 roster, his will be the first I will check. i have been looking for pics of him practicing this spring to try and see how he looks and he will be the first guy I look at when I arrive for the spring game. Really hope he gets in good shape. I think he can be a pro if he gets serious about conditioning.
if he stays jumbo sized, would not be surprised if Bradford steps in here. He looked decent when he got his chance last season. Hoeh might be our most athletic OL and could be a factor here as well.
It should be obvious to everyone that Laquint Allen is going to start at RB. The big question at RB this spring regards who will be his top backup? Parkman, Daniels and Price are the contenders. Price has the advantage in experience and is 25 or 30 pounds heavier than the 2 true frosh. I have no idea who will win this battle.
Let’s talk fullbacks. The Rhino Era is now behind us. Will it also mark the end of the use of fullbacks at SU? Could be. No players have been brought in that have been identified as FBs and the remaining players who attempted to play the position (Hoeh and Mang) have not generated much confidence they can do it. I am thinking we will still see TEs regularly and some sets with 2 TEs but we will see a TE lining up in the backfield a lot less often.
That bring us to the subject of TEs. We have 4 scholarship TEs on the roster: Mang, Maher, Clement and Villari. Clement had knee surgery in August of 2022 so even though he is on campus as an early enrollee, I don’t think he is participating in practices this spring. Think I read Villari is ’banged up’ and not prscticing. Hopefully that changes soon. Have heard he is stepping up his game and may be emerging. Maher has athletic ability and has been in the program for a while now. It is out up or shut up time for him, I think. Mang has the most experience and is probably the best blocker. Would not be surprised to see any one of them win the job. Or to see us take someone from the portal once spring ball winds down.
I choose to ignore Gadsden when discussing TEs because imho, he played WR last year and there are reports he is lining up as a WR all the time this spring. Sounds like he is taking over as a slot guy, which I think suits him best.
We have a bevy of other WRs on the roster, but surely Alford is going to be a factor at outside WR. Think Jones will as well. Adams is probably next in line and I think Pena will be the backup slot guy. Brown and Hatcher remain the great hopes to emergeand realize their potential. Both need to get stronger.
