A look at the OL

[GoSU96]

Prime example of increasing the size of the program. Might not have the athletic talent of the factories but at least shouldn’t be big boi’d anymore.

I’ll limit this to the top 10. Hopefully we don’t see the two frosh. I think Petry, Kauhl, and Hoeh are depth guys at this point.

In no particular order Ht, Wt, Cl

Reed, 6/3, 315, Jr
Bleich, 6/6, 323, Sr
Ellis, 6/6, 375, Jr
ECruz Jr`, 6/6, 302, So
More, 6/5, 306, Sr
Wohlabaugh, 6/6, 315, So
Ilaoa, 6/3, 334, Jr
Moeolo, 6/6, 360, RJr
Bradford, 6/5, 309, Jr
Cruz, 6/5, 302, So

First time in a long time no need to start or play a freshman. My guess on the starters are Cruz Jr, Ellis, Reed, Bleich, More. I think More beats Wohlabaugh based on age and experience, a lot more game snaps. Ilaoa is the first guy off the bench inside, Wohlabaugh the first tackle. Moeolo looks the part.

Don't know if there’s a future 2nd rounder in the group, but it’s a solid ten with experience and an older and bigger two deep than I can remember in a long time.

And great news 8 of 10 should be back next year.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

The big uglies.

The hog mollies.

The nearsighted taxidermists.

The "they're definitely much bigger than 'must be this tall to ride'" guys.

The orthogonal Grimaces.

Some even call an offensive line "$1.25" because they're 5 quarterbacks.

 

[SoBristol]

Nice list. I would add Petry and put Moeolo on hold until we see him move. Petry has built up to 290 and has played. Moeolo at 360 LBs — needs to shed a few before he sees the field. ]

 

[AngryOtto]

I thought I read Cruz is now 311.

 

[cvilleorange]

Agree this unit lacks the top end talent, but is in a much better place from a depth perspective than it has previously been. I will feel much better if Reed wins the center spot and agree that he will. Ilaoa can be serviceable, but I worry about him being the full time starter. If we end up with Ilaoa, Bradford and Moeolo as our interior depth we should all be really happy with that.

Tackle is a different story as I think losing E Cruz could derail the season. Despite that, we at least have some guys who have played snaps and there is competition for right tackle

 

[Doc5120]

Agree this unit lacks the top end talent, but is in a much better place from a depth perspective than it has previously been. I will feel much better if Reed wins the center spot and agree that he will. Ilaoa can be serviceable, but I worry about him being the full time starter. If we end up with Ilaoa, Bradford and Moeolo as our interior depth we should all be really happy with that.

Tackle is a different story as I think losing E Cruz could derail the season. Despite that, we at least have some guys who have played snaps and there is competition for right tackle

Agree on the center position. I hope Reed is everything everyone says he is. Doesn't matter how good our skill guys are if we can't protect them and open up lanes for the rb's/Shrader.

 

[Cuse12]

Big boy lines. Dino knows what he has to do to compete

 

[RF2044]

Prime example of increasing the size of the program. Might not have the athletic talent of the factories but at least shouldn’t be big boi’d anymore.

I’ll limit this to the top 10. Hopefully we don’t see the two frosh. I think Petry, Kauhl, and Hoeh are depth guys at this point.

In no particular order Ht, Wt, Cl

Reed, 6/3, 315, Jr
Bleich, 6/6, 323, Sr
Ellis, 6/6, 375, Jr
ECruz Jr`, 6/6, 302, So
More, 6/5, 306, Sr
Wohlabaugh, 6/6, 315, So
Ilaoa, 6/3, 334, Jr
Moeolo, 6/6, 360, RJr
Bradford, 6/5, 309, Jr
Cruz, 6/5, 302, So

First time in a long time no need to start or play a freshman. My guess on the starters are Cruz Jr, Ellis, Reed, Bleich, More. I think More beats Wohlabaugh based on age and experience, a lot more game snaps. Ilaoa is the first guy off the bench inside, Wohlabaugh the first tackle. Moeolo looks the part.

Don't know if there’s a future 2nd rounder in the group, but it’s a solid ten with experience and an older and bigger two deep than I can remember in a long time.

And great news 8 of 10 should be back next year.

What I like most is that we have 9 guys who I envision will play every game.

Two years ago, we had 4 effective guys, and struggled to find a 5th quality starter. Depth behind them was "break glass in case of emergency" caliber, and when guys started to get knicked up [Davis, Bleich, Servais] the play of the entire unit suffered, because we didn't have guys behind them who were effective.

This year, we have 9 guys who are all LEGITIMATELY in contention for a starting role. Ilaoa and Bradford have actually started games here. Not suggesting they are world beaters, but they aren't stop-gap quality, they are better than that. Cruz also played as a true frosh; he'll be better this year now that he's been in the system a year.

Obviously, we don't know what we have in More / Reed yet. Hope they learn quickly. Ditto Wohlabaugh, who started a game last year in the SEC.

I'm leaving Moeleo off of the list for now; don't expect / envision him playing much this year -- but that doesn't mean that he doesn't belong on the list, that he might not earn a spot on the two-deep, or be in a position to challenge to start down the line.

But it isn't difficult to see this line:

1. Holding up at the point of attack far better than any OL we've fielded in awhile
2. Doing a better job opening holes for the running game
3. Doing a better job keeping defenders off of Shrader
4. Doing a better job giving Allen room to operate than last year's OL did for Tucker

ALSO, having quality depth means not being afraid to play guys during games, everyone being a little bit fresher during games, not being locked into having to play guys if they are injured / impaired, and not having the entire unit implode if we sustain an injury to one of the principals.

Really, really excited to see what this group can do. As always, OL is the key to the season's success, in my opinion. The rest of the pieces are there on offense for us to be potent. If the OL surprises like the DL did last year, we can get to 9 or 10 wins.

 

[NineOneSeven]

We'll see how it all translates to game day.

 

[Cuse4455]

Nice list. I would add Petry and put Moeolo on hold until we see him move. Petry has built up to 290 and has played. Moeolo at 360 LBs — needs to shed a few before he sees the field. ]

Imagine Moeolo in a jumbo set. Lol

 

[GoSU96]

We'll see how it all translates to game day.

Yep, but it’s better to go in with those measurables and experience level than not.

 

[RF2044]

We'll see how it all translates to game day.

That's fair. Traditionally, OL has been a trouble spot for our program, so I understand the "wait and see" approach.

And we have some question marks. For example, will Bleich finally be healthy after the surgery? Can Ellis perform "better" than he did last year? Is Ilaoa ready? Is Reed going to seize the center position? Will the jump in competition be too much for More?

But I also think that having an experienced group, and a group of guys in the two-deep who've played and started a bit, gives this positional unit for more upside than how the OL typically has shaped up.

Last year, everyone pointed to the near-completely unproven DL [outside of Okechukwu] -- but they had quality personnel, rose to the occasion, and performed pretty damn well -- even with the injury to Lockett.

I see the OL duplicating that trend this year -- lots of question marks entering the season, but they'll quickly prove to be a solid unit that performs better than expected. The talent and depth are in place to make that a reality.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Obviously, we don't know what we have in More / Reed yet.

rrlbees shared a stat from last year that More was next-to-last in his position group in PFF blocking grade. Yikes. Let's hope the staff saw something.

 

[RF2044]

rrlbees shared a stat from last year that More was next-to-last in his position group in PFF blocking grade. Yikes. Let's hope the staff saw something.

Joe More got ten [10] offers from FBS programs the first day he entered the transfer portal a few months ago -- so our staff wasn't the only one to see something in this prospect.

More made 41 starts [or thereabouts] at Richmond, including several against D1 programs. He isn't some stiff that struggled at the FCS level.

Let's not minimize his capabilities.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Joe More got ten [10] offers from FBS programs the first day he entered the transfer portal a few months ago -- so our staff wasn't the only one to see something in this prospect.

More made 41 starts [or thereabouts] at Richmond, including several against D1 programs. He isn't some stiff that struggled at the FCS level.

Let's not minimize his capabilities.

Depends on how much stock we put in to PFF

 

[crv1728]

Prime example of increasing the size of the program. Might not have the athletic talent of the factories but at least shouldn’t be big boi’d anymore.

I’ll limit this to the top 10. Hopefully we don’t see the two frosh. I think Petry, Kauhl, and Hoeh are depth guys at this point.

In no particular order Ht, Wt, Cl

Reed, 6/3, 315, Jr
Bleich, 6/6, 323, Sr
Ellis, 6/6, 375, Jr
ECruz Jr`, 6/6, 302, So
More, 6/5, 306, Sr
Wohlabaugh, 6/6, 315, So
Ilaoa, 6/3, 334, Jr
Moeolo, 6/6, 360, RJr
Bradford, 6/5, 309, Jr
Cruz, 6/5, 302, So

First time in a long time no need to start or play a freshman. My guess on the starters are Cruz Jr, Ellis, Reed, Bleich, More. I think More beats Wohlabaugh based on age and experience, a lot more game snaps. Ilaoa is the first guy off the bench inside, Wohlabaugh the first tackle. Moeolo looks the part.

Don't know if there’s a future 2nd rounder in the group, but it’s a solid ten with experience and an older and bigger two deep than I can remember in a long time.

And great news 8 of 10 should be back next year.

That is a very large group of humans. As a 150 lb cross country/ track runner (160 as an older guy), it is hard to imagine standing next to Kalan Ellis, who is 2.5x my size.

 

[orangenauburn]

I think Wohlabaugh ends up starting by mid season.

Reed is a key player for sure.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Yep, but it’s better to go in with those measurables and experience level than not.

No doubt there

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

I will give him every chance in the world and OL is all about continued development. That said, Wohlabaugh getting benched from a Kentucky OL that was absolutely awful last year worries me.

But he was only RF and from the sound of it didn’t have a great position coach.

 

[kcsu]

Depends on how much stock we put in to PFF

Not as much as others

 

[JRHEETER]

I wouldn’t expect to see Wohlabaugh starting this season.

Joe More is one to keep your eye on

 

[orangefog]

I wouldn’t expect to see Wohlabaugh starting this season.

Joe More is one to keep your eye on

Like many have said, the overall OL seems better than we've had in years, but we may not have a single player as good as Bergeron. Does that sound accurate?

 

[GoSU96]

Like many have said, the overall OL seems better than we've had in years, but we may not have a single player as good as Bergeron. Does that sound accurate?

Yes

 

[JRHEETER]

Like many have said, the overall OL seems better than we've had in years, but we may not have a single player as good as Bergeron. Does that sound accurate?

Pretty accurate.

I will say, I know that Enrique Cruz is showing a very similar drive as Bergeron.

Just not sure he’s as polished……..yet

 

[CuseMan4]

Pretty accurate.

I will say, I know that Enrique Cruz is showing a very similar drive as Bergeron.

Just not sure he’s as polished……..yet

Yeah I think Cruz is our best NFL prospect on the O-line. I think Reed is behind him and will be starting this year at Center. I think sneaky third best o-line prospect is actually Joe Cruz. I think he takes over right tackle next year and the Cruz boys anchor the ends of the line. Joe Cruz has the size and he’s very athletic for his size.