2017 5* DT Aubrey Solomon

[lala 327]

IMO you should get one or two top notch DT's every year, a Monty or Brown type, if you want to be a top 10 team consistently.   This is one of the most difficult positions to recruit and we lose Monty this yr, Russell next yr, and most likely Brown the yr after.    have to replace those guys with someone equal or better talent.  

[Eisenhower_1952 87]

We are gonna be thin at Defensive Tackle next year. Like we were in 2015. I don't understand why the coaches let the depth slip every other year at this position.

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

1 minute ago, Eisenhower_1952 said:

We are gonna be thin at Defensive Tackle next year. Like we were in 2015. I don't understand why the coaches let the depth slip every other year at this position.

To be fair, this years DL class as a whole just isn't very deep. 

[ellitor 33,078]

10 minutes ago, Eisenhower_1952 said:

We are gonna be thin at Defensive Tackle next year. Like we were in 2015. I don't understand why the coaches let the depth slip every other year at this position.

Barring attrition no we aren't

Russell

Brown

Jauntavius Johnson

Antwuan Jackson

Andrew Williams

And Byron may move inside as well.

That's 2 1/2 to 3 deep for 2 positions.

[AU80cruiser 1,102]

Is swain done at AU?

[ellitor 33,078]

5 minutes ago, AU80cruiser said:

Is swain done at AU?

Yep!

[mcgufcm 4,096]

Yeah, barring injuries (which is a caveat for all positions at all times), we're not going to be thin at DT. We return three from a six-man rotation (most teams only use four to five), including one guy who has been a full time starter for two years. We have two more that were either redshirted (Jackson) or hurt/buried (Johnson), and by all accounts, we should expect at least one DE to shift inside between Cowart, Davidson (I suspect his move would be limited to moonlighting at DT in pass rush situations), or Coe. That's depth, and it becomes even deeper given our top targets on the DL. Solomon is a pure DT. Both Alec Jackson and Ryan Johnson are seen as hybrid DE/DT guys.

[Eisenhower_1952 87]

Russell and Brown are the only ones with real experience. Williams played in mop up duty, Jackson redshirted and Johnson is coming off an injury. We have bodies, but not much experience. I was hoping we could land a juco DT and DE but that's not happening.

[AUTigers910 45]

9 minutes ago, Eisenhower_1952 said:

Russell and Brown are the only ones with real experience. Williams played in mop up duty, Jackson redshirted and Johnson is coming off an injury. We have bodies, but not much experience. I was hoping we could land a juco DT and DE but that's not happening.

Williams played more than mop up duty and made some big plays this year

[AU80cruiser 1,102]

Its time for Ronald Ollie!

[autan 737]

5 hours ago, ellitor said:

Barring attrition no we aren't

Russell

Brown

Jauntavius Johnson

Antwuan Jackson

Andrew Williams

And Byron may move inside as well.

That's 2 1/2 to 3 deep for 2 positions.

We know about Russell, Brown, Byron, and Williams.  Jackson was highly recruited. Is Johnson expected to contribute after his knee surgery?

[ellitor 33,078]

8 minutes ago, autan said:

We know about Russell, Brown, Byron, and Williams.  Jackson was highly recruited. Is Johnson expected to contribute after his knee surgery?

TBD.

[thaitopher 807]

So what's up with Solomon? How did we get into the race with him, when will he be visiting us, will it be an official and what are our chances?  E?

[ellitor 33,078]

15 minutes ago, thaitopher said:

So what's up with Solomon? How did we get into the race with him, when will he be visiting us, will it be an official and what are our chances?  E?

1. AU made a move. 2. persistence. 3. January 20th. 4. Yes. 5. Still less than 50 IMO.

[mcgufcm 4,096]

Off topic then I'll stop. Andrew Williams played in every game this season, and spent time with the 2s for part the year. Up until Brown started getting snaps at DE, Williams played more than he did every game.

[ScottsboroAuburnFan 462]

Williams was a force at times this season, I think he had more impact plays than Russell.

[1auburn1 1,110]

On December 12, 2016 at 6:56 PM, lala said:

IMO you should get one or two top notch DT's every year, a Monty or Brown type, if you want to be a top 10 team consistently.   This is one of the most difficult positions to recruit and we lose Monty this yr, Russell next yr, and most likely Brown the yr after.    have to replace those guys with someone equal or better talent.  

Agree with this 100%.  I don't care what your depth chart looks like.  Outside of QB, it's the most influential position on the field and you can't afford to go oh-fer on any recruiting cycle.   

[ellitor 33,078]

13 minutes ago, 1auburn1 said:

Agree with this 100%.  I don't care what your depth chart looks like.  Outside of QB, it's the most influential position on the field and you can't afford to go oh-fer on any recruiting cycle.   

It would be nice if there was not such a thing as down classes at different positions but there is. This is arguably the worst DL class crop in the country in at least a decade.

[1auburn1 1,110]

5 minutes ago, ellitor said:

It would be nice if their was not such a thing as down classes at different positions but there is. This is arguably the worst DL class crop in the country in at least a decade.

Well, that makes me feel a little better about our situation.  I hope we're in strong with some 2018 prospects. 

[doc4aday 1,887]

On ‎12‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 11:55 AM, ellitor said:

It would be nice if there was not such a thing as down classes at different positions but there is. This is arguably the worst DL class crop in the country in at least a decade.

How many are we planning to have on defense in this class?  Do we have a full 25 scholarships to offer?

[ellitor 33,078]

4 minutes ago, doc4aday said:

How many are we planning to have on defense in this class?

My best guess is 11-12.

6 minutes ago, doc4aday said:

Do we have a full 25 scholarships to offer?

We always have 25 each year. We just won't have more than 25 this year.

[doc4aday 1,887]

39 minutes ago, ellitor said:

My best guess is 11-12.

We always have 25 each year. We just won't have more than 25 this year.

Thanks... What I meant was if we had the full 25 to offer, or have a smaller number like last year. I know some seasons we have less to offer due to the current number of the roster being 85 on scholarship at that time.

[autan 737]

Like everyone else we always find a way to be under the 85.  More and more attrition each year.  Going pro, grad transfer, Academics, transfer for better opportunity, Breaking team rules, medical hardship, blue shirt.  I'm sure there are more.

[ellitor 33,078]

22 minutes ago, doc4aday said:

Thanks... What I meant was if we had the full 25 to offer, or have a smaller number like last year. I know some seasons we have less to offer due to the current number of the roster being 85 on scholarship at that time.

Counting the transfers we had a full class of 25 Initial Counters last year. And the 85 limit does not affect the yearly 25 limit. Attrition can always take care of that.

[doc4aday 1,887]

I am guessing as to what is an optimal breakdown of positions to recruit as an overall average:

OLINE:  4

QB: 2

RB: 3 (includes HB)

WR: 4 (this includes TE position)

DEFENSE

DLINE 4 (includes DE position)

LB: 3

DB:5

If special team is in need of players, take 1 away for offense and 1 away from defense I am sure situations demand more in one position than listed of which adjustments are required. Just the Doc's take on recruiting. I would to see how others think about this for sure.