2016 Starting Lineup Projection

[ellitor 33,093]

Just saw a picture cowart put on instagram. Dude is getting huge. Really hoping to see him break out this year

He needed to slim some. He had gotten big before the start of last season.

[ellitor 33,093]

Damn! I'm the only 1 picking Leff starting. lol For those penciling Darius James in I would not count on it. He has not done as well as hoped in practice & does not put in as much effort as others. He could start but something in him will have to click for that to happen IMO.

[mcgufcm 4,096]

I don't know what to expect on the line, but I thought Leff looked pretty limited last year. He's 100% on his assignments, but he just didn't show the athleticism I think is necessary (or at least ideal) at the LT position. I'd be more surprised to see him at LT over a guy like Horton. Playing the left side is a stretch for Horton, but he's the superior athlete.

I could see Smith moving out to the right side and clearing a path for James or one of the very talented signees from the 2015 class (or Mix for that matter).

[80Tiger 899]

Have to be honest, I thought Roberts and Ruffin were much better at safety last year. Seems that down the stretch, they were on the field most of the time (when Countess wasn't). I know Matthews was banged up, but Ford was usually 5th guy in.

Rudy was the Nickel down the stretch which is why some of us predict he starts there in 2016.

Didn't he start at the beginning of the season? I thought he had and then Roberts took his place. I like Ford's aggressiveness but it put him out of position sometime on play action. To me that is why was better at nickel.

[ellitor 33,093]

I don't know what to expect on the line, but I thought Leff looked pretty limited last year. I'd be more surprised to see him at LT over a guy like Horton. Playing the left side is a stretch for Horton, but he's the superior athlete.

The problem is we don't have a true LT. I would not be surprised it we try to fish for another Grad Transfer LT. I agree Leff is not a comforting option but by most accounts he is 1 of the best 5 OL we have coming back. By most accounts Horton is a guard ot RT all the way. Being a superior Athlete is not normally the deciding factor teams look for at LT. Yes you need good feet but you also need length & Leff has that over Horton.

I could see Smith moving out to the right side and clearing a path for James or one of the very talented signees from the 2015 class (or Mix for that matter).

It would be more likely if Leff is not starting Braden would be LT due to his length & leverage advantage w/ Horton @ RG or RT depending on who the other OL is. If a light comes on for James then it likely would be Horton @ RG & James @ RT. Mix has struggled by most accounts.

[ellitor 33,093]

Have to be honest, I thought Roberts and Ruffin were much better at safety last year. Seems that down the stretch, they were on the field most of the time (when Countess wasn't). I know Matthews was banged up, but Ford was usually 5th guy in.

Rudy was the Nickel down the stretch which is why some of us predict he starts there in 2016.

Didn't he start at the beginning of the season? I thought he had and then Roberts took his place. I like Ford's aggressiveness but it put him out of position sometime on play action. To me that is why was better at nickel.

Yes he started @ Safety but played Nickel down the stretch which was a starting spot for AU as we used nickel 80% of the time. When Roberts played it was @ safety not Nickel

[lionheartkc 6,150]

QB - JF III (I'm mixed here. Part of me thinks Gus wants to get back to a true dual QB but I could also see a more pass friendly Tulsa type O w/ Sean starting given the WR we landedclass & getting Hand in to coach.)

The addition of Hand to the coaching staff and the departure of Craig makes me think that signs are starting to point to Sean. That being said, I can definitely see Gus trying to build a redzone offense around Franklin, even if he's not the starter.

Based on the bits and pieces of communication I've seen from players on the team, they are going into Spring acting as if it's Sean's job to lose.

[mcgufcm 4,096]

That's understandable. When healthy, the offense was improving rapidly with Sean under center. Compare MSU, his first start, where we threw for 190 yards and never really threatened to Ole Miss, his last healthy start, where we threw for 300 yards, posted 400+ yards of offense and looked dangerous against a better defensive team. I'd think he would be the leader going in, even if I also expect it to be a tough competition.

E, interesting thoughts on the OL. I hadn't heard anything about Mix up or down. I just knew folks over here in Mississippi where high on him coming out of HS.

[autan 737]

If SW does not win the starting job in the spring, I expect him to transfer. I do not think someone of his talent will sit around to be a backup. He has had a redshirt year, so he has to burn a year of eligibility to transfer to another FBS school. Better to burn that year in 2016 and have two to play.

I agree. Sean would probably go JUCO for a year then have two years at a better program for his skill set. Similar to Cam , Nick, JFIII, Chad Kelly, and many other QBs right now. That seems to be the trend. I predict he will be be lights out in the right situation.

[autan 737]

I would lean to Smith at LT. Guy is quick and a little lighter than most of our OL, but certainly bigger than the DE's that he would have to block. I think the experience of Leff at RT would be a plus. But I could also see Golson moving to RT and giving Dampeer a shot at Center. I don't think XD would come back with a medical redshirt unless he was going to be given a shot. Of course he could probably move on as a grad transfer if spring doesn't work out. OL will be very interesting this year. Lots of options. I think Hand will get it worked out. Is he a 24-7 football guy like Gus?

[AUwent 3,749]

I'm cautiously optimistic about our defensive depth, but again, I'm hoping we don't have too many seniors starting. If this next year is going to be difficult, I'd like for it to at least pay off. What if we go 6-6 again and are looking at an extremely young team (only 7-8 returning starters) in '17? If it's going to lead to 10+ wins this year I'm all for it, but it looks like 8-4 may be our absolute, best case-scenario dream ceiling.

1. You don't coach or play a season ahead before the current season starts. 2. Gus knows his job is on the line & likely can't afford a 6-6 season so he will probably want CKS to play what CKS feels are the best players regardless of academic year.

Yeah I know, but do we really want to go through god knows how many years of irrelevancy? Certainly none of us want 2015 to become the norm.

Also, how do you see the west stacking up? Arky, Ole Miss, TAMU and MSU all stump me.

[IronMan70 3,277]

I'm cautiously optimistic about our defensive depth, but again, I'm hoping we don't have too many seniors starting. If this next year is going to be difficult, I'd like for it to at least pay off. What if we go 6-6 again and are looking at an extremely young team (only 7-8 returning starters) in '17? If it's going to lead to 10+ wins this year I'm all for it, but it looks like 8-4 may be our absolute, best case-scenario dream ceiling.

I feel pretty good about the defense, especially now that we have Neal to help us out at LB where we really needed it. On offense somewhat less. It's not going to be easy to lose both starting OTs and not miss a beat. Then there is the unknown at QB. Overall, 5 of the 9 assistant coaches will be new and there will be some adjustment there. This is especially true when they work as a staff on their first game day, so lets hope that breaks in our favor.

[ellitor 33,093]

Yeah I know, but do we really want to go through god knows how many years of irrelevancy? Certainly none of us want 2015 to become the norm.

How will playing players who aren't graduating help in that? If Gus is let go then you will have a new system which lessen development from 2016.

[AUwent 3,749]

^Which year in the future, if any, would you say gives us the best shot to make a run? Do you see us stuck at 2015-level the rest of the decade? Just curious.

[mcgufcm 4,096]

2015 was a fluke. Next year could be our year. We have more obvious building blocks moving into next year than we did moving into 2010 or 2013. That's kind of the point. Next year, the defensive line looks loaded with talented and experienced players; the special teams should be very good (based on Legatron and a plus return game); the running game should be good with the interior line likely returning in the same roles with a very good lead back. That's a lot to build on. There are a ton of questions, but there is also a lot to like moving into spring ball.

[Rednilla 5,391]

My post was not to suggest you or anybody else who picked NCM was wrong. It was just an opinion.

I think it's a fair one, too. When considering that Davis will have the entire spring to work on learning the plays in practice, it makes perfect sense that he would be more likely to start earlier in the season. Doesn't mean Craig-Myers won't play, or that he won't eventually overtake Davis on the depth chart, but enrolling early is a huge benefit for freshmen vying to get out there early in the season.

[Rednilla 5,391]

What are the odds of JF3 being used as a WR/Wildcat QB?

[au_bsci_04 407]

Name I see missing from most lineups is Paul James. I have to assume he is in strong contention to be the starter at DE over Cowart.

[cammycam2 173]

Name I see missing from most lineups is Paul James. I have to assume he is in strong contention to be the starter at DE over Cowart.

Is there any truth to the possibility of james lining up as a LB?

[alexava 6,973]

My post was not to suggest you or anybody else who picked NCM was wrong. It was just an opinion.

I think it's a fair one, too. When considering that Davis will have the entire spring to work on learning the plays in practice, it makes perfect sense that he would be more likely to start earlier in the season. Doesn't mean Craig-Myers won't play, or that he won't eventually overtake Davis on the depth chart, but enrolling early is a huge benefit for freshmen vying to get out there early in the season.

isnt Davis injured?

[ellitor 33,093]

^Which year in the future, if any, would you say gives us the best shot to make a run? Do you see us stuck at 2015-level the rest of the decade? Just curious.

i don't look at things that way. Betting on and planning for the future over the here and now is a very risky & dangerous proposition.

[ellitor 33,093]

My post was not to suggest you or anybody else who picked NCM was wrong. It was just an opinion.

I think it's a fair one, too. When considering that Davis will have the entire spring to work on learning the plays in practice, it makes perfect sense that he would be more likely to start earlier in the season. Doesn't mean Craig-Myers won't play, or that he won't eventually overtake Davis on the depth chart, but enrolling early is a huge benefit for freshmen vying to get out there early in the season.

It is a benefit but it does not outweigh NCM being better at nearly every aspect of being a WR IMO. The only spot i see KD better is physicality. Given KD's shoulder injury has him sidelined til late march at the earliest I don't see the 2 more months of work he will have at best before NCM gets here in May being enough for KD to catch or pass NCM on the rest of the WR Skills set.

[ellitor 33,093]

What are the odds of JF3 being used as a WR/Wildcat QB?

Very long as WR from what I'm hearing.

[ellitor 33,093]

Name I see missing from most lineups is Paul James. I have to assume he is in strong contention to be the starter at DE over Cowart.

Is there any truth to the possibility of james lining up as a LB?

He's listed there on the AU site but I still think he plays DE.

[mcgufcm 4,096]

Probably depends on alignment, right? James and Holland could be outside backers in a 3-4 set. That's not a stretch.