Grad Transfer Casey Dunn (Merged)

[Tiger 8,826]

14 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I absolutely took it the way you intended it. I'm guessing E did, too. We know you, sir. You good.

And I hear you about our staff's ability to evaluate. That's why I only wanted to point out that our staff has changed since last year. Might be better, might not. But it will be different.

Agree. I'm actually excited about our new OC hire and what he can do for us at the QB spot and play calling. What is being underrated , from me at least, is the new unbiased set of eyes overseeing everything on O.

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, Tiger said:

Agree. I'm actually excited about our new OC hire and what he can do for us at the QB spot and play calling. What is being underrated , from me at least, is the new unbiased set of eyes overseeing everything on O.

Abso-freakin'-lutely

 

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

1 hour ago, Tiger said:

Call me a downer but I don't trust our staff to put the best and most cohesive OL unit on the field. It makes me nervous that we may be moving the guys who are coming back from spots where they were effective the 2nd half of the season last year. Someone please convince me otherwise

I understand where you're coming from b/c we looked much better when AG moved back to C. Granted it was early in the season and i don't think XD was bad but AG just didn't look comfortable with the move. I wonder if it wasn't for X being injured would we have made the move to AG back at C?

I completely understand putting your best 5 on the field but chemistry with the OL is very key as well. That's why i'm hopping it will not take to long to figure out the OL lineup whoever it will be and the needed moves we need to make. Plus, getting the starting QB as many reps with that group as possible. 

[gr82b4au 5,568]

1 hour ago, ellitor said:

With respect how is Gus new at this point?

abw said he was "new". That is why I put it in quotations. He is not new as far as I am concerned. 

[Tiger 8,826]

12 minutes ago, WarEagle1983 said:

I understand where you're coming from b/c we looked much better when AG moved back to C. Granted it was early in the season and i don't think XD was bad but AG just didn't look comfortable with the move. I wonder if it wasn't for X being injured would we have made the move to AG back at C?

I completely understand putting your best 5 on the field but chemistry with the OL is very key as well. That's why i'm hopping it will not take to long to figure out the OL lineup whoever it will be and the needed moves we need to make. Plus, getting the starting QB as many reps with that group as possible. 

Exactly. I'm naturally not a trusting person so until I see something different I can't fully rid myself of thinking about how they dropped the ball on personnel management and got lucky to be bailed out by the universe. We have such high potential for next season (I seriously think we have the talent to win the whole thing) I just hoping we put our guys in a position to reach that potential. But with CCL on board I'm a bit more optimistic than if we still had the combo of Rhett/Gus in charge to make the same mistakes. Still need to see it to believe it 100% though.

[casatiger 513]

24 minutes ago, Tiger said:

I didn't want to open up the KP thing again but it's inexcusable that our best back only got on the field to spell a banged up KJ in the season opener for one play -- in which he didn't even touch the ball. ok I'm done lol

 

Oops, sorry I ripped that scab off.  

[ellitor 33,093]

11 hours ago, gr82b4au said:

abw said he was "new". That is why I put it in quotations. He is not new as far as I am concerned. 

Gotcha!

[AURex 1,998]

Okay, so back to Dunn. Do you think him coming to Auburn has anything to do with Golson being named as receiving an impermissible benefit while he was being recruited at Ole Miss? Apparently, it was just a level 3 infraction, but an infraction nonetheless. And there's still more coming in the Ole Miss sewage swim.

 

[bigbird 60,525]

31 minutes ago, AURex said:

Okay, so back to Dunn. Do you think him coming to Auburn has anything to do with Golson being named as receiving an impermissible benefit while he was being recruited at Ole Miss? Apparently, it was just a level 3 infraction, but an infraction nonetheless. And there's still more coming in the Ole Miss sewage swim.

 

No.

[WDE_OxPx_2010 5,297]

3 hours ago, bigbird said:

No.

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

On 2/26/2017 at 7:46 AM, AURex said:

Okay, so back to Dunn. Do you think him coming to Auburn has anything to do with Golson being named as receiving an impermissible benefit while he was being recruited at Ole Miss? Apparently, it was just a level 3 infraction, but an infraction nonetheless. And there's still more coming in the Ole Miss sewage swim.

 

No. 

[doc4aday 1,887]

Gus is doing some really good things that I think will translate into a 10+ wins for us in 2017. He has significantly improved the caliber of our coaching staff as well as the player roster.

Adding Mr. Dunn gives us a quality OL who will be on the field a good deal of the time.

[aubiefifty 16,791]

How will Jacksonville State grad transfer Casey Dunn fit into Auburn's offensive line plan?

Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Auburn's offensive line will add a potentially critical piece this summer when former Jacksonville State lineman Casey Dunn enrolls in May as a graduate transfer.

Dunn was a two-time FCS All-America center for the Gamecocks during his career, and he will bring a wealth of experience to the fold for the Tigers. With Auburn returning Austin Golson, who has spent much of the last two seasons as the team's starting center, where will Dunn fit into the equation for the Tigers and offensive line coach Herb Hand?

"Obviously we'll put him in there at center," Hand said Tuesday. "That's where he's played, and (we'll) see what he can do.... I'm excited to get him here, and once we get him here we'll figure it out."

When he arrives in May, Dunn will have an opportunity to compete with Golson at center. Golson has started 20 games at center over the last two seasons, including all 11 games he was healthy for in 2015 and the final nine games of the 2016 season after starting the first four at left tackle.

The 6-foot-3, 285-pound Dunn appeared in 36 games during his career at Jacksonville State, including 27 starts at center. He earned All-America honors in 2015 and 2016, making the AFCA All-America team in 2015 and earning a spot on the AP All-America second team last season.

"I'm excited about him," Hand said. "Any time you can get a guy who has that type of experience and has excelled at it, he's going to be a nice addition."

That gives Auburn two viable options at center for 2017. This spring, although Golson has been working primarily at center, he has been receiving reps at left guard recently, and Hand said those will increase over the remainder of the spring. Could that mean that Golson's future is at left guard this season, especially if Dunn comes in and asserts himself at center? Hand didn't rule out the possibility.

"It's just a contingency," Hand said. "I like to use the term 'we like to grease guys up,' so I grease (Golson) up in that area."

 

Starting left guard the 'biggest piece of the puzzle' for Auburn's offensive line

Auburn is rotating Marquel Harrell, Austin Golson and Mike Horton, among others, at left guard this spring.

 

While Dunn's undergraduate career came at an FCS program, the Gamecocks have been one of the premier teams in that subdivision in recent years. The Gamecocks have also played multiple games against Power 5 FBS programs during Dunn's career. He started at right guard against Michigan State in 2014, then started at center against Auburn in 2015 in a game that Jacksonville State nearly eked out in overtime at Jordan-Hare Stadium, as well as a start at center in 2016 against LSU in Death Valley.

Hand believes that experience will serve Dunn well when he arrives at Auburn and help him mesh well with the linemen currently on campus.

"He's got great experience, obviously, and not only just playing and being a starter, but he's played against Auburn, he's played against LSU," Hand said. "It's not week in and week out, but he's played against high-caliber people, but it's more so his experience and also that he's excelled at it. You're talking about a guy that's an All-American. You bring that in, and I think he's got -- just in talking with him -- he's got good football smarts, he's a high IQ guy, he's mature.

"He seems to be, from a leadership standpoint, he's got a good personality. I think he'll be a fine fit with the chemistry in the room."

[mcgufcm 4,096]

Personally, Dunn is another possible solution. I'm skeptical whether he's going to be better than Golson, even Austin's size and experience in our system. But Golson at LG and Dunn at C may be better than Harrell/Golson. Who knows? We're going to be mixing and matching OL parts into fall practice.

The way I see it, Golson, Smith, and Horton are guarantees to start. James is probably on that list, but I've never seen him work at Guard so I don't know that. The question isn't whether we have massive talent at all five spots. The question is what mix works best, and that's subject to change if we sign the OT from Cal (Cochran).

I could see James, Wanogho, Cochran, or Ashley at LT. Picking Cochran or Ashley means you're not setting the starting five until the second week of fall, probably at the earliest. Any selection out of that group, changes the options at other spots as well.

I could see Harrell, Golson, James, or Horton at LG. Golson only slides out if Dunn works at Center. James only slides in if someone else takes LT. Horton likely only flips to LG if Smith moves inside to RG (which only happens if James flips to RT with someone else taking LT).

I'm excited to have Dunn because, at worst, he gives us great depth at a position that regularly sees injuries. At most, he wins the job and lets us fill a Guard spot with another very, very good Senior lineman.

[Gowebb11 9,321]

My 'glass is half full' side is thrilled we have so many options and potential combinations to choose from. My 'glass is half empty' side ponders how confusing this could be for an o-line trying to develop timing and consistency while breaking in a new QB and OC. Fingers crossed we can put all this together during fall camp. 

[mcgufcm 4,096]

That consistency thing implies to me that Golson is more likely to stay at Center. QBs know him, and other linemen are used to his protection calls. But, it's great to have options.

[LKEEL75 2,566]

Based on size, maybe he could compete for LG

[Barnacle 9,064]

3 minutes ago, ellitor said:

.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

3 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

Must be a period?

[Barnacle 9,064]

Appears so

[ellitor 33,093]

9 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

Oops. Meant to delete that after merging 2 Casey Dunn threads.

[Barnacle 9,064]

Just now, ellitor said:

Oops. Meant to delete that after merging 2 Casey Dunn threads.

All good! I'm just bored and having some fun. 

[AU64 10,122]

What else can be said...AU had a chance to scout him personally in action against our DL....so the coaches must have seen something there that they liked. 

And as for lack of faith in any particular center candidate, I expect they might have been looking also at the opportunity to create more depth. ...this year.  JMO but the guy has a far better chance of helping the team in 2017 than about any JUCO or HS they could have found.

Happy to have him on board even if he does not know anything about coaching baseball.

[80Tiger 899]

16 minutes ago, AU64 said:

What else can be said...AU had a chance to scout him personally in action against our DL....so the coaches must have seen something there that they liked. 

And as for lack of faith in any particular center candidate, I expect they might have been looking also at the opportunity to create more depth. ...this year.  JMO but the guy has a far better chance of helping the team in 2017 than about any JUCO or HS they could have found.

Happy to have him on board even if he does not know anything about coaching baseball.

I think you are right about the depth. Since Golson looks to be able to play at least 2 other OL positions, I could easily see Dunn as the "6th man". Someone gets dinged up, Golson moves to that spot and Dunn comes in at the center position.

[AU64 10,122]

IF it's for depth.... that's good with me..   We have been one healthy player ...sometimes two of them ....away from a really good season on several occasions in recent years....so the more solid depth and more experienced versatility we have with guys like Smith and Golson and some others....the better off we will be come November.