Post Your Roster Outlook for 2012

[Friedchickenman 0]

QB- Kiehl Frazier, Clint Moseley, Zeke Pike, and Jonathan Wallace.--- Kiehl is obviously the most talented of the bunch, will be interesting to see who wins the QB job, if Loeffler can develop Frazier as a passer he'll play, if not, the nod will be given to Moseley, the other two are incoming freshmen, I expect 1 or maybe both to redshirt unless forced into action by injury.

RB- Onterrio McCalleb, Tre Mason, Mike Blakely, Corey Grant, Jovon Robinson. McCallebb I think will be the starter due to experience, along with his receiving abililty, but he's obviously not an every-down back. Blakely and Grant both transferred in last season but had to sit out due to NCAA rules, Blakely could be a stud, as could Jovon Robinson, yet I think we redshirt Jovon with the depth we have here. The loss of Dyer will not be felt imo (see. Virginia game), Mason will likely be the number 2 back.

FB- New position under Loeffler, if given the waiver Jay Prosch will start (all-american fullback transfer from Illinois), if not Ladarious Phillips will get the nod.

WR- Emory Blake will be the number 1 obviously, yet I wouldn't be surprised if JaQuay Williams doesn't come in and compete immediately for the number 2 job. Trovon Reed and Quan Bray likely to compete for the slot position, with DeAngelo Benton still a possibility as the number 2 receiver as well if he ever plays to his potential.

TE-Tightends were heavily utilized under Loeffler last season at Temple, I expect to see much of the same with 2 tightend sets a lot. Lutzenkirchen will have his career year, Brandon Fulse is a blocking beast, but needs to develop his receiving ability. Newcomers Ricky Parks and Darrion Hutcherson both come in with a lot of ability as well, I look for one to redshirt and the other to play, most likely Ricky Parks to play.

OT- This is a position that is rather scary for Auburn. Not a single returning starter or player with any playing experience returns at offensive tackle. The good news is that Greg Robinson is ready and could have played last year but the coaches decided not to burn his redshirt. As for the other tackle spot it will likely be filled by one of Auburn's outstanding offensive tackle comittments--most likely Avery Young. I also look for Jordan Diamond to compete for playing time as well or as a backup, with the last backup position being decided from Shane Callahan, Patrick Miller, Robert Leff, or Will Adams. It will be key for Auburn's success next season to not have injuries at the tackle spot, Robinson, Young, and Diamond are probably all ready, the rest need some time in the weight room.

OG- Chad Slade and John Sullen return as starters, Christian Westerman and Eric Mack as backups.

C- Reese Dismukes returns as a starter, Blake Burgess (son of Rick Burgess from Rick & Bubba), the backup.

DE- Corey Lemonier returns as an all-SEC defensive end, with Nosa Eguae anchoring the strong side and Craig Sanders as a quaility backup, I really like this combo and they should be even better now in their junior years.

DT- Kenneth Carter and Jeffrey Whitaker return as starters, with quailty backups Gabe Wright and Angelo Blackson behind them. Carter is developing somewhat into the mold of a pass-rushing DT.

LBs- Bates and Evans return as starters, Bates still being the protypical undersized yet fast Auburn linebacker. Jake Holland likely to compete at MLB with Cassanova McKinzy, who in my mind could start due to the lack of Holland's lateral quickness, Justin Garrett played well at times, yet he too is undersized. Kris Frost, (5 star who was injured last year), is the wildcard here, he could play LB or safety and is way too talented to not be on the field somewhere.

CB- T'Sharvan Bell returns as a certain starter, I expect the other one to be up for grabs among a lot of players, those being Chris Davis, Robinson Therezie, Joshua Holsey, Jonathon Rose, and Ryan White, Chris Davis is likely the front runner, as a physical corner.

S- Demetruce McNeal and Erique Florence return as likely starters, Kris Frost could play here as well, with Therezie and Ryan White also providing competition.

K- Touchback % leader of the NCAA returns in Cody Parkey.

P- Steven Clark returns, a Ray Guy Finalist.

KR- Quan Bray, Onterrio McCallebb, Tre Mason---all dangerous returners.

PR- Trovon Reed & Quan Bray to compete, both dangerous.

All in all, we should be improved and able to compete, depending on the QB play, and play of the offensive line, we could make some noise. I still think we're too inexperienced to challenge for the Western crown, one more year...this year I'm hoping for 9-3, New Year's Day Bowl, and a surprising win over UGA, LSU, or Bama, with a certain win over Arkansas.

[metafour 4,973]

Christian Westerman will not be a backup. A much more realistic outlook will be Slade or Sullen starting at RT than Young. Also; for future reference, early-entrees like Miller and Callahan will usually have an advantage in terms of likelihood of playing early (than guys like Young, Diamond).

[metafour 4,973]

he could play LB or safety

Frost will play LB. 0% chance he plays Safety.

[Defense(clap clap) 4]

Christian Westerman will not be a backup. A much more realistic outlook will be Slade or Sullen starting at RT than Young. Also; for future reference, early-entrees like Miller and Callahan will usually have an advantage in terms of likelihood of playing early (than guys like Young, Diamond).

How do you think the OL shakes out? I don't want to say its a given, but it sounds like LT - Robinson, LG - Westerman, C - Dismukes and then about 4 or 5 guys in the running for the other 2 spots. Mack, Sullen, O'Reilly, Slade and maybe another I'm forgetting.

I'd hope we don't have a true freshman starting, but whoever plays the best in spring/summer I guess.

[Mikey 16,781]

The one thing I see that almost certainly WON'T happen is Ladarious Phillips at Fullback. We'll find somebody else or run formations that don't need a FB. Phillips isn't up to everyday, starter duties. Hopefully the NCAA will clear Prosch to play, but that isn't done yet and I don't trust the NCAA.

[EagleReedle 14]

I like your roster analysis. I am concerned that the running back position will not be as smooth as the majority seems to feel. Omac & Mason have the speed to reek havoc but it is going to be entirely different then Gus' system and so some power coupled w/ experience would be nice. I also agree with Metafour that there is little chance Kris Frost plays safety but he should have an immediate impact wherever he plays... watch out for Blackson kids a stud.

[mcgufcm 4,107]

I think the safest guy on the Offensive Line is John Sullen. Barring injury, there is no chance he loses his job. None. Dismukes is a close second. Those two guys are locked into place. From there, Slade is almost certain to start. The only question is whether he remains at LG, or moves out to RT or LT. The best bet is RT (because he's played the spot before and we have ZERO tackles with game reps), but he can play any of those spots.

From there, you'd have to say Robinson and Westerman are the most likely starters. Are they locks? No, but think of it this way: neither of those guys was deemed ready to play last fall. What's the likelihood that the newcomers are going to be that much more prepared than they were? Eric Mack could sneak in at Guard. Miller and Callahan have a chance at Tackle. More than likely, those four along with Tunde Faryike (at Center) are the backups. I'm with meta in that I never expect guys with only one fall practice under their belts to make the rotation unless things are going poorly. It's happened before but very rarely.

At WR/TE, I have no idea how it shakes out, but I know the goal. We have three pieces to the passing game puzzle in place: Blake (WR1), Lutz (TE - QB safety net), and McCalebb (very, very, very dynamic out of the backfield). We need to find 3 more guys on the edge. That's really it. It could be Fulse at TE with Bray and Benton. It could be Jaylon Denson with Reed and Uzomah (WR/TE hybrid). It could be Louis, Parks, and Coates for all I know. I just know we're looking for three guys. If you have six legit components to the passing game, you've got a very dynamic passing game.

At RB, I expect Robinson to be a bigger factor than that list implies. He's the change of pace guy this year. He's the only hammer in the toolbox. McCalebb and Mason likely get most of the burn. Robinson gives you the most diversity. I think that'll be a factor.

On defense, we're much deeper than this list at DE. On the Weakside: Lemonier, Ford (who looked great prior to injury), and Owens. On the strongside: Eguae, Sanders, and Delaine (who was moving up prior to injury). At DT, I expect Wright to win that spot, but the battle between he and Carter will probably last into fall. We need to find a fifth guy, which I hope is either Sigler or Niles. We'll see.

At MLB, it's definitely Jake Holland. He was playing better and better every week until he finally just couldn't go from all the injuries. Then he looked good in the bowl game (and played most of the second half ahead of Freeman). Evans/Holland/Bates will start. If White takes a step forward and Frost pans out, we have the makings of a solid group.

At CB, I think Davis is the biggest lock. He's the boundary corner. No questions. T.Bell could start if he's healthy. There's no guarantee there. He could also move back to Safety. I keep saying that because I believe it. Mincy, Whitehead, White, Therezie, and Rose (in that order in my mind) could all start or factor into the rotation. We have bodies. It would be a big upset for one of the freshmen to crack that group, especially if Bell stays at CB.

In the back, it's clearer: McNeal and Florence with Ryan Smith as the primary back-up for McNeal. We need to find one more. If Bell shifts back, he and Florence are a good FS combo. Otherwise, it could be Means or Therezie or we could just play with a short rotation.

[vatz22au 142]

I guarantee you'll see a lot more Corey Grant than most people think we will this year. Think OMac/Dyer hybrid.

[TigerfanKM 37]

LOOK FOR FROST TO HAVE A MONSTER YEAR AT LB!!!!!