Offensive Line

Each year I make a depth chart prior to the start of August practice. After a couple of scrimmages, I change it to match the two-deep that Coach Viator makes available. This off-season and August training camp has been different than most of the last 40 years that I have done this. Coaches , at least at McNeese, no longer advertise players lost to grades, dismissed, or who just pull up. My depth chart has more scratches and whiteouts than at any point in the past forty years. As bad as it sounds, it is not all bad news.

McNeese has always had a “program system” that it followed very closely. Every coach that I have known has basically followed the “McNeese Way”. I have been invited to practice in the 1980’s and 1990’s in which coaches bragged and pointed out true freshmen that were red-shirting, some of which could certainly be on the two-deep. I can remember the early 1990’s standing in the background with Collins, Stoker, and Tate and them pointing out guys like Kerry Joseph, Vince Landrum, Henry Fields, and Zack Bronson as “ready” talent wise. But the “McNeese Way” was to red-shirt and use only freshmen in emergency cases. Another point that was hammered into me was that there was value in players being slotted in the depth chart and earning their way up the ladder. The common thought was that experience outweighed talent. It was not uncommon for McNeese to have three, four, or even five walk-ons starting or being on the two deep.

I certainly believe in the walk-on program because I believe it is extremely difficult to project 17-18 yrs at 22-23 yrs olds. Guys like Richard Ellender, Tommy Tate, Lance Guidry, or Hadley Prince were lightweight 17 yr. olds that could never have been projected as true college starters, much less All-Conference or All-Americans. But there is another side to this system. In recent weeks, I have listen to hour upon hour of Sirius Radio 91 , a station devoted to 24-7 discussion of college football. The common theme among their host which include several Heisman Trophy winners, ex-coaches, and current TV announcers like Jack Auruet, Tim Brando, Paul Finebaum, and Kirk Herbstreit. They all agree that talent overrides experience.

The SEC is a prime example of many, many talented freshmen are taking over. At LSU for example, three years of running back experience is not going to get their two returning rushing leaders a start ahead of Fournette. LSU had seven WR’s returning with some experience, a couple even in the fourth year on the team, yet Trey Quinn and Malachi Dupre  are now starters. I could go and on, but you get the picture. QB Jennings has the experience, but the true freshman Brandon Harris has too much talent to ignore. As Lou Holtz said, “give me talent over experience anyday”.

In the past twenty years, my depth charts have been pretty predictable. Walk-ons and recruiting bust often stayed three or four years because longevity meant alot. For example, just last year the MSU depth chart for South Florida looked like this. In the Offensive line we had Jalen Smith, Cody Eaves, Nick Smith, Taylor Donaldson, and Thor Miller as our second teamers. We had Allen Lockett and Zeron Stevens right behind them. Only Thor Miller remains on the team today. We have been atrocious in evaluating offensive linemen. Since 2012, we have signed Billy Aubertin, Pat Jacobs, Billy McMillan, Taylor Donaldson(WO), Jalen Smith, Adam Ziepke, Allen Locket(WO) Nick Smith, Cody Eaves(WO), Zeron Stevens, and Landon Thomas(2014). They have all gone home. We are batting less than 20% in production from the OL.

Thank God we have an outstanding offensive line coach. He is very thorough, demanding, and accountable. What else would you expect from someone who played at Neville, and then spent the next five years playing under Nick Saban, and then served under NIck Saban. What would we have done if he didnot steal Nick Gorman and Quinten Marsh from the defensive line, and taken Jordon Murray from the tight ends?

With that said, I have had a very difficult time sorting out the depth chart and who is really on the team. But I feel confident in that we have lost upwards to 20 kids since spring training. Jalen Smith, Allen Lockett, and Taylor Donaldson were on the second team OL just three weeks ago, but I think all have quit. Landon Thomas was given a number, but he disappeared about a week into practice.

Linebacker is an excellent example of my observation of what is going on. After 2013 season ended, our depth chart was revised. I had Kyle Hardin, Corey Middleton, Brody Burkhalter, Kyle Crouch, Holden Rodgers, and Keyon Bruno as the six backups because they all had years left. Personally, I knew we were weak at LB last year, we were way too slow and non-athletic when you include Dobbs in there as well.  Certain guys moved on, Rodgers and Bruno barely see the field these days. But the truth of the matter is , we got better due to recruiting. Not only did moving Wallace Scott to LB improve speed and athleticism, but adding Ashari Goins, Christian Jacobs, Tre Porter, and Anthony Sylvester improved speed and athleticism over night. If we ever get Ed Duplessis back, we will have what Lance needs and wants. But the fact is, alot of guys sitting and waiting on their turn to just be pushed up  the depth chart, were disappointed.

Thus, I truly believe that when Mason Martin, Nick Fontenot, Joe Jenkins, Kyle Zenon, and Jordon Murray were placed ahead of guys like Lockett, Smith, and Donaldson, they fled. My bet is they were left off the Nebraska trip and they quit. I could be wrong, but no word from any coach or media outlet. I doubt if Alex even noticed. Do you think anyone noticed that Gorman didnot start at OG, it was Thor Miller. I noticed from Doc Martin’s pictures that Gorman was playing left tackle with the second group.

My depth chart had Bluin, Jay Washington, and Livingston Hamilton as the top three choices ready to replace Bronson, yet they are all gone today. Again, no word from MSU, but a move of Sams to free safety, and then a talented freshman named Andre Fuller leap frogged over their heads. To the coaches credit, they have come to realize that a certain standard has to be met, and if you don’t have that, you are not a complete team.

The point is we have started to forget about waiting four years for kids to be developed, and are now more vested in talent that can learn the system. I am all for walk-ons and the development of players, but the bottom line is production. We had some great kids like William Ryckman, Deajon Mitchell, Rey Young, Deltoine Scott, Shelby Hemingway, and others who were basically all walk-ons that were in our top 10-12 WR’s. I know they all felt that if they waited out the seniors to graduate that they would ultimately be starters or on the two-deep. However, you have to take guys with talent like Celestie, Bush, Shelby, and the freshmen WR’s we brought in this year. IF they are better, they have to move ahead of the others.

This looks like a real negative article, thus that is why I will not post it on the main board. Fans could easily jump at a chance to blame attrition on certain coaches, and hang it all on Viator.

I have always been against cutting players, still am. We had three RB’s last spring that were walk-ons and hoping to be 3rd team this fall, maybe 2nd team because we lost so much. Alfred and the Houston transfer probably thought last December that they would be behind Bennett. Jared Williams, Chris Jackson, Trent Hargraves, Devin Eaglin, and Marshall Harmon were all in line last spring to be the next guy behind Bennett. They all gone.  But we added three very good backs, sorry, but that is what you have to do. Steele Merritt was a backup on my depth chart last spring, as was Marcus Gray, Livingston Hamilton, and others, but they are all gone. Guys like Fuller,Hill, Pennington, Antoine, and Baptiste will do that to you.

The last two years have really beefed up our talent level. I know alot of fans just see gold helmets and generalize on talent level. I am a big believer in players. Players make good teams, coaches are the guys who put the glue to the work and motivate, but believe me, you can coach your ass off unmercifully, as Bobby Keasler did with Hud Jackson and Wes Watt as our QB’s, but nothing replaces guys like  Joseph, Prejean, Leger, Fourroux, etc.