Redshirts

[Harry]

QB - none

RB (1) - Evan Robertson

FB (1) - Robert Payne

OL (5)- Ajani Banks, Bryan Glass, Chris Eidd, Jack Crumes, Robert Peachey

TE - None

WR (5) - Roy Covington?, Casey Fitzgerald, Isiah Smith, Brock Stickler (med RS), Art Stubblefield

DT (2) - Issac Thomas (med RS), Jon Stewart

DE (2) - Ty Rexrode?, David Collins

LB (4) - Ryan Davenport (?), Henry Eke, Colt Mahan (not sure if he redshirted), Tobe Nwigwe

DB (5) - Korey Washington, Brian Nelson, Desmond Chatman, Antoine Bush, Kartey Agbottah

Freshman who lettered as true:

Steve Warren, Dom Green, Truman Spencer, Matt Phillips, Joe Miller, Eddrick Gilmore, Germaine Dawson, Charley Brown

Feel free to disect and correct. Any way you slice it a lot of new faces this year. Let's hope they are ready to contribute.

[good_ken]

Isn't Isaac Thomas going to be a sophomore (recruiting class of 2004)? Or did he get a medical red shirt to account for last year?

Will Glass have enough size to contribute at the center position?

And I expect that Tim Patton to contribute from the get go.

[SilverEagle]

I don't remember seeing much of Tye Rexrode during the spring. Has he settled in at DE? To me, he's more LB size.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

Just a few quick thoughts on redshirts..

Robert Payne and Roy Covington left the program as far as I know. At least neither were at spring training.

Casey Fitzgerald appeared in five games and that was probably enough to letter.

I believe that Mahan, Dawson and Davenport were on special teams enough to letter.

Tyler Bailey was a walk-on who I believe was red-shirted.

[mad dog]

Top Potential Contributors:

1) OG Ajani Banks

This guy has done nothing but impress me from the first minute he showed up at freshman two-a-days last August. He is obviously big and strong, but he has great pulling speed and quickness, as well. His conditioning is what I first noticed. When others were puking up their breakfast that first day, it looked like he was barely breaking a sweat. I see no reason why he can't be a four year starter here, and an immediate impact player in the fall.

2) DT Isaac Thomas

For the life of me, I have no idea why he's not on the two-deep. It was a different defense with him on the line, and he proved consistently that he can move the pile. Best as I can figure, the coaching staff just wants to keep him under the radar so people don't know we have such a disruptive force on the line. Past that, I don't know why he's not the de facto starter. Just needs to make sure he's healthy and in shape.

3) LB Tobe Nwigwe

Towards the end of spring ball, it looked like he woke up and started understanding the system. He is as lock down a tackler in the open field as we have on the team. He enjoys contact, and has tremendous strength and good closing, if not straight line, speed. Watching the way he came alive in goal line drills gives me hope for the punishing defender we had in guys like Cody Spencer and Brad Kassel. It is scary to think about him making steady progress from here on out.

4) CB Desmon Chatman

Like Nwigwe, Chatman flashed some big time potential at the end of spring ball. If he ever gets the system down, even halfway, to go with his tremendous size and good speed, Des could be a real star in the making. He's in a logjam at corner, but, as with all athletes, competition will bring out the best in you. Let's hope there's good competition at CB this fall.

5) CB Antoine Bush

He has been pegged by recievers as the best pure cover corner on the team, the guy who it is toughest to get seperation from. He had moments where he showed a closing speed that I've never seen at cornerback since I started watching in 2000. Perhaps that flash is a harbinger of things to come. Maybe he's one of those guys who plays hesitant until he "gets it," then flies to the ball. I could really easily see him challenging for the starting job with Chatman, Tyrone Carter, and Dominique Green.

Edited June 26, 2006 by illuvius32

[BIG DAWG]

Anybody have info on Korey "Special-K" Washington?

All I heard about him when we signed him was his amazing athleticism, blazing speed, and how smart a player he was.

I really didn't hear much about him during spring ball, and I still do not hear much about him when people talk about '06.

Anyone have his story?

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

Top Potential Contributors:

1) OG Ajani Banks

This guy has done nothing but impress me from the first minute he showed up at freshman two-a-days last August.  He is obviously big and strong, but he has great pulling speed and quickness, as well.  His conditioning is what I first noticed.  When others were puking up their breakfast that first day, it looked like he was barely breaking a sweat.  I see no reason why he can't be a four year starter here, and an immediate impact player in the fall.

2) DT Isaac Thomas

For the life of me, I have no idea why he's not on the two-deep.  It was a different defense with him on the line, and he proved consistently that he can move the pile.  Best as I can figure, the coaching staff just wants to keep him under the radar so people don't know we have such a disruptive force on the line.  Past that, I don't know why he's not the de facto starter.  Just needs to make sure he's healthy and in shape.

3) LB Tobe Nwigwe

Towards the end of spring ball, it looked like he woke up and started understanding the system.  He is as lock down a tackler in the open field as we have on the team.  He enjoys contact, and has tremendous strength and good closing, if not straight line, speed.  Watching the way he came alive in goal line drills gives me hope for the punishing defender we had in guys like Cody Spencer and Brad Kassel.  It is scary to think about him making steady progress from here on out.

4) CB Desmon Chatman

Like Nwigwe, Chatman flashed some big time potential at the end of spring ball.  If he ever gets the system down, even halfway, to go with his tremendous size and good speed, Des could be a real star in the making.  He's in a logjam at corner, but, as with all athletes, competition will bring out the best in you.  Let's hope there's good competition at CB this fall.

5) CB Antoine Bush

He has been pegged by recievers as the best pure cover corner on the team, the guy who it is toughest to get seperation from.  He had moments where he showed a closing speed that I've never seen at cornerback since I started watching in 2000.  Perhaps that flash is a harbinger of things to come.  Maybe he's one of those guys who plays hesitant until he "gets it," then flies to the ball.  I could really easily see him challenging for the starting job with Chatman, Tyrone Carter, and Dominique Green.

←

I like your assessment of those players but there are two others that should be potential contributors; I just don't know when.

The first is Korey Washington. He may be the fastest on the entire team. He is an athlete who was able to take his team to the state finals in his first year as a quarterback. If he can't closely contend for the starting corner job, I wish that they'd move him back to wide receiver. You have to have pretty decent hands to play QB so I believe that under the right tutelage he could excel at that position.

The other is Chris Eidd. Max Emfinger picked him out during Trinity's state championship season as being an outstanding lineman. He played in at least one all-star game. He has great size and pretty good speed (5.3) for someone that large. He seemed to move up the depth chart this past spring but that could have been due to Lineberry's absence and Stanley's bust.

[mad dog]

I like your assessment of those players but there are two others that should be potential contributors; I just don't know when.

The first is Korey Washington.  He may be the fastest on the entire team.  He is an athlete who was able to take his team to the state finals in his first year as a quarterback.  If he can't closely contend for the starting corner job, I wish that they'd move him back to wide receiver.  You have to have pretty decent hands to play QB so I believe that under the right tutelage he could excel at that position.

The other is Chris Eidd.  Max Emfinger picked him out during Trinity's state championship season as being an outstanding lineman.  He played in at least one all-star game.  He has great size and pretty good speed (5.3) for someone that large.  He seemed to move up the depth chart this past spring but that could have been due to Lineberry's absence and Stanley's bust.

←

As I wrote in a PM a little earlier, I was actually about to put Washington down at number five, but Antoine Bush seemed to have more cred.

"Special K" does indeed have tremendous speed to go with a great instinctual style of play. The reason why he probably won't press for time in any position this year is because, as with most others in his situation, he hasn't had time to develop a feel for a position. They've moved him around a lot to try and get a bead on where he might be best suited, and so his best shot, barring either breakthrough progress or (knock on wood) major injury problems, is on special teams, possibly as a kick returner.

I like Eidd, too. He's got good size for the position, and didn't hurt himself with a bad performance this spring. However, though he didn't stick out as being bad, he didn't shine like Banks did. I'd put Eidd, and Jack Crumes, too, as tied for the second best spring among the newer offensive linemen.

Offensive linemen are terribly hard to judge unless they are either really really dominating or are really really bad. At this point, he isn't either one, so I'm reserving judgement until two a days.

Edited June 26, 2006 by illuvius32