Can this OL be fixed?

[Mr.Cane]

I honestly think Nick Linder is pretty good... I thought he played the best. Still not good enough for our standards though.

 

[sstcane]

There's a direct correlation to the total number of games started by an Oline and their success. Last year only Isidora had 1 season and Linder had a couple. Not too many lines that green would have been amazing.

The line FSU won the championship was berated 2 years before for being bad.

No lineman should start before they're a RS Sophmore. That would be optimal, unless you have a 5* stud.

I agree that all the shuffling stifled the players growth and their continuity.

 

[JgDaCane]

another good thing is our S&C coach was a former O-Linemen so he will push them the hardest which is what we need.

 

[3FW]

We had children on the OL. Line will be solid next year, but we'll still be pretty young with mostly 2/3 yr guys in the two deep. Have to get where OL get a RS and start playing in year 3. In that case, Darling, Linder and KC would not be on the field yet.

 

[Rellyrell]

Now that we have the full staff hired and going into recruiting mode I think the biggest question mark on the entire team is the OL and I realize that has been covered a ton already.

My question is more centered around whether the new staff can do enough to fix what we have because there aren't recruits coming through the door as of yet to add quality depth or an instant impact.

Can St. Louis develop enough to start at LT which would allow Darling to slide back over to the right side?
Can Milo step in as a redshirt Freshman to provide some depth and possibly push for a starting spot?
Is Searles a big enough upgrade over Kehoe to get this unit more technically sound?
Will we change from a zone blocking scheme that didn't fit our current line to something that plays more to our players strengths?

These are the major questions I have and I don't know nearly enough about the OL to provide any answers. Hopefully some of you guys like gogeta4 or D$ can provide some insight and possibly answer these questions.

OP, first and foremost, techinque can be taught.
Second, competition always helps develop trench guys...no more buddy, buddy here; it will turn these guys into savages
Third, strength and conditioning. Our guys were getting pushed back, and tiring.

The line was relatively young, mixed in w/ some Golden specials. I think we will finally breed competition, and whoever comes out of the blood bath will be the best starting unit. No more of the patty cake, fa99ot picture crap.

 

[mirednmediocrity2]

What do they do with deadwood like Alex Gal? Invite them to take their talents elsewhere? Guys like this were turnstiles last year. Can they really turn these Pillsbury Doughboys and Marshmallow Boys into even minimally decent substitutes? If our minimally adequate starters get hurt, we're in deep chit with these clowns. Kaaya will get killed.

 

[Deleted User]

Yes.

Darling was shaky at times but he definitely improved and now has a full season under his belt at LT.

McDermott seemed to flourish as a guard. He obviously isn't fit to play tackle but he can maul.

Linder will only get stronger. Much like S. McDermott who got noticeably better as he got stronger.

Isidora has played a ton.

Dogflu will get pushed by St. Louis, Milo, maybe even Jones.



The good OLs always have a ton of combined starts. Last year's unit had under 15 heading into Bethune.

This. All of this. Golden was runnin around telling everyone that this team would be better by subtraction and people fell for it. This offensive line had to replace 3 really good starters with guys who'd barely played before and with guys coming off injuries. There was no chemistry and guys were playing out of position.

Because of advancements in tech and how fast some guys come back from injury, I think people are overlooking McDermotts injury. It took Geno Atkins almost 2 years to get back to form this season for the Bengals. It's so much harder for big guys to recover from knee injuries and takes longer for them to get back to form. There's a reason why McDermott continued to look better as the season went on, he's still recovering from a major knee injury. I wouldn't be surprised to see him take a huge step forward this spring.

Guys like Linder and McDermott should have been redshirted and given time to add weight and strength properly. But **** poor recruiting by Golden constantly cost guys their red shirts and forced them to play to early. When that happens, you're constantly playing catch up. Instead of spending 5 months focusing on developing, you're just trying to maintain whatever weight and strength you had coming out of fall camp.

They brought in like 5 OL in the last class, all of them needing time to develop and get stronger. The OL should be much improved next season, simply because of the experience returning and having another offseason of working together and getting stronger.

Getting rid of a coach who was so enamored with how much guys weighed should also help. I hope the new strength staff looks at this OL and DL and tells them they're all too fat and focuses on getting them stronger instead of focusing on how much they weigh. I know behind closed doors, coaches have weights they want their players. But I've never seen a coach constantly bring up the exact weight of each of his players as a main talking point for player development at everyone of his press conferences. Chad Thomas, Demetrius Jackson, Standish and everyone of the OL are sloppy fat and need to lose weight. I find it telling that the best looking DLineman is AQM, who wasn't allowed to workout with the team for almost a year. That should tell you everything you need to know about the old regime.

 

[stb]

Gall was in terrible shape....big belly, moved slowly and for strength his best bench press listed in summer training was 325 and he weights near 320 .....maybe Joe Brown who showed some flashes would be better..

our freshmen came in stronger than many of our guys who have been here 2, 3 years----

Joe Brown's squat improved from 315 to 435, his power clean went from 232 to 252, and his bench increased from 275 to 365. He ran the 40 in 5.79 seconds last summer and now runs 5.64.
His body weight went from 333 last year to 326.

Trevor Darling gained strength. His squat went from 365 to 405, his power clean from 264 to 286 and his bench from 315 to 350. His vertical also jumped from 24 to 25. Darling ran the 40 in 5.69, down from 5.83. He lost six pounds since the spring, down to 319.

Alex Gall ran a 5.50 40 last year; this year his time was 5.52 seconds. He had a 475 squat, 296 power clean and 325 bench with a 25.5-inch vertical.
He lost seven pounds since the spring, to 313.

Freshman Tyler Gauthier tested at 500 in the squat, 308 in the power clean, 405 in the bench and had a 26-inch vertical. He weighed 316 pounds and his 40 time was 5.50 seconds.

Tyler Grimsley is a standout in the weight room. He has a 500-pound squat (up from 405 last year), 332 power clean (from 308) and 425 bench (from 385). His 40 went from 5.34 last year to 5.52. He weighs 293 pounds, 20 pounds heavier than a year ago.

Danny Isidora ran a 5.33 40 time (last year he ran 5.13). His squat went from 430 in the summer to 455. He weighed in at 321 pounds, down five pounds from the spring. Isidora had a 352-pound power clean, same as last summer, and he benched 435 pounds.

Jahair Jones is a newcomer who tested in the spring at 5.47 seconds in the 40 with a 385-pound squat, 198-pound power clean, 295-pound bench and a 20.5-inch vertical. He tested this summer at 5.53 seconds in the 40 with a 400-pound squat, 232 power clean and 335 bench. His vertical was 23 inches. Jones has lost five pounds from the spring, to 322.

Hunter Knighton is back on the field off a heat stroke scare before last season. He ran the 40 in 5.84 seconds with a 350-pound squat, 264-pound power clean and 315-pound bench (up 15 from the spring). He weighed in at 295 pounds.

Nick Linder: Linder ran the 40 in 5.62 seconds (5.53 last year) and tested at 345 pounds in the squat, 276 in the power clean and 325 in the bench [last year's results were not available].
He weighed in at 298 pounds, up from 286 last year.

Freshman Brendan Loftus tested at 275 in the squat, 242 in the power clean, 295 in the bench and had a 22-inch vertical. He weighed 293 pounds and his 40 time was 5.44 seconds.

Freshman Hayden Mahoney tested at 365 in the squat, 232 in the power clean, 335 in the bench and had a 26.5-inch vertical. He weighed 287 pounds and his 40 time was 5.44 seconds.

KC McDermott: His 40 time went from 5.56 to 5.48, and his squat went from 365 to 395 while his bench stayed at 385. His vertical went from 21 to 22.5 inches and his power clean stayed at 276. He weighed in at 317 pounds, up from 307 last summer.

Freshman Bar Milo tested at 275 in the squat, 252 in the power clean, 315 in the bench and had a 23.5-inch vertical. He weighed 279 pounds and his 40 time was 5.64 seconds.

Sunny Odogwu is a solid performer in the weight room. His 40 was 5.57 seconds (last year he ran a 5.65), and his squat went from 405 to 465 and his bench from 385 to 410. Odogwu had a 286 power clean, up from 264. He weighs 321 pounds, up from 317 last summer.

Freshman Tyree St. Louis tested at 455 in the squat, 301 in the power clean, 345 in the bench and had a 24.5-inch vertical. He weighed 305 pounds and his 40 time was 5.72 seconds.
"That's impressive," Swasey said.

 

[BoxingRobes]

I do not believe this batch of offensive linemen are late-Mack Brown Texas-level trash, so yes, it can be fixed with some coaching. These are all five and four star studs. Find a position for them. Let them develop continuity and rapport with each other and let them grow into a good unit. There aren't many OLs in the country that will be successful with very few unit starts like these guys had before this year.

 

[Canesfan1899]

What can we expect if anything from guys like Hunter Knighton, Mahoney, loftus, and is there anything we can get out of Jahair Jones.

 

[HurricaneKush]

This OL is stacked. Watch what competent coaching, experience, and a bit of depth can do.

 

[Canesfan1899]

This OL is stacked. Watch what competent coaching, experience, and a bit of depth can do.

Stacked is not a word I would use to describe our current situation.

 

[The Franchise]

Those S&C numbers stb posted tell you all you need to know. Very minor strength gains for huge young guys who should be making gigantic leaps in strength. Also telling is that every guy got slower. Pathetic and putrid.

 

[Pentagon Cane]

Yes. People forget how young these guys are. They were also mismanaged by Golden. It is not a coincidence that the line played better when he got fired.

McDermott should have been starting at LG from Day One. He didn't even play there in camp. Gall should not have seen a meaningful snap. It was obvious in camp that he was not good enough.

Darling, Linder and McDermott will be good players if developed properly. Odogwu is a talented guy with bad knees. Isidora has been a disappointment but there is a reason Wisconsin wanted him. St. Louis and Milo have ability. Mahoney has a chance to play here.

Cut the excessive rotations, build continuity and chemistry with your starters, and keep developing your talented underclassmen. One of the positives from this season is that our OL got a ton of game experience. That will speed up the process.

And thus why Art was let go.

not necessarily. golden obligated kehoe to sub OL in and out. kehoe told me that in person last summer. golden also played favorites and made personnel decisions, overriding position coaches. while i think we needed a wholesale coaching/staff change, i would not blame kehoe for all of the problems.

I'm not putting it all on Art. Art's biggest problem as I've been saying for years is he recruits and favors overachievers, much like himself as a player.

 

[Canesfan1899]

Yes. People forget how young these guys are. They were also mismanaged by Golden. It is not a coincidence that the line played better when he got fired.

McDermott should have been starting at LG from Day One. He didn't even play there in camp. Gall should not have seen a meaningful snap. It was obvious in camp that he was not good enough.

Darling, Linder and McDermott will be good players if developed properly. Odogwu is a talented guy with bad knees. Isidora has been a disappointment but there is a reason Wisconsin wanted him. St. Louis and Milo have ability. Mahoney has a chance to play here.

Cut the excessive rotations, build continuity and chemistry with your starters, and keep developing your talented underclassmen. One of the positives from this season is that our OL got a ton of game experience. That will speed up the process.

And thus why Art was let go.

not necessarily. golden obligated kehoe to sub OL in and out. kehoe told me that in person last summer. golden also played favorites and made personnel decisions, overriding position coaches. while i think we needed a wholesale coaching/staff change, i would not blame kehoe for all of the problems.

I'm not putting it all on Art. Art's biggest problem as I've been saying for years is he recruits and favors overachievers, much like himself as a player.

I guess I would feel better if we saw these guys power block a little bit instead of mostly zone blocking. When I think of power running game and power blocking I think of our short yardage struggles and that scares the **** out of me. We got no push and struggled horribly in short yardage.

 

[JimmyJohnsonsHair]

Yes. People forget how young these guys are. They were also mismanaged by Golden. It is not a coincidence that the line played better when he got fired.

McDermott should have been starting at LG from Day One. He didn't even play there in camp. Gall should not have seen a meaningful snap. It was obvious in camp that he was not good enough.

Darling, Linder and McDermott will be good players if developed properly. Odogwu is a talented guy with bad knees. Isidora has been a disappointment but there is a reason Wisconsin wanted him. St. Louis and Milo have ability. Mahoney has a chance to play here.

Cut the excessive rotations, build continuity and chemistry with your starters, and keep developing your talented underclassmen. One of the positives from this season is that our OL got a ton of game experience. That will speed up the process.

And thus why Art was let go.

not necessarily. golden obligated kehoe to sub OL in and out. kehoe told me that in person last summer. golden also played favorites and made personnel decisions, overriding position coaches. while i think we needed a wholesale coaching/staff change, i would not blame kehoe for all of the problems.

I'm not putting it all on Art. Art's biggest problem as I've been saying for years is he recruits and favors overachievers, much like himself as a player.

Kehoe was incredibly overrated by our fanbase because "5 rings!!!" and "bleeds orange and green!". As just one example, there were very basic but glaring issues with Ereck Flowers' technique that he never addressed.

 

[Canesfan1899]

Yes. People forget how young these guys are. They were also mismanaged by Golden. It is not a coincidence that the line played better when he got fired.

McDermott should have been starting at LG from Day One. He didn't even play there in camp. Gall should not have seen a meaningful snap. It was obvious in camp that he was not good enough.

Darling, Linder and McDermott will be good players if developed properly. Odogwu is a talented guy with bad knees. Isidora has been a disappointment but there is a reason Wisconsin wanted him. St. Louis and Milo have ability. Mahoney has a chance to play here.

Cut the excessive rotations, build continuity and chemistry with your starters, and keep developing your talented underclassmen. One of the positives from this season is that our OL got a ton of game experience. That will speed up the process.

And thus why Art was let go.

not necessarily. golden obligated kehoe to sub OL in and out. kehoe told me that in person last summer. golden also played favorites and made personnel decisions, overriding position coaches. while i think we needed a wholesale coaching/staff change, i would not blame kehoe for all of the problems.

I'm not putting it all on Art. Art's biggest problem as I've been saying for years is he recruits and favors overachievers, much like himself as a player.

Kehoe was incredibly overrated by our fanbase because "5 rings!!!" and "bleeds orange and green!". As just one example, there were very basic but glaring issues with Ereck Flowers' technique that he never addressed.

I'm sure Art's a great guy to have some beers with he's just not a very good technical coach.

 

[Pentagon Cane]

Yes. People forget how young these guys are. They were also mismanaged by Golden. It is not a coincidence that the line played better when he got fired.

McDermott should have been starting at LG from Day One. He didn't even play there in camp. Gall should not have seen a meaningful snap. It was obvious in camp that he was not good enough.

Darling, Linder and McDermott will be good players if developed properly. Odogwu is a talented guy with bad knees. Isidora has been a disappointment but there is a reason Wisconsin wanted him. St. Louis and Milo have ability. Mahoney has a chance to play here.

Cut the excessive rotations, build continuity and chemistry with your starters, and keep developing your talented underclassmen. One of the positives from this season is that our OL got a ton of game experience. That will speed up the process.

And thus why Art was let go.

not necessarily. golden obligated kehoe to sub OL in and out. kehoe told me that in person last summer. golden also played favorites and made personnel decisions, overriding position coaches. while i think we needed a wholesale coaching/staff change, i would not blame kehoe for all of the problems.

I'm not putting it all on Art. Art's biggest problem as I've been saying for years is he recruits and favors overachievers, much like himself as a player.

Kehoe was incredibly overrated by our fanbase because "5 rings!!!" and "bleeds orange and green!". As just one example, there were very basic but glaring issues with Ereck Flowers' technique that he never addressed.

And he got eaten alive his rookie season with New York. At times it was embarrassing to watch. He's really a very strong run blocker in my opinion, but man oh man, he is sloppy technically on pass pro. I'm not sure they weren't addressed at Miami and you've got to believe they were addressed this year in New York. The kid also loses focus and looks disinterested at times. Tons of penalties, to include false starts. Looks like Tarzan but sometimes plays like Jane. Same problem he had at Miami. He has all-pro talent but I'm not sure he wants to be one.

 

[tsimonitis]

Gall was in terrible shape....big belly, moved slowly and for strength his best bench press listed in summer training was 325 and he weights near 320 .....maybe Joe Brown who showed some flashes would be better..

our freshmen came in stronger than many of our guys who have been here 2, 3 years----

Joe Brown's squat improved from 315 to 435, his power clean went from 232 to 252, and his bench increased from 275 to 365. He ran the 40 in 5.79 seconds last summer and now runs 5.64.
His body weight went from 333 last year to 326.

Trevor Darling gained strength. His squat went from 365 to 405, his power clean from 264 to 286 and his bench from 315 to 350. His vertical also jumped from 24 to 25. Darling ran the 40 in 5.69, down from 5.83. He lost six pounds since the spring, down to 319.

Alex Gall ran a 5.50 40 last year; this year his time was 5.52 seconds. He had a 475 squat, 296 power clean and 325 bench with a 25.5-inch vertical.
He lost seven pounds since the spring, to 313.

Freshman Tyler Gauthier tested at 500 in the squat, 308 in the power clean, 405 in the bench and had a 26-inch vertical. He weighed 316 pounds and his 40 time was 5.50 seconds.

Tyler Grimsley is a standout in the weight room. He has a 500-pound squat (up from 405 last year), 332 power clean (from 308) and 425 bench (from 385). His 40 went from 5.34 last year to 5.52. He weighs 293 pounds, 20 pounds heavier than a year ago.

Danny Isidora ran a 5.33 40 time (last year he ran 5.13). His squat went from 430 in the summer to 455. He weighed in at 321 pounds, down five pounds from the spring. Isidora had a 352-pound power clean, same as last summer, and he benched 435 pounds.

Jahair Jones is a newcomer who tested in the spring at 5.47 seconds in the 40 with a 385-pound squat, 198-pound power clean, 295-pound bench and a 20.5-inch vertical. He tested this summer at 5.53 seconds in the 40 with a 400-pound squat, 232 power clean and 335 bench. His vertical was 23 inches. Jones has lost five pounds from the spring, to 322.

Hunter Knighton is back on the field off a heat stroke scare before last season. He ran the 40 in 5.84 seconds with a 350-pound squat, 264-pound power clean and 315-pound bench (up 15 from the spring). He weighed in at 295 pounds.

Nick Linder: Linder ran the 40 in 5.62 seconds (5.53 last year) and tested at 345 pounds in the squat, 276 in the power clean and 325 in the bench [last year's results were not available].
He weighed in at 298 pounds, up from 286 last year.

Freshman Brendan Loftus tested at 275 in the squat, 242 in the power clean, 295 in the bench and had a 22-inch vertical. He weighed 293 pounds and his 40 time was 5.44 seconds.

Freshman Hayden Mahoney tested at 365 in the squat, 232 in the power clean, 335 in the bench and had a 26.5-inch vertical. He weighed 287 pounds and his 40 time was 5.44 seconds.

KC McDermott: His 40 time went from 5.56 to 5.48, and his squat went from 365 to 395 while his bench stayed at 385. His vertical went from 21 to 22.5 inches and his power clean stayed at 276. He weighed in at 317 pounds, up from 307 last summer.

Freshman Bar Milo tested at 275 in the squat, 252 in the power clean, 315 in the bench and had a 23.5-inch vertical. He weighed 279 pounds and his 40 time was 5.64 seconds.

Sunny Odogwu is a solid performer in the weight room. His 40 was 5.57 seconds (last year he ran a 5.65), and his squat went from 405 to 465 and his bench from 385 to 410. Odogwu had a 286 power clean, up from 264. He weighs 321 pounds, up from 317 last summer.

Freshman Tyree St. Louis tested at 455 in the squat, 301 in the power clean, 345 in the bench and had a 24.5-inch vertical. He weighed 305 pounds and his 40 time was 5.72 seconds.
"That's impressive," Swasey said.

Wow. Just Wow.

 

[Colombie]

I do not believe this batch of offensive linemen are late-Mack Brown Texas-level trash, so yes, it can be fixed with some coaching. These are all five and four star studs. Find a position for them. Let them develop continuity and rapport with each other and let them grow into a good unit. There aren't many OLs in the country that will be successful with very few unit starts like these guys had before this year.

Coaching, play calling and adjustments will be key.

Let's face it, Richt has seen a lot of defenses in his time.

There is nothing the ACC or even ND will throw at him that he has not seen before in some capacity. I have confidence that by the end of the season the offense will be a well- oiled machine no team will really want to face.