Ketchum Thoughts From the Weekend:
Ranking the offensive lines in the Big 12 ...
System. Development. Coaching.
Heading into the 2016 season, there isn’t a clear cut champion among the 10 offensive lines in the conference, as almost all of the units have at least one major question mark going into the fall.
At
least one.
Most of these units remain major question marks coming out of spring workouts, as reports of the defensive lines whipping offensive lines was a fairly routine report when studying up on each group over the weekend.
Consider that only two of the top 10 offensive linemen on last year’s Coaches All-Big 12 teams remain and I’m guessing 90-percent of you reading this column would be hard-pressed to name either of them.
Go ahead … without cheating … try to name them.
The bottom line as far as I can tell, a lot of what we see from this position across the league will come down to each school’s ability to develop players and have them quickly adapt to the scheme concepts within each offense.
When specifically looking at the Longhorns, new offensive line coach Matt Mattox has as much raw talent to work with as almost any school in the Big 12. With three returning starters, including one of the most experienced tackles in the Big 12 returning with Kent Perkins, this shouldn’t be a group that ranks in the bottom half of the league. In fact, Texas is the only school that returns two players from last year’s coaches All-Big 12 teams, even if Patrick Vahe and Connor Williams were both only honorable mention.
For all of the issues with depth that Mattox faces, he’d likely find at least half of the league that would trade options right now, sight unseen. With that being said, let’s take a look at my pre-season offensive line group rankings within the Big 12.
No. 1 West Virginia: Third-year sophomore left tackle Yodny Cajuste (six starts in 2015 before injuring foot), senior left guard Adam Pankey (25 career starters), senior center Tyler Orlosky (2nd-team All-Big 12), junior right guard Kyle Bosch (started 13 games in 2015) and junior right tackle Marcell Lazard (career back-up)
Quick thoughts: Orlosky is one of the top two returning linemen in the conference if you go by last year’s All-Big 12 awards. The interior three might be the best three-man starting unit in the conference, based on quality of play and experience. Only right tackle ranks as a real question mark.
2. Oklahoma State: Junior right tackle Zach Crabtree (started 13 games in 2015), center Brad Lundblade (started 13 games in 2015), senior tackle/guard Michael Wilson (has started 21 career games at various positions), guard Victor Salako (played in one game in 2015) and tackle Jesse Robinson (played in 10 games/started seven in 2015)
Quick thoughts: There might not be a true standout in the group, but four of the five spots are filled with returning starters. Although this unit struggled this spring to take the next step as a unit, it has only one real question mark among the starters and it is a group that has played a lot of football together.
3. Oklahoma: Redshirt sophomore left tackle Orlando Brown (freshman All-American, honorable mention All-Big 12), redshirt freshman left guard Cody Ford, junior center Jonathan Alvarez (started 10 games in 2015, nine at guard), sophomore right guard Ben Powers (JUCO transfer) and sophomore right tackle Dru Samia (nine starts in 2015).
Quick thoughts: Those that follow the program believe this group looks much further ahead of the unit at the same exact point a year ago. Brown might be the best left tackle in the conference. The interior of the line will lean on two very unproven players in Ford and Powers.
4. Texas: Sophomore left tackle
Connor Williams (started 12 games in 2015/Freshman All-American), junior left guard
Brandon Hodges (Redshirted in 2015), true freshman center
Zack Shackelford, sophomore right guard
Patrick Vahe (started 12 games in 2015) and senior right tackle
Kent Perkins (24 career starts)
Quick thoughts: Believe it or not, Williams and Perkins are the best tackle duo in the Big 12 on paper. It’s the interior of the line that ranks as the biggest question mark.
5. Baylor: Senior center Kyle Fuller (2nd-team All-Big 12), junior left tackle Dom Desouza (JUCO transfer), sophomore right tackle Patrick Lawrence, junior left guard Rami Hammad (played in 13 games in 2015) and junior right guard B.J. Autry (JUCO transfer)..
Quick thoughts: Fuller might be the best returning lineman in the league, but he’s the only starter that returns from a year ago. The two JUCO transfers will likely determine the overall quality of this group in the fall.
6. Kansas State: Redshirt freshman left tackle Scott Frantz, senior left guard Terrale Johnson (played in 10 games/four starts), sophomore center Dalton Risner (started 13 games/Freshman All-American), junior right guard Reid Najvar (played in two games in 2015) and sophomore right tackle Abdul Beecham (JUCO transfer)
Quick thoughts: Risner might be the best young lineman in the league that doesn’t play for Texas or Oklahoma. His presence alone was reason enough for me to slot KSU in the six-spot, even with all of its questions marks, which should tell you plenty about what’s to come.
7. TCU: Junior left tackle Joseph Noteboom (started 13 games in 2015), junior left guard Patrick Morris (played in 10 games in 2015), junior Austin Schlottman (started four games in 2015), junior right guard Matt Pryor (started four games in 2015) and senior right tackle Aviante Collins (played in three games in 2015)
Quick thoughts: Other than Noteboom, every projected starter fort the fall was a role player a year ago. With no real standouts and questions all over the place, I suppose in Gary Patterson every Horned Frog fan must trust.
8. Texas Tech: Redshirt freshman left tackle Terrance Steele, left guard Justin Murphy (started four games in 2015), senior center Tony Morales (played in 10 games/started six in 2015), redshirt freshman Madison Akamnonu and senior right tackle Baylen Brown (18 career starts)
Quick thought:: This group is perhaps Tech’s biggest question mark going into the season.
9. Iowa State: Junior left tackle Jake Campos (started 12 games in 2015), senior left guard Patrick Scroggins (JUCO transfer redshirted last year due to injury), redshirt freshman center Julian Good-Jones, senior guard Nick Fett (one career start) and junior right tackle center Jaypee Philbert (played in 10 games in 2015)
Quick thought:: This group is perhaps Iowa State’s biggest question mark going into the season.
10. Kansas: Sophomore left tackle Clyde McCauley (played in six games/started three), junior left guard Jayson Rhodes (played in three games in 2015), junior center Joe Gibson (played in six games/started three in 2015), sophomore right guard Jacob Bragg (played in 10 games/started five) and senior right tackle DeAndre Banks (started nine games at guard)
Quick thoughts:: This group is perhaps KU’s biggest question mark going into the season.
Scattershooting on the Longhorns ...
… I promise to never write about a certain former back-up center if you promise to never ask about him. The nicest, smartest, most-likable people in the world might not be right for each other in terms of a long-term relationship and that is definitely the case in this relationship, which is two seconds away from turning into an episode of Cops.
… Tweet of the Weekend
Charles@charless_94
Lmao incoming freshmen we got that earrrrlllyyy morning wake up on Monday don't be late big fella
… Prediction: Because we’re talking about waiting on a test score and then submitting it to the NCAA Clearinghouse, I’m not sure we’ll know by the time the team reports whether five-star freshman linebacker
Erick Fowler will be ruled eligible or ineligible. Twenty years of being in this business tells me there will be some breath-holding in August.
Buy or sell …
(As always, all of these questions were submitted by actual Orangebloods subscribers.)
BUY or SELL: Arguably, we lost at least 2 games last year due to special teams especially kicking, unless something changes we will lose 2 games this year due to special teams?
(Sell) Outside of the place-kicker spot, which is kind of a big deal, I like the potential make-up of this team in the punt and return games. Michael Dickson enters the season as one of the more underrated players in the program.
BUY or SELL: As many as 10 signees of the 2016 Baylor recruiting class ends up at other schools?
(Sell) I have to think it won’t be quite that many, but it’s likely to be very close, especially if those that might have enrolled early have the option as well.
BUY or SELL: Charlie is still here if he wins 5?
(Sell) Even Charlie would know it would be time to put the house on the market if that happens.
BUY or SELL: Charlie Strong will allow Tim Irvin to transfer to Texas even if could impact future scholarship numbers, influence existing players and potential future recruits?
(Sell) I don’t think it will come to that. If the kid wants to come to Texas and Charlie still wants him, I don’t think it will impact all of those things you listed, at least not automatically.
BUY or SELL: Joe Mixon will be kicked off the BlowU team once the video tape is made public due to a public outcry, especially in light of the recent Baylor transgressions?
(Sell) Bob Stoops will claim you can’t double jeopardy the kid and dig in his heels.
BUY or SELL: Art Briles is coaching again in the 2017 season?
(Sell) No way. This is not the same as the Bobby Petrino situation. Not even close.
BUY or SELL: Does your win expectation for the Horns football team in 2016 go up after the issues Baylor is having?
(Sell) Not yet. Let me see the dust clear a little more and if the whole thing comes apart, I reserve the right to change my mind. They still have a monster edge at quarterback coming into the season.
BUY or SELL: You sometimes have second thoughts, and even feel a touch hypocritical, about allowing the posting of scantily clad women on the site because you worry that the photos could contribute to a societal problem of seeing women as an object, which is a part, even though small, of the culture that can lead to sexual assaults, especially date rape?
(Buy) It’s the reason why I eliminated the “Hottie of the Weekend” component of this column. As I get older and my daughter gets older, some of the commentary and ideology on the site bothers me and more.
BUY or SELL: Both
Marcel Southall and
Eric Fowler pass remaining academic hurdles/join the team by August?
(Sell) Texas gets one of the two, but not both. That’s just history talking.