Depth and More Depth On The Defensive Line
posted by Scott Hood, Thursday, February 07, 2008
I’m sure you know by now that South Carolina signed five defensive linemen in this latest recruiting class. By all accounts, all of them are pretty good players.
Heck, Chaz Sutton, unofficially the last player to commit to USC in this year’s class, was headed to Florida before Urban Meyer pulled the plug on his dreams to become a Gator.
But here’s the fun part: USC could have as many as 17 scholarship defensive linemen on the roster when fall camp opens in late July.
That’s right, 17!
They had 13 last season, so in essence Lawing will gain an entirely new row on the depth chart to coach up.
Here’s the breakdown by class:
Seniors: Jordin Lindsey (if eligible), Marque Hall, Jonathan Williams;
Juniors: Eric Norwood, Nathan Pepper (medical redshirt in 2007)
Sophomores: Travian Robertson, Cliff Matthews, Ladi Ajiboye, Clifton Geathers, Kenrick Ellis;
Freshmen: Byron McKnight (RS), Donte’e Nicholls (RS), Ronald Byrd, Kenny Davis, Jarriel King, Chaz Sutton, Devin Taylor.
Ignoring, for the moment, that 12 of the 17 players will be freshmen or sophomores, that list contains a number of question marks.
Lindsey, along with his twin brother Dustin, is far from a sure thing to play in 2008, as Steve Spurrier made clear on Wednesday. They have plenty of academic work to do between now and the start of the season Aug. 28 to retain their eligibility.
Moreover, Kenrick Ellis has been suspended for the first three games of the season for a violation of university policy, while Pepper will try to come back from a serious knee injury that ended his 2007 season after three games.
Assuming everybody does what they’re supposed to do, and generally acts in accordance with all recognized federal, state and local laws for the next six months, here’s the first question that comes to mind:
What is USC going to do with all these guys?
You can only play four or, at most, five at a time. That means 12 or 13 will be standing on the sidelines every play.
Is it overkill or should I accept David Reaves’ contention that you can’t have enough defensive linemen? Are defensive linemen really like pitchers in baseball?
I’m sure Lawing isn’t complaining, though. As they say, you’d rather have too much food on your plate then not enough.
First of all, considering how young these guys will be (remember the stat about 12 of the 17 being Fr. or So.), he’ll get a chance to do a whole bunch of coaching both this spring and again in the fall.
That’s what any good coach craves – the opportunity to teach.
Of course, some of the true freshmen will redshirt. But how many? Jarriel King graduated from high school three years ago. I would have to think he’s physically mature enough to play in the SEC right now.
Spurrier said Wednesday that Sutton is talented enough to play immediately, as well. The other three? They’ll probably redshirt because, quite frankly, USC doesn’t need them this year, so there’s no reason to waste a year of eligibility.
How good will the USC defensive line be in 2008? I believe they could potentially be very good.
Norwood had a breakout year in 2007, and will only to get better. I expect he’ll be on named on a few pre-season All-America teams. But he struggled down the stretch, like most of the USC defenders.
I expect Hall, the Gamecocks’ best d-linemen before his injury in 2006, to rebound strongly from a subpar 2007 season. It was evident his year old injury was still affecting him last season.
Considering how much Hall struggled last season, many people will be watching Pepper to see how well he recovers from his knee injury.
Ajiboye had a very good freshmen season in 2007. However, most of the others that joined him last January in enrolling early still have something to prove, including Travian Robertson and Clifton Geathers.
The biggest question, though, might be how Ellis responds to his three-game suspension. Will it make him mad? Will it motivate him to play like a demon possessed when he returns? Or will he just sulk the rest of the season?
Keep in mind, though, he’s just one of 17.
It will intriguing to watch, to say the least.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
I can’t say for certain that South Carolina defensive line coach Brad Lawing is enjoying an abundance of riches right now, but I wouldn’t blame him one bit if he’s feeling a little bit like Bill Gates right now.
I’m sure you know by now that South Carolina signed five defensive linemen in this latest recruiting class. By all accounts, all of them are pretty good players.
Heck, Chaz Sutton, unofficially the last player to commit to USC in this year’s class, was headed to Florida before Urban Meyer pulled the plug on his dreams to become a Gator.
But here’s the fun part: USC could have as many as 17 scholarship defensive linemen on the roster when fall camp opens in late July.
That’s right, 17!
They had 13 last season, so in essence Lawing will gain an entirely new row on the depth chart to coach up.
Here’s the breakdown by class:
Seniors: Jordin Lindsey (if eligible), Marque Hall, Jonathan Williams;
Juniors: Eric Norwood, Nathan Pepper (medical redshirt in 2007)
Sophomores: Travian Robertson, Cliff Matthews, Ladi Ajiboye, Clifton Geathers, Kenrick Ellis;
Freshmen: Byron McKnight (RS), Donte’e Nicholls (RS), Ronald Byrd, Kenny Davis, Jarriel King, Chaz Sutton, Devin Taylor.
Ignoring, for the moment, that 12 of the 17 players will be freshmen or sophomores, that list contains a number of question marks.
Lindsey, along with his twin brother Dustin, is far from a sure thing to play in 2008, as Steve Spurrier made clear on Wednesday. They have plenty of academic work to do between now and the start of the season Aug. 28 to retain their eligibility.
Moreover, Kenrick Ellis has been suspended for the first three games of the season for a violation of university policy, while Pepper will try to come back from a serious knee injury that ended his 2007 season after three games.
Assuming everybody does what they’re supposed to do, and generally acts in accordance with all recognized federal, state and local laws for the next six months, here’s the first question that comes to mind:
What is USC going to do with all these guys?
You can only play four or, at most, five at a time. That means 12 or 13 will be standing on the sidelines every play.
Is it overkill or should I accept David Reaves’ contention that you can’t have enough defensive linemen? Are defensive linemen really like pitchers in baseball?
I’m sure Lawing isn’t complaining, though. As they say, you’d rather have too much food on your plate then not enough.
First of all, considering how young these guys will be (remember the stat about 12 of the 17 being Fr. or So.), he’ll get a chance to do a whole bunch of coaching both this spring and again in the fall.
That’s what any good coach craves – the opportunity to teach.
Of course, some of the true freshmen will redshirt. But how many? Jarriel King graduated from high school three years ago. I would have to think he’s physically mature enough to play in the SEC right now.
Spurrier said Wednesday that Sutton is talented enough to play immediately, as well. The other three? They’ll probably redshirt because, quite frankly, USC doesn’t need them this year, so there’s no reason to waste a year of eligibility.
How good will the USC defensive line be in 2008? I believe they could potentially be very good.
Norwood had a breakout year in 2007, and will only to get better. I expect he’ll be on named on a few pre-season All-America teams. But he struggled down the stretch, like most of the USC defenders.
I expect Hall, the Gamecocks’ best d-linemen before his injury in 2006, to rebound strongly from a subpar 2007 season. It was evident his year old injury was still affecting him last season.
Considering how much Hall struggled last season, many people will be watching Pepper to see how well he recovers from his knee injury.
Ajiboye had a very good freshmen season in 2007. However, most of the others that joined him last January in enrolling early still have something to prove, including Travian Robertson and Clifton Geathers.
The biggest question, though, might be how Ellis responds to his three-game suspension. Will it make him mad? Will it motivate him to play like a demon possessed when he returns? Or will he just sulk the rest of the season?
Keep in mind, though, he’s just one of 17.
It will intriguing to watch, to say the least.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Previous Blog Entries
Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.