Too Early Look at 2020

duck541 · Post by **duck541** » Thu Dec 19, 2019 7:14 pm

Never too early to look to the future. Curious who everyone thinks will fill the shoes of our departing seniors or early departing juniors? Who will take that next step a la Bryson Young? And which true frosh will live up to their rating and make an impact right away?

My take, position my position:

OFFENSE
QB - Shough
Millen
Butterfield
Ashford (redshirt)

IMO this is Shough's job to lose. He has the most experience and has looked pretty impressive in limited action so far. Millen has been injured which can only delay his development, and Butterfield has great arm talent but I don't think he can step into this job as a true freshman. I actually think our pass offense will improve this year. Shough is more of a gunslinger than the sometimes overly cautious Herbert. While that will almost certainly mean a few more INTs it should also make for a more explosive offense. Better WRs will help too.

RB - Verdell
Benson
Dye
CHL
Dollars

I think by the end of the year Benson is getting RB2 snaps. Dye and CHL, while solid, have pretty limited ceilings as nothing more than average college players.

WRx - JJ3
Pittman, Delgado
WRf - Redd
Hutson, Wilhoite
WRz - Devon Williams
Addison, Waters

Pittman will be first man off the bench and it wouldn't surprise me if he has more catches than Williams but I don't think we start 3 small WRs. Wouldn't be surprised if Hutson gets some serious run as well.

TE - Webb
Kampmoyer
Herbert

Nothing too exciting here, though hopefully Webb can add some bulk and become a more well rounded TE. Cristoball said incoming frosh Jaden Navarrette could see the field on both sides of the ball so one of these guys go down with an injury I could see him playing here given the depth at LB.

LT - Sewell
LG - Jones
C - Bass
RG - Malaesala
RT - Tauanu'u

Biggest question mark by far is the Center position. I don't know if Bass has much experience there and if not we're relying on Forsyth, Jaramillo, and walk-on Ryan Walk. If there are any injuries at tackle I think it's pretty clear Jones and Sala would take over that position while one of the backups would slide in at G. I could see Denis and Harper getting some snaps, but Jeffers needs time in the weight room. In my mind Randazzo is a wildcard that we could really use to come back from injury and have a good offseason. If he can contribute next year it realllly helps our depth.

DEFENSE
DE - Thibodeaux
DJ Johnson
Poti

NT - Aumavae
Ware-Hudson
Williams

DT - Faoliu
Faoliu
Dorlus

Jordon Scott has consistently said he plans to test the NFL waters after graduating a year early, and I don't think he has much left to prove in college at position that will never rack up big stats so I'm counting him as gone. The three frosh DTs all actually exceeded my expectations this year so I'm not too worried about our depth along the d-line. Can't wait to see what Thibs does with another year in the weight room.

STUD - Funa
Eaford
LaDuke

WILL - Flowe
Niu

MLB - ISM/Sewell
Cunningham

SAM - Jackson
Mathis
Navarette

Despite the additions of Flowe and Sewell who should be able to contribute right away I still think this position group has a lot of question marks. Funa lacks a true backup on the edge, and since both Thibs and DJ started practicing there a bit last Spring I think each of them could see a few snaps there depending on the situation. Eaford needs to improve his body this offseason, but he lack the heigh/length you want on the edge. LaDuke is most comfortable on the edge but lacks the strength to set the edge as a true frosh.

I think ISM rotates out with Flowe or Sewell in a 3 man rotation at the two ILB spots. Niu and Cunningham provide decent depth, but neither has that high of a ceiling.

Jackson is my pick for breakout player of the year after battling injuries this season. We lack depth behind him, though I could see Niu sliding in here given the depth inside and his quickness that this position requires. Hearing Navarrette talk about what Cristoball envisions him doing tells me this is his position long term but he's pretty raw and don't think he makes a huge splash this year.

CB - Wright
Hill
Bridges

CB - Graham or Lenoir
Manning
James

Nickel - Holland
Stephens
Hill

FS - McKinley
Williams

SS - Breeze/Pickett
Greenfield

I don't think both Graham and Lenoir come back, so I'm assuming one leaves. Pretty confident in Wright's ability to step into the vacant spot, and DJ James was a pleasant surprise as a true frosh. Luke Hill is one of my picks for most underrated kid in this class depsite his relatively high ranking. No one seems to talk about him and I think he plays right away in a reserve role. Also counting Dontae Manning here who also should contribute right away.

Nickel/Safety positions are the strength of this defense. We have playmakers and depth, and they should make life a lot easier if we have to welcome some new starting CBs.

OVERALL: 9-3
I don't think we have the offense early in the season to keep up with Justin Fields and the Buckeyes with a new QB, OC, and inexperienced OL. And I think we drop two more due to our inexperience at QB to the likes of ASU, UW, USC, WSU. Would be disappointed with 8-4 or worse, which is saying a lot given who we are losing. The future is bright with Cristoball!

What are your expectations for next year?

gogreen55 · Post by **gogreen55** » Thu Dec 19, 2019 7:32 pm

Overall, nice summary of what is to come. You are missing Bennett Williams from your projected depth chart.......he will definitely get more playing time than Steve Stephens. I expect Forsyth to start at center, but a lot can change between now and the first game, so who knows. I would also put Dorlus as 2nd string on the depth chart, rather than 3rd string.

duck541 · Post by **duck541** » Thu Dec 19, 2019 7:41 pm

Oh man I can't believe I forgot Williams. You're definitely right.

whosyourwally · Post by **whosyourwally** » Thu Dec 19, 2019 8:18 pm

I’m excited to see TE Herbert. Between genes and ratings, I think the staff intentionally protected his redshirt so he could put on weight and spread his wings as a RS Frosh.

tOSU loses a lot on D next year (assuming their JR’s declare), so I think they’ll be more vulnerable early next year. And I think we’ll be the best D Fields has faced. And it’s the biggest OOC game at Autzen.... this century?

And we get Washington, Stanford, and USC at home, right?

I think our OL play determines whether we flirt with the playoffs next year.

Best case: 11-1, new OC clicks and we’re playoff bound
Worst case: 8-4, we ride our D, but the new OC fizzles, the rest of the conference takes a step forward....

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micah6vs8 · Post by **micah6vs8** » Thu Dec 19, 2019 8:36 pm

I think Andrew Johnson will play some LB too. He is very fast like Adrian Jackson.

gogreen55 · Post by **gogreen55** » Thu Dec 19, 2019 8:57 pm

micah6vs8 wrote:I think Andrew Johnson will play some LB too. He is very fast like Adrian Jackson.

I haven't heard a single thing about Johnson in ages. Will he even be on the team next season?

Bighonkingduck · Post by **Bighonkingduck** » Thu Dec 19, 2019 10:53 pm

Whatvabout the Bend kid at TE who is always injured. Maybe he finally gets healthy.

gogreen55 · Post by **gogreen55** » Thu Dec 19, 2019 11:20 pm

Bighonkingduck wrote:Whatvabout the Bend kid at TE who is always injured. Maybe he finally gets healthy.

It would certainly be nice to see Cam McCormick finish his career on a high note, after enduring so much hardship. He probably deserves a mention as a wildcard. I think most people just view anything he might contribute as an unexpected bonus at this point.

GrantDuck · Post by **GrantDuck** » Thu Dec 19, 2019 11:55 pm

It's a good assessment overall. Like others have said, if McCormick can ever stay healthy, he will start because he's the best combination of blocking/catching.

Travis Dye is going to open the year as the #2 back. I love Benson, but...I just don't see him playing that much under Mastro to start the year.

I think Forsyth is likely to start somewhere on the line or be the 6th man/Aiello position from this year.

buckmarkduck · Post by **buckmarkduck** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 8:35 am

https://twitter.com/WritingIlliniFS/sta ... 08608?s=19

I hope the Illini fans are right. I don't see Breeze or Picket starting over Bennett for very long, if at all. 1st Fr AA 2 years ago, and last year a 1st team AA Juco. His recruting ranking has to be one of the most baffling I've ever seen.

buckmarkduck · Post by **buckmarkduck** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 8:50 am

GrantDuck wrote:It's a good assessment overall. Like others have said, if McCormick can ever stay healthy, he will start because he's the best combination of blocking/catching.

Travis Dye is going to open the year as the #2 back. I love Benson, but...I just don't see him playing that much under Mastro to start the year.

I think Forsyth is likely to start somewhere on the line or be the 6th man/Aiello position from this year.

Forsyth couldn't even sniff the field with Hanson hurt. Are we sure he is going to start next year? My bet is Bass comes in and could take the C spot.

Also keep an eye on the grad transfer market. I noticed Stanford grad transfer, Devery Hamilton is now following our staff on twitter.

5$ · Post by 5$ » Fri Dec 20, 2019 9:29 am

Wow so many Poly guys, that's awesome to see.

lukeyrid13 · Post by **lukeyrid13** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 10:31 am

I think next year will play out almost exactly like this year. We drop a game early to Ohio State and then have a really really good defense that carries us to wins in almost all of our games but we have a poor game and lose to someone else in conference. I don’t see playoffs as a realistic possibility but 11-2 and Rose Bowl just like this year would be the hope.

I still think we are a bit too green on offense to push the likes of Ohio state, Clemson etc next year.

StevensTechU · Post by **StevensTechU** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 11:10 am

I just finished watching Dontae Manning's tape, and feel pretty confident that he will not be a corner in college. He actually reminds me of high school Troy Dye, so I think he either plays strong safety, or beefs up and starts playing along the linebackers. He's very fast and very athletic, but his coverage skills are far behind what a corner in the Pac-12 needs to be at.

Like most everyone, I think OL is a mystery, especially center.

Navarrette is also a mystery. He's actually got pretty darn good hands, but I don't know if his frame will allow him to put on enough beef while in college in order to play tight end.

Most likely to take a leap forward as vets: Shough, Aumavae, Mathis (Juco's always seem to turn a corner in year 2), Sala, and some DB.
Most likely to break out off a redshirt: Jones, Ware-Hudson, K Williams, Wilhoite/Waters
Most impactful newcomers: Sewell, Flowe, someone on the OL (I hope). I'm tempted to say B Williams, but the secondary is just so stacked right now that it's tough to predict. Everyone there can play.

GrandpaDuck · Post by **GrandpaDuck** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 12:54 pm

On expectations, I wouldn't be surprised if Oregon has 5 or more games next year where they struggle to rush for 150 yards due to o-line issues and stacked defenses. Whether they win in those games will likely depend on how much our defense is dominating that game and how the mystery passing offense is going that game.

If I were an opposing coach, particularly in the early games, i have 18 men in the box and am blitzing both A-Gaps every first down.

Trey Benson needs a complete running style makeover, plus he comes from a private small school league with 5'6" 135 pound defensive tackles (Hyperbola at no extra charge.) If he makes it all the way up to second string in one year he deserves a huge round of applause. That would be fantastically quick development from his starting spot.