I swear I feel like a broken record...the defense played well enough this year to win eight games...if the offense dosen't improve drastically next year we may not win 4 games
Our offensive line will be improved in 2016, but not because of true freshmen. All freshman offensive linemen need redshirts. A year ago, we were told George Asafo Adjei was the new savior. GAA lasted as a starter for 4 games, should have redshirted. Jordan Swindle, Darrian Miller clearly should have redshirted. Can anyone remember the last time a true freshman offensive lineman played well for a full year as a Kentucky Wildcat? Aaron Miller and Kip Sixberry got the job done as true freshmen, but both flunked out of school the next spring. Antonio Hall started as a true freshman but had an underachieving career. All 3 were a long time ago. There is a lot of all star game hype now over Landon Young and Drake Jackson. I don't doubt that both will become excellent SEC players in a couple of years, but I just hope our coaches are smart enough to redshirt both in 2016. Tate Leavitt was 1 of the top juco offensive linemen in the country. Leavitt has said in interviews that he was recruited by Stoops and Schlarman to be Kentucky's starting left tackle in 2016. The other 4 starters are returning incumbents with an additional year of experience and conditioning under their belts. Eddie Gran's offensive system is different, and assignments for offensive linemen are generally simpler to execute. That's why our 2016 offensive line will be improved.
There is a lot of truth to the above post. If there is one position on a football team for which you could make an absolute case for red shirting, it is O-line. Starting a t-FR on the O-line speaks more to the weakness of your current group than the talent of the FR. That applies to AL as well as UK. O-line is a position where physical maturity is almost as important as "natural talent". In general, there is a lot of difference between a 6'4" 305 # FR and a 6'4" 305 # JR. That said, if Young and Leavitt are the "best" options that UK has next year, they will play but that is no guarantee they will excel. Over the years I have watched a number of true freshmen struggle on the O-line.
If our offensive line doesn't improve this year, I don't see how Schlarman can last. I have nothing against Schlarman, and appreciate the fact that he played football for Kentucky. But if Kentucky's football team doesn't improve significantly in 2016, then Stoops himself goes onto the hot seat. With his own job at stake, he won't be sentimentally attached to 1 assistant coach whose players aren't getting the job done.
Actually, physical maturity is more important than natural talent for offensive linemen. Tate Leavitt has both. I think you are wrong about him, and I think I know what drives your sentiment. But solid blocking fundamentals are also essential, and that only comes with experience. I am a supporter of Stoops, but I saw him panic at times in 2015. I don't use that word lightly. I saw it happen with my own eyes, more than once. You can look at the careers of Darrian Miller and Jordan Swindle, no question in my mind those guys were badly hurt because they were not given redshirts. Joker knew he was on the hot seat, so he gambled with the careers true freshmen to try to save his own. In the end, everyone got the short end of the stick. I hope Stoops won't do the same. Landon Young and Drake Jackson have the natural talent to become great players. If they stay healthy, the only way to screw up their careers would be to play them as true freshmen, just like Stoops did with George Asafo Adjei. In the end, strong recruiting and great player development are the most important pieces for developing a college football program. Stoops has recruited well. If he wants to keep recruiting strong classes, he must develop his players the right way. If he does that, his career will prosper, and his players will also prosper. But Stoops is a 1st time head coach, so we will see. Being the oldest member of the staff, Gran might help with these decisions. I hope so. All freshman offensive linemen need redshirts, and the history at Kentucky proves it. There may be the rare exception, but Stoops cannot afford to take that chance. When he is fortunate enough to sign a player like Landon Young, he needs to take the long view for the good of all parties, ultimately including himself.
Not sure what you mean there. The only thing that "drives my sentiment" is that I have seen a number of JUCOs be "much less than what was expected by fans" at the FBS level.
