Every year there are a handful of guys we're especially excited about seeing. Not returning stars, mind you -- we know what they can do. But guys who haven't played much before, but are in position to make a big impact. It's one of the beautiful things about college spots.
Here are the guys I'm especially excited to watch this season.
Aaron Henry. Mainly because there have been north of 1 million kind words written about this kid since he blew out his knee a couple years ago. I'm not expecting him to be Jamar Fletcher or Jack Ikegwuonu. I am expecting him to be a cross between Allen Langford and Donnel Thompson. Which is exactly what this defense needs.
Louis Nzegwu. Something about his frame, background as a running back, and the lack of playmakers on the defensive line suggest that he will get a chance to make plays this year.
Lance Kendricks. Thought he'd break out more next year, but he got hurt (his collapse coming out of the huddle against Michigan State was downright bizarre). He can be to Garrett Graham what Graham was to Travis Beckum.
Josh Oglesby. I'm excited abou JO because people, including me, have been so tepid on him since he struggled at times in his starts last year. I have expect him to come out and be dominant at times.
Montee Ball. As a good friend of mine has observed, he looks great in a hot tub. Here's guessing he gets some time at the end of lopsided games and impresses in limited carries.
Curt Phillips. Not alone in this, hoping he can cut down on the mistakes and seize the quarterback job for four years.
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4 comments:
I'm excited to see Travis Fredrick. Yeah, an offensive lineman. I'm shocked a true freshman can come in and start at center. Center is where all the line calls come from. He has to read the defense and set up the blocks for the rest of the o-line. Perhaps Tolzien will help since he's older and supposedly extremely intelligent, but this is an area to watch on Saturday. On obvious passing downs, I'm expecting tons of blitzing by NIU.
Scott, do you have some inside information regarding JJ Watts?
You state that there are "no playmakers" on D. Everything that has been written indicates he could be.
Maybe I'm the lone person to think so, but I'm excited (meaning very interested) to see what Tolzien brings to the table. For all of Phillips' hype, if Tolzien is better at spreading the ball around to all of those playmakers on offense (Graham, Toon, Kendricks, Anderson, Gilreath, Brown), this offense could really go!
Good point Frye, I've got a Frederick post in mind.
No inside info on Watt. My first impression of him came at last year's family day, when I didn't even know who he was. He just looked like a player, and I've been excited about seeing him since then. So maybe it's just been awhile!
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