Happy Fall Camp Eve!

[BambooRdApp]

Day 2

https://x.com/AppState_FB/status/182010 ... A2WRg&s=19

[Stonewall]

A big guy is he ?

[BambooRdApp]

I think he is trying to compensate for something

[AppStFan1]

After watching practice today, I feel OK about the OL. It’s still a work in progress but they will get better as the season goes along.

Heard similar from someone else there. My early opening week hope is we get a lot of kinks out against ETSU in a win and Georgia wears Clemson down good.

I hope Clemson beats Georgia and people realize that the ACC may be a tougher conference than the nation believes the ACC is. Then I would like for App to roll into Death Valley and win with a walk off field goal.

I did not say for UGA to win but just said wear them down. I am pulling for Clemson but regardless I want UGA to wear them down and force Clemson to show all their tricks so we don't see surprises if our game is tight like we hope. They can't afford to start 0-2 and they know it.

Go listen to an interview with their LB Barrett Carter and he talks about with how their schedule starts they have to be playoff ready from the first play. Their first 3 games are brutal with UGA, App, and NC State. They absolutely have to at least start 2-1 or they know they are in big trouble.

[Mjohn1988]

We pulled in a bunch of size for both lines from P5 schools. Let’s hope we can coach them into being “P5” starters. And keep them on the Mountain.

[AppStFan1]

We pulled in a bunch of size for both lines from P5 schools. Let’s hope we can coach them into being “P5” starters. And keep them on the Mountain.

If we can do that we will be fine. I will be very curious to see how they do against Clemson.

[AppSt94]

We pulled in a bunch of size for both lines from P5 schools. Let’s hope we can coach them into being “P5” starters. And keep them on the Mountain.

True. Just not a lot of playing reps. Shrader had a little as did Hollifield, that’s about it.

[311neers]

We pulled in a bunch of size for both lines from P5 schools. Let’s hope we can coach them into being “P5” starters. And keep them on the Mountain.

True. Just not a lot of playing reps. Shrader had a little as did Hollifield, that’s about it.

Who are the knowns at OL?
Gentry
Scroggs
Samuel?
Ramsay?
And who do you anticipate to see a lot of time, starting or rotational?

[AppStFan1]

We pulled in a bunch of size for both lines from P5 schools. Let’s hope we can coach them into being “P5” starters. And keep them on the Mountain.

True. Just not a lot of playing reps. Shrader had a little as did Hollifield, that’s about it.

Who are the knowns at OL?
Gentry
Scroggs
Samuel?
Ramsay?
And who do you anticipate to see a lot of time, starting or rotational?

My guess is this group

OT: Samuel, Shrader, Burgess, and Dewerk
OG: Gentry, Scroggs, Langlo, and Ramsey
C: Sweatt, Marotta, and Hollifield

[AppSt94]

We pulled in a bunch of size for both lines from P5 schools. Let’s hope we can coach them into being “P5” starters. And keep them on the Mountain.

True. Just not a lot of playing reps. Shrader had a little as did Hollifield, that’s about it.

Who are the knowns at OL?
Gentry
Scroggs
Samuel?
Ramsay?
And who do you anticipate to see a lot of time, starting or rotational?

Too early to tell. A lot of ball left to nail down the top 7 or 8. I could hazard a guess but it is likely to change several times in the next 4 weeks.

[AppStFan1]

We pulled in a bunch of size for both lines from P5 schools. Let’s hope we can coach them into being “P5” starters. And keep them on the Mountain.

True. Just not a lot of playing reps. Shrader had a little as did Hollifield, that’s about it.

Who are the knowns at OL?
Gentry
Scroggs
Samuel?
Ramsay?
And who do you anticipate to see a lot of time, starting or rotational?

Too early to tell. A lot of ball left to nail down the top 7 or 8. I could hazard a guess but it is likely to change several times in the next 4 weeks.

I am hopeful 2-3 names I did not mention break into that group because it would be great if we were so deep we could play 12-13 OL every game. It would give us flexibility and we would still be fine if 2-3 got hurt. Like the old saying goes, you can never have enough good linemen.

[AppSt94]

We pulled in a bunch of size for both lines from P5 schools. Let’s hope we can coach them into being “P5” starters. And keep them on the Mountain.

True. Just not a lot of playing reps. Shrader had a little as did Hollifield, that’s about it.

Who are the knowns at OL?
Gentry
Scroggs
Samuel?
Ramsay?
And who do you anticipate to see a lot of time, starting or rotational?

Too early to tell. A lot of ball left to nail down the top 7 or 8. I could hazard a guess but it is likely to change several times in the next 4 weeks.

I am hopeful 2-3 names I did not mention break into that group because it would be great if we were so deep we could play 12-13 OL every game. It would give us flexibility and we would still be fine if 2-3 got hurt. Like the old saying goes, you can never have enough good linemen.

While true that you can’t have enough good lineman, you don’t typically have a true two deep. It is very much like basketball where you get a 7-8 man rotation that you settle in with. The reason being is that you need to be able to plug in a guy here and there with little to no drop off to the cohesion. Trying to figure that rotation out with 10-12 guys is just too difficult.

As an example, you may have a guy like Schrader at tackle with a Dewerk at the 2nd spot, but Dewerk may not be the guy that comes in, rather a Gentry moves over and they bring in another guard.Outside of Samuel who is locked in at one of the tackle spots, everyone else is pretty interchangeable. Given the versatility among the OL, there are 6 guys that can play the tackle position (Schrader, Samuel, Ramsey, Gentry, Dewerk, and Burgess), 7 guys that can play guard (Gentry, Scroggs, Hollifield, Marotta, Ramsey, Dewerk, Langlo and Burgess) and 4 guys that can play Center (Scroggs, Sweatt, Marotta and Hollifield). Plus you have the 4 Freshmen. As it was told to me, having 7 that can play is ideal, having 8 is a good problem to have.

[AppStFan1]

True. Just not a lot of playing reps. Shrader had a little as did Hollifield, that’s about it.

Who are the knowns at OL?
Gentry
Scroggs
Samuel?
Ramsay?
And who do you anticipate to see a lot of time, starting or rotational?

Too early to tell. A lot of ball left to nail down the top 7 or 8. I could hazard a guess but it is likely to change several times in the next 4 weeks.

I am hopeful 2-3 names I did not mention break into that group because it would be great if we were so deep we could play 12-13 OL every game. It would give us flexibility and we would still be fine if 2-3 got hurt. Like the old saying goes, you can never have enough good linemen.

While true that you can’t have enough good lineman, you don’t typically have a true two deep. It is very much like basketball where you get a 7-8 man rotation that you settle in with. The reason being is that you need to be able to plug in a guy here and there with little to no drop off to the cohesion. Trying to figure that rotation out with 10-12 guys is just too difficult.

As an example, you may have a guy like Schrader at tackle with a Dewerk at the 2nd spot, but Dewerk may not be the guy that comes in, rather a Gentry moves over and they bring in another guard.Outside of Samuel who is locked in at one of the tackle spots, everyone else is pretty interchangeable. Given the versatility among the OL, there are 6 guys that can play the tackle position (Schrader, Samuel, Ramsey, Gentry, Dewerk, and Burgess), 7 guys that can play guard (Gentry, Scroggs, Hollifield, Marotta, Ramsey, Dewerk, Langlo and Burgess) and 4 guys that can play Center (Scroggs, Sweatt, Marotta and Hollifield). Plus you have the 4 Freshmen. As it was told to me, having 7 that can play is ideal, having 8 is a good problem to have.

Does not happen a ton but I have seen teams who do. If you just hit at 50% you should be able to have a two-deep. With the expansion to 105 I would think that is way more likely now and those who don't will really struggle.

I have noticed before that a player listed as backup at LT will come in at RT or the LT might move to RT and that LT backup will go in. That is not new for sure.

I know we could miss on 1-2 portal signings but if all of them hit and you add those to Sweatt, Samuel, and hopefully 1-2 others on the team that we have signed I am optimistic we will have 10 that can play. If we only have 7 then we really missed badly in the portal and with HS recruiting the last couple years.

[AppSt94]

You are missing the point. It’s not about only having 7 quality guys. 7 is the magic number that you work into a rotation. All of the guys listed above can play. It doesn’t mean that they are going to fit into the primary rotation. Nor does it mean that they are misses. You have to maximize reps with a limited group to establish cohesion. You have a starting 5 and sprinkle a couple of guys into the rotation that don’t disrupt the flow. If one of the starters goes down, then you adjust your five and add another rotational piece into the set. The guy that is #2 at a certain spot isn’t a given to be next man up. Having guys that are good enough to step in only makes the starters better.

And the “7” isn’t my number. That came from a decision-maker.

[Saint3333]

Every position group needs to work together, but there is no position group that timing and teamwork matters more than offensive line.

[AppStFan1]

You are missing the point. It’s not about only having 7 quality guys. 7 is the magic number that you work into a rotation. All of the guys listed above can play. It doesn’t mean that they are going to fit into the primary rotation. Nor does it mean that they are misses. You have to maximize reps with a limited group to establish cohesion. You have a starting 5 and sprinkle a couple of guys into the rotation that don’t disrupt the flow. If one of the starters goes down, then you adjust your five and add another rotational piece into the set. The guy that is #2 at a certain spot isn’t a given to be next man up.

And the “7” isn’t my number. That came from a decision-maker.

I thought you were saying 7-8 that would be good enough and I think you are thinking I am saying we should have 10 who play every single week. I am hoping we have 9-10 who are able to play every week if we needed to put them out there.

A group definitely needs reps to get chemistry but I hope we are in a spot to wear people down with depth up front. If a team has 2-3 deep on the DL and they keep subbing we will certainly need the ability to put fresh bodies out there who can play well enough in the second half of a game.

If some of these transfers don't play regularly I am going to assume that they are a bust because I would imagine a player leaves a P4 for a G5 expecting to play. I will be curious to see if any of these true freshmen are ready to get on the field this year.

[AppStFan1]

Every position group needs to work together, but there is no position group that timing and teamwork matters more than offensive line.

Definitely need cohesion. My whole reasoning for hoping we have 9-10 that can play is the fact that injuries happen and if you only depend on 7 each week then you will have to put someone on the field that you don't have any trust in. I am hoping we see the full 2nd team and some 3rd team guys against ETSU to get them some reps. You want continuity but you also need to get some reps for the backups so they aren't too green if they are forced into action late in the year as well.

[AppSt94]

You are missing the point. It’s not about only having 7 quality guys. 7 is the magic number that you work into a rotation. All of the guys listed above can play. It doesn’t mean that they are going to fit into the primary rotation. Nor does it mean that they are misses. You have to maximize reps with a limited group to establish cohesion. You have a starting 5 and sprinkle a couple of guys into the rotation that don’t disrupt the flow. If one of the starters goes down, then you adjust your five and add another rotational piece into the set. The guy that is #2 at a certain spot isn’t a given to be next man up.

And the “7” isn’t my number. That came from a decision-maker.

I thought you were saying 7-8 that would be good enough and I think you are thinking I am saying we should have 10 who play every single week. I am hoping we have 9-10 who are able to play every week if we needed to put them out there.

A group definitely needs reps to get chemistry but I hope we are in a spot to wear people down with depth up front. If a team has 2-3 deep on the DL and they keep subbing we will certainly need the ability to put fresh bodies out there who can play well enough in the second half of a game.

If some of these transfers don't play regularly I am going to assume that they are a bust because I would imagine a player leaves a P4 for a G5 expecting to play. I will be curious to see if any of these true freshmen are ready to get on the field this year.

I wouldn’t make any assumptions as to why a guy left his former school. Every situation is different. Burgess (is still a RS Freshman and raw). Langlo was out of football last year. Dewerk graduated and was likely asked to move on to free up a spot, (speculation on my part). Likely the same with Schrader (again, speculation). Either way, “moving down” isn't a guarantee. Some of the moves made are to push guys. You practice and prepare differently when the threat of losing your job exists. That was evident in Spring ball.

Bottom line is that you aren’t going to see 10-12 guys getting reps along the OL.

[AppStFan1]

You are missing the point. It’s not about only having 7 quality guys. 7 is the magic number that you work into a rotation. All of the guys listed above can play. It doesn’t mean that they are going to fit into the primary rotation. Nor does it mean that they are misses. You have to maximize reps with a limited group to establish cohesion. You have a starting 5 and sprinkle a couple of guys into the rotation that don’t disrupt the flow. If one of the starters goes down, then you adjust your five and add another rotational piece into the set. The guy that is #2 at a certain spot isn’t a given to be next man up.

And the “7” isn’t my number. That came from a decision-maker.

I thought you were saying 7-8 that would be good enough and I think you are thinking I am saying we should have 10 who play every single week. I am hoping we have 9-10 who are able to play every week if we needed to put them out there.

A group definitely needs reps to get chemistry but I hope we are in a spot to wear people down with depth up front. If a team has 2-3 deep on the DL and they keep subbing we will certainly need the ability to put fresh bodies out there who can play well enough in the second half of a game.

If some of these transfers don't play regularly I am going to assume that they are a bust because I would imagine a player leaves a P4 for a G5 expecting to play. I will be curious to see if any of these true freshmen are ready to get on the field this year.

I wouldn’t make any assumptions as to why a guy left his former school. Every situation is different. Burgess (is still a RS Freshman and raw). Langlo was out of football last year. Dewerk graduated and was likely asked to move on to free up a spot, (speculation on my part). Likely the same with Schrader (again, speculation). Either way, “moving down” isn't a guarantee. Some of the moves made are to push guys. You practice and prepare differently when the threat of losing your job exists. That was evident in Spring ball.

Bottom line is that you aren’t going to see 10-12 guys getting reps along the OL.

I said I hope we have 9-10 guys who are able to play and did not say I expect 10 to play, or even 12. I do expect to see a lot of guys on the field against ETSU but it won't be that way the rest of the year. We have all been around long enough to know that 12 won't play every week. Last year we typically played 5-6 on average and played 7-8 sometimes but they were usually only a few offensive snaps. We played 6 OL against JMU and Troy for example. We played 7 in the bowl game but 1 of them only played 4 snaps on offense.

Center is going to be interesting to watch here. Remember when I asked that question when someone posted about the projected starting lineup right after the season and many, including you, thought we brought in Marotta because we could not expect Sweatt to start since he is young and coming off injury? It was a fair guess but it sounds like Sweatt might start. We will find out for sure in a few weeks.

I know Langlo and some others are a special situation so maybe they don't expect to start but I would imagine they are looking to get on the field some.

I would like to see the exact numbers on this but I have noticed several players go from P4 to G5 and after 1-2 years transfer again so they were clearly using the G5 as a chance to increase their stock and they did not want to wait. Wonder if any of these are hoping to do that or plan to stay?

[AppSt94]

You are missing the point. It’s not about only having 7 quality guys. 7 is the magic number that you work into a rotation. All of the guys listed above can play. It doesn’t mean that they are going to fit into the primary rotation. Nor does it mean that they are misses. You have to maximize reps with a limited group to establish cohesion. You have a starting 5 and sprinkle a couple of guys into the rotation that don’t disrupt the flow. If one of the starters goes down, then you adjust your five and add another rotational piece into the set. The guy that is #2 at a certain spot isn’t a given to be next man up.

And the “7” isn’t my number. That came from a decision-maker.

I thought you were saying 7-8 that would be good enough and I think you are thinking I am saying we should have 10 who play every single week. I am hoping we have 9-10 who are able to play every week if we needed to put them out there.

A group definitely needs reps to get chemistry but I hope we are in a spot to wear people down with depth up front. If a team has 2-3 deep on the DL and they keep subbing we will certainly need the ability to put fresh bodies out there who can play well enough in the second half of a game.

If some of these transfers don't play regularly I am going to assume that they are a bust because I would imagine a player leaves a P4 for a G5 expecting to play. I will be curious to see if any of these true freshmen are ready to get on the field this year.

I wouldn’t make any assumptions as to why a guy left his former school. Every situation is different. Burgess (is still a RS Freshman and raw). Langlo was out of football last year. Dewerk graduated and was likely asked to move on to free up a spot, (speculation on my part). Likely the same with Schrader (again, speculation). Either way, “moving down” isn't a guarantee. Some of the moves made are to push guys. You practice and prepare differently when the threat of losing your job exists. That was evident in Spring ball.

Bottom line is that you aren’t going to see 10-12 guys getting reps along the OL.

I said I hope we have 9-10 guys who are able to play and did not say I expect 10 to play, or even 12. I do expect to see a lot of guys on the field against ETSU but it won't be that way the rest of the year. We have all been around long enough to know that 12 won't play every week. Last year we typically played 5-6 on average and played 7-8 sometimes but they were usually only a few offensive snaps. We played 6 OL against JMU and Troy for example. We played 7 in the bowl game but 1 of them only played 4 snaps on offense.

Center is going to be interesting to watch here. Remember when I asked that question when someone posted about the projected starting lineup right after the season and many, including you, thought we brought in Marotta because we could not expect Sweatt to start since he is young and coming off injury? It was a fair guess but it sounds like Sweatt might start. We will find out for sure in a few weeks.

I know Langlo and some others are a special situation so maybe they don't expect to start but I would imagine they are looking to get on the field some.

I would like to see the exact numbers on this but I have noticed several players go from P4 to G5 and after 1-2 years transfer again so they were clearly using the G5 as a chance to increase their stock and they did not want to wait. Wonder if any of these are hoping to do that or plan to stay?

Like I said. Most of them can play. 5 of them will be 1A (starters) a couple of them will be 1B (rotation guys). The rest will be 1C or Scout Team.

I wouldn’t pencil Sweatt or Marotta into that center slot just yet. Yes, I probably did project that after the season. But neither were #1 coming out of spring ball. Murphy had moved to center for the upcoming year.