Offensive Playmakers

[BullyPulpit]

Looking at the roster, who are they going to be? There doesn't seem to be anyone on the roster that has that ability to take over a game. We were fortunate to have Waver, Battie, and Horn last season. There might be a version of those guys on this roster, but no one immediately jumps out as a significant playmaker. 

The WR room was decimated by the portal and doesn't return much in the way of production, with USF losing 7 of its top 8 pass catchers (RBs included). Sean Atkins is tough and tenacious, but no one else has shown an ability to consistently catch the ball. Yusuf Terry has underwhelmed at Baylor and now USF, same with Khafre Brown from UNC. Graduate transfer Michael Brown-Stephens should hopefully be dependable, but he is not a real playmaker at the position as shown by his time at Minnesota. The two new wideouts I could see making a meaningful impact would be Naiem Simmons, a transfer from Wagner, and Keshaun Singleton, a true freshman out of Georgia. The fact that we may be relying on a Wagner transfer and a true freshman to have any semblance of a passing attack has me a bit concerned. 

The RB room looks ok despite a few losses. Nay'Quan Wright is a versatile back that bring some real experience from his time at Florida. He's not a real gamebreaker, but he seems to be dependable and can catch the ball out of the backfield. Kelly Joiner returns after battling injuries last year. Hopefully, he can get back to the form he showed in 2021. Michael Dukes has shown an ability to get tough yards. K'Wan Powell provides good depth as well. Dominic Gonella and Jaylen Johnson round out a deep, but not flashy, RB room. 

I know Golesh likes the TE position, but we will be relying on a roster that has a combined total of 6 NCAA catches between them. Jayson Littlejohn did put up some decent JUCO numbers, but there is no track record to go off of at this position. 

If Golesh can consistently score points with this roster, he is truly an offensive magician. Looking at this position-by-position really has me concerned. Golesh's offense at Tennessee relied on the starting QB connecting on 68% of the passes. In a very limited sample size, Byrum Brown has shown an ability to be that accurate. Looking at Gerry, there is nothing in his track record to suggest that he can complete much more than 60% of his passes. I believe we are going to have to be a team that goes on long, sustained drives, as I don't see a lot of 50+ yard touchdowns coming from this roster. 

[Rocky Style]

6 minutes ago, BullyPulpit said:

Dominic Gonella

I just saw a recent article that this guy played for the Bison and is a 2 sport player.  Pretty cool.

[BullyPulpit]

3 minutes ago, Rocky Style said:

I just saw a recent article that this guy played for the Bison and is a 2 sport player.  Pretty cool.

He is intriguing. I am curious as to why he left the team after the regular season and didn't stick around for the playoffs. He is a good depth piece for sure, but virtually no threat as a pass catcher out of the backfield. 

[Brad]

5 minutes ago, Rocky Style said:

I just saw a recent article that this guy played for the Bison and is a 2 sport player.  Pretty cool.

On yesterday's video, I think Golesh said he's been in the AZ Diamondbacks org for 4 years.

[Brad]

I also wonder of the fast offense and shorter passes will help the WR room.  It is light.  

No doubt there are a lot of concerns.  I worry about the WRs above the QBs, RBs and TEs.

[BullyPulpit]

Just now, Brad said:

I also wonder of the fast offense and shorter passes will help the WR room.  It is light.  

No doubt there are a lot of concerns.  I worry about the WRs above the QBs, RBs and TEs.

I did leave out freshman JeyQuan Smith who might be able to contribute and has the athleticism to be a playmaker. I just don't love being in a position where we have to rely on true freshman to contribute immediately. 

[BullyPulpit]

The post-spring losses of Ajou Ajou, Dequan Stanley, and Demitrius Carter, Jr. certainly did not help the WR position. I tried looking to see if they landed anywhere, but there is nothing online to indicate that they did. They really must have not liked the new culture in order to transfer with nowhere to go, especially given how thin we are at the WR position. 

[Gatorbull325]

We have 6 receivers and 1 tight end that came from a Power 5 school, 2 FCS transfers with speed, and a few freshmen in Tyree Kelly, JeyQuan Smith, and Jaylen Johnson that have elite speed. We will be ok if not better than last year. You guys worry too much. 

 

OFFENSE	Player 1	Player 2	Player 3	Player 4	Player 5	Player 6	Player 7	Player 8
OFFENSE	Byrum Brown	Gerry Bohanon (Baylor)	Israel Carter (F-ing BALLER!!!)	Bryce Archie (CCU)	Ryan Bolduc
WR-X	Terry, Yusuf RS FR/TR (Baylor)	Seth Jones (Baylor)	Khafre Brown (North Carolina)	Javohn Thomas   WR	Kelly, Tyree FR
WR-Z	Michael Brown Stephens (MINN)	Jaden Alexis (Texas)	Christian Helms	Keshaun Singleton	Damon Smith (OU)
WR-SL	Atkins, Sean RS SO	Naiem Simmons (FCS - Wagner)	JeyQuan Smith (F-ing BALLER!!!)	Cade Roberts   WR	Ranod “Ocho” Smith (PWO)	Brock Burnette (Bethany College)
RB	Nay'Quan Wright (UF)	Joiner, Kelley JR	K'wan Powell	Dominic Gonnella (FCS - SDSU/PWO)	Jaylen Johnson	Yasias Young	Kenny Walker ³	Michel Duke (Clemson) - Suspended
TE	Jayson Littlejohn  (College of the Sequoias)	Gunnar Greenwald	Weston Wolff (Maryland)	Teigan Martin TE (Liberty)	Gerard Edimo	COLLIN AFFLECK (PWO)

[BullyPulpit]

Just now, Gatorbull325 said:

We have 6 receivers and 1 tight end that came from a Power 5 school, 2 FCS transfers with speed, and a few freshmen in Tyree Kelly, JeyQuan Smith, and Jaylen Johnson that have elite speed. We will be ok if not better than last year. You guys worry too much. 

 

 

OFFENSE	Player 1	Player 2	Player 3	Player 4	Player 5	Player 6	Player 7	Player 8
OFFENSE	Byrum Brown	Gerry Bohanon (Baylor)	Israel Carter (F-ing BALLER!!!)	Bryce Archie (CCU)	Ryan Bolduc
WR-X	Terry, Yusuf RS FR/TR (Baylor)	Seth Jones (Baylor)	Khafre Brown (North Carolina)	Javohn Thomas   WR	Kelly, Tyree FR
WR-Z	Michael Brown Stephens (MINN)	Jaden Alexis (Texas)	Christian Helms	Keshaun Singleton	Damon Smith (OU)
WR-SL	Atkins, Sean RS SO	Naiem Simmons (FCS - Wagner)	JeyQuan Smith (F-ing BALLER!!!)	Cade Roberts   WR	Ranod “Ocho” Smith (PWO)	Brock Burnette (Bethany College)
RB	Nay'Quan Wright (UF)	Joiner, Kelley JR	K'wan Powell	Dominic Gonnella (FCS - SDSU/PWO)	Jaylen Johnson	Yasias Young	Kenny Walker ³	Michel Duke (Clemson) - Suspended
TE	Jayson Littlejohn  (College of the Sequoias)	Gunnar Greenwald	Weston Wolff (Maryland)	Teigan Martin TE (Liberty)	Gerard Edimo	COLLIN AFFLECK (PWO)

Ok if not better? I think you are trying to fool yourself here. You just don't lose guys like Weaver, Horn, and Battie and replace them with guys that couldn't make a difference in their year or two here or that put up middling numbers over the course of their career at other schools. It's one thing to be a #2 or #3 WR, but it is another thing to be the true, clear cut #1. 

I will ask you this, who on this team is the #1 WR right now? Of the guys on the depth chart, who has the ability to fill that role and what are you basing that upon? None of these guys have a track record that would suggest they are who you think they are, IMO. I am not saying you won't be correct, but maybe it isn't that all of us worry to much and that you aren't worried enough. 

I am far from a chicken little on this Board and I am pretty levelheaded. If you get really excited looking at that depth chart, I don't

[Gatorbull325]

Just now, BullyPulpit said:

Ok if not better? I think you are trying to fool yourself here. You just don't lose guys like Weaver, Horn, and Battie and replace them with guys that couldn't make a difference in their year or two here or that put up middling numbers over the course of their career at other schools. It's one thing to be a #2 or #3 WR, but it is another thing to be the true, clear cut #1. 

I will ask you this, who on this team is the #1 WR right now? Of the guys on the depth chart, who has the ability to fill that role and what are you basing that upon? None of these guys have a track record that would suggest they are who you think they are, IMO. I am not saying you won't be correct, but maybe it isn't that all of us worry to much and that you aren't worried enough. 

I am far from a chicken little on this Board and I am pretty levelheaded. If you get really excited looking at that depth chart, I don't

I've been watching football for over 30 years. I've seen plenty of fast and talented players. I've also seen plenty of talented players get replaced. Weaver, Horn, and Battie were great players, but we still only won 1 game with that whole group. If you want to know more about these players, there is plenty of highlights available online for you to get a better understanding. Jalen Johnson runs a 4.3 40yd just like Horn and Battie. As for the #1 receiver, we will just have to wait and see until fall camp is over. 

JeyQuan Smith Senior Szn

WWW.HUDL.COM

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JeyQuan Smith Senior Szn

 

Enjoy The Movie

WWW.HUDL.COM

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Enjoy The Movie