SW is more of a bandwagon area than you are giving them credit for. I remember seeing plenty of Tennessee swag when Peyton was winning. I see less and less VT support as they continue their decline and their false sense of relevancy is exposed.
But moving east of Bedford, thoughts on Zach Rice out of LCA?
No doubt the VT stranglehold has loosen a lot which is good.
Rice is a big kid, seems pretty mobile from the little bit of film I’ve seen. He’s already at 280ish lbs which means he should grow into the size of a true D1 tackle without much issue. Has a lot of offers on the table, including one from UVa. He could be a Bronco fit
Bronco seems to have a “type” for pretty much every position. Has anyone noticed a pattern for OL? Long and athletic like every other position? lol
Hah no doubt. I’d say the Bronco type is more a hyprid tackle. TE’s that bulked up, or guards who bumped out. It’s an interesting take that I’m still waiting to see if it yields results given the look of the line over the last couple years.
That’s why I’m so high on Gunner (plus his aggression) but sounds like everyone else is too.
That’s going to be a tough sell. Personally if I was an OT coming out I wouldn’t commit to UVa right now. The track record of producing NFL caliber talent isn’t there yet. When you compare that to a Bama that churns out talented OL that’s a hard sell.
That’s one thing about Bronco that I’m not sold on. The long athletic Olinemen has not showed much imo. Big bulky strong men seem to work better in moving the D line. Thoughts?
Great questions. While I think the days of the old school Bryant McKinnie left tackles are gone. I do think there is no substitute for sheer strength and that oftentimes comes in the form of mass. To me a good left tackle is going to be 6’6+ and 315+, they need the length and strength to hold off interior linemen who can push and press over 400Lbs in some cases. The Hoos have linemen who are still in the 270 range which is small for a HS school player.
I believe what Bronco is looking for is he wants athletes and he wants linemen who can get out into space and make plays. Totally understandable given the scheme he likes and the style of QB’s he likes. The problem is when you depend on that type of scheme and those style players, it gets real tough to convert 3 and 2 from your 47.
I hope the strategy is to work into a zone rush blocking scheme. Still might get stomped occasionally but could pick up serious rushing yards that have been elusive so far.
Thanks @BDragon . I feel the same way you do. I think the running game is gonna hurt by it and against some of the better teams the line may have a hard time protecting the QB. We did get away with it some the past year but that was because of Bryce. He is a rare breed. However the O line was fairly young with most of them coming back this year so I’m hopeful
Yea they were exposed agaisnt superior athletes. ND destroyed them in the second half.
@GardenIX. Id like to see more of a zone read scheme especially if they stick with the smaller linemen. Also wouldnt mind seeing more traps and pulling especially with the versatility in the backfield
I like Hugh Laughlin as a pick up. A lot of his highlights and film I saw are him on offense esp at TE which I doubt he will line up for the Hoos as. He was offered as a DL and he credits part of his commitment to the effort of new DLine coach Clint Sintim (who is quickly having a positive impact on recruiting).
Hugh fits, Bronco’s long athlete profile perfectly at 6’6 285 as a HS jr. He’s capable of playing all 3 down linemen positions in UVa’s defense and a lot of that decision will have to do with how he fills out in the next 2-3 years. It’s not uncommon for the Hoos to mix up their down linemen so I can see him settling into an undersized interior role or being on the edge more.
The Ga. commit is a standout 3star player from Athens with a ton of upside. I find him intriguing because of his versatility and his age it’s tough to say where he will land in the Hoos scheme. I imagine he’ll put on some weight over the next few years moving him to an interior position, but if he can put on lean muscle and keep his foot speed and learn to use his hands on the defensive side of the ball, he could become a handful on the edge.
The size of these dudes amazes me. ha
Which is funny because when I see a guy 6’6 285 listed as an OT my first thought is he’s too small. I assume everyone is about 6’3 and 3 bills.
Is kinda why I mention cause I read your post that these guys are on the “small” side. Just another level my brother. Amazes me
The flip of that is, I look at some of Tony’s guys and shake my head at their size and athleticism combo. Justin Anderson was bigger than me by a few lbs. when I signed my first contract and had more athleticism than I ever dreamed of
I dont know the recruits like you guys do (although am learning here from yall) but first time I saw JA was at practice in summer before his First year working with JWilly. I said Jay “who is THAT dude” ha
No doubt the first time I saw him up close I was shocked at how big he was. Malcolm too. They were so physically strong and we are all about the same height and to see the size they were as a packed on 240/250 was crazy
the difference between “us” and League. You ever shake Bryant Stiths hand? hahahah