[Phogge]

Anybody who frequented Rivals when IBS was a freshman probably remember a poster, his mom if I recall, who likened the kid to Jesus, Ghandi, Jim Hines, Armin Hary, Elroy Hirsch and Bob Hayes.

[Phogge]

Anybody who frequented Rivals when IBS was a freshman probably remember a poster, his mom if I recall, who likened the kid to Jesus, Ghandi, Jim Hines, Armin Hary, Elroy Hirsch and Bob Hayes.

[Langdude]

Saw IBS on the sidelines. I'm about 80% sure he was not dressed out.

As far as his lack of PT this year, it could be injury. But I don't know. I actually was surprised that he was invited back for a fifth year given that he was never a significant contributor. My uneducated guess has actually always been that there was some sort of wink-wink agreement between track and football that kept IBS on scholarship in FB, enabling him to stay for a fifth year to compete in his final season of eligibility for indoor track.

-m.

[Langdude]

Saw IBS on the sidelines. I'm about 80% sure he was not dressed out.

As far as his lack of PT this year, it could be injury. But I don't know. I actually was surprised that he was invited back for a fifth year given that he was never a significant contributor. My uneducated guess has actually always been that there was some sort of wink-wink agreement between track and football that kept IBS on scholarship in FB, enabling him to stay for a fifth year to compete in his final season of eligibility for indoor track.

-m.

[Langdude]

Frosh Force. Ten true freshmen played against Kal.

• CB Ethan Bonner played in his third game, likely on ST. I did not see him on defense.
  
• DE Thomas Booker started in place of an injured Dylan Jackson. He had a solid game, contributing five tackles, though the DL as a whole surrendered a lot of rushing yards to a sub-good rushing attack. He has played in every game this season.
  
• WR Simi Fehoko played in his third game. He had no catches. When Trent Irwin went down, I was surprised that they did not use him more considering how much he was featured against UCLA.
  
• DE Andres Fox played in his fifth game, burning his redshirt. However, he did not record a statistic, and I don't remember seeing him play much.
  
• OLB Tangaloa Kaufusi played in his first game of the year. And he recorded a tackle! (I'm guessing it was on STs.) Congrats!
  
• ILB Jacob Magnum-Farrar played in his second game. He did not record a statistic. I don't remember seeing him much, either.
  
• ILB Ricky Miezan played in his third game. I also do not recall seeing him, either.
  
• FB Jay Symonds played in his first game of the year, likely on ST, though he may have played at FB. Congrats!
  
• CB Kendall Williamson played in his ninth game. He continued his solid play with three tackles and a PBU.
  
• WR Michael Wilson had a catch for 5 yards; as with Fehoko, I am surprised he was not more featured. Has played in every game this season.
  
  

I really like the new redshirt rule a lot. One of the reasons I like it is because it allows freshmen who have busted their tail in practice all season to be rewarded toward the end of the year; I am guessing that is one of reasons that Kaufusi and Symonds got PT, though I am not suggesting that they are not also talented. Also, it allows us to play freshmen selectively and still have them retain a redshirt; under the old rule, no way ten freshmen see the field for Big Game.

-m.

[Langdude]

Frosh Force. Ten true freshmen played against Kal.

• CB Ethan Bonner played in his third game, likely on ST. I did not see him on defense.
  
• DE Thomas Booker started in place of an injured Dylan Jackson. He had a solid game, contributing five tackles, though the DL as a whole surrendered a lot of rushing yards to a sub-good rushing attack. He has played in every game this season.
  
• WR Simi Fehoko played in his third game. He had no catches. When Trent Irwin went down, I was surprised that they did not use him more considering how much he was featured against UCLA.
  
• DE Andres Fox played in his fifth game, burning his redshirt. However, he did not record a statistic, and I don't remember seeing him play much.
  
• OLB Tangaloa Kaufusi played in his first game of the year. And he recorded a tackle! (I'm guessing it was on STs.) Congrats!
  
• ILB Jacob Magnum-Farrar played in his second game. He did not record a statistic. I don't remember seeing him much, either.
  
• ILB Ricky Miezan played in his third game. I also do not recall seeing him, either.
  
• FB Jay Symonds played in his first game of the year, likely on ST, though he may have played at FB. Congrats!
  
• CB Kendall Williamson played in his ninth game. He continued his solid play with three tackles and a PBU.
  
• WR Michael Wilson had a catch for 5 yards; as with Fehoko, I am surprised he was not more featured. Has played in every game this season.
  
  

I really like the new redshirt rule a lot. One of the reasons I like it is because it allows freshmen who have busted their tail in practice all season to be rewarded toward the end of the year; I am guessing that is one of reasons that Kaufusi and Symonds got PT, though I am not suggesting that they are not also talented. Also, it allows us to play freshmen selectively and still have them retain a redshirt; under the old rule, no way ten freshmen see the field for Big Game.

-m.

[Phogge]

Bonner played at least one series late in the game at CB.

[Phogge]

Bonner played at least one series late in the game at CB.

[CTcard]

• WR Simi Fehoko played in his third game. He had no catches. When Trent Irwin went down, I was surprised that they did not use him more considering how much he was featured against UCLA.
  
• WR Michael Wilson had a catch for 5 yards; as with Fehoko, I am surprised he was not more featured. Has played in every game this season.
  

Fehoko was kind of featured vs UCLA, but had zero catches and one offensive PI. While that won't get you playing time, I am still optimistic about his future.
Wilson really did have kind of a breakout game vs UCLA. He had 4 catches for 41 yards, season highs by a lot. I thought we'd see more of him in the cal game.

[CTcard]

• WR Simi Fehoko played in his third game. He had no catches. When Trent Irwin went down, I was surprised that they did not use him more considering how much he was featured against UCLA.
  
• WR Michael Wilson had a catch for 5 yards; as with Fehoko, I am surprised he was not more featured. Has played in every game this season.
  

Fehoko was kind of featured vs UCLA, but had zero catches and one offensive PI. While that won't get you playing time, I am still optimistic about his future.
Wilson really did have kind of a breakout game vs UCLA. He had 4 catches for 41 yards, season highs by a lot. I thought we'd see more of him in the cal game.

[Langdude]

• WR Simi Fehoko played in his third game. He had no catches. When Trent Irwin went down, I was surprised that they did not use him more considering how much he was featured against UCLA.
  
• WR Michael Wilson had a catch for 5 yards; as with Fehoko, I am surprised he was not more featured. Has played in every game this season.
  

Fehoko was kind of featured vs UCLA, but had zero catches and one offensive PI. While that won't get you playing time, I am still optimistic about his future.
Wilson really did have kind of a breakout game vs UCLA. He had 4 catches for 41 yards, season highs by a lot. I thought we'd see more of him in the cal game.

I noted their performances above, in my personnel review of the UCLA game. Getting targeted in the endzone is "featured" enough to be significant. But he was not against Kal. Neither was Wilson. That confused me, but I guess they felt good about playing Connor Wedington against Kal, which presumably means we'll see more of Fehoko and Wilson in the bowl game, especially if Trent Irwin is not on the field.

-m.

[Langdude]

• WR Simi Fehoko played in his third game. He had no catches. When Trent Irwin went down, I was surprised that they did not use him more considering how much he was featured against UCLA.
  
• WR Michael Wilson had a catch for 5 yards; as with Fehoko, I am surprised he was not more featured. Has played in every game this season.
  

Fehoko was kind of featured vs UCLA, but had zero catches and one offensive PI. While that won't get you playing time, I am still optimistic about his future.
Wilson really did have kind of a breakout game vs UCLA. He had 4 catches for 41 yards, season highs by a lot. I thought we'd see more of him in the cal game.

I noted their performances above, in my personnel review of the UCLA game. Getting targeted in the endzone is "featured" enough to be significant. But he was not against Kal. Neither was Wilson. That confused me, but I guess they felt good about playing Connor Wedington against Kal, which presumably means we'll see more of Fehoko and Wilson in the bowl game, especially if Trent Irwin is not on the field.

-m.

[CTcard]

I noted their performances above, in my personnel review of the UCLA game. Getting targeted in the endzone is "featured" enough to be significant. But he was not against Kal. Neither was Wilson. That confused me, but I guess they felt good about playing Connor Wedington against Kal, which presumably means we'll see more of Fehoko and Wilson in the bowl game, especially if Trent Irwin is not on the field.

-m.

Wasn't disagreeing, just expanding.

If Irwin doesn't make the bowl game that will be sad, particularly for him, but it will be interesting to see who plays and gets thrown to - given that Wedington will reportedly be out to preserve the redshirt year. My money would be on Wilson, then St. Brown getting more throws, but I remain intrigued by Fehoko.

[CTcard]

I noted their performances above, in my personnel review of the UCLA game. Getting targeted in the endzone is "featured" enough to be significant. But he was not against Kal. Neither was Wilson. That confused me, but I guess they felt good about playing Connor Wedington against Kal, which presumably means we'll see more of Fehoko and Wilson in the bowl game, especially if Trent Irwin is not on the field.

-m.

Wasn't disagreeing, just expanding.

If Irwin doesn't make the bowl game that will be sad, particularly for him, but it will be interesting to see who plays and gets thrown to - given that Wedington will reportedly be out to preserve the redshirt year. My money would be on Wilson, then St. Brown getting more throws, but I remain intrigued by Fehoko.

[newguy]

I noted their performances above, in my personnel review of the UCLA game. Getting targeted in the endzone is "featured" enough to be significant. But he was not against Kal. Neither was Wilson. That confused me, but I guess they felt good about playing Connor Wedington against Kal, which presumably means we'll see more of Fehoko and Wilson in the bowl game, especially if Trent Irwin is not on the field.

-m.

Wasn't disagreeing, just expanding. 

If Irwin doesn't make the bowl game that will be sad, particularly for him, but it will be interesting to see who plays and gets thrown to  - given that Wedington will reportedly be out to preserve the redshirt year. My money would be on Wilson, then St. Brown getting more throws, but I remain intrigued by Fehoko.

i'm hoping to see more of Osiris.
this kid has real potential.

[newguy]

I noted their performances above, in my personnel review of the UCLA game. Getting targeted in the endzone is "featured" enough to be significant. But he was not against Kal. Neither was Wilson. That confused me, but I guess they felt good about playing Connor Wedington against Kal, which presumably means we'll see more of Fehoko and Wilson in the bowl game, especially if Trent Irwin is not on the field.

-m.

Wasn't disagreeing, just expanding. 

If Irwin doesn't make the bowl game that will be sad, particularly for him, but it will be interesting to see who plays and gets thrown to  - given that Wedington will reportedly be out to preserve the redshirt year. My money would be on Wilson, then St. Brown getting more throws, but I remain intrigued by Fehoko.

i'm hoping to see more of Osiris.
this kid has real potential.

[Langdude]

I noted their performances above, in my personnel review of the UCLA game. Getting targeted in the endzone is "featured" enough to be significant. But he was not against Kal. Neither was Wilson. That confused me, but I guess they felt good about playing Connor Wedington against Kal, which presumably means we'll see more of Fehoko and Wilson in the bowl game, especially if Trent Irwin is not on the field.

-m.

Wasn't disagreeing, just expanding.

If Irwin doesn't make the bowl game that will be sad, particularly for him, but it will be interesting to see who plays and gets thrown to  - given that Wedington will reportedly be out to preserve the redshirt year. My money would be on Wilson, then St. Brown getting more throws, but I remain intrigued by Fehoko.

I'm also intrigued by Fehoko! I think they are wanting to use him like they did JJAW, though I think JJAW's athleticism and incredibly strong and sure hands are pretty rare.

Thanks, CT.

-m.

[Langdude]

I noted their performances above, in my personnel review of the UCLA game. Getting targeted in the endzone is "featured" enough to be significant. But he was not against Kal. Neither was Wilson. That confused me, but I guess they felt good about playing Connor Wedington against Kal, which presumably means we'll see more of Fehoko and Wilson in the bowl game, especially if Trent Irwin is not on the field.

-m.

Wasn't disagreeing, just expanding.

If Irwin doesn't make the bowl game that will be sad, particularly for him, but it will be interesting to see who plays and gets thrown to  - given that Wedington will reportedly be out to preserve the redshirt year. My money would be on Wilson, then St. Brown getting more throws, but I remain intrigued by Fehoko.

I'm also intrigued by Fehoko! I think they are wanting to use him like they did JJAW, though I think JJAW's athleticism and incredibly strong and sure hands are pretty rare.

Thanks, CT.

-m.

[Langdude]

Redshirt Watch. Here's some notations on possible redshirts and burns. As a reminder, you can play in four games and still be eligible to redshirt.

• Freshman DE Andres Fox. With his appearance in Big Game, Fox's shirt was officially burned. He becomes the fourth and final freshman to have his shirt burned, joining DE Thomas Booker, CB Kendall Williamson, and WR Michael Wilson.
  
• Sophomore OT/OG Foster Sarell played in Big Game. He has now played in three games. Even if he plays in the Sun Bowl, he is eligible to redshirt this season. It is entirely possible that they waited until the Kal game to bring Sarell back in order to regain his redshirt. That of course depends on if they think he'll stick around for a fifth year.
  
• Sophomore WR Connor Wedington played in Big Game. He has now played in four games this season. If he plays in the Sun Bowl, he is no longer eligible to redshirt. However, Coach Shaw has said that the intention is to redshirt Wedington this season, so indications are that he will sit for the bowl game. Given that we are looking pretty good at WR, I wonder if they are considering playing Wedington at RB in future years, thus enriching that pipeline.
  
• Junior OLB Curtis Robinson did not play in Big Game. He has played in two games this season. Even if he plays in the Sun Bowl, he is eligible to redshirt this year. He could have played against Kal and also in the bowl game and still regained his redshirt, so I wonder if he is perhaps injured.
  
• Junior WR Donald Stewart did not play in Big Game. He has played in three games this season. Even if he plays in the Sun Bowl, he is eligible to redshirt this year. The utility of regaining his redshirt, of course, would depend on if he would be invited back for a fifth year when the time comes. His absence this year is a bit of an enigma.
  
• Senior S Ben Edwards is injured and did not play in Big Game. He has played in three games this season. Even if he plays in the Sun Bowl, he is eligible to redshirt this season. He may have been held out against Kal so as to be able to play in the bowl game and still regain the shirt, but I do not know. He has been hurt for a while.
  
• No other freshman will have his redshirt burned. The closest to having that happen are CB Ethan Bonner, WR Simi Fehoko, and ILB Ricky Miezan, with three appearances apiece. Even if all three appear in the bowl game, they would still be able to retain their redshirts.
  
• So, we end up burning four freshman shirts this year, which has been the standard for the past few years.
  
• Up to five players whose shirts were previously burnt would be eligible to regain their redshirt.
  
• I have updated the eligibility placings for these players (except for Wedington) and the scholarship counts for each class at the top of this thread. The regained redshirts definitely help the pipeline in certain areas.
  

-m.

[Langdude]

Redshirt Watch. Here's some notations on possible redshirts and burns. As a reminder, you can play in four games and still be eligible to redshirt.

• Freshman DE Andres Fox. With his appearance in Big Game, Fox's shirt was officially burned. He becomes the fourth and final freshman to have his shirt burned, joining DE Thomas Booker, CB Kendall Williamson, and WR Michael Wilson.
  
• Sophomore OT/OG Foster Sarell played in Big Game. He has now played in three games. Even if he plays in the Sun Bowl, he is eligible to redshirt this season. It is entirely possible that they waited until the Kal game to bring Sarell back in order to regain his redshirt. That of course depends on if they think he'll stick around for a fifth year.
  
• Sophomore WR Connor Wedington played in Big Game. He has now played in four games this season. If he plays in the Sun Bowl, he is no longer eligible to redshirt. However, Coach Shaw has said that the intention is to redshirt Wedington this season, so indications are that he will sit for the bowl game. Given that we are looking pretty good at WR, I wonder if they are considering playing Wedington at RB in future years, thus enriching that pipeline.
  
• Junior OLB Curtis Robinson did not play in Big Game. He has played in two games this season. Even if he plays in the Sun Bowl, he is eligible to redshirt this year. He could have played against Kal and also in the bowl game and still regained his redshirt, so I wonder if he is perhaps injured.
  
• Junior WR Donald Stewart did not play in Big Game. He has played in three games this season. Even if he plays in the Sun Bowl, he is eligible to redshirt this year. The utility of regaining his redshirt, of course, would depend on if he would be invited back for a fifth year when the time comes. His absence this year is a bit of an enigma.
  
• Senior S Ben Edwards is injured and did not play in Big Game. He has played in three games this season. Even if he plays in the Sun Bowl, he is eligible to redshirt this season. He may have been held out against Kal so as to be able to play in the bowl game and still regain the shirt, but I do not know. He has been hurt for a while.
  
• No other freshman will have his redshirt burned. The closest to having that happen are CB Ethan Bonner, WR Simi Fehoko, and ILB Ricky Miezan, with three appearances apiece. Even if all three appear in the bowl game, they would still be able to retain their redshirts.
  
• So, we end up burning four freshman shirts this year, which has been the standard for the past few years.
  
• Up to five players whose shirts were previously burnt would be eligible to regain their redshirt.
  
• I have updated the eligibility placings for these players (except for Wedington) and the scholarship counts for each class at the top of this thread. The regained redshirts definitely help the pipeline in certain areas.
  

-m.

[Hurlburt88]

A Wedington move to RB would not surprise me given his HS career, and might make a lot of sense for us.

[Hurlburt88]

A Wedington move to RB would not surprise me given his HS career, and might make a lot of sense for us.

[BostonCard]

Well, we have Scarlett, Speights, and Maddox, plus Woods redshirting and Jones coming in.  So there is no lack of bodies at RB; the question is how confident we can be that one of those bodies will produce next year.  When Love became the running back in 2017, it had been on the tail of a 783 yard campaign in 2016 backing up McCaffrey.   When McCaffrey became the starter in 2015, he had 300 yards and 7.1 ypc the year before (most of it coming towards the end of the season).  And when Gaffney came back from a year in he minor leagues in 2013, he had 449 yards and 6.1 ypc backing up Stepfan Taylor two years before that.  

By those metrics, there is reasonable confidence that Scarlett could be a credible starter; he's been our second leading rusher the last two years, and though his 236 yards on 57 carries are less than any of the prior successful incumbents, they are more than what we had in 2014, the only time in recent memory when we truly struggled to identify a primary RB (Remound Wright, our putative starter and leading rusher, had 102 yards on 20 carries in 2013).  Plus Scarlett has 389 yards on 91 carries last year.  He has been a solid, if not spectacular backup running back.  Also, Scarlett has had a decent showing the last two years catching the ball out of the backfield, and that adds an element to his game (to be fair, we'd expect Wedington to be an excellent receiver out of the backfield as well).

Nor is there a lot of proven returning talent at WR (Irwin and, almost certainly, JJAW will be gone).  Wilson and OSB (and perhaps Fehoko) are promising, but Weddington had comparable production last year, and in limited action this year.  Weddington has a chance to be a starter at WR next year, and he would almost certainly be in the two-deep barring any surprises.  At running back, while there is always a chance that Weddington could supplant Scarlett, the baseline assumption is that he is less likely to compete to start at RB than he is to compete to start at WR. 

Put it all together, and I think your WR corps looks like: Wilson/Weddington/St Brown/Fehoko, (plus perhaps Bowman) and the RB rotation looks like Scarlett/Speights/Maddox/Woods (plus perhaps Jones).

BC

[BostonCard]

Well, we have Scarlett, Speights, and Maddox, plus Woods redshirting and Jones coming in.  So there is no lack of bodies at RB; the question is how confident we can be that one of those bodies will produce next year.  When Love became the running back in 2017, it had been on the tail of a 783 yard campaign in 2016 backing up McCaffrey.   When McCaffrey became the starter in 2015, he had 300 yards and 7.1 ypc the year before (most of it coming towards the end of the season).  And when Gaffney came back from a year in he minor leagues in 2013, he had 449 yards and 6.1 ypc backing up Stepfan Taylor two years before that.  

By those metrics, there is reasonable confidence that Scarlett could be a credible starter; he's been our second leading rusher the last two years, and though his 236 yards on 57 carries are less than any of the prior successful incumbents, they are more than what we had in 2014, the only time in recent memory when we truly struggled to identify a primary RB (Remound Wright, our putative starter and leading rusher, had 102 yards on 20 carries in 2013).  Plus Scarlett has 389 yards on 91 carries last year.  He has been a solid, if not spectacular backup running back.  Also, Scarlett has had a decent showing the last two years catching the ball out of the backfield, and that adds an element to his game (to be fair, we'd expect Wedington to be an excellent receiver out of the backfield as well).

Nor is there a lot of proven returning talent at WR (Irwin and, almost certainly, JJAW will be gone).  Wilson and OSB (and perhaps Fehoko) are promising, but Weddington had comparable production last year, and in limited action this year.  Weddington has a chance to be a starter at WR next year, and he would almost certainly be in the two-deep barring any surprises.  At running back, while there is always a chance that Weddington could supplant Scarlett, the baseline assumption is that he is less likely to compete to start at RB than he is to compete to start at WR. 

Put it all together, and I think your WR corps looks like: Wilson/Weddington/St Brown/Fehoko, (plus perhaps Bowman) and the RB rotation looks like Scarlett/Speights/Maddox/Woods (plus perhaps Jones).

BC

[BobK]

Plus incoming Frosh Peat

[BobK]

Plus incoming Frosh Peat

[Langdude]

Walk-on Warriors. The following non-scholarship players got PT against Kal.

• OLB Thunder Justice Keck played in his eleventh game. He recorded a tackle, even. Like others, I think that Thunder Justice is next in line to get a scholie. Similar to Beecher, he's an ST stalwart, and may end up getting in the OLB rotation next year.
  
• CB J.J. Parson played in his fifth game. Parson has seen more playing time than other walk-ons, save Thunder Justice. I wonder if they are thinking of moving him to safety, a la Noah Williams.
  
• OLB Caleb Phillips played in his second game.
  
• OLB Anthony Trinh played in his fourth game.
  
• ILB Ryan Beecher, a former walk-on, played in his twelfth game (out of twelve).
  
• S Noah Williams, a former walk-on, played in his eleventh game.
  
• It is interesting that three OLB walk-ons got playing time. I'm guessing that everyone moved up a notch or two in the pecking order with the injuries at that position. Whatever the case, it does bode well in player development at OLB to see so many get snaps.
  

-m.

[Langdude]

Walk-on Warriors. The following non-scholarship players got PT against Kal.

• OLB Thunder Justice Keck played in his eleventh game. He recorded a tackle, even. Like others, I think that Thunder Justice is next in line to get a scholie. Similar to Beecher, he's an ST stalwart, and may end up getting in the OLB rotation next year.
  
• CB J.J. Parson played in his fifth game. Parson has seen more playing time than other walk-ons, save Thunder Justice. I wonder if they are thinking of moving him to safety, a la Noah Williams.
  
• OLB Caleb Phillips played in his second game.
  
• OLB Anthony Trinh played in his fourth game.
  
• ILB Ryan Beecher, a former walk-on, played in his twelfth game (out of twelve).
  
• S Noah Williams, a former walk-on, played in his eleventh game.
  
• It is interesting that three OLB walk-ons got playing time. I'm guessing that everyone moved up a notch or two in the pecking order with the injuries at that position. Whatever the case, it does bode well in player development at OLB to see so many get snaps.
  

-m.

[Langdude]

As you may have noticed, I've been spreading out my Big Game personnel notes. Consider it a way to occupy my time in the season/bowl interregnum.

Bench Bunch. The following non-freshman non-injured scholarship players did not appear against Kal.

• Fifth-year senior WR Isaiah Brandt-Sims. I am going to go ahead and guess that he is injured since he did not appear once all year, and I am fairly sure he was not dressed out for Kal.
  
• Senior C Brian Chaffin. I don't think he's injured, but he didn't play against UCLA, either. I guess Jesse Burkett is now handling the short-yardage packages, too. Not that those lineups are very effective.
  
• Junior QB Jack Richardson. Not a surprise. We were not going to see him unless it was a blowout. Had K.J. Costello gone down, it would have been interesting to see if it would have been Richardson or frosh Jack West take the reins, given that we no longer have to worry about West's redshirt and that it is deep enough in the season that he presumably knows more of the playbook. Having said that, my guess is that Shaw would have used Richardson.
  
• Junior OLB Curtis Robinson. At this point, it is no longer redshirt preservation since he has only played in two games. Is injury or performance holding him off the field?
  
• Junior WR Donald Stewart. Again, no idea. I suppose he could be injured. Or he could just not be good. It is still surprising that he does not play at all; even last year he played a lot on ST. However, one explanation is that they are intentionally preserving his redshirt (he's played in three games) so that he can play in the Sun Bowl and also be converted to long-snapper for his final two years.
  
• Senior FB Reagan Williams. This was a surprise. I don't know if he is injured or not, but he was marked as a starter in the unreliable pregame depth chart. Having said that, I don't think the staff has lot of faith in Mr. Williams given that he does not play as much as Stanford FBs of the past have. Part of that is our increased passing game. But part of the reason for that is our ineffective run blocking, which is priority number one, two, and three in the job description for a Stanford FB. I don't know if Williams is back for his fifth year next year, but I pose a question here: I wonder if they will try to convert him to ILB, a la Owen Marecic. Williams was a star ILB in HS, and was recruited by some schools for that position. And we need ILBs.
  
• Senior OG Nick Wilson. Another surprise given that he is the "starting" Ogre. Not sure if it is injury- or performance-related.
  

-m.

[Langdude]

As you may have noticed, I've been spreading out my Big Game personnel notes. Consider it a way to occupy my time in the season/bowl interregnum.

Bench Bunch. The following non-freshman non-injured scholarship players did not appear against Kal.

• Fifth-year senior WR Isaiah Brandt-Sims. I am going to go ahead and guess that he is injured since he did not appear once all year, and I am fairly sure he was not dressed out for Kal.
  
• Senior C Brian Chaffin. I don't think he's injured, but he didn't play against UCLA, either. I guess Jesse Burkett is now handling the short-yardage packages, too. Not that those lineups are very effective.
  
• Junior QB Jack Richardson. Not a surprise. We were not going to see him unless it was a blowout. Had K.J. Costello gone down, it would have been interesting to see if it would have been Richardson or frosh Jack West take the reins, given that we no longer have to worry about West's redshirt and that it is deep enough in the season that he presumably knows more of the playbook. Having said that, my guess is that Shaw would have used Richardson.
  
• Junior OLB Curtis Robinson. At this point, it is no longer redshirt preservation since he has only played in two games. Is injury or performance holding him off the field?
  
• Junior WR Donald Stewart. Again, no idea. I suppose he could be injured. Or he could just not be good. It is still surprising that he does not play at all; even last year he played a lot on ST. However, one explanation is that they are intentionally preserving his redshirt (he's played in three games) so that he can play in the Sun Bowl and also be converted to long-snapper for his final two years.
  
• Senior FB Reagan Williams. This was a surprise. I don't know if he is injured or not, but he was marked as a starter in the unreliable pregame depth chart. Having said that, I don't think the staff has lot of faith in Mr. Williams given that he does not play as much as Stanford FBs of the past have. Part of that is our increased passing game. But part of the reason for that is our ineffective run blocking, which is priority number one, two, and three in the job description for a Stanford FB. I don't know if Williams is back for his fifth year next year, but I pose a question here: I wonder if they will try to convert him to ILB, a la Owen Marecic. Williams was a star ILB in HS, and was recruited by some schools for that position. And we need ILBs.
  
• Senior OG Nick Wilson. Another surprise given that he is the "starting" Ogre. Not sure if it is injury- or performance-related.
  

-m.

[BobK]

Are you sure about Williams and Wilson ?
I thought they both played.

Wilson accepted into a Stanford grad school btw

[BobK]

Are you sure about Williams and Wilson ?
I thought they both played.

Wilson accepted into a Stanford grad school btw

[Langdude]

Pre-Game Notes!

M*A*S*H Unit. By way of the declared starting units, let's go by position.

• Quarterback. Davis Mills remains injured.
  
• Running back. While Bryce Love played against Kal, he was injured at the end of the game, and, as is well-known, out for the Sun Bowl. Cam Scarlett will start.
  
• Wide receiver. Tragically, Trent Irwin was injured against Kal, and is out for the Sun Bowl. Michael Wilson will start in his place opposite JJAW.
  
• Tight end. Kaden Smith did not play against Kal, and won't in the Sun Bowl. Colby Parkinson is the starter in his place.
  
• Offensive line. Nate Herbig started against Kal, but will not play in the Sun Bowl. Dylan Powell is the starter at RG instead. Walker Little is injured for the Sun Bowl, with Devery Hamilton moving back to tackle to start in his place.
  
• Defensive line: DE Dylan Jackson did not play against Kal and remains out; Thomas Booker (not DWP, as reported) started in his place in Big Game, and will for the Sun Bowl as well.
  
• Outside linebacker. Joey Alfieri did play against Kal, though Gabe Reid started in his spot; Alfieri will be healthy enough to start in the Sun Bowl. Meanwhile, though he was out against Kal, Casey Toohill returns to start in the Sun Bowl, replacing Jordan Fox, who has been starting for him for much of the season.
  
• Safety. Brandon Simmons and Ben Edwards remain out. Frank Buncom and Malik Antoine remain the starters.
  

-m.

[Langdude]

Pre-Game Notes!

M*A*S*H Unit. By way of the declared starting units, let's go by position.

• Quarterback. Davis Mills remains injured.
  
• Running back. While Bryce Love played against Kal, he was injured at the end of the game, and, as is well-known, out for the Sun Bowl. Cam Scarlett will start.
  
• Wide receiver. Tragically, Trent Irwin was injured against Kal, and is out for the Sun Bowl. Michael Wilson will start in his place opposite JJAW.
  
• Tight end. Kaden Smith did not play against Kal, and won't in the Sun Bowl. Colby Parkinson is the starter in his place.
  
• Offensive line. Nate Herbig started against Kal, but will not play in the Sun Bowl. Dylan Powell is the starter at RG instead. Walker Little is injured for the Sun Bowl, with Devery Hamilton moving back to tackle to start in his place.
  
• Defensive line: DE Dylan Jackson did not play against Kal and remains out; Thomas Booker (not DWP, as reported) started in his place in Big Game, and will for the Sun Bowl as well.
  
• Outside linebacker. Joey Alfieri did play against Kal, though Gabe Reid started in his spot; Alfieri will be healthy enough to start in the Sun Bowl. Meanwhile, though he was out against Kal, Casey Toohill returns to start in the Sun Bowl, replacing Jordan Fox, who has been starting for him for much of the season.
  
• Safety. Brandon Simmons and Ben Edwards remain out. Frank Buncom and Malik Antoine remain the starters.
  

-m.

[BostonCard]

I'm wondering whether this chart should be updated in anticipation of the 2019 season, with the removal of those who have decided not to use up their last year of eligibility, and shifting players who used up a year of eligibility over one cell.  It will be useful as we examine needs for the 2020 recruiting class.

BC

[BostonCard]

I'm wondering whether this chart should be updated in anticipation of the 2019 season, with the removal of those who have decided not to use up their last year of eligibility, and shifting players who used up a year of eligibility over one cell.  It will be useful as we examine needs for the 2020 recruiting class.

BC

[CompSci87]

I'm wondering whether this chart should be updated in anticipation of the 2019 season, with the removal of those who have decided not to use up their last year of eligibility, and shifting players who used up a year of eligibility over one cell.  It will be useful as we examine needs for the 2020 recruiting class.

BC

Maybe do that in a new thread for 2019 personnel?

[CompSci87]

I'm wondering whether this chart should be updated in anticipation of the 2019 season, with the removal of those who have decided not to use up their last year of eligibility, and shifting players who used up a year of eligibility over one cell.  It will be useful as we examine needs for the 2020 recruiting class.

BC

Maybe do that in a new thread for 2019 personnel?

[Langdude]

Frosh Force. Twelve true freshmen played in the Sun Bowl.

• CB Ethan Bonner played in his fourth game of the year; he did not record a statistic. I am heartened for the future of the position with Duane Akina's desire to play this kid as a true freshman along with Kendall Williamson.
  
• DE Thomas Booker started in place of injured Dylan Jackson. He had another solid game, contributing two solo tackles, three assists, a TFL, and a quarterback hit. He has played in every game this season.
  
• LS Jack Chapman, a walk-on, had his first appearance of the season. Congrats!
  
• WR Simi Fehoko played in his fourth game of the year; he did not record a statistic. Surprising given that he has been more featured with a healthier WR corps, but, then again, our passing game was pretty pathetic overall, so he may have been out there a lot and just not been targeted.
  
• DE Andres Fox played in his sixth game; for the second game in a row, he did not record a statistic, which makes me wonder if we should have burned his shirt. But Shaw does not think he'll be around for a fifth year, it seems.
  
• DE Trey LaBounty, a walk-on, played in his first game of the season. Congratulations! He did not record a statistic.
  
• ILB Ricky Miezan played in his fourth game of the season, prepping for his starting position next year. (That's a half joke.) He did not record a statistic.
  
• QB Dylan Plautz, a walk-on, made his first appearance of the season. Congrats to him! I do not remember seeing him, but he's listed as appearing. A kneel down?
  
• FB Jay Symonds played in his second game of the year. He did not record a statistic. Grooming a new fullback?
  
• OLB Tobe Umerah played in his first game of the season. Congratulations! He did not record a statistic.
  
• CB Kendall Williamson actually started the game as the defense began in a nickel formation and, apparently, Kendall is the guy. I wonder if this is a sign that he has leapfrogged Obi Eboh and will be starting opposite Paulson Adebo at corner next year. In the Sun Bowl, Kendall continued his solid play with three solo tackles and an assist.
  
• WR Michael Wilson started in Trent Irwin's place, and had 2 catches for 6 yards, 3 punt returns for 4 yards, and one critical end-around for 9 yards. He played in every game this season.
  

---

Walk-on Warriors. Nine non-scholarship players got PT in the Sun Bowl. None got any statistics unless noted.

• Freshmen
  • LS Jack Chapman played in his first game of the season. Congratulations!
    
  • DE Trey LaBounty played in his first game. Congratulations! No statistic. ST?
    
  • QB Dylan Plautz made his first appearance. Congrats to him! A kneel down?
    
• Sophomores
  • DE Dylan Boles played in his third game.
    
  • OLB Caleb Phillips also played in his third game.
    
• Juniors
  • CB J.J. Parson played in his sixth game, recording a tackle. A new safety?
    
  • K Collin Riccitelli played in his third game. A kickoff?
    
  • OLB Anthony Trinh played in his fifth game. Other than Thunder Justice and J.J. Parson, Trinh has had the most appearances of any walk-on.
    
• Seniors
  • P Charlie Beall made his collegiate debut. Next year's punter? Or his first and last game?
    
• Other notes
  • Sophomore OLB Thunder Justice Keck did not play, after eleven appearances this season. Injury?
    
  • Senior ILB Ryan Beecher, a former walk-on, played in every game this season.
    
  • Sophomore S Noah Williams, a former walk-on, played in his twelfth game.
    

-m.

[Langdude]

Frosh Force. Twelve true freshmen played in the Sun Bowl.

• CB Ethan Bonner played in his fourth game of the year; he did not record a statistic. I am heartened for the future of the position with Duane Akina's desire to play this kid as a true freshman along with Kendall Williamson.
  
• DE Thomas Booker started in place of injured Dylan Jackson. He had another solid game, contributing two solo tackles, three assists, a TFL, and a quarterback hit. He has played in every game this season.
  
• LS Jack Chapman, a walk-on, had his first appearance of the season. Congrats!
  
• WR Simi Fehoko played in his fourth game of the year; he did not record a statistic. Surprising given that he has been more featured with a healthier WR corps, but, then again, our passing game was pretty pathetic overall, so he may have been out there a lot and just not been targeted.
  
• DE Andres Fox played in his sixth game; for the second game in a row, he did not record a statistic, which makes me wonder if we should have burned his shirt. But Shaw does not think he'll be around for a fifth year, it seems.
  
• DE Trey LaBounty, a walk-on, played in his first game of the season. Congratulations! He did not record a statistic.
  
• ILB Ricky Miezan played in his fourth game of the season, prepping for his starting position next year. (That's a half joke.) He did not record a statistic.
  
• QB Dylan Plautz, a walk-on, made his first appearance of the season. Congrats to him! I do not remember seeing him, but he's listed as appearing. A kneel down?
  
• FB Jay Symonds played in his second game of the year. He did not record a statistic. Grooming a new fullback?
  
• OLB Tobe Umerah played in his first game of the season. Congratulations! He did not record a statistic.
  
• CB Kendall Williamson actually started the game as the defense began in a nickel formation and, apparently, Kendall is the guy. I wonder if this is a sign that he has leapfrogged Obi Eboh and will be starting opposite Paulson Adebo at corner next year. In the Sun Bowl, Kendall continued his solid play with three solo tackles and an assist.
  
• WR Michael Wilson started in Trent Irwin's place, and had 2 catches for 6 yards, 3 punt returns for 4 yards, and one critical end-around for 9 yards. He played in every game this season.
  

---

Walk-on Warriors. Nine non-scholarship players got PT in the Sun Bowl. None got any statistics unless noted.

• Freshmen
  • LS Jack Chapman played in his first game of the season. Congratulations!
    
  • DE Trey LaBounty played in his first game. Congratulations! No statistic. ST?
    
  • QB Dylan Plautz made his first appearance. Congrats to him! A kneel down?
    
• Sophomores
  • DE Dylan Boles played in his third game.
    
  • OLB Caleb Phillips also played in his third game.
    
• Juniors
  • CB J.J. Parson played in his sixth game, recording a tackle. A new safety?
    
  • K Collin Riccitelli played in his third game. A kickoff?
    
  • OLB Anthony Trinh played in his fifth game. Other than Thunder Justice and J.J. Parson, Trinh has had the most appearances of any walk-on.
    
• Seniors
  • P Charlie Beall made his collegiate debut. Next year's punter? Or his first and last game?
    
• Other notes
  • Sophomore OLB Thunder Justice Keck did not play, after eleven appearances this season. Injury?
    
  • Senior ILB Ryan Beecher, a former walk-on, played in every game this season.
    
  • Sophomore S Noah Williams, a former walk-on, played in his twelfth game.
    

-m.