We lose quite a few contributing seniors from this years squad, so I'm curious how next year is going to shake out and how we'll fill a few of these holes. Sorry for how long this got.
QB - Have Grover and Schuster on the roster, with Neal committed. I thought Neal was coming for Spring semester (could be wrong), so I would think that the competition would be between Neal and Schuster for the starting nod. Could also see a transfer come in and compete to give the two young guys another year in the system.
RB - I really like Skokna. He has a lot of potential, but isn't going to be running between the tackles much. Gee showed some flashes, and McKinney is a danger anytime he has the ball. However, I like McKinney more lining up wide and getting the ball on reverses/misdirections. He does need to touch the ball a little bit more. The X-factor could be Otis Weah if he's able to get eligible. I really like the way he runs, although we haven't seen much in game situations so hard to tell. Could an incoming freshman come in a make a difference??
WR - Maag is going to be the top guy next year. Seems to have developed a bit of the yips when catching the ball, but we saw Toivonen with the same issue around the same time frame. If Maag can hang on to everything thrown his way, he can be special. Chrysten Cochran showed a bunch of flashes in his limited action - he could be very good. And then you have the Brockstar, who will be lined up all over the field. When healthy he is really fun to watch - just wish he hadn't been so dinged up at the end. After those three, there's quite a bit of talent that we haven't seen much of. Can Adeoti develop into that deep threat? Will DB converts Heitpas or Odom crack the two deep? Can Griebel work his way into the rotation? Will the North Dakota PWO folks (Burian, Overby, Zavalney) develop into reliable players? Will there be a freshman that comes in and makes you play them due to ability? We shall see.
TE - losing Cloyd is a blow, but the TE still didn't seem to be utilized in the passing game as much as one would like. I know Derek Paulson is listed as the backup TE on the depth, but really didn't notice anyone but Cloyd this year. Can Pinke, Steckler, Foix or Riviere step up and be a pass catcher? Could be an interesting position to watch through the spring and next fall.
OL - Need to make these guys HOGS again. Lose a heck of a good center in Rooney, but there are some pieces there assuming our two tackles can come back next year. As has been noted, the older guys need to put on 10-20 pounds again, as the lighter weight just didn't seem to work with this group. If everyone is healthy, you'd have to think we have a line of (left to right) Mortel, Tobin, Nguon, Hergel, Waletzko. I think left guard is up for debate (and possibly center), and maybe one of the younger linemen will take a step forward to fill one of those voids. I'm not as well versed on OL play, so I could be way off. As for others on the line, I saw some potential with Ventrelli, and I'm still waiting for Helgren to play to his potential. I really think we have some talent here, but need to bring it all together. Also, Adam Neustel has the size we need for a NG - is he a potential answer there?
DL - one of the thinest (both in personnel and size wise) areas on the team this year. Losing Ott and Engwall before the season did not help matters at all. Really need to beef up the NG position - not sure if Morrison can get much bigger, and Lickfeldt hasn't been able to put on much weight. I think that Elijah Beach has the frame to get to that 300+ bowling ball that we need, as well as potentially Neustel as noted above. I would think that Pierre is more of a DE, and could be a force at about 260-270 playing out there. As for DE, we lose one of the greats in Mason Bennett, but return everyone else. Seguin had moments, and Jaelen Johnson is a great player that should probably be OLB as I don't see him getting that size we need for DE. I was pretty happy with how well Graham Devore did there, and he could be special if he can put on a few more pounds and not lose any quickness. I'd like to see what Steven Keech or Tanner Thorsness can do - good size on both coming in. Luke Lennon and Isaac Moore really need to add some weight - or else they could potentially move to OLB as well. I did notice Moore in the Montana State game for the little bit he was out there - good quickness.
ILB - Losing Donnell Rodgers is going to hurt. Vrede was also a good player to have as your backup. So, next years starters look to potentially be Noah Larson and Caden White. White needs to bulk up a little bit, but I thought he was a somewhat pleasant surprise this year. After those two, to be honest, I'm not really sure who is ILB and how is OLB to be honest. In either case, we need to bulk up as most of our LBs are under 220.
OLB - Lose Jade Lawrence and Andre Steiger, the latter of which was had a pretty surprising (in a good way) career. Ray Haas and Jaxson Turner are the returners with the most experience, and Bryden Swenson could be in the mix for a starting spot as well. Need some younger guys to step up here in a big way, or as noted in the DL section, we could see some movement to this area.
CB - Hopefully will be a position of strength. Getting Holm back is absolutely huge, and after a year in the system Sammy Fort and Caleb Nelson could be immense help. Blubaugh didn't have quite as good of a year as he did last year as a Sophomore, so hopefully he can pull it together and have a strong senior season. CJ Siegel had a lot of good moments, but also had a few issues during the second half of the year. Sky is the limit for this kid. Jayson Coley will be interesting to see develop, as he was the least heralded of the incoming freshman CBs, but I believe he could have a lot of potential as well.
S - Jordan Canady and Hayden Galvin are returning starters, and both had fairly solid years this year. Behind them, you have Ty Shannon who got a decent amount of minutes and did some good work on special teams. I'd love to see my special teams favorite, Kadon Kauppinen, start putting it together on the defensive side of the ball and play some meaningful minutes there. Love this kids attitude. Is Jeremie Dominique going to be a factor, either as a safety or a CB? Time will tell. Also have the young guys like Koshiol and Vaughn-Jones to look at here.
Punting - Cade Peterson did a decent job when it came to punting on the opponents side of the field, and was able to pin teams successfully. Plus, his speed gives him the potential on a fake if needed. However, he really struggled to get a lot of distance when we needed to flip the field. Seemed most teams we played were able to flip the field on us, but we couldn't do it in return. Need more distance and hangtime from Mr. Peterson next year.
Kicking - Wildly inconsistent. I remember when if you had a FG of 50 yards or less you pretty much knew there was a really good shot you would make it. That hasn't been the case lately. I think we need to do more in the recruiting K and P, but I'm not the coach. Leach does have some potential, but there are many times where you think "WTF was that" after a FG or XP try. Can the other Brady push him and maybe take the job? Is there a potential to bring on incoming freshman in? We'll see.
Overall we have some pieces, but we really need to build more depth (seems like a common theme for the last multiple years). Need to add some size on the lines, and potentially make some position changes to those who may be better used elsewhere and can plug some holes.
So, there is my amateur opinion on next year. Could be way off in all areas, but thought I'd take a stab at it.
