Projected Depth Chart (notes)

[UCF 10 Georgia 6]

QB- Justin Holman (Seems much more poised..can't wait to see his progression)
QB- Tyler Harris (Excited about his potential...but has been underwhelming thus far)
QB- Bo Schneider (Enrolled during summer...not ready yet obviously)
Confidence in position (B)

- Justin Holman will improve this season..he looks more poised than ever
-O'Leary is high on him..states he is "most improved player this spring"
-Justin Holman lost Rannell Hall, JJ Worton, Breshad Perriman, Reese, and more weapons..will he be able to make it work with a brand new crop?

RB- Will Stanback (Will we get the 2013 Stanback this year? He may be the key to our success)
RB- Dontravious Wilson (A suitable back-up..runs hard but not number 1 caliber IMO)
RB- Taj McGowan (Looks to have a bright future...early enrollee who ran hard in practices)
Confidence in position: (B)

-We really need Will Stanback to be a workhorse for us given the inexperience in the passing game

WR- Jordan Akins (Freak athlete who should progress given last season being his first year playing football in a long time)
WR-Tre'Quan Smith (Scout team player of the year in 2014...most likely player to emerge this season. Anyone who saw his diving catch in the spring game knows that there is potential with this kid)
WR- Tristan Payton (Highest rated recruit in 2015 class..may be needed early on to fill WR void..very smooth hands and is already competing for playing time..if there's one freshman who will break out for us it will be him)
Confidence in position (C)

-There is a ton of potential at WR..but are these guys ready to take on a big role right away?

TE-Michael Campbell (We rarely use TE's in our passing game...so this move was strictly for protection purposes)
TE- Cal Bloom (veteran..hasn't made an impact yet)
Confidence in position (C)

-Not real concerned about TE..O'Leary uses the position for blocking mostly and it usually doesn't hurt us

LT- Chester Brown (Has great size...more of a guard in my opinion but not much depth at LT)
LT-Wyatt Miller (Big kid...not sure what we have in him)
Confidence in position (D+)

-A concerning area of our team to be honest..we really need someone to step up to protect Holman. He was taking way too many hits last year towards the end of the season (ECU and NC State)

LG-Joey Grant (Normally a Center...but does he slide over to guard since that is an area of weakness?)
LG-Aaron Evans (Another big kid...not sure what we have in him)
Confidence in Position (C+)

-Run protection was mediocre last season..will a healthy Joey Grant strengthen our running game?

C- Jason Rae (undersized..but serviceable at center...also has starts under his belt)
C- Tate Hernly (struggled so far... especially in spring with consistent snapping)
Confidence in position (C-)

-I still have nightmares about that ECU DT who ran right through the middle of our line last season..is Jason Rae really big enough to be our guy?

RG- Tarik Cook (experienced linemen who doesn't get me really excited...but can provide veteran leadership on the line)
RG- Colby Watson (nice size..once again not sure what we have in him.)
Confidence in position (C+)

-Same as LG..can someone step up at the position and strengthen our running game?

RT- Chavis Dickey (most upside on our offensive line..started every game (?) last season for us..we need him to make a big jump to help out that side of the line)
Confidence in position (B-)

DE- Thomas Niles (most experienced player on our defense..produces on the big stage..we need him to do very well this season)
DE- Titus Davis (incoming freshman who O'Leary has praised thus far..may see some time at DE due to our lack of depth (injuries)
Confidence in position (B+)

-Shouldn't be an area to be concerned with..just need Thomas Niles to stay healthy

DT- Jamiyus Pittman (Outside of Thomas Niles the player that excites me the most this season...Played a lot last year and was effective...has been a beast during spring (also is a beast in the weight room)
DT- Tony Guerad (veteran who provides depth at the position)
Confidence in position (B)

-Like I've said previously I really like Pittman..hoping for a breakout season

DT- Lance McDowell (A highly recruited player out of junior college..has the body for DT but needs to improve conditioning..he will be seeing some time at DT this season)
(Confidence in position (C+)

-originally not much concern, but Demetrius Anderson is out for season

DE- Luke Adams (Started every game (?) for us last season at DE...not a stat stuffer but provides experience at the position)
DE- Seyvon Lowry (Will look to provide depth at the position with the loss of Miles Pace)
Confidence in position (C+)

-not a huge fan of Luke Adams..but I do like his experience

OLB- Chequan Burkett (Veteran guy who looks to bounce back from injuries last season..was a force before injury)
OLB-Mark Rucker (undersized..but provides depth at the position)
Confidence in position (B-)

-If Chequan Burkett plays like he did Freshman year..he should be pretty solid

MLB- Demeitre Brim (Virginia transfer..spent time on scout team last season..good size)
MLB- Domenic Spencer(undersized..but has the most experience out of the linebackers)
MLB- Quintin Hampton (member of 2015 class..comes from same high school as Jamiyus Pittman in Georgia..where many good players have been produced)
Confidence in position (D+)

-Along with secondary this is our biggest weakness

OLB- Errol Clarke (JC transfer last season who did well for us..should be a lock as OLB starter)
OLB- Justin McDonald (Great freshman campaign, fell off in 2014. Will he resurface?)
OLB- Pat Jasinksi (impressive high school tape..wouldn't be surprised if he turns into something special for us down the road)
Confidence in position (B-)

-Errol Clarke has been decent for us so far..Pat Jasinksi also excites me

CB's in order
Left side- Shaquill Griffin (athletically gifted..played a lot for us last season..will he improve this year? He reminds me of Josh Robinson..didn't have the best first season but has the potential to make a big step)
Kyle Gibson (highly recruited player in 2014 class..has worked himself into mix of CB's..could be a breakout player this season)
Confidence in position (C+)

Shaquill Griffin was our weakest player in the secondary last season..but it was his first season with significant playing time

Right side- DJ Killings (a player who has flew under the radar the last 2 seasons..personally I thought he was very effective as a DB for us last season in 3-4 WR sets..the question is can he play on the outside?)
Jared Henry (normally a safety..may be needed as a CB)
Confidence in position (C)

-With Chris Williams out who starts alongside Griffin? Really wish we had Williams

FS- Drico Johnson (a veteran safety who backed up Brandon Alexander..effective special teams player who has done a nice job for us when asked to play)
Tre Neal (highly recruited player who may see time at safety if Drico is not effective in the role)
Confidence in position (C+)

-I like Drico Johnson..I don't think he would be a bad safety for us

SS-TJ Mucherson (a huge pickup for us given the lack of depth at safety..has a ton of experience and Iowa State fans really liked him last season..although O'Leary may go with Franks at first Mucherson will be the guy in my opinion)
Jordan Franks (originally a LB/WR out of high school..converted to play safety and someone O'Leary likes as potential starting safety)
Mike Rogers (athletic freak..has squared away his grade issues and will really push Franks for a starting safety spot..for the sake of our team he needs to win this competition)
Confidence in position (B)

- I don't see how Jordan Franks fits as a safety at his size and speed..Mike Rogers intrigues me

K- Matthew Wright (accurate for us in practices/spring game..will that translate over to games?)
Donald Delahaye (walk on..also competing for starting kicker)
Confidence in position: (C)

P- Caleb Houston (veteran punter..inconsistent at times but we know what we have in him)
Confidence in position: (B-)
PR- Chris Davis
Tristan Payton

KR- Jordan Akins
Tristan Payton

Key to our success offensively: Offensive line- who will step up at guard? will Chavis Dickey become an anchor of our line?

Key to our success defensively: Secondary- will Kyle Gibson and others become the players they were recruited to be? will Mike Rogers play a role? will TJ Mucherson be a factor?

Final Notes:
Will Stanback is no speed burner..his style of running relies on an adequate offensive line (especially the guards) If we put an improved line in front of him he will have a big year

Justin Holman will step up this year..he is our leader..will the receiving core get in sync quickly?

Will Tre'Quan Smith deliver?

Will Tristan Payton be ready to play?

We'll find out soon enough..

 

[Lord Christopher]

What happened to the LB McDonald? I was
Hoping he would make the two deep.

 

[UCF 10 Georgia 6]

What happened to the LB McDonald? I was
Hoping he would make the two deep.

That's a great question. Justin McDonald was also very effective his Freshman season (2013), but fell off the radar last season. I can't remember whether or not he was hurt last season. He may easily find himself on the two-deep actually.

 

[Ucfmikes]

What about the LB from Virginia? Grim?

 

[UCF 10 Georgia 6]

What about the LB from Virginia? Grim?

Another good question. Demeitre Brim has good size. I think he was getting 1st team reps actually at some point during the spring. I forgot about him. He'll probably crack the two-deep (maybe even start but not sure if OLB or MLB)

 

[Ucfmikes]

Nice to see Rogers on the team and in the mix. Payton and Rogers are so talented. We really have great young talent and depth at DB and WR.

I really don't think that Rae can cut it.. He's too short and small. I'm not big on 5'11" linebackers either.

Also... Stanback has got a bad rap for being slow. He ran a 10.7 or 10.8 automatic timing for 100 meters as a high school junior and is faster now. He's very very fast. Even in the forty.
No one will catch him from behind. Mark those words.

 

[UCF 10 Georgia 6]

Nice to see Rogers on the team and in the mix. Payton and Rogers are so talented. We really have great young talent and depth at DB and WR.

I really don't think that Rae can cut it.. He's too short and small. I'm not big on 5'11" linebackers either.

Also... Stanback has got a bad rap for being slow. He ran a 10.7 or 10.8 automatic timing for 100 meters as a high school junior and is faster now. He's very very fast. Even in the forty.
No one will catch him from behind. Mark those words.

Yeah I am excited to see Mike Rogers and Tristan Payton play. I think both of them have a legit shot (especially Payton) of playing a decent amount right away. I really liked Chris Williams during the spring. It is really disappointing that he will not be able to play.

As far as Stanback's speed..I know he ran track in high school and was very successful. I just didn't think he was that fast last season. The offensive line did him no favors though. He was also pretty banged up. Hopefully he does break a few long TD runs..

I agree. Jason Rae should not be starting on our offensive line. The guy is an overachiever..but even at that it's alarming he may actually be starting at center.

 

[spacecoastknight]

I would give most of our OL a B. I expect our OL to be much improved with Joey Grant back. I expect our RBs to carry the load this year and Taj McGowan to be our breakout star.

 

[muckdawg24]

Gonna be a long freaking year if our OL is as bad as it was last year. Even with our inexperience in the secondary and questionable talent in the LB corp, O'Leary always seems to put something together to keep us in the game defensively.

 

[Knight_Light]

DT- Demetrius Anderson (Transferred from Western Michigan last season..a nice addition who played fairly well at DT for us)
--------------------------

FYI...Anderson suffered a severe knee injury and is out...might miss the entire season.

 

[Renegade2007]

First off, thanks for the breakdown.

Based on your analysis, our LT situation is awful at the moment. If you ask me, our OL as a whole was garbage last year, and frankly, nothing leads me to believe that it will get better. I HOPE I'm wrong, and will eat crow if I am. But I'm very concerned about our OL, and specifically LT. Freshman hardly come in and make an immediate impact, so we won't have help with this recent class.

Hope I'm wrong.

 

[firm_bizzle]

Maybe we can switch one of those LBs over to DE? Any word on D'erren Wilson, Cam Stewart or Chris Davis? How about FB?

 

[Ucfmikes]

DT- Demetrius Anderson (Transferred from Western Michigan last season..a nice addition who played fairly well at DT for us)
--------------------------

FYI...Anderson suffered a severe knee injury and is out...might miss the entire season.

This is huge as D-line was supposed to be our strength because of him, Pittman, Niles, etc. We already have lost Miles Pace to transfer. Does anyone have anymore details about his injury?

 

[Central Floridave]

Cool write up, thanks! ...just wanted to add that Senior RB Cedric Thompson may be a factor as well.

 

[Knight_Light]

For Dungeon members, Brandon just put up a very telling interview with Senior DT, McDowell.

Also, I think if Joey Grant is 100% Healthy after his shoulder surgery from the winter, I think he might have a good shot at winning back starting center spot, especially if both Guard spots are solid.

 

[Central Floridave]

UCF's Cedric Thompson adapts to change, driven to finish strong
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/ucf-knights/os-ucf-football-0812-20150811-story.html

 

[Knight_Classes_begin_7pm]

We need lineman that are all 300+ Lbs and 6'-2" min. 300 Lbs seems to be nothing these days. Thoughts?

 

[Ucfmikes]

Yes!!!! On offense and defense. In the last few years, we have been manhandled by NC State, Rutgers and South Carolina at least. We can't continue to utilize 270-275 centers and not expect to get blown up by top notch nose tackles. We saw this vs USF and East Carolina even though we beat them both. In order to carry the weight, you need the height.

 

[firm_bizzle]

We don't need a 300lb center. 250 is fine. Weight really isn't the most important thing, technique and endurance are.

 

[Ucfmikes]

250 lbs??? In 2015?? Good luck with that. O-lineman is going to end up in the new ESC!

 

[UCF 10 Georgia 6]

I would give most of our OL a B. I expect our OL to be much improved with Joey Grant back. I expect our RBs to carry the loas this year and Taj McGowan to be our breakout star.

I hope you're right..if you are we will have a solid season.

 

[UCF 10 Georgia 6]

DT- Demetrius Anderson (Transferred from Western Michigan last season..a nice addition who played fairly well at DT for us)
--------------------------

FYI...Anderson suffered a severe knee injury and is out...might miss the entire season.

That wouldn't be good at all..I didn't know it was that severe. Lance McDowell is a senior though so he could step up for us if needed.

 

[UCF 10 Georgia 6]

Cool write up, thanks! ...just wanted to add that Senior RB Cedric Thompson may be a factor as well.

No problem. Cedric Thompson is another senior who will find his way on the field as a H-Back/FB type.

 

[UCF 10 Georgia 6]

We need lineman that are all 300+ Lbs and 6'-2" min. 300 Lbs seems to be nothing these days. Thoughts?

I agree. If you want to beat the big boys like South Carolina and Stanford we need to get bigger up front. We lost in 2013 to SC mainly in the second half when their offensive line (Mike Davis) had their way with our line. And then last year NC State manhandled us up front. Our defensive line holds up well against AAC competition, but lacks the size to go toe-to-toe for 4 quarters with above average or better competition.

 

[cocoabeachjason]

Stanback didn't look fast last year because from his first step he had three defenders hanging from his waist and thighs. The o-line killed his productivity.

 

[Central Floridave]

UCF loses senior DT Demetris Anderson to season-ending knee injury
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf...n-to-season-ending-knee-injury-223934259.html

 

[Knight_Classes_begin_7pm]

I agree. If you want to beat the big boys like South Carolina and Stanford we need to get bigger up front. We lost in 2013 to SC mainly in the second half when their offensive line (Mike Davis) had their way with our line. And then last year NC State manhandled us up front. Our defensive line holds up well against AAC competition, but lacks the size to go toe-to-toe for 4 quarters with above average or better competition.

Agree 1000% Gotta have the horses and the horses have to have the skill. You can't teach size, so the initial size has to be there to begin coaching them!

 

[Ucfmikes]

UCF loses senior DT Demetris Anderson to season-ending knee injury
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf...n-to-season-ending-knee-injury-223934259.html

Thanks! This isn't great news. Gearing up for an unbelievable 2016.

 

[bignow]

Stanback didn't look fast last year because from his first step he had three defenders hanging from his waist and thighs. The o-line killed his productivity.

Stanback was fighting turf toe all of last year. Everyone gets slower with turf toe and it can end careers.

 

[UCFhonors]

Yes!!!! On offense and defense. In the last few years, we have been manhandled by NC State, Rutgers and South Carolina at least. We can't continue to utilize 270-275 centers and not expect to get blown up by top notch nose tackles. We saw this vs USF and East Carolina even though we beat them both. In order to carry the weight, you need the height.

Eureka! Quick, somebody call the coaches right now and let them know if this profound thought!

 

[ucfversusbcs]

How did TCU, Utah and to a lesser extent Boise State handle those big front lines from the AQ days? Did the leftover teams from the Big East all of a sudden got smaller now?

 

[Ucfmikes]

Eureka! Quick, somebody call the coaches right now and let them know if this profound thought!

Why don't you just come up to them since you spend all your day every day at practice and are up their butts. Oh wait..., you don't even have that now since in reality you have no pull in the program. Just a bitter insecure old man with no friends or life

 

[firm_bizzle]

Why don't you just come up to them since you spend all your day every day at practice and are up their butts. Oh wait..., you don't even have that now since in reality you have no pull in the program. Just a bitter insecure old man with no friends or life

Bro, you don't just interrupt practice.

 

[UCFhonors]

Why don't you just come up to them since you spend all your day every day at practice and are up their butts. Oh wait..., you don't even have that now since in reality you have no pull in the program. Just a bitter insecure old man with no friends or life

Bro, you don't just interrupt practice.

Exactly. And Mike obviously has no clue how many friends I've made at practices over the years. #realfans