Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Vandy starting lineup: who's still got a dog in the hunt?

No depth chart released yet, though the fearless members of the media ask Coach Franklin every day and he tells them the depth chart will be ready when guys are finished winning the position battles, or sometime before the first kickoff.

We’ve already got an idea who’s won jobs, who’s still fighting for them, and who doesn’t have a dog in the hunt. Here’s a breakdown by position:

QUARTERBACK
Starting: R-SR Larry Smith
Second team: R-JR Jordan Rodgers
Third team: FR Josh Grady

RUNNING BACK
Starting: JR Zac Stacy
Fighting to start: JR Warren Norman vs. FR Jarron Seymour
Second team: FR Mitchell Hester
Others: R-JR Micah Powell

WIDE RECEIVER
Starting: SO Jordan Matthews and SO Jonathan Krause
Fighting to start: R-FR Chris Boyd vs. R-SO Wesley Tate
Second team: R-JR John Cole and R-SR Udom Umoh
Others: R-FR Trent Pruitt, R-JR Akeem Dunham, FR Jacquese Kirk and R-SO Brady Brown

TIGHT END/FULLBACK
Starting: R-SR Brandon Barden
Second team: R-JR Austin Monahan and SO Fitz Lassing (fullback)
Third team: R-SO Mason Johnston and R-SO Marc Panu (fullback)
Others: FR Dillon van der Wal and FR Steven Scheu

OFFENSIVE LINE
Starting: R-SO Wesley Johnson, R-JR Ryan Seymour and R-SR Kyle Fischer
Fighting to start: R-JR Jabo Burrow and R-SO Mylon Brown vs. R-JR Josh Jelesky and R-JR Caleb Welchans
Fighting for second team: SO Logan Stewart, R-FR Andrew Bridges and R-FR Chase White vs. R-FR Grant Ramsay, FR Spencer Pulley and FR Jake Bernstein
Others: FR James Lewis, FR Jose Valedon and FR Joe Townsend

DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Starting: R-SR T.J. Greenstone
Fighting to start: R-JR Rob Lohr and R-JR Colt Nichter vs. SO Jared Morse and R-FR Vince Taylor
Others: FR Barron Dixon and R-SR Taylor Loftley, followed by FR Conor Hart

DEFENSIVE END
Starting: R-SR Tim Fugger
Fighting to start: R-FR Kyle Woestmann vs. R-SO Walker May
Second team: R-JR Johnell Thomas
Third team: R-JR Dexter Daniels, R-SO Thad McHaney, FR Darien Bryant, R-FR Thomas Ryan, FR Jimmy Stewart

LINEBACKER
Starting: R-SR Chris Marve
Fighting to start: SO Chase Garnham and R-JR Archibald Barnes vs. R-JR Tristan Strong
Next up: R-JR DeAndre Jones
Others: R-FR Blake Gowder, R-FR Andrew East, R-JR Al Owens

CORNERBACK
Starting: SR Casey Hayward
Fighting to start: JR Trey Wilson vs. JR Eddie Foster and SO Andre Hal
Third team: FR Derek King, SO Steven Clarke
Other: SO Reggie Ford

SAFETIES
Starting: SR Sean Richardson
Fighting to start: SO Kenny Ladler vs. JR Eric Samuels and SO Andre Simmons
Third team: R-SO Javon Marshall and SO Karl Butler vs. FR Andrew Williamson
Others: FR Larry Franklin and FR Jahmel McIntosh


Now here's a look at how many guys from each class are starting or in the running to start in the opener against Elon:

REDSHIRT SENIORS (6)
Starters: QB Larry Smith, TE Brandon Barden, OL Kyle Fischer, DT T.J. Greenstone, DE Tim Fugger, LB Chris Marve

SENIORS (2)
Starters: CB Casey Hayward, S Sean Richardson

REDSHIRT JUNIORS (8)
Starter: OL Ryan Seymour
In the running: OL Jabo Burrow, OL Josh Jelesky, OL Caleb Welchans, DT Rob Lohr, DT Colt Nichter, LB Archibald Barnes, LB Tristan Strong

JUNIORS (5)
Starter: RB Zac Stacy
In the running: RB Warren Norman, CB Trey Wilson, CB Eddie Foster, S Eric Samuels

REDSHIRT SOPHOMORES (4)
Starter: OL Wesley Johnson
In the running: WR Wesley Tate, OL Mylon Brown, DE Walker May

SOPHOMORES (7)
Starters: WR Jordan Matthews, WR Jonathan Krause
In the running: DT Jared Morse, LB Chase Garnham, CB Andre Hal, S Kenny Ladler, S Andre Simmons

REDSHIRT FRESHMEN (3)
In the running: WR Chris Boyd, DT Vince Taylor, DE Kyle Woestmann

FRESHMEN (1)
In the running: RB Jarron Seymour

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awesome stuff as usual. A few questions I was hoping you could answer...

-Why TE/FB under same category? Won't both be on field at same time?

-Tennessean had John Cole on 1st Team (presumably to be replaced by Krause when healthy). You have Tate and Boyd ahead of Cole. I thought Boyd would be #3 too, but Cole is still a good slot guy. Who's your true #3?

-Do you really think Jelesky is vying for a starting role?

-Surprised Javon Marshall may get nod at FS?

Anonymous said...

Great stuff. I thought Trent Pruit would be a backup at the slot behind Krause; both appear to be good route runners with Krause having the obvious experience. Also thought Boyd would be a lock at the 3rd WR spot; surprised to see Tate ahead of the other wr's based on what has been reported from camp. Here's hoping that CJF puts in a "wildcat" package to get Grady on the field in certain situations. The O-line sounds like it's really solid if we can avoid injury. Go Dores !

DIMON KENDRICK-HOLMES said...

Check out my new post which addresses some of this.

Not sure how Franklin wants to use the FB. I've lumped them together because Barden and Johnston have both lined up as H-backs in the past and Franklin has talked about using Barden more there.

I think Tate is a great slot guy and just needs to learn the ropes. Cole's my true number three at the start of the season with Tate surpassing him either this year or next.