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What’s next?

By chris ⋅ December 6, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

So, the season is over, but where does that leave us?  Well, of course Basketball season is just warming up, and there’s plenty to talk about there (and I will be), but let’s put a bit more of a capper on the football season and a preview to 2009.

I won’t be in-depth about recruiting, and will only comment on those prospects that have already gone public with their choice for Baylor, but we’ll take a hard look at the returning players and those players that redshirted last year in two sections.  Offense first.

Offense:

Quarterback
Projected Starter: Robert Griffin, SO
Backups: Blake Szymanski, JR; Nick Florence, TRFR

Robert Griffin has a choke hold on the starting job, and there’s no way anyone is taking that away from him.  Blake should continue to develop and provides a solid backup option.  Nick Florence is a very talented player that will be entering Baylor in January.  I expect him to be a solid fit with Briles’ offense and begin working his way to inheriting the starting job from Griffin when he graduates.

Running Back
Projected Starter: Jay Finley, JR
Backups: Jeremy Sanders, SR; Jared Salubi, RSFR; Glasco Martin, TRFR

Jay Finley was the Bear’s leading rusher, and had the most rushing yards in a season since Rashad Armstrong broke the thousand yard barrier in 2003.  I expect him to be starting, and receiving even more opportunities in the running game next year.  Jeremy Sanders, if he’s still at running back, provides a ton of athleticism to the position, and if he can adapt and learn the position better over the offseason, I think he can be a powerful weapon in the offense.  If he can’t figure it out, or is pushed too strongly by Salubi or Martin, then it might make sense to move him to safety.  He’s got ideal size and speed for the position, and we need more of both in the secondary.  Salubi should definitely see some action this year, and if Martin comes in ready to go, he has the ability that might demand some time on the field.

Wide Receivers
Projected Starters: Kendall Wright, SO; Ernest Smith, SR; David Gettis, SR; Justin Akers, SR
Backups: Brad Taylor, JR; Lanear Sampson, RSFR; Romie Blaylock, SO; TJ Scranton, SR; Stacy Williams, RSFR; Terrance Williams, RSFR;

Wright was the leading receiver this year as a true freshman, and should be better next year.  Ernest Smith is an under-utilized receiver that I hope gets lots of work with Griffin this year to develop a better comfort level going into next year.  He should be much more productive, but hasn’t been given enough of a chance.  David Gettis has a great deal of athletic ability, but has trouble catching the ball.  If he can work on that aspect of his game, he’ll be playing for pay next year.  If he doesn’t, he’ll have another disappointing outing this season, and won’t be able to avoid the “bust” tag.  Justin Akers had troubles with injuries and seemed to fade out of the offense as the year wore on.  He’ll need to be re-introduced to the offense, because he’s shown the ability to be a dependable receiver.  Taylor, Sampson, Blaylock, Scranton, Williams and Williams bring a much higher level of speed, size and athleticism to our reserve receiver corps than we’ve seen in some time.  We’ll lose a good number of receivers after the 2009 season, but there is a very solid foundation of players behind them.  This year, they’ll be able to get on the field and have an impact.  That’s more likely to happen as a group rather than having one player stand out, but Sampson has the ability to be a second coming of Kendall Wright and be another igniter on offense.

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT - Danny Watkins; LG - Griesenbeck; C - JD Walton; RG - James Barnard; RT - Phillip Blake;
Backups: Jordan Hearvey, JR; John Jones, SO; Courtney Green, SO; Brandon Garrett, TRFR; Cameron Kaufhold, RSFR; Jake Jackson, RSFR; Jeramie Roberts, TRFR; Ivory Wade, TRFR; Cyril Richardson, TRFR; Stefan Huber, TRFR;

The offensive line takes a hit with the loss of Jason Smith and Dan Gay.  These two players came in as “tweeners”, and Gay only switched to the offensive line for his last two years, but they were excellent players this year, and I thought Gay was shorted by not being named to any All-Conference teams.

This year, depending on how well Hearvey is able to come back from his injury, we should have much better depth and talent across the board.  I have Griesenbeck still starting, though he’ll be pushed by John Jones, and possibly a move to OG by Hearvey.  There’s a lot of talent in that backups list, with guys like Courtney Green, Brandon Garrett, and Ivory Wade also being able to challenge for a spot on the line.  With this depth, I’m not looking for the offensive line to take a step back, even with the loss of Smith and Gay.

Defense is up next!

Tags: Baylor, Briles, Finley, Football, gettis, Griffin, offense, Preview, wright