With fall camp upon us, it’s time to dive into my predictions for the OL and DL positions for the upcoming 2020 season! Down below, I’ll lay out a “two-deep” at every position as I project who the starter will be and the immediate backup/backups at each spot come the start of the season. (Whenever that may be…) Without further ado, let’s get after it!
Offensive Lineman – More Experience Than Ever Before
Left Tackle: Donovan Jennings
Backup: Joshua Blanchard
Left Guard: Demetris Harris
Backup: Matthew McDuffie
Center: Brad Cecil
Backup: Troy Fields
Right Guard: Michael Wiggs
Backup: Sebastian Sainterling
Right Tackle: Jarrett Hopple
Backup: Jean Marcellus
Mike’s Take: My projected starters in Jennings, Harris, Cecil, Wiggs, and Hopple are all juniors and beyond, creating an offensive line that hasn’t had this much experience across the board in a long time. That alone should give fans hope that the front five will be productive this year, but it’s the backups behind those starters that I’m eyeing even more to see who the future will be on the OL from here on out.
Defensive Lineman – 3 Down Front or Four?
Starter (DE): Jason Vaughn
Backup: Darrien Grant
Starter (DT): Blake Green
Backup: Kevin Kegler
Starter (DT): Rashawn Yates
Backup: Kelvin Pinkney
Starter (DE): Ryan Thaxton
Backup: Stacy Kirby
Mike’s Take: Call it the biggest question mark on the roster this year and by no means is it due to a lack of talent at both the DE and DT spots. Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer seems more than happy to run a three defensive lineman front, but also seems flexible in going with four guys down as well. Will Spencer change his fronts based on the matchup or will he stick with one over the other for the majority of the season? Nonetheless, I like what the Bulls have at both DE and DT with the defensive end spot being a matter of who steps up this season after the departures of Kirk Livingstone, Greg Reaves, and Darius Slade. Let that be something you look for when the Bulls hit the fit against The Citadel on September 12th…
Feel free to @ me on Twitter @mic_Cusi or comment down below if you agree or disagree with any of my predictions! Be sure to tune in next week as I uncover my depth chart predictions for the LB and DB positions!