It is still early and the team has not gone to pads yet. But after watching parts of practice and what I hear, here are five position group battles that I believe will be tight.
Back-up Quarterback:
We all know how important Jason Bean was the last two seasons. Without having a backup quarterback like him, going to two straight bowl games would be in question. I stand behind my earlier assessment that Cole Ballard would be the number two guy and I have him as the favorite to fill that role against Lindenwood. But I am also getting some info that Isaiah Marshall has looked good and continues to improve. What would be a great scenario is if both Ballard and Marshall elevate their games to where they have two, reliable players. This will continue to be an interesting competition.
Kicker:
I heard coming out of spring football there was a slight lean to Owen Piepergerdes. He had a good spring and if there was someone in the lead it was him. But I'm hearing Charlie Weinrich had a good summer and looks good early in fall camp. The kicker with the strongest leg is Tabor Allen, but I don't get the sense he is as accurate as the other two. He is working on place-kicking duties but I expect his main role to be handling kickoffs. This is a huge position and I know it isn't talked about a lot. I don't expect any news to come out who is winning the job until the depth chart is released. And even after that, I think the battle will go through game week and the season.
Two-deep at corner:
We know who the starting corners are going to be as long as Mello and Cobee stay healthy. I am hearing good news on the cornerbacks at least through the early portion of fall camp. There is growing confidence they could go with Damarius McGhee, Jalen Todd or Jameel Croft and feel good about them. All three of those players had good springs and are looking solid. The other player making some early moves is Aundre Gibson. At 5-foot-10, 195 pounds he has the thickest frame of the group. Borland mentioned yesterday he has been getting some work at the nickel. If you watch his high school film he isn't afraid to hit. The future of the cornerback position looks to be in good hands.
Offensive guard:
Mike Ford has still been doing a little at center, but with Bryce Foster on the roster and Shane Baumgardner making strides, I expect Ford to be at left guard. But the competition is going strong and will continue. Coming out of spring football Nolan Gorczyca made a move up the depth chart. Before Ford moved back to guard, I had him as a leader to start. I heard Darrell Simmons was just okay in spring football. But this summer Simmons started to show some things why he started 21 games at Iowa State. On the other side you have Kobe Baynes, who I think will be the starter but there are guys who are going to push him. I will admit going into spring football I was concerned about the guards. Now I'm not. I haven't heard much about Amir Herring, but I was watching him in practice and he is strong. The OG is one of the bright spots for me, and Daryl Agpalsa will have some depth to work with. There is a lot of competition and there should be no problem filling out a two-deep.
Defensive end:
This is going to be fun to watch. I think the potential and bodies are there, but I have to temper my enthusiasm I get when I watch them in practice. As I look around at Dean Miller, Bai Jobe, DJ Warner and Dak Brinkley I see a lot of potential. I focused on them the other day and told myself there is some athleticism in that group. But back to reality. Not one of those players has a sack to their name at the college level. I also want to make sure and mention Cole Petrus because I did notice one time they lined up and looked like they were doing it with the 1's and 2's and Petrus and Miller were the first two out. We really won't know much until they get to scrimmage and put the pads on. But I don't know if there is another position battle where five players will be getting reps to win one spot.
Back-up Quarterback:
We all know how important Jason Bean was the last two seasons. Without having a backup quarterback like him, going to two straight bowl games would be in question. I stand behind my earlier assessment that Cole Ballard would be the number two guy and I have him as the favorite to fill that role against Lindenwood. But I am also getting some info that Isaiah Marshall has looked good and continues to improve. What would be a great scenario is if both Ballard and Marshall elevate their games to where they have two, reliable players. This will continue to be an interesting competition.
Kicker:
I heard coming out of spring football there was a slight lean to Owen Piepergerdes. He had a good spring and if there was someone in the lead it was him. But I'm hearing Charlie Weinrich had a good summer and looks good early in fall camp. The kicker with the strongest leg is Tabor Allen, but I don't get the sense he is as accurate as the other two. He is working on place-kicking duties but I expect his main role to be handling kickoffs. This is a huge position and I know it isn't talked about a lot. I don't expect any news to come out who is winning the job until the depth chart is released. And even after that, I think the battle will go through game week and the season.
Two-deep at corner:
We know who the starting corners are going to be as long as Mello and Cobee stay healthy. I am hearing good news on the cornerbacks at least through the early portion of fall camp. There is growing confidence they could go with Damarius McGhee, Jalen Todd or Jameel Croft and feel good about them. All three of those players had good springs and are looking solid. The other player making some early moves is Aundre Gibson. At 5-foot-10, 195 pounds he has the thickest frame of the group. Borland mentioned yesterday he has been getting some work at the nickel. If you watch his high school film he isn't afraid to hit. The future of the cornerback position looks to be in good hands.
Offensive guard:
Mike Ford has still been doing a little at center, but with Bryce Foster on the roster and Shane Baumgardner making strides, I expect Ford to be at left guard. But the competition is going strong and will continue. Coming out of spring football Nolan Gorczyca made a move up the depth chart. Before Ford moved back to guard, I had him as a leader to start. I heard Darrell Simmons was just okay in spring football. But this summer Simmons started to show some things why he started 21 games at Iowa State. On the other side you have Kobe Baynes, who I think will be the starter but there are guys who are going to push him. I will admit going into spring football I was concerned about the guards. Now I'm not. I haven't heard much about Amir Herring, but I was watching him in practice and he is strong. The OG is one of the bright spots for me, and Daryl Agpalsa will have some depth to work with. There is a lot of competition and there should be no problem filling out a two-deep.
Defensive end:
This is going to be fun to watch. I think the potential and bodies are there, but I have to temper my enthusiasm I get when I watch them in practice. As I look around at Dean Miller, Bai Jobe, DJ Warner and Dak Brinkley I see a lot of potential. I focused on them the other day and told myself there is some athleticism in that group. But back to reality. Not one of those players has a sack to their name at the college level. I also want to make sure and mention Cole Petrus because I did notice one time they lined up and looked like they were doing it with the 1's and 2's and Petrus and Miller were the first two out. We really won't know much until they get to scrimmage and put the pads on. But I don't know if there is another position battle where five players will be getting reps to win one spot.
