In the spring you only get 15 practices, and there is no depth chart. This spring a lot of of projected starters had limited time to keep their bodies fresh and get others time to develop.
After talking with several people inside the program, here are my five picks who helped their stock in spring football. I was going to name five, but I kept going back to the same seven names. Not listed in order.
Cornell Wheeler, LB- With the loss of Craig Young and Rich Miller, the LB group is going to need new leadership. Miller's absence from the leadership role will be missed. Wheeler can fill that and also provide quality at the linebacker spot. Wheeler had a good spring in more than just showing what he can do as a player. He started to become a vocal leader. He was the second-highest rated LB last season finishing one point behind JB Brown. This was a good spring for Wheeler and I look for his leadership to continue in the offseason.
Dean Miller, DE- You can go back and watch Miller's film and see he has the tools to come off the edge. But his issue was keeping weight on. You can't play DE in the Big 12 at 215 pounds. He finally started to add weight and keep it on and that helped him in the spring. When you combine the injury to Dylan Brooks with the fact the depth is very thin, Miller is now a very important piece to the defense. This is still a position where quality and depth must be added or it will be an issue going into the season.
Damarius McGhee, CB- The former four-star recruit started to show why LSU signed him. McGhee's first order of business was getting healthy. He went through last fall not near 100%, but he looked good this spring. He has good cover skills and I heard there were times this spring he did not look far behind Cobee or Mello. The good news is McGhee has two more years and I think he will give good snaps as the third corner and be in line to start as a senior.
Nolan Gorczyca, OL- Going into the spring if you told me Gorczyca could come out as the possible starter as guard, I would have told you, you are crazy. I had him third in line going into the spring at left guard. But for now, it looks like Mike Ford would be the starting center if the season started today. That opens up the starting guard spot. My next pick was Darrell Simmons who started over 20 games at Iowa State earlier in his career. But from what I gather Gorczyca moved slightly ahead in a battle that will go into fall camp. He has the size at 6-foot-6, 320 and the frame. He looks like a Big 12 lineman and this spring he started to play like one.
Harry Stewart, RB- Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw have been mainstays but they won't be around forever. Soon others will have to step up and Stewart reporting to campus early during his senior year paid off. He is already physically developed and ready to play at 215 pounds. With the departure of Martel, Stewart's emergence is key for the future. It would be ideal if he can redshirt this season while Neal and Hishaw handle the work load.
Jalen Dye, S- Both the Dye brothers have the ability to help the secondary this season, but the fact Jalen has been in the program gives him an edge. Going into the spring the starters set in stone at safety were Burroughs and Grant. But Grant's position switch to a hybrid S/LB opened the door and Jalen played well this spring. If the season started today and Grant was in the lineup as a LB or fifth DB, I think Dye would be the starter at safety.
Caleb Taylor, DL- Taylor had the best spring of the all the defensive linemen. This group had a positive spring and I believe they can go up to six deep. Who starts may not be the important factor because they rotate so many bodies. I think Taylor would come in as the starter if the season started today. He is a good playing weight and the heaviest he has been. He said his body feels good and he is carrying the weight and kept the same athleticism.
After talking with several people inside the program, here are my five picks who helped their stock in spring football. I was going to name five, but I kept going back to the same seven names. Not listed in order.
Cornell Wheeler, LB- With the loss of Craig Young and Rich Miller, the LB group is going to need new leadership. Miller's absence from the leadership role will be missed. Wheeler can fill that and also provide quality at the linebacker spot. Wheeler had a good spring in more than just showing what he can do as a player. He started to become a vocal leader. He was the second-highest rated LB last season finishing one point behind JB Brown. This was a good spring for Wheeler and I look for his leadership to continue in the offseason.
Dean Miller, DE- You can go back and watch Miller's film and see he has the tools to come off the edge. But his issue was keeping weight on. You can't play DE in the Big 12 at 215 pounds. He finally started to add weight and keep it on and that helped him in the spring. When you combine the injury to Dylan Brooks with the fact the depth is very thin, Miller is now a very important piece to the defense. This is still a position where quality and depth must be added or it will be an issue going into the season.
Damarius McGhee, CB- The former four-star recruit started to show why LSU signed him. McGhee's first order of business was getting healthy. He went through last fall not near 100%, but he looked good this spring. He has good cover skills and I heard there were times this spring he did not look far behind Cobee or Mello. The good news is McGhee has two more years and I think he will give good snaps as the third corner and be in line to start as a senior.
Nolan Gorczyca, OL- Going into the spring if you told me Gorczyca could come out as the possible starter as guard, I would have told you, you are crazy. I had him third in line going into the spring at left guard. But for now, it looks like Mike Ford would be the starting center if the season started today. That opens up the starting guard spot. My next pick was Darrell Simmons who started over 20 games at Iowa State earlier in his career. But from what I gather Gorczyca moved slightly ahead in a battle that will go into fall camp. He has the size at 6-foot-6, 320 and the frame. He looks like a Big 12 lineman and this spring he started to play like one.
Harry Stewart, RB- Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw have been mainstays but they won't be around forever. Soon others will have to step up and Stewart reporting to campus early during his senior year paid off. He is already physically developed and ready to play at 215 pounds. With the departure of Martel, Stewart's emergence is key for the future. It would be ideal if he can redshirt this season while Neal and Hishaw handle the work load.
Jalen Dye, S- Both the Dye brothers have the ability to help the secondary this season, but the fact Jalen has been in the program gives him an edge. Going into the spring the starters set in stone at safety were Burroughs and Grant. But Grant's position switch to a hybrid S/LB opened the door and Jalen played well this spring. If the season started today and Grant was in the lineup as a LB or fifth DB, I think Dye would be the starter at safety.
Caleb Taylor, DL- Taylor had the best spring of the all the defensive linemen. This group had a positive spring and I believe they can go up to six deep. Who starts may not be the important factor because they rotate so many bodies. I think Taylor would come in as the starter if the season started today. He is a good playing weight and the heaviest he has been. He said his body feels good and he is carrying the weight and kept the same athleticism.
