The Sheet:
It has been a slow week at work for me and slow news cycle before the June visits, so I decided to do something useful. The Sheet includes our current 2024 depth chart, current recruiting board, and projected 2025 depth chart. Please note that A LOT of assumptions were made when making this sheet, including some aggressive depth chart placements based on things I have heard . A few notes/thoughts below:
2024 Depth Chart
Rock Chalk
It has been a slow week at work for me and slow news cycle before the June visits, so I decided to do something useful. The Sheet includes our current 2024 depth chart, current recruiting board, and projected 2025 depth chart. Please note that A LOT of assumptions were made when making this sheet, including some aggressive depth chart placements based on things I have heard . A few notes/thoughts below:
2024 Depth Chart
- This team is really, really good. This team has top end talent we have not seen for a long, long time. I think we could see up to 9 guys drafted next April (JD6, Dev, LJ, Grimm, Skinner, Cabeldue, Ford, Cobee, and Mello)
- I am not exactly sure where we are making room for Foster, but I have to assume he is taking Hanika's spot or Raich/Downing are no longer on the team.
- We are going to have a great year, so strap in. My (healthy JD6) floor projection is 10-2 with a ceiling of hosting a playoff game at Arrowhead.
- My biggest take away when performing this exercise is that next year might not be quite as big of a rebuild as expected pending our portal class.
- We currently have 4 players in the sophomore class due to taking transfer heavy classes Lance's first few years. This would be a cause for concern, but this is a new era of college football. I am projecting that next year's portal class will be junior (2 to play) heavy. I have 8 of 12 transfer projected as juniors in the 2025 portal class.
- We have a very exciting D-line for next year with great experience in the middle and some very high upside edge rushers on the outside. Year 2 for Jobe, Brinkley, and Warner will be a ton of fun.
- I think that the defense, not the offense will actually be the strength next year. This all depends on a strong LB portal class next year, as the room is basically empty after this year. The secondary looks young and exciting with room for a potential vet transfer. The safety group doesn't look particularly strong but the Dye brothers should be able to hold the fort while some young guys develop behind.
- Offensively things are going to look much, much different. I think that a one-year bridge QB makes a ton of sense to allow Ballard/IM extra time to develop. I am also projecting that we bring in a vet to take some of the load off Hishaw. WR - as JK has mentioned we are bringing in 3 high school and (hopefully) 2 legit starting WRs. I think we will have no trouble filling these spots, if we have the year we are expecting and we send 3 WRs to the league. TE - I left a freshman hole at the starting spot, but realistically I think we bring in 1 or 2 plus a vet transfer. O line looks like a strength especially in the tackle position. Guard I would like to see us bring in another depth piece and center has a Bryce Foster sized hole that needs to be filled.
- Some attrition was assumed and I highlighted a few potential candidates who are older and pretty far down the depth chart.
- Overall, while we are going to need to bring in a large transfer class, WR, LB and possible bridge QB are the only massive needs. WR especially is very easy to fill in the portal and I have to imagine there will be plenty of QB options if we send JD6 off to the NFL. With the rest of the spots, we will be able to spread out the transfers and really go find some impact players across a variety of positions. I also don't think its a secret that our NIL budget will be wide open with the departure of our top end talent.
- My goal with this was to sort all of JKs info and updates into one easy list. I made the list entirely off our official visit list and will update as changes are made.
- Again a lot of assumptions were made on the board, but I gave it my best shot based on offer lists, ranks, and visit dates.
- We have a chance to have a really nice class again, but probably not quite to the level of last year's.
- As you will see on the 2025 depth chart we have plenty of playing time to sell, which I think will help a lot with this class.
Rock Chalk
