Dear Old U.Va.

Early Look at 2-Deep

Wednesday, July 28 2010 by Tiki

On the eve of training camp, I thought I would take a look at what the depth chart looks like for the 2010 Wahoo football team.  Clearly, Mike London couldn't care less about my opinion.  And even though I'm sure he has his own opinions right now, things are likely to change over the next 6 weeks.

QB: Mark Verica, Ross Metheny

This one is obvious, as Verica is the only QB on the roster who has attempted a pass in college. Metheny is the front-runner for the backup position, because he has a year in the program. Michael Strauss is in the running as well, due to his spring enrollment. I suspect Metheny will get the nod, with the hope that Strauss can redshirt.

RB: Torrey Mack, Dominque Wallace

Mack is the leading returning rusher, which is not saying much. His 73 yards are paltry, and his 3.2 ypc is also poor. Still, he has more yards, catches and touches than anybody else on the roster, so I think he will get the nod. Wallace looked good in limited action last year before an injury to his foot ended his season. Wallace is a big back, which appears to fit the offensive game plan we are promoting.

There will be anywhere from 4-6 backs getting touches this year, so who “starts” and who doesn’t probably isn’t all that important. Mack, Wallace, Perry Jones, Raynard Horne all figure to get touches. Beside them, Keith Payne could be a big contributor if he manages to convince Coach London to keep him around, and KP Parks could push for immediate playing time, if he holds true to his HS career. This depth is a good thing, but a crowded backfield could cause some problems.

FB: Terence Fells-Danzer, Max Millien

TF-D has just about clinched the starting position here. He played RB in high school, and has all the athletic ability in the world to be successful. He obviously needs to work on technique and on knowingwhere to be. TF-D isn’t going to be a tradition FB, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be a MLB trying to plug a hole that he is running through. Millien is also a former TB, who will not be a traditional blocking back, but will also be a weapon in the passing game.

WR: Tim Smith, Kris Burd, Jared Green, Dontrelle Inman

The first two, Smith and Burd, figure to be the starters. Burd was the team’s leading receiver last year, and has shown an ability to get open and some very good hands. However, he isn’t really a burner and isn’t truly a gamebreaking receiver. That description fits Tim Smith though. Smith is fast, quick and has already shown an ability to make some big plays.

Another WR who has shown the ability to get beyond the defense is Jared Green. For some reason Green fell off the radar somewhat last year, despite all the 3 and 4 WR sets we ran. Green has some things he needs to work on, but he has some serious speed and can be a factor if he gets the chance. Inman is a big, possession receiver, who still has enough speed to get open. Inman reminds me some of Billy McMullen, and could have a similar impact if he gets on the field.

TE: Joe Torchia, Colter Phillips

Torchia was a bigtime TE prospect, who came to TE U just as Al Groh decided to deemphasize the TE position. Will Torchia has been productive in somewhat limited opportunities, his numbers so far are underwhelming. Some of this is due to the offenses we have run, and some of it is due to talent ahead of him. Well, Torchia is now getting a shot to show what he can do. He is the top TE, and can be a real weapon in the passing game.

Phillips is more of a blocker than Torchia, but still possesses good hands and can be a nice check down option over the middle of the field.

LT: Landon Bradley, Sean Cascarano

Bradley held down the LT position last year, and was moderately successful as a sophomore. He needs to build on that, and continue to get stronger at the point of attack. Bradley will be fine in the passing game, but the real test will come when we try the power rushing game.

Cascarano is a redshirt freshman, and frankly if he is in the game at LT, we are in trouble. Morgan Moses is likely to be the long-term replacement should Bradley go down. Cascarano will be used in short burts if Bradley needs a breather. Cascarano would also get garbage time snaps over Moses.

LG: Austin Pasztor, Isaac Cain

Pasztor, like Bradley, is a junior, but he has 2 years already under his belt. Pasztor is likely the strength of this OL, and I predict a lot of runs over the LG.

Cain is sort of a jack-of-all-trades on the OL, and will be counted on as a backup at every position on the field. If we lose 1 OL, Cain will take his spot, but if we lose 2, we have a problem.

C: Anthony Mihota, Cody Wallace

Mihota is going to be getting his first real extended action at C this year. The most important thing he will do is make line calls, and ensure that his snaps are good. There will be a lot less shotgun that in the past 2 seasons, which should help him out. His success will go a long way towards decided the overall productivity of the offense.

Wallace is a true freshman who prepped at Fork Union last year. Wallace played center exclusively last year, and hopefully developed a lot. On the official depth chart, Mike Price is listed as the backup, and is likely to be the first off the bench should Mihota need a breather. . However, if we need a long-term replacement at C, I expect Wallace to get the call.

RG: BJ Cabell, Luke Bowanko

Cabell is the lone senior on the line, and will have to play like it. Especially with a new starter at RT, Cabell is going to have to be able to handle his guy one on one. Cabell has been through a lot, with several different offensive coordinators, and myriad blocking schemes. Cabell has been solid, although unspectacular during his career. A big year from him will go a long way towards the success of the line as a whole.

As I mentioned before, if we lose an OL, Isaac Cain is the likely replacement. This is especially true at the guard positions. If, for some reason, we need another backup at Guard, Bowanko will get the nod. If this is the case, it could spell trouble for our OL.

RT: Oday Aboushi, Hunter Steward

Aboushi played some last year as a true freshman, and played well enough to earn this job without much question. He is big and strong and has all the necessary tools to be a successful OL.

Steward, like most of the other backups, is untested.  He is listed as a sophomore, and will be used mostly if Aboushi needs a breather.  We will likely be in trouble if he is getting extended snaps. Don’t be too surprised if Morgan Moses is playing here, should something happen to Aboushi.

DE: Zane Parr, Cameron Johnson, Jake Snyder, Jeremiah Mathis

Parr and Johnson make for a very interesting DE duo. Johnson is the super-athlete and could be a real force in the pass rush department. He is huge, fast and strong. Parr is also big and strong, but not near as fast or athletic as Johnson. Parr will be counted on more to hold the edge and fight off TEs, although his pass rushing ability should not be overlooked.

Snyder and Mathis are both talented redshirt freshmen, but neither of them is ready to make a real impact on the field. They will probably rotate in from time to time, but if a long-term replacement is needed, I could see Will Hill, among others, getting snaps at DE.

DT: Matt Conrath, Nick Jenkins, John-Kevin Dolce, Will Hill

Conrath and Jenkins were both starters last year, in the 3-4. They will transition to mostly one-gap DTs now, which should help both of them. Conrath is the more athletic of the two, and has the ability to beat his man and get into the backfield with regularity. Jenkins is stronger and will probably be used more to hold up blockers. Both of them have the ability to play two-gap from time to time, which opens up the options for the rest of the defense.

Dolce is a pass rushing specialist, and will be used in passing downs. It is unlikely he will be used as an every down DT. Hill is a sophomore, who probably should be a redshirt freshman (this is a common theme on the roster), and could play both inside and outside on the DL. He may well be the first replacement at both DE and DT.

SLB: Laroy Reynolds, Tucker Windle

Reynolds is a converted safety, who will bring tremendous speed to the LB position. He is capable of covering backs and TEs, as well as rushing the passer. If he gets one-on-one vs an OL, he will struggle. He will have to use his quickness advantage to make plays.

Windle is more of a traditional SAM, with more size and strength than Reynolds. Still, like Reynolds, if he is engaged with an OL, he will be at a big disadvantage.

MLB: Steve Greer, Aaron Taliaferro

Greer had a solid season at ILB last year as a freshman. He looks to build on that campaign with the move to the 4-3. He will continue to use his smarts and quickness in traffic to be a factor in the running game.

Taliaferro has moved around a bunch of defense, but now gets a shot at MLB, which could be his best position. He has above average athleticism, along with decent size. It remains to be seen how good his reads are, which has been his biggest stumbling block thus far.

WLB: Jared Detrick, Ausar Walcott

Detrick will get the first shot at this position, but it may be Walcott’s to win. Detrick is a senior, and is bigger than Walcott, but he has made his mark thus far on special teams, and will continue to be a big factor there. Walcott has more athleticism and is almost definitely a better cover guy, as he is a coverted DB. They will probably split snaps, especially early on.

CB: Ras-I Dowling, Chase Minnifield, Devin Wallace, Mike Parker

These two starting spots are just about set in stone. Dowling and Minnifield may be the best CB duo in the ACC, and are almost definitely in the top 20 or so nationally. Both have good size and speed, along with solid ball skills. They give the defense a lot of options, because both are capable of holding down a side of the field in the passing game.

Wallace played some nickel back last year, and was able to hold his own. He may well be the nickel back again this year, depending on matchups. He also possesses decent size, and mostly needs to work on technique. Sparrow played only a handful of special teams plays last year, but has tremendous speed and good size to go with it.

Dowling is a senior, and Minnifield is good enough that he could get some looks leaving early, so getting some PT for younger CBs is crucial.

FS: Corey Mosley, Dom Joseph

Mosley has been a starting safety for 2 years now, and has impressed. He’s solid against the run, while also being capable of holding a zone. He isn’t really going to do much one-on-one covering, especially in the cover-2 defense we figure to be running.

Joseph has been seen at both CB and S, but apparently has stuck at safety now. He has better cover skills than Mosley, but isn’t near the hitter. He will also likely get some time at nickel back.

SS: Rodney McLeod, Trey Womack

McLeod is also in his third year on the field, although this is only his 2^nd year as a full-time starter. McLeod has very good cover skills for a safety, and also has shown a knack for getting into the backfield and disrupting plays.

Womack, like Joseph, has spent time at both secondary positions, but appears to be locked in at safety. Womack has had a big impact on special teams, and that will continue. He has solid cover skills and very good quickness. Along with several others, Womack could get some looks at nickel back.

Obviously, fall camp will have a big impact on the depth chart.  Some guys will step up, others will struggle.  Injuries and academic casualties could also change things.  This is just one man's opinion based on watching the Hoos play, as well as recruiting videos, practice reports and some straight up guessing.