O Line Starters

[gville_jacket]

Georgia Tech offensive line appears in place ahead of opener

It looks as though Georgia Tech’s offensive line has been set in advance of the season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 4 at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The probable lineup is Devin Cochran at left tackle, Kenny Cooper at left guard, Mikey Minihan at center, Ryan Johnson at right guard and...

www.ajc.com

LT - Devin Cochran
LG - Kenny Cooper
C - Mikey Minihan
RG - Ryan Johnson
RT - Jordan Williams

Not official but this article was just released by the AJC talking about what they believe CDP indicated at was our starting line up. The article also mentions that Kenneth Kirby and Nick Pendley were in a battle with Jordan Williams for the starting RT spot, to which Jordan kept his starting gig. Kirby will be next man up at tackle spots with Pendley having flexibility to fill in at tackle or gaurd. Even mentioned Weston Franklin as a possible back up at center. I was under the impression Weston would project more on the outside but I guess I was wrong. I also thought Kirby would win the starting spot, also wrong there.

 

[MidtownJacket]

BpBuSp - Let’s goooooo

 

[YJMD]

FWIW the only things I've seen on the AJC are directly from the press conferences, and often not as clear as watching the conference itself.

Anyway, current list for that line is:
6'7" 314 RS Sr
6'3" 325 RS Sr
6'3" 300 RS Jr
6'6" 307 RS Sr
6'6" 333 Fr (+10 starts)

That's a unit for sure and an experienced one for sure.

 

[1979jacket]

would love it if somebody could tell me if these guys start last year or are they transfers and from where - Cooper i know but not the others - not a bio but just something simple

 

[1979jacket]

would love it if somebody could tell me if these guys start last year or are they transfers and from where - Cooper i know but not the others - not a bio but just something simple

did some research on ramblin wreck -2 are transfers and 3 recruited - all but 1 started last year - also suprised by kirby not starting

 

[MonroeJacket]

would love it if somebody could tell me if these guys start last year or are they transfers and from where - Cooper i know but not the others - not a bio but just something simple

All of these projected were starters last year except Devin Cochran and Kenny Cooper. Devin is a transfer from Vandy, Kenny played last year, but was banged up mostly I believe. He’s been a starter in the past. Ryan Johnson is also a transfer, but he was here last year and started. Kenneth Kirby is new, from Norfolk State, and will contribute a lot this year. He started every game there I believe and was All Conference the last two seasons he played there. That tells you how good Jordan Williams is. Nick Pendley is a transfer from Miss St.

 

[augustabuzz]

All of these projected were starters last year except Devin Cochran and Kenny Cooper. Devin is a transfer from Vandy, Kenny played last year, but was banged up mostly I believe. He’s been a starter in the past. Ryan Johnson is also a transfer, but he was here last year and started. Kenneth Kirby is new, from Norfolk State, and will contribute a lot this year. He started every game there I believe and was All Conference the last two seasons he played there. That tells you how good Jordan Williams is. Nick Pendley is a transfer from Miss St.

And, I believe that all but Williams are graduates.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

So 2 transfers starting, 2 CPJ recruits and 1 CGC brand new recruit.

 

[Sarrick]

Good for Kenny. Hope he stays healthy, he's been injured for what feels like forever.

 

[mtodd30]

BpBuSp - Let’s goooooo

I’ve been curious, what does this stand for?

 

[ChristoGT]

I’ve been curious, what does this stand for?

It's a Key term. As I understand it's Big people Beat up Small people

 

[orientalnc]

This should be a solid unit if they remain healthy. A key with the 2014 unit was the lack of serious injury (also Shaq Mason helped a little).

 

[Techster]

The important thing beyond who the starters are is that we have some depth on the OL this year. When a guy like Kirby, who is an NFL prospect, is starting out as a backup that's just a positive for our OL. Unfortunately, our OL has been snake bitten quite often in the recent past and we've had to rely on players who probably were not ready.

We're still not deep across all 5 OL positions, but there's enough depth we don't go into "band aid mode" when a starter gets injured.

 

[LongforDodd]

So 2 transfers starting, 2 CPJ recruits and 1 CGC brand new recruit.

Seems like a nice blend that should evolve into a decent group with potential for growth for next year considering the recruiting.

 

[MidtownJacket]

I’ve been curious, what does this stand for?

I’ve been curious, what does this stand for?

It's a Key term. As I understand it's Big people Beat up Small people

Yep

 

[Yaller Jacket]

One thing which jumps out at me is the heights of the tackles. During the CPJ years, we found that one of the reasons why our line was so poor at pass protection was that our shorter, more compact linemen who were a good fit for our run blocking lacked the length to keep the pass rushers out of the backfield. Assuming that holds water, we should be in better shape with our tackles more able to stay in front of the DEs.

 

[Madison Grant]

Re: depth- even past that top 8-9, we have something to turn to we haven't had in a long time, if ever that I remember-- guys that have been in the program multiple years like Green, Smith, Maye and Vaipulu, instead of true freshmen and walk-ons only. So, even if we are hit with a slew of injuries, it won't be the disaster it has been in the past when that happens.

 

[JasonJ]

So 2 transfers starting, 2 CPJ recruits and 1 CGC brand new recruit.

Ryan Johnson (UT) and Devin Cochran (Vandy) + two backups Kenneth Kirby (Norfolk State) and Pendley (MS State)

 

[takethepoints]

One thing which jumps out at me is the heights of the tackles. During the CPJ years, we found that one of the reasons why our line was so poor at pass protection was that our shorter, more compact linemen who were a good fit for our run blocking lacked the length to keep the pass rushers out of the backfield. Assuming that holds water, we should be in better shape with our tackles more able to stay in front of the DEs.

You pays your money …

In the spread option the tall, really big guys (exception = Mason) were at guard and on purpose. The dive was the main play to get established and having real monsters inside was the way to see that happen as the game went on. Needless to say when we had good size across the whole line, like in 2014, things went really, really well. But usually we didn't pass enough to make having big guys who could hold - well, that's what "arm length" means - a premium at tackle. That might have changed if Vad had stayed or Ratliff hadn't been lost; it's one of the big might have beens of Paul's tenure.

This outfit looks like it will do the job. I also am pleased for Kenny Cooper; he deserves a break.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

FWIW the only things I've seen on the AJC are directly from the press conferences, and often not as clear as watching the conference itself.

Anyway, current list for that line is:
6'7" 314 RS Sr
6'3" 325 RS Sr
6'3" 300 RS Jr
6'6" 307 RS Sr
6'6" 333 Fr (+10 starts)

That's a unit for sure and an experienced one for sure.

Perhaps, someone addressed this in the post but I seem to recall Cooper playing center last year and earlier in his career but maybe I am getting him mixed up with someone else.