Preseason Depth Chart Thoughts

[alagold]

Why leave off safety discussion?.Even though we have 2 guys returning I guess, we sure could use some competition as their play last yr left a LOT to be desired.

 

[mtodd30]

I think Kaleb Edwards is putting pressure to get on the field somehow his freshman year, dude is a bonafide stud and winner

 

[InsideLB]

By my count, we added 5 starters on defense versus last season. White at DE, Harris at DE or LB, Eley at LB, TK coming back from injury and Kenyatta at CB. That doesn’t even include Scott who will be top DL off of the bench.

Scott will have competition from the likes of Ja'Quon Griffin, Mike Lockhart, Akelo Stone, & D'Quan Douse. Haven't heard much on Jamal Camp yet, but he's a DT too. Biggers is likely to redshirt just because it's a whole other world playing DT in college (he is already 325 with agility so you never know).

At rush end you might see Domineck and White rotate or White start and move to SDE on passing downs with Domineck coming in to play WDE. You also have Curtis Ryans who played really well before getting hurt, and Clayton who was coming on before getting hurt. Clayton could sub in at DT for 3rd and a mile situations. So Harris will have a lot of competition. In the wings there are guys like Kennard, Sylvain, Ivey, and a wildcard in 3 time HS ACL tear Albany Casey—who if healthy is a bad mofo. I look for the freshmen to redshirt.

Here is the current DL Roster:

0	Djimon Brooks	DL	6-1	305	RS Senior	Sandersville, Ga.	Washington County HS
9	Antonneous Clayton	DL	6-3	270	RS Senior	Vienna, Ga.	Florida
31	Kyle Kennard	DL	6-5	235	Freshman	Atlanta, Ga.	Riverwood HS
32	Sylvain Yondjouen	DL	6-4	255	Sophomore	Ruisbroek, Belgium	Don Bosco School
35	Jared Ivey	DL	6-6	240	Freshman	Suwanee, Ga.	North Gwinnett HS
42	Jordan Domineck	DL	6-3	247	RS Sophomore	Lakeland, Fla.	George Jenkins HS
50	Jamal Camp	DL	6-2	305	RS Freshman	Cumming, Ga.	South Forsyth HS
66	Anthony Minella	DL	6-2	275	Freshman	Alpharetta, Ga.	Milton HS
82	Reece Mullins	DL	6-3	235	RS Freshman	Marietta, Ga.	Auburn
86	Nathan Bell	DL	6-3	235	Freshman	Moultrie, Ga.	Colquitt County HS
92	Ja'Quon Griffin	DL	6-0	276	RS Sophomore	Rome, Ga.	Rome HS
93	T.K. Chimedza	DL	6-3	312	RS Sophomore	Dacula, Ga.	IMG Academy (Fla.)
94	Mike Lockhart	DL	6-4	302	RS Freshman	Birmingham, Ala.	Huffman HS
96	Albany Casey	DL	6-4	240	Freshman	Bay Minnett, Ala.	Baldwin County HS
97	Akelo Stone	DL	6-2	292	Freshman	Savannah, Ga.	Jenkins HS
98	Curtis Ryans	DL	6-5	265	RS Sophomore	Kennesaw, Ga.	North Cobb HS
99	D'Quan Douse	DL	6-2	305	RS Freshman	Savannah, Ga.	Calvary Day School
	Zeek Biggers	DL	6-3	325	Freshman	Salisbury, N.C.	West Rowan HS
	Grey Carroll	DL	6-3	260	Freshman	Alcoa, Tenn.	Alcoa HS
	Noah Collins	DL	6-4	225	Freshman	Loganville, Ga.	Grayson HS
	Kevin Harris	DL	6-4	240	RS Freshman	Loganville, Ga.	Alabama
	Josh Robinson	DL	6-4	235	Freshman	Douglasville, Ga.	Douglas County HS
	Makius Scott	DL	6-4	300	Freshman	Gainesville, Ga.
	Keion White	DL	6-4	267	Junior	Garner, N.C.	Old Dominion

 

[InsideLB]

Below is the situation at LB right now.

Quez is productive and experienced. Ayinde Eley is a coach's son and has already been very productive as a p5 'backer. At 6-3 240 he will shrink passing lanes over the middle and add some beef to the front seven. Likely these two will get the most snaps. Competing for playing time will be Meiguez, Franks, Wright, & tr-fr Tatum. I have no idea how it will shake out but I would not count out Tatum (looks very instinctive on film) or Kaya Wright (prototypical Collins wingspan guy with a nasty on-field disposition). Franks & Meiguez were also prized recruits. Franks IIRC has some pass rush skills that could get him on the field sooner than later.

Wouldn't be shocked to see Charlie Thomas at LB if needed, or as a spy against good running QBs.

33	Tyson Meiguez	LB	6-2	215	Freshman	Fairburn, Ga.	Creekside HS
34	Khatavian Franks	LB	6-2	215	Freshman	Fairburn, Ga.	Creekside HS
37	Khaya Wright	LB	6-3	225	Freshman	Miami, Fla.	South Miami HS
43	Cole Neuber	LB	6-1	220	RS Sophomore	Alpharetta, Ga.	Johns Creek HS
44	Quez Jackson	LB	6-1	225	Junior	Fort Valley, Ga.	Peach County HS
45	Taylor McCawley	LB	6-0	230	RS Freshman	Sharpsburg, Ga.	East Coweta HS
51	John Ross	LB	5-11	240	Freshman	Dalton, Ga.	Dalton HS
53	Deion Fisher	LB	6-2	220	Freshman	McDonough, Ga.	Eagles Landing Christian Academy
	Ayinde Eley	LB	6-3	240	RS Junior	Olney, Md.	Maryland
	Trenilyas Tatum	LB	6-2	215	Freshman	Riverdale, Ga.	Mount Zion HS

 

[InsideLB]

DB there is a lot of 4-star talent out there (Sims, King, Brooks, Allen, Watson, Edwards). And a lot of guys who have played a lot of snaps (Thomas, Carpenter, Swilling, Oliver, Walton, Thomas). Huff, Kenan Johnson, & Wes Walker have all played/been ATL/are promising.

As with Charlie Thomas you could use Juanyeh, Tariq, or Derrik Allen as spys on mobile QBs. Note that we now have DBs who signed with Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas in our defensive backfield. To me it looks like a lot of guys will be ATL and there will be massive competition for PT.

We should have some pretty good depth at DB. With an improved pass rush I think this unit has a great year.

All-in-all I see the defense making some big strides this year due to much better depth, a pass rush that should be able to hurry QBs, and a good group of DBs. I'd say LB and DT are the thinnest units and we may be susceptible to teams that run hard right at you.

1	Juanyeh Thomas	DB	6-3	220	Junior	Niceville, Fla.	Niceville HS
2	Tariq Carpenter	DB	6-4	226	Senior	Ludowici, Ga.	Long County HS
3	Tre Swilling	DB	6-0	205	RS Junior	New Orleans, La.	Brother Martin HS
8	Tobias Oliver	DB	6-2	197	RS Junior	Warner Robins, Ga.	Northside HS
14	Jaylon King	DB	6-1	195	RS Sophomore	La Vergne, Tenn.	Ensworth HS
16	Myles Sims	DB	6-3	185	RS Sophomore	Atlanta, Ga.	Michigan
18	Derrik Allen	DB	6-2	213	RS Sophomore	Marietta, Ga.	Notre Dame
20	Miles Brooks	DB	6-2	190	Freshman	Jacksonville, Fla.	Trinity Christian Academy
21	Zamari Walton	DB	6-3	187	RS Sophomore	Melbourne, Fla.	Melbourne Central Catholic HS
23	Jordan Huff	DB	6-2	194	RS Freshman	Madison, Ga.	Morgan County HS
24	Kenan Johnson	DB	6-1	185	RS Freshman	Minneola, Fla.	Lake Minneola HS
25	Charlie Thomas	DB	6-2	210	Junior	Thomasville, Ga.	Thomasville HS
29	Jalen Huff	DB	5-11	188	Freshman	Athens, Ga.	Buford HS
36	Nate Moon	DB	5-10	170	Freshman	Pooler, Ga.	Savannah Christian Prep
39	Wesley Walker	DB	6-1	202	RS Freshman	Nashville, Tenn.	Ensworth HS
	Sirad Bryant	DB	6-2	200	Freshman	Cordele, Ga.	Crisp County HS
	Kaleb Edwards	DB	6-0	200	Freshman	Dacula, Ga.	Dacula HS
	Kenyatta Watson II	DB	6-1	190	RS Freshman	Loganville, Ga.	Texas

 

[SWATlien]

Charlie Thomas moving back to Linebacker.

 

[augustabuzz]

Scott will have competition from the likes of Ja'Quon Griffin, Mike Lockhart, Akelo Stone, & D'Quan Douse. Haven't heard much on Jamal Camp yet, but he's a DT too. Biggers is likely to redshirt just because it's a whole other world playing DT in college (he is already 325 with agility so you never know).

At rush end you might see Domineck and White rotate or White start and move to SDE on passing downs with Domineck coming in to play WDE. You also have Curtis Ryans who played really well before getting hurt, and Clayton who was coming on before getting hurt. Clayton could sub in at DT for 3rd and a mile situations. So Harris will have a lot of competition. In the wings there are guys like Kennard, Sylvain, Ivey, and a wildcard in 3 time HS ACL tear Albany Casey—who if healthy is a bad mofo. I look for the freshmen to redshirt.

Here is the current DL Roster:

0	Djimon Brooks	DL	6-1	305	RS Senior	Sandersville, Ga.	Washington County HS
9	Antonneous Clayton	DL	6-3	270	RS Senior	Vienna, Ga.	Florida
31	Kyle Kennard	DL	6-5	235	Freshman	Atlanta, Ga.	Riverwood HS
32	Sylvain Yondjouen	DL	6-4	255	Sophomore	Ruisbroek, Belgium	Don Bosco School
35	Jared Ivey	DL	6-6	240	Freshman	Suwanee, Ga.	North Gwinnett HS
42	Jordan Domineck	DL	6-3	247	RS Sophomore	Lakeland, Fla.	George Jenkins HS
50	Jamal Camp	DL	6-2	305	RS Freshman	Cumming, Ga.	South Forsyth HS
66	Anthony Minella	DL	6-2	275	Freshman	Alpharetta, Ga.	Milton HS
82	Reece Mullins	DL	6-3	235	RS Freshman	Marietta, Ga.	Auburn
86	Nathan Bell	DL	6-3	235	Freshman	Moultrie, Ga.	Colquitt County HS
92	Ja'Quon Griffin	DL	6-0	276	RS Sophomore	Rome, Ga.	Rome HS
93	T.K. Chimedza	DL	6-3	312	RS Sophomore	Dacula, Ga.	IMG Academy (Fla.)
94	Mike Lockhart	DL	6-4	302	RS Freshman	Birmingham, Ala.	Huffman HS
96	Albany Casey	DL	6-4	240	Freshman	Bay Minnett, Ala.	Baldwin County HS
97	Akelo Stone	DL	6-2	292	Freshman	Savannah, Ga.	Jenkins HS
98	Curtis Ryans	DL	6-5	265	RS Sophomore	Kennesaw, Ga.	North Cobb HS
99	D'Quan Douse	DL	6-2	305	RS Freshman	Savannah, Ga.	Calvary Day School
	Zeek Biggers	DL	6-3	325	Freshman	Salisbury, N.C.	West Rowan HS
	Grey Carroll	DL	6-3	260	Freshman	Alcoa, Tenn.	Alcoa HS
	Noah Collins	DL	6-4	225	Freshman	Loganville, Ga.	Grayson HS
	Kevin Harris	DL	6-4	240	RS Freshman	Loganville, Ga.	Alabama
	Josh Robinson	DL	6-4	235	Freshman	Douglasville, Ga.	Douglas County HS
	Makius Scott	DL	6-4	300	Freshman	Gainesville, Ga.
	Keion White	DL	6-4	267	Junior	Garner, N.C.	Old Dominion

I would like to know where everyone is in their S&C training. I spoke with someone close to Jared Ivey last November, and stated that I watched him against ND. I said he looked a lot bigger than 6'-6" and 240#. She stated that at the time he was 6'-7" and 255# and planning to play next year,(2021) at 270#. I'm sure there are many stories with a similar growth pattern.

I expect Mike Lockhart to step into beast mode sometime this year.

 

[yrp]

Kaleb Oliver apparently transferred out to somewhere he'd get playing time since he was at NB and they moved GRE over to NB for better NFL prospects

And in an AJC article right after Ayinde transferred, they mentioned he'd be playing ILB so I would assume Mike

 

[boger2337]

I would like to know where everyone is in their S&C training. I spoke with someone close to Jared Ivey last November, and stated that I watched him against ND. I said he looked a lot bigger than 6'-6" and 240#. She stated that at the time he was 6'-7" and 255# and planning to play next year,(2021) at 270#. I'm sure there are many stories with a similar growth pattern.

I expect Mike Lockhart to step into beast mode sometime this year.

Lockhart is going to be a monster before his time is over at GT.

 

[Sheboygan]

By my count, the lists above total 52 players. Of those, EXACTLY 3 are Seniors and 7 are Juniors. That is some serious youth on that side of the ball. We should be improved this year, but maybe make a big jump in 2022.

 

[gville_jacket]

Ok now do offense!

 

[takethepoints]

All this seems to predict that Knight will stay at QB. Maybe so, maybe not. He was the #38 rated dual QB nationally in high school, but he was pretty good as an LB too. Here's one of the reasons why spring this year could be very important. I wouldn't be surprised for Knight to move back or for him to turn out to be the back-up QB we were looking for. If he does move back, then I would guess he'll give <whoever> a competition to start.

 

[Sheboygan]

All this seems to predict that Knight will stay at QB. Maybe so, maybe not. He was the #38 rated dual QB nationally in high school, but he was pretty good as an LB too. Here's one of the reasons why spring this year could be very important. I wouldn't be surprised for Knight to move back or for him to turn out to be the back-up QB we were looking for. If he does move back, then I would guess he'll give <whoever> a competition to start.

The man could probably play (almost) anywhere on the field . Tremendously talented.

 

[1979jacket]

For Tre, I think you meant Nickel and not Nose. I’ve seen a lot of teams use a smaller CB for Nickel to keep up with a slot receiver. It’s a hard call, since some slot receivers are 6’5” players. It depends on the OC and team you’re playing.
For us, the Nickel seems more like a hybrid safety/corner player. If we moved Tre there, that means a change in scheme to me.
Last I heard, Djimon Brooks is coming back. He played NG for us last year.
DL is probably going to see more rotation than OL—they did last year when we were healthy. I’d be more exacting on the DL, because we’ve got WDE, DT, NG, SDE, and there’s a big difference between playing NG and DT. (If you prefer NT=Nose Tackle over NG=Nose Guard, fine by me)
At LB, we have a Mike and a Will, and they’re hardly the same position. The Mike and the nose guard usually line up across from the Center/QB. The Will lines up on the weak side, outside at or near the end. I’m not sure if Eley is going to play Mike or Will, but it changes the playing time a lot if he’s at Will. Eley played Will for Maryland.
Keion White played WDE last season. Makius Scott is transferring in from an SDE spot. I see a lot of DE rotation coming.
Kevin Harris was at OLB, but seems to be moving back in a WDE role. If Eley goes to Mike, does Harris stay at LB and play Will? I think Eley is going to be one of the two LBs—I just don’t know which one. A lot of dominoes fall when we see where he plays.
Juanyeh Thomas is back, and is likely to be a starting Safety. Tariq Carpenter is also back, so both starting Safeties are coming back.

Two weeks into Spring Practice, and our defense will be a lot less murky.

I like what you and the OP are suggesting but I do not think, as you, that Swilling - who I believe to be the best player on D - should not move to nickel. The guy is a lockdown Corner that you can effectively use as one on one coverage. His weakness, although he is improving, is run defense. Nickels support the run. Why would you put him in a spot that doesn't fit his makeup.

 

[LargeFO]

Lockhart is going to be a monster before his time is over at GT.

Agreed here. He's year 3/"redshirt freshman", but I expect him to be taking some names this year after two years of S&C.

 

[slugboy]

I like what you and the OP are suggesting but I do not think, as you, that Swilling - who I believe to be the best player on D - should not move to nickel. The guy is a lockdown Corner that you can effectively use as one on one coverage. His weakness, although he is improving, is run defense. Nickels support the run. Why would you put him in a spot that doesn't fit his makeup.

You’re using a lot of “nots” in that sentence and it makes it difficult to make sense of.

I’m not suggesting moving Tre to Nickel. What I said was that moving him would be a drastic change in scheme and would change the philosophy we’ve had in the 4-2-5 as implemented here. You’d be taking a Nickel that is a heavy run support player in the 4-2-5 and changing it to focus almost entirely on coverage.

I think you misinterpreted what I wrote.

 

[gville_jacket]

I'll start with my thoughts on the offense:

QB: Jeff Sims
RB: Jahmyr Gibbs - Clear starter but gotta be excited about the depth here
WR1/2: Malachi Carter/Marquez Ezzard - Game 1 Starters, Leo Blackburn could be starting by Thanksgiving. Think we also see a lot of Adonicas Sanders and Ryan King as well.
Slot: Nate McCollum - I think Nate starts in the Slot but Kyric McGowan see's a lot time here and used as an H-Back
TE: Dylan's (I think we'll see a heavy rotation here with these two getting the bulk of snaps)
LT: Devin Cochran
LG: Nick Pendley/Kenny Cooper - Really unsure about this spot. Possible to see Jordan Williams slide inside?
C: Mikey Minihan - Could see Paula Vaipulu push for time here, Mikey's snaps were suspect at times.
RG: Ryan Johnson - Definite starter at a guard position, depending on who the other guard is, Ryan could slide to the left side
RT: Kenneth Kirby - Think we still see a decent amount of Zach Quinney here

 

[MonroeJacket]

After the 1s, I dunno where a lot of these DBs, OLs, DEs line up at. This is basically my ATL/travel squad. A lotta linemen on both sides. Unknowns after the two deep at WR and LB.

QB: Jeff Sims, Jordan Yates, Chayden Peery
RB: Jahmyr Gibbs, Mason, Griffin, Smith
OL: Ken Kirby, Quinney, Rankins
OL: Ryan Johnson, Maye, Spiers
OL: Kenny Cooper, Minivan, Lay
OL: Jordan Williams, Pendley, Smith
OL: Devin Cochran, Paula, Wing Green
TE: Dylan Deveney, Leonard, Ward
WR: Malichi Carter, Sanders
WR: Marquez Ezzard, Peje
SLOT: Kyric McGowan, Nate

DT: TK Chimezda, Griffin, Stone, Douse, Biggers
DT: Djimon Brooks, Scott, Lockhart
DE: Antonneous Clayton, Harris, Yondjouen, Carroll
DE: Keion White, Domineck, Ryans, Ivey
LB: Quez Jackson, Meiguez
LB: Ayinde Eley, Wright
S: Juanyeh Thomas, Walker
S: Tariq Carpenter, Allen
N: Charlie Thomas
CB: Tre Swilling, Watson, King
CB: Zamari Walton, Sims, Brooks, Huff, Johnson

K: Brent Cimaglia
P: Austin Kent

 

[4shotB]

. A lotta linemen on both sides.

What a beautiful phrase. How long has it been since we have used it?

 

[Sheboygan]

What a beautiful phrase. How long has it been since we have used it?

I have dreamed of reading that phrase since about 2009..........LOOOOOONG overdue