Troy University Athletics
09 Preview: Interior Starting Linemen Return
7/14/2009 3:00:00 PM | Football
Each Tuesday and Thursday until Fall Camp opens August 2, TroyTrojans.com will release in-depth position-by-position scouting reports to help you, the fan, make it through the last month of Summer.
The one major area of concern for the Trojans on offense entering the 2009 season is the offensive line, where graduation and injuries have taken a toll since last year.
Gone are tackles Chris Jamison and Dion Small and their combined 71 starts. In addition, senior center Danny Franks missed all of spring practice after surgery to repair a nagging foot injury and senior guard Steven Adams missed most of spring drills after suffering a shoulder injury.
Franks is expected to be fully recovered in time for the start of fall camp, but Adams will have to work extremely hard to get ready in time for the start of the season, potentially leaving three of the five line spots in the hands of first time starters for the season opener.
“We were in a similar situation going into the 2007 season and we ended up being pretty good,” Brown said. “That group turned into the best in the league last year. I have confidence that Coach (John) Schlarman will get it done again this year.”
The rebuilding job starts with Franks, a senior who will be on the Rimington Award Watch List as one of the top centers in the nation for the second straight year. He played most of last season with a nagging foot injury that prevented him from practicing and left him on crutches a lot of the time.
“He is going through work outs again and will be full steam by July,” Brown said. “We have to get Franks to where he can make it through an entire season. He got his foot fixed, and that will help because he played with a lot of pain last year. We have to get him healthy because we need him to play.”
With Adams' situation up in the air, the other key returnee is junior Tyler Clark. The former walk-on who was awarded a scholarship this summer, has played in all 25 games and has started the last 18 since arriving in 2007 and spent the spring working at center in place of Franks. He'll be back at left guard in the fall, but can play either guard spot in addition to center.
“Tyler had a great spring and has been so under rated for the last two years,” Brown said. “He is tough, and he is a leader. He gives us the ability to move things around if we need to.
“What we are looking for is to find our best five to play, and we feel really good about four of them. Adams is a question mark but, if he is healthy, we feel good about four. We have to find a fifth guy and then we need to find the next best two. We can maneuver with those seven depending on who is in the game.”
The fourth player the coaches feel good about following spring drills is sophomore James Brown, a big and athletic tackle from Southwest Mississippi Community College. At 6-foot-4 and 346 pounds, Brown gives the Trojans a different kind of left tackle.
“He gives us better size than we have ever had,”the Trojans OC said. “He is a great athlete, a smart kid who understands the game, and he got better during the spring just because he had to go against those two defensive ends. It really helped James going against those guys every day. I think we are going to be in good shape there.”
That leaves the race for the starting job at right tackle, as well as the next two players, wide open. Redshirt freshman Kyle Wilborn and junior college signee Nate Newland will contend for the spot. Two others who will be in the mix are sophomore Micah Grimes and true freshman Jay Stansberry.
Wilborn is a prototypical tackle for the spread offense because of his athleticism and long arms, but he is coming off shoulder surgery. He was around the team last year, but was not cleared to begin practice until the spring. Newland could also step right in because he played in the same offense in high school.
Grimes also could make a big step this fall, after having gotten the lion's share of work during spring practice.
“He is still young, just going into his redshirt sophomore year, and that is when it usually clicks for linemen,” Brown said. “He has to eliminate some of his mental mistakes because I want him pushing for playing time. I think sometimes he is content to be a backup, but he has to be a guy who wants to get in there and play right now. He has to be a little hungrier.”
Stansberry is the wildcard in the mix, even though he will be a true freshman.
“He is a real athletic kid and is real strong,” Brown said. “Depending on what he picks up in the summer, he could come in and help us right now. We'd really want to redshirt him, but he is athletic enough and smart enough and strong enough that he could come in here and play if need be.”
Two others who could be in the mix for playing time are senior Tyrell Curtis and junior Tyler Graves. Curtis was making a move during the spring before an injury set him back. Graves, a transfer from Pearl River Community College who originally played at Florida State, will have to miss the first three games of the year because of NCAA sanctions from his time at FSU, but could be able to help once conference play begins.
The Trojans also have a host of young players who will be working to improve their stock for future years. Redshirt freshmen Jacob Creech, Ross Johnson and Lance Gunn all have good size, as does sophomore Leo Dicesaris. True freshmen Cody Jenkins and Jimmie Arnold, along with Stansberry, are candidates for redshirting.
“The number one thing is we have to be a hungry football team on offense,” Brown said. “This group has the ability to be great on offense, but they have to stay hungry. We've had a really good football team for the last three years, but we have to continue and take the next step in order to continue growing this program. For us to do that we have to get solid O-Line play.”
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