Freshman/Newcomer Participation Tracker, Week Two

Obviously this post is appearing a little later this week than last. There’s a good reason for that. Kirby done played everybody. Well, almost everybody.

I don’t think I got any snaps. Coach Dooley didn’t either, but honestly if he had been on the sideline and not in the booth, I can’t say he wouldn’t have. But other than that, the Red and Black basically cleared the benches.

Starters of note

Jamaree Salyer (NGR) got the start at right tackle, and while he’s not a newcomer, that should be something interesting to keep an eye on as Isaiah Wilson continues to heal up from his ankle injury. Jermaine Johnson (NGR) got the nod at Sam linebacker, which is good, because I want to see as much of him as possible before he decamps for the NFL.

Additional Freshmen/Newcomers Seeing Snaps

Brace yourselves.

Divaad Wilson (NGR)

Makiya Tongue (TSTT)

Nakobe Dean (TSTT, but it’s looking good)

Trezman Marshall (TSTT)

George Pickens (NGR)

Stetson Bennett (NGR)

Sevaughn Clark (JPT)

Nolan Smith (NGR)

Peyton Mercer (NGR*)

Kenny McIntosh (TSTT)

Tyrique Stevenson (NGR)

Dominick Blaylock (NGR)

Lewis Cine (NGR)

Zion Logue (JPT)

Nathan Priestley (JPT)

Lawrence Cager (NGR)

Eli Wolf (NGR)

Brett Seither (TSTT)

Travon Walker (NGR)

Bill Norton (TSTT)

Payne Walker (NGR*)

Warren Ericson (NGR)

Steven Nixon (NGR)

Clay Webb (TSTT)

Blake Watson (NGR*)

Warren McClendon (JPT)

Xavier Truss (TSTT)

Jaylen Johnson (NGR*)

Kolby Wyatt (NGR*)

John FitzPatrick (NGR)

Ryland Goede (TSTT)

Tymon Mitchell (JPT)

Did I miss anyone? It’s entirely possible. By the end there were a lot of guys I had to look up on the roster. But I think these plus the starters were the only.... (stabs finger repeatedly at screen, takes off shoes to count Auburn-style) fifty-six players who saw action against Murray State).

What did we learn? Really not a whole lot we didn’t suspect before. But the newcomers break down into three categories, which I’ve abbreviated in the above list. They are:

NGR: Not gonna redshirt. These are players who were brought in to compete from day one, and freshmen who are clearly cemented in the two deep. It also includes players you may not have seen much of but who have already used a redshirt (these players are noted with an asterisk). This is probably the least fluid category. We may add players, but there are only a couple of weeks left to drop players from this list. Once you play five games, you’ve used a year of eligibility barring some NCAA waiver shenanigans, usually injury-related.

TSTT: Too soon to tell. Players in this category are likely still being evaluated by the staff to determine how ready they are to contribute. These guys may not be seen again after Arkansas State. They may play in every game this season. It will depend on how they play, how many blowouts there are, and who gets injured in front of them on the depth chart.

JPT: Just passing through. Players who have seen snaps, but who I ultimately believe are not likely to play enough this season to use a year of elibility.

We know at this point that guys like George Pickens and Nolan Smith are not redshirting absent injury. I would throw Travon Walker and Tyrique Stevenson in this category as well. They’re already consistent contributors and by midseason you’ll have seen enough of them that you may have to remind yourself thy are in fact freshmen.

The offensive linemen were tough. A lot of these guys are highly rated recruits who would be in the mix for serious playing time just about anywhere else in the SEC. But barring injury to veterans like Justin Shaffer, Warren Ericson, and D’Marcus Hayes, it’s hard to see many of them cracking the every week two-deep. If you do in fact start seeing Xavier Truss or Clay Webb on a weekly basis you should take that as a great sign for the future.

I’m a little unsure about Kenny McIntosh. He looked really good, going for 61 yards on 9 carries. And the odds of the backs in front of him making it through 12-15 games unscathed are low. But if we’re legitimately finding snaps for five tailbacks on a regular basis this season that would just be an embarrassment of good fortune.

We’ll be back next week, when the picture should be just a little clearer. I doubt we see quite this many young guys get snaps against a solid Arkansas State team. But the Bulldogs who’ve played against all three of the season-opening opponents are likely the ones you’ll see on the field for the duration of the season. Until later...

Go ‘Dawgs!!!