Depth chart notes and quotes

Posted Mar 30, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Mar 30, 2010 at 09:43 AM

Skip Holtz is almost there, but occasionally, he needs a little reminder when trying to name all his players.

That was the case Monday when he met with a few reporters to go over his initial depth chart as head Bull.

Were the second-team cornerbacks Daniel Bryant and Tyson Butler, or Bryant and George Baker, or Butler and Baker?

For the record, Bryant and Butler are listed as second-team CBs behind Quenton Washington and Kayvon Webster.

For the most part, Holtz breezed through his depth chart Monday afternoon without any real surprises.

He knows that come fall, more than a dozen new arrivals will be in the mix and that if all goes well, some of the newcomers will force him to reconfigure the depth chart he released Monday.

Let’s start with the most interesting positions on the current depth chart:

—Sophomore Lindsey Lamar, a player Holtz plans to utilize for his speed, has moved from running back to receiver. At 5-9, 160, Lamar is trying his best to increase his weight to 175 this summer. Still, he is not built to take a licking and keep on ticking, so Holtz moved him from running back.

“I just feel like we’ve got to get him in space a little bit more,” Holtz said. “When you look at his size, I just don’t know that he’s going to be able to hold up at the tailback position.”

—Isaac Virgin, whose 40-yard reception during Saturday’s scrimmage was one that impressed offensive coordinator Todd Fitch, has moved from tight end to full back. In Holtz’s offense, the fullback is often used as an H-back, so expect Virgin and first-team fullback Richard Kelly to move around, with Kelly the more traditional fullback.

—On the offensive line, Jamar Bass (LT), Jeremiah Warren (LG), Sampson Genus (C), Chaz Hine (RG) and Jacob Sims (RT) are listed on the first-team. Warren, a former tackle, has moved over to play guard. Also, senior G Zach Hermann, USF’s most experienced offensive lineman, is not listed on the depth chart. Hermann continues to recover from a neck injury suffered last season but Holtz is optimistic he can still return by the end of spring.

—Senior Eric Schwartz is ahead of Maikon Bonani at kicker, but Holtz said it’s a “neck-and-neck’’ battle and that either player could win the job come fall.

—At strong safety, Jon Lejiste has unseated Jerrell Young on the first-team thanks to a strong effort in Saturday’s scrimmage. Lejiste impressed defensive coordinator Mark Snyder with his tackling, as did free safety Mistral Raymond.

—One player to keep an eye on is redshirt freshman Luke Sager, listed as second-team defensive tackle behind Terrell McClain. Sager has added more than 20 pounds since last season and is starting to gain more confidence with each rep according to coaches.

—With Virgin officially listed as a fullback, sophomore Jeff Hawkins moves to first-team tight end. Hawkins is ahead of senior Andrew Ketchel and Andreas Shields.

—At quarterback, B.J. Daniels is obviously the starter, but you can expect Jamius Gunsby to immediately move to No. 2 on the depth chart when he arrives this fall. Ryan Eppes is doing well backing up Daniels this spring, but still has a lot of room to improve before he is ready to play according to Holtz. Walk-ons Glenn Fagan and Eric Johnson are non-factors at the moment other than providing some depth at the position this spring.

—Running back appears an area that could see a lot of movement before fall, especially with junior-college transfer Michael Hayes adding another experienced back when he arrives this fall. For now, sixth-year senior Mo Plancher is the starter ahead of Demetris Murray and Bradley Battles. Aston Samuels, who suffered an ankle injury this spring, is out of the picture for now. Samuels is expected to undergo surgery today and is out indefinitely.

—The defensive line is the area Holtz feels most comfortable with at the moment. “There’s 12 guys to rotate on your defensive line, and I’ve never had that many.’’
Highly-touted redshirt freshman Ryne Giddins, who I’ll profile in a story later this week, is listed on the second-team behind David Bedford at LDE.

—At linebacker, Jacquian Williams (strongside), Sam Barrington (middle) and Sabbath Josesph (weakside) are listed on the first-team. Holtz said DeDe Lattimore has moved from middle to weakside, making Mike Lanaris the back-up behind Barrington in the middle.

—No real surprise at receiver, where Dontavia Bogan, A.J. Love, Sterling Griffin and Lamar are the top four. Evan Landi, making the transition from quarterback to receiver, is currently listed behind Bogan and Griffin on the depth chart at the X receiver spot.

—At punter, Justin Brockhaus-Kann is first-team followed by Renato Proia.

—Reserve OL John McGhin, who suffered a slight concussion during Saturday’s scrimmage, was back on the field Monday. Another reserve offensive lineman, Josh Garvin, is battling a slight concussion and will be closely monitored before being cleared to return.

THE BOTTOM LINE

“I’m sure everybody’s not happy with it. But as I told them, this is Scrimmage One. These aren’t final. We didn’t determine who’s starting in the first game today. What we did was determine who our 1s, 2s and 3s are at this point. If you don’t like where you are, then change it. Come out here on the practice field and make the most of it. Get in that meeting room, study your playbook, learn what you’re supposed to do, come out here on the field and make a difference.” – Holtz on the players’ reaction to his initial depth chart.