Let’s go position by position, shall we?
QUARTERBACK: I think Connor Dietz had a solid camp. I don’t think he’s going to surprise Air Force fans this year, and I don’t mean that as a negative. He’ll be the steady quarterback everyone figures he will be this season. The player who stood out the most of this group was sophomore Kale Pearson, who surprised me at how adept he was running the offense and also how good he is physically. I think if he continues to develop, he has a chance to be a good quarterback for Air Force the next few years. Jaleel Awini and Dano Graves each did some good things too in camp, it’ll be interesting to see next spring how much they’re able to progress.
RUNNING BACK: As I alluded to yesterday, I’m not sure where Wes Cobb fits in anymore, if the Falcons will use him as a tailback or fullback. He has been at fullback for the last few practices. Cobb said he’s ready and willing to play either spot. I think Cody Getz’s performance this month opened some eyes. He looks like he could have a nice year, though I’m not sure if he can be the workhorse Asher Clark was, considering he is undersized. Jon Lee is a tremendous talent and I’m looking forward to when he gets his opportunity to really shine. At fullback, I think Mike DeWitt will have a big year and Broam Hart is a solid backup (and Cobb might fit in here somehow too). Keep an eye on Aaron Clinton-Earl, a big freshman fullback who was making a move up the depth chart near the end of camp.
WIDE RECEIVER: Ty MacArthur, Dontae Strickland and Drew Coleman all missed time in camp, so this position is a bit unclear. Chris Jordan had a very good camp in the “X” receiver spot – the senior should finally get a significant shot at playing time. Colton Huntsman did well at the “Z” spot. Aloysious Brown, another freshman, is getting a lot of repetitions with the varsity as camp ends. Christian Gann and Luke Duncavage are a couple of young receivers who have made plays. But this position is tough to gauge with all the injuries.
OFFENSIVE LINE: There’s just not much to say other than, this group is good. So that’s that. I will add that I figure backup tackle Jerry Henry sees some time in a rotation, since the coaches are high on him. Also, the coaches are very excited about center Michael Husar. He could be a good one for the Falcons.
DEFENSIVE LINE: The Falcons seem to have settled on Cody Miller at nose tackle and Nick Fitzgerald and Joseph Champaign at ends as the starters. And Nick DeJulio is a good backup at nose tackle, and probably would be the first end in off the bench. But the Falcons can’t afford injuries on the line, like they had last year. There’s just not a lot of proven depth behind those four.
LINEBACKER: It’s a shame if a hamstring injury keeps Stephan Atrice from a starting spot. He missed most of camp and is now with the third team as he works back. Jared Jones has been in his place with the starters. Austin Niklas and Josh Kusan seem entrenched as the starters on the inside. I am intrigued by freshman Connor Healy, who has not given up his inside linebacker spot with the second team. Alex Means had a good camp and should have a big year at outside linebacker.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: The starting cornerbacks, Chris Miller and Steffon Batts, will be a strength of the team.They were fantastic in camp – and they’re only juniors. Strong safety Brian Lindsay had a good camp too, he seems ready to bounce back from a disappointing junior year. The backup cornerbacks were David Baska and Gavin McHenry. McHenry has been very sound, and Baska picked up the position surprisingly quick. The spot that is a concern is free safety. Christian Spears looks like the frontrunner after coming on late in camp, but converted running back Anthony LaCoste is in the mix. That position was hit hard in the preseason by Jay Fullam’s injury and Anthony Wooding being removed from the team. It’s a spot to keep a close eye on.
SPECIALISTS: I assume Harrison Elliott will be the long snapper, and will do well in that role. That doesn’t seem to be a position of concern anymore. I figure on Baska being the punter. And Parker Herrington had a quiet, good camp and should provide stability at kicker, as expected.
The rotation doesn’t much matter for the first 3 weeks anyway. The Falcons will win their first game regardless, and lose their second game, barring a miracle, and they have a bye the 3rd week. So they still have 4 more weeks to settle it all.
Great insight Frank, thanks. You mentioned Gavin McHenry as one of the backup corners. Isn’t he the true freshman from Parker? I think he was a state finalist in the 100M dash putting up a time around 10.6S as a Junior.
Yep, that’s the same Gavin McHenry. He’s going to be a very good player for AFA.
For the most part, Dietz is untested as a starter at QB. He will need to demonstrate he has the ability to complete passes to help AFA move the ball. Dietz’s relative inexperience as a starter, coupled with current injuries among the WR corps, may have opposing defensive coordinators stack the line of scrimmage attemtping to stop the AFA running game while daring Dietz to show he can complete passes. Dietz will need to show his effectiveness early to help “loosen” opposition defenses. Unless and until Dietz does demonstrate proficiency in the passing game the Falcons will be far more one-diimensional than was the case with Tim Jefferson under center.
As was the case last year lack of depth along the D-line could be an obstacle for the Falcons to overcome.
Good to know Dietz has a capable back up in Pearson. Connor loves to call his own number and would just as soon run over a linebacker then go around. If he stays healthy he goes for 1,000 yards easy. What happened to Tyronne Sauls? Supposed to be such a talent.
What about the depth at Tight End?
Depth at TE isn’t the best now – Marcus Hendricks’ injury seems on the serious side, and they were depending on him to play a role.
Jamil Cooks will be back pretty soon to play outside linebacker. He won’t save the day but he sure can help.
Agree with some others: thanks as always, Frank. I know it was intrasquad and probably pretty basic stuff, but did you notice any schematic or philosophical differences in what the defense is doing now that Charlton Warren has taken over for the departed Matt Wallerstedt?
What does the depth look like on the o-line? I thought they were definitely hurt last year by the inability to rotate in fresh players o-line. And the d-line also for that matter. It doesnt matter what kind of shape they are in, pushing on someone who outweighs you by 50 lbs play after play is going to tire you out. Some kind of rotation on the line is critical.
Thinking of the future – heard Alabama’s Saban on ESPN radio talking about all the movement of teams and the effect on rivalries. His response was that when “we” decide on the 60 or so teams that will play in Division 1, the rivalries will develop. Living in SEC country you heat this weekly. Four 16 teams conferences and let the other schools go find a new place to play. Seems AF has 2 choices. One, get the program to a level where 1 of those conferences (it will not be the MWC) wants them or … Take the lead in forming a new division between Division 1 and the existing Championship sub-division. Cheers!
Frank, wondering who AFA has at TE you said it wasn’ the best depth but who do they have and what do you think they can do to help the team? Good pass catchers? Good blockers? The TE’s in the past have been a critical point in the past?
Austin Briehl is the starter at TE. But they lost Devin Durden before camp, then Marcus Hendricks suffered an arm injury that kept him out the past couple weeks. I thought Hendricks in particular would have been a good weapon in the pass game, but I don’t know his status for Week 1. I’m interested to see who they list as their backup TE on this week’s depth chart.
Can you provide in depth detail on the current status of the defensive line please?
My personal opinion, Cody Getz can handle his position, as well as anyone. I watched Cody through his high school career. Give him the ball and he will run. He is a great pass catcher.