Zach Minch
The first two areas of my unit-by-unit analysis of the Columbia Lions were basically upbeat. I like where our QB and RB talent and depth are right now.
But the catch is that neither of those above two units stands much of a chance to succeed without an effective offensive line.
And the CU OL is going out on some thin ice this season to say the least.
The good news is that the three players with at least some starting experience are coming back: Zach Minch, Stew Newblatt, and Will Hamilton.
The bad news is that only Minch and Hamilton can really be thought of as full season starters. while Newblatt only has one game start in his career. The only other returning senior is Tyler Worrell, who has had some game action but mostly on special teams.
It goes without saying that a number of juniors and sophomores will have to step things up to avoid an OL disaster for Columbia this season.
Who looks like a good prospect at OL on paper? Well, we could start with freshman Greer Rush from Frisco, Texas who had some impressive preferred walk-on offers at Texas A&M and Mississippi State. I also like sophomore Noah Layton, whose highlight tape and frame made him look very attractive when he committed last year. Freshman John Iannuzzi comes from a good HS program and clearly crushed his opposing linemen a lot during his career. Freshman Gus Rice had some impressive offers and a lot of HS accolades from his district in Texas. Late addition to the freshman class, Patrick Passalacqua seems like he could be a contender as well.
Also, don't forget about junior transfer Matt Klenk from the University of Buffalo. He could still be a dark horse impact player on the OL.
But of all the positions on this team where the COVID-19 layoff has forced us to take some shots in the dark, the OL unit may be the biggest mystery, (with the possible just-as-troubling exception of the D-Line).
2 comments:
I think it’s a little early to sound the warning bell on the OL despite the fact that less than half a dozen of the kids have logged significant college playing time. I base this on my historical observation (hopefully accurate) that very few frosh OL get to see much action under normal circumstances. That’s just a fact of life in the development of O linemen. I think the main reason is that as 18-19 year olds they’re are just not as strong as most of the 21-22 year old upperclassmen. And in these interior line positions strength is of primary importance.
But it’s been 2 years now since the current juniors ( inexperienced as they are) have played. That’s a lot of time to grow, develop and add needed muscle. The same should hold true for the current seniors with little experience and the sophs too. At least I hope so.
What remains true unfortunately is that even if my analysis is on the mark, we’ll still have an OL with little or no experience of playing together as a cohesive unit-and that’s a concern. ( Starting the season with 2 non- league games should help when league play begins)
We’ll also have to hope that the experienced kids are able to stay on the field- always a challenge.
Harkening back to my comment on your RB column, this may be another reason to use a FB in the mix along with the TB to open holes and protect the QB.
I’d love to get the perspective of some of our former offensive linemen.
peter,
I agree thatit woudbe instructive to hear fromformer OL people1
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