Post-spring look: DEFENSIVE LINE
April 28, 2008
And this concludes the series
TOP GUYS: Brandon Lang (DE - Jr.), Cameron Sheffield (DE - Jr.), Dion Gales (DT - Sr.), Steve McClendon (DT - Sr.)
TOP BACKUPS: Kenny Mainor (DE - Sr.), John Mark Patrick (DE - So.), Jeremy Hawkins (DE - So.), Rashad Roussell (DT - Jr.), Maurice Coleman (DT - Sr.), Brandon Boudreaux (DE - Fr.)
TOP NEWCOMERS: Mario Addison (DE - Jr.), James Searcy (DE - Fr.), Tony Davis (DE - Fr.), Tim Lamb (DT - Fr.), Chigozie Nwankwo (DT - Fr.)
Brandon Lang is coming off knee surgery but participated in spring practice and should be 100 percent by the fall. Kenny Mainor is listed (by me) as a backup, but he’s not really one. Those two plus Cameron Sheffield give Troy talent and experience at defensive end that might be the best in the Sun Belt. I list Mainor as a backup because he was a backup coming into last fall before Lang got hurt and he’s not in as good of graces as Sheffield and Lang are, if you remember his off-field problems last fall.
“When we get to the fall with all three of them at 100 percent, we’ll see who the starters are,“ defensive coordinator Jeremy Rowell said.
Mario Addison had a good JUCO career and was one of Troy’s better signees. He’s got the characteristics of Mainor (on the field) and it’s conceivable he could redshirt if he’s not better than Sheffield, Lang or Mainor.
Tim Lamb has a ready-for-play body at defensive tackle, but Gales and McClendon could find themselves on NFL Draft boards if Gales reaches his monstorous potential and McClendon can stay healthy.
“If Tim Lamb’s our sixth-best defensive tackle, then we’re in good shape,“ Rowell said.
The other freshmen signees will likely redshirt and their final positions will depend on how their bodies fill out.
