WIU2DC wrote: Tue Feb 23, 2021 1:02 pmAustin Hopp doesn’t seem to have found a new home yet according to his Twitter. Also, I’m shocked by the depth chart for RB.
Hope you don't mind, but I moved your post over to this thread, since it seemed more relevant here.
For a little more analysis on the RB situation:
We have Sophomore Nick D'Ambra and Junior Jarren Jackson at the FB position, then Sophomores DeShon Gavin and Justin Hall at the HB spot.
Nick D'Ambra redshirted in 2018, played as a R-Freshman in 2019...but as a LB, where he played in 12 games and had 4 solo tackles. He's 6'0" and 225 lb, so physically he's a bit larger than your standard RB. As we saw with Nikko Watson though, a big body with strong legs can get you pretty far.
Jarren Jackson played in 7 games as a true freshman in 2018, then 2 games in 2019...but like D'Ambra, was on defense (DB). Because of the new redshirt rules, I believe 2019 can count as his redshirt year though, so he should still have 3 years of eligibility left. He's 5'9" and 185 lb.
Deshon Gavin redshirted in 2018, then played in 7 games in 2019. He had 162 yards and 2 TDs on 44 rushes. He's 6'0" and 200 lb.
Justin Hall redshirted in 2018 at Northern Illinois, then came here in 2019 where he racked up some pretty serious kick return numbers. He was on the MVFC All-Newcomer team after picking up 706 return yards to lead the MVFC. He is 5'9" and 185 lb.
I'm wondering if a lot of positions this spring we'll end up seeing a lot more "rotation" where guys will play for a game or two, then another group of guys will play for a game or two. Since this season doesn't actually count against eligibility, I think it would make sense to really try out some different things and see what combinations work best. Also, it might be too much to ask for players in some positions to take the field for as many as 17 games within about a 9 month period. The potential for injury (and not having enough time to fully recover) is higher. Asking each player in "high impact" positions to only put in 2-3 games in the spring would help minimize that. That's just my guess though.