I think there were a handful of folks asking for something along the lines of an anticipatory depth chart that could reflect (to an extent) what Colorado might be woking with in terms of returning personnel and incoming freshmen / transfers, etc.
So below is a stab at just that by yours truly on the offense. I will stress that this certainly is speculative. At the end of the day, who the hell knows who is going to improve, regress, standout during fall camps, and so on and so forth.
On that note, I'd add that Mikial Onu did not emerge as an essential lock at safety until a few weeks into August, so I'll be interested to see how right or wrong this ends up being come next August when starters are announced for the Buffs as they take on CSU on Sept. 5.
QB1: Brendon Lewis (FR)
QB2: Tyler Lytle (JR)
QB3: Blake Stenstrom (RS-Soph.)
***I immediately list Lewis atop the QB depth chart (and note, this does not take into consideration the possibility of a transfer QB, so if and when we come to that bridge we can factor in how that tweaks the starting position). I know many of you during the season certainly were calling for Montez's head and for Lytle or Stenstrom to get in the game and get quality reps, but ultimately for me, the fact that Mel Tucker did NOT do so when he could have (namely in blowout losses vs. Oregon and WSU) speaks volumes.
I really don't think Tucker has confidence in either of those guys to be a bridge starter for a year in the event Lewis needs time to develop as a freshman. B-Lewis is coming to Boulder to win the starting job in his first year. Whether he'll do so, we shall see, but I truly am confident Lytle and Stenstrom aren't going to factor in next year in terms of viable options as starters.
RB1: Alex Fontenot (JR)
RB2: Jaren Mangham (Soph) OR Ashaad Clayton (FR)
RB3: Deion Smith (RS Soph) OR Joe Davis (Soph)
***Clayton clearly is a total stud, but it's going to be hard to dislodge Fontenot from the No. 1 role after he did so much to prove himself in 2019 in a year where the tailback situation was very much up in the air leading up to the CSU game.
I think Clayton certainly has the potential to enter himself into the equation in terms of being a contributor as a true freshman, but at the same time, Mangham most definitely worked hard for reps and earned them, too.
Clayton vs. Mangham for that de facto No. 2 role is something I could foresee happening.
Moving on to Smith, Davis and for good measure, Jarek Broussard, consider all three of the potential transfer portal guys. Davis was a special teams regular and Smith wet his feet and looked good in garbage time opportunities, but to varying extents, all three of them seem in a spot where their potential to get handoffs could be threatened.
OL:
C1: Josh Jynes (RS Soph) OR Carson Lee (FR)
C2: Heston Paige (JR)
***Chris Kapilovic said late into the season that Jynes was the OL's most improved player since the spring practices, so there is that to consider looking down the barrel, yet Lee strikes me as a guy wholly ready to play snaps as a freshman. Filling the shoes of Tim Lynott won't be easy, and CU in total loses three senior OLs, but at center, I don't see cause for concern.
My guess is that Lee wins the starting spot.
LG1: Kary Kutsch (SR)
LG2: Austin Johnson (Soph)
***Kutsch will be the second-most experienced OL in terms of 2019 snaps played behind RG Will Sherman. He should be considered a lock to retain the LG spot in 2020. Jack Shutack, the senior walk-on who really stepped up and filled some holes this past season, obviously is gone, so soon-to-be sophomore Austin Johnson will likely be a guy coach Kap wants to keep developing as a potential fill in. Johnson played in just three snaps in 2019.
LT:
***This one is tough. The returning LTs (Frank Filip-JR and Kanan Ray-RS Soph) saw a combined 23 snaps in 2019. But coming into the mix is Jake Wray and Gerad Lichtenhan, both of whom played left tackle their senior seasons.
Lichtenhan stressed that he is comfortable playing on either side, but admitted he's seen the most action on the left. Wray certainly has seen most of his action on the left as well, but I'd wager he would probably echo similar sentiments about being able to play either LT or RT.
In addition to center, LT is a spot I could see going to an incoming freshman.
So, I'll take my stab:
LT1: Jake Wray (FR)
LT2: Kanan Ray (RS Soph) OR Frank Filip (JR)
RG1: Colby Pursell (JR) OR Casey Roddick (RS Soph)
RG2: Chance Lytle (JR)
***Both Pursell and Roddick saw similar snap counts on the year, with the former missing five games mid-season after having his gallbadder removed. Lytle only saw 24 snaps in total in 2019 but should be in good position to assume a more prominent depth role.
It'll be a good position battle between Pursell and Roddick for the starter's gig.
RT1: Will Sherman (JR)
RT2: Gerad Lichtenhan (FR)
***Sherman in my opinion is Colorado's best returning offensive lineman and there should be no question he'll be the starting RT in 2020. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Lichtenhan coming in will be assigned to the right — I think Wray is more developed than him and will be in better position coming into the program to contribute early and at the minimum grind with Ray and Filip for the No. 1 slot.
Lichtenhan I think could benefit from a spring, summer and so on under the wing of Sherman, who Kapilovic spoke highly of in terms of being a leader and a player-coach, too. I could see a redshirt coming the way of Lichtenhan as a freshman but overall, I guess Kap will have him learning the RT position where he can be in a spot to learn from Sherman.
TE1: Brady Russell (JR)
TE2: Caleb Fauria (FR)
***Russell is one of Tucker's favorite guys on the team because he's a non-complaining, blue collar guy who keeps his head down, gets his hands dirty, does what is asked of him, and does it all well.
I think Fauria certainly is more of a strict offensive weapon in terms of the kind of bull he fits as a player, and given Beau Bisharat and Jalen Harris are gone, CU, especially given the frequency of multi-TE packages Jay Johnson runs, will need a No. 2 TE.
That almost certainly will turn out to be Fauria, but given how multi-dimensional Russell has proven to be, he should be considered a safe bet to be the go-to TE.
WRs
***The moment we've all been waiting for. This is incredibly hard to predict, because just out of sheer # of personnel, there is so much potential for the incoming freshmen to differentiate themselves, move up the depth chart, while who knows how improved the vets will end up looking by the time we're revisiting this conversation next year.
I will preface by saying that if we have learned anything, it is that despite the star power and hype around incoming WRs, I think Tucker and especially Darrin Chiaverini have proven that it takes a lot in their eyes for younger players to spring up the depth chart.
I remember folks here wondering where Daniel Arias was, or Maurice Bell, throughout the season when both guys weren't seeing the field much. I asked Chev about it specifically, and as a guy who had to wait till he was a junior before his CU career really got started, he advised not worrying about younger players not getting much action yet.
"Their time will come" is what he told me. So as excited as we all are to see Brenden Rice, Chris Carpenter, Keith Miller and Montana Lemonious-Craig, I'd genuinely be surprised (pleasantly of course) if any one of them emerges as one of the Buffs' three regular wideouts.
That said, Miller III's height and Rice's all-around athleticism might get them into the conversation. God this is hard. But alas, here's what I'll predict in terms of the first three WRs we will see take the field together vs CSU next year:
Daniel Arias (JR)
Dimitri Stanley (JR)
Vontae Shenault (FR)
***This post is getting lengthy so I'll create a separate one for the defense in a bit here. What do you all think?
So below is a stab at just that by yours truly on the offense. I will stress that this certainly is speculative. At the end of the day, who the hell knows who is going to improve, regress, standout during fall camps, and so on and so forth.
On that note, I'd add that Mikial Onu did not emerge as an essential lock at safety until a few weeks into August, so I'll be interested to see how right or wrong this ends up being come next August when starters are announced for the Buffs as they take on CSU on Sept. 5.
QB1: Brendon Lewis (FR)
QB2: Tyler Lytle (JR)
QB3: Blake Stenstrom (RS-Soph.)
***I immediately list Lewis atop the QB depth chart (and note, this does not take into consideration the possibility of a transfer QB, so if and when we come to that bridge we can factor in how that tweaks the starting position). I know many of you during the season certainly were calling for Montez's head and for Lytle or Stenstrom to get in the game and get quality reps, but ultimately for me, the fact that Mel Tucker did NOT do so when he could have (namely in blowout losses vs. Oregon and WSU) speaks volumes.
I really don't think Tucker has confidence in either of those guys to be a bridge starter for a year in the event Lewis needs time to develop as a freshman. B-Lewis is coming to Boulder to win the starting job in his first year. Whether he'll do so, we shall see, but I truly am confident Lytle and Stenstrom aren't going to factor in next year in terms of viable options as starters.
RB1: Alex Fontenot (JR)
RB2: Jaren Mangham (Soph) OR Ashaad Clayton (FR)
RB3: Deion Smith (RS Soph) OR Joe Davis (Soph)
***Clayton clearly is a total stud, but it's going to be hard to dislodge Fontenot from the No. 1 role after he did so much to prove himself in 2019 in a year where the tailback situation was very much up in the air leading up to the CSU game.
I think Clayton certainly has the potential to enter himself into the equation in terms of being a contributor as a true freshman, but at the same time, Mangham most definitely worked hard for reps and earned them, too.
Clayton vs. Mangham for that de facto No. 2 role is something I could foresee happening.
Moving on to Smith, Davis and for good measure, Jarek Broussard, consider all three of the potential transfer portal guys. Davis was a special teams regular and Smith wet his feet and looked good in garbage time opportunities, but to varying extents, all three of them seem in a spot where their potential to get handoffs could be threatened.
OL:
C1: Josh Jynes (RS Soph) OR Carson Lee (FR)
C2: Heston Paige (JR)
***Chris Kapilovic said late into the season that Jynes was the OL's most improved player since the spring practices, so there is that to consider looking down the barrel, yet Lee strikes me as a guy wholly ready to play snaps as a freshman. Filling the shoes of Tim Lynott won't be easy, and CU in total loses three senior OLs, but at center, I don't see cause for concern.
My guess is that Lee wins the starting spot.
LG1: Kary Kutsch (SR)
LG2: Austin Johnson (Soph)
***Kutsch will be the second-most experienced OL in terms of 2019 snaps played behind RG Will Sherman. He should be considered a lock to retain the LG spot in 2020. Jack Shutack, the senior walk-on who really stepped up and filled some holes this past season, obviously is gone, so soon-to-be sophomore Austin Johnson will likely be a guy coach Kap wants to keep developing as a potential fill in. Johnson played in just three snaps in 2019.
LT:
***This one is tough. The returning LTs (Frank Filip-JR and Kanan Ray-RS Soph) saw a combined 23 snaps in 2019. But coming into the mix is Jake Wray and Gerad Lichtenhan, both of whom played left tackle their senior seasons.
Lichtenhan stressed that he is comfortable playing on either side, but admitted he's seen the most action on the left. Wray certainly has seen most of his action on the left as well, but I'd wager he would probably echo similar sentiments about being able to play either LT or RT.
In addition to center, LT is a spot I could see going to an incoming freshman.
So, I'll take my stab:
LT1: Jake Wray (FR)
LT2: Kanan Ray (RS Soph) OR Frank Filip (JR)
RG1: Colby Pursell (JR) OR Casey Roddick (RS Soph)
RG2: Chance Lytle (JR)
***Both Pursell and Roddick saw similar snap counts on the year, with the former missing five games mid-season after having his gallbadder removed. Lytle only saw 24 snaps in total in 2019 but should be in good position to assume a more prominent depth role.
It'll be a good position battle between Pursell and Roddick for the starter's gig.
RT1: Will Sherman (JR)
RT2: Gerad Lichtenhan (FR)
***Sherman in my opinion is Colorado's best returning offensive lineman and there should be no question he'll be the starting RT in 2020. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Lichtenhan coming in will be assigned to the right — I think Wray is more developed than him and will be in better position coming into the program to contribute early and at the minimum grind with Ray and Filip for the No. 1 slot.
Lichtenhan I think could benefit from a spring, summer and so on under the wing of Sherman, who Kapilovic spoke highly of in terms of being a leader and a player-coach, too. I could see a redshirt coming the way of Lichtenhan as a freshman but overall, I guess Kap will have him learning the RT position where he can be in a spot to learn from Sherman.
TE1: Brady Russell (JR)
TE2: Caleb Fauria (FR)
***Russell is one of Tucker's favorite guys on the team because he's a non-complaining, blue collar guy who keeps his head down, gets his hands dirty, does what is asked of him, and does it all well.
I think Fauria certainly is more of a strict offensive weapon in terms of the kind of bull he fits as a player, and given Beau Bisharat and Jalen Harris are gone, CU, especially given the frequency of multi-TE packages Jay Johnson runs, will need a No. 2 TE.
That almost certainly will turn out to be Fauria, but given how multi-dimensional Russell has proven to be, he should be considered a safe bet to be the go-to TE.
WRs
***The moment we've all been waiting for. This is incredibly hard to predict, because just out of sheer # of personnel, there is so much potential for the incoming freshmen to differentiate themselves, move up the depth chart, while who knows how improved the vets will end up looking by the time we're revisiting this conversation next year.
I will preface by saying that if we have learned anything, it is that despite the star power and hype around incoming WRs, I think Tucker and especially Darrin Chiaverini have proven that it takes a lot in their eyes for younger players to spring up the depth chart.
I remember folks here wondering where Daniel Arias was, or Maurice Bell, throughout the season when both guys weren't seeing the field much. I asked Chev about it specifically, and as a guy who had to wait till he was a junior before his CU career really got started, he advised not worrying about younger players not getting much action yet.
"Their time will come" is what he told me. So as excited as we all are to see Brenden Rice, Chris Carpenter, Keith Miller and Montana Lemonious-Craig, I'd genuinely be surprised (pleasantly of course) if any one of them emerges as one of the Buffs' three regular wideouts.
That said, Miller III's height and Rice's all-around athleticism might get them into the conversation. God this is hard. But alas, here's what I'll predict in terms of the first three WRs we will see take the field together vs CSU next year:
Daniel Arias (JR)
Dimitri Stanley (JR)
Vontae Shenault (FR)
***This post is getting lengthy so I'll create a separate one for the defense in a bit here. What do you all think?
