1. Butch is in his 4th year, and he's only signed one linebacker who has proven to be championshionship caliber - Darrin Kirkland Jr. There's reason for optimism with Sapp and Bituli, but even if they pan out, 3 isn't enough. We have to sign more than an average of one legitiate LB per class. That being said, it's entirely possible this is a player development issue. We aren't the only program who was chasing Gavin Bryant and Dillon Bates, and neither has been good enough to win at this level. Whatever the problem is, we aren't going to have an elite defense until it gets fixed.
2. The offensive line must get better for us to win any hardware. While it's debateable whether recruiting or development is to blame for our issues at LB, it's clear to me that we have adequate OL talent. There's a reason why we had to fight for Richmond, Boulware, Jones, Tatum, and Johnson; but other than Jones (who has played well) they are all inexperienced. I know a lot of people are ready to see Mahoney fired, but I'd like to see what he can do with the aforementioned players. I thought Richmond and Tatum played well against Bama given the circumstances.
3. We have to move Tyler Byrd to cornerback next year. Maybe not full-time, but he needs to get enough reps during bowl practice and spring practice that he can help us there. Buchanan and Osborne should be good players, but we'll be replacing two, maybe 3 corners next year. We need help there and Byrd has 1st round potential as a corner. The example I keep going back to is Chris Gamble.
4. We need to get Nigel Warrior ready to play and put him in the game. Period. I mean no disrespect to TKjr or Abernathy, but Warrior is the superior athlete. Once he and Maleik Gray are on the field together, teams will think twice about throwing over the middle.
5. The future looks bright at WR, even without Tyler Byrd. Jennings, Johnson, L. Williams, and Callaway is a solid group of underclassmen. Jordan Murphy will help us right away if we can hang on.
6. The future also looks bright at RB. Kelly is good enough to carry this backfield, but Chandler has the potential to be a top-tier SEC back. Signing Akers would be very nice bonus. He's a freak.
7. I'm concerned about how we're going to replace Derek Barnett and Corey Vereen next year. Kongbo is trending more and more toward being a DT, and Phillips nor Taylor have shown us anything to be excited about. Yes, they are both underclassmen and have plenty of time to improve, but great DEs make early impacts in this conference every year. They are both in year 2. An NFL-caliber player wouldn't be getting beat out by LaTroy Lewis, no disrespect intended. We need Phillips and Taylor to get much, much better in order to avoid a set-back next year.
8. We aren't recruiting well enough right now. Where is the elite LB, DE, and OT? We could answer the OT question with Trey Smith, but we aren't close to signing a good LB. Bumphus is a good start at DE, but we need to sign Herring, Ray, or some other elite prospect in order to have an adequate DE class. Also, we desperately need to sign Lamont Wade. We already have some good CBs committed, but we need elite.
2. The offensive line must get better for us to win any hardware. While it's debateable whether recruiting or development is to blame for our issues at LB, it's clear to me that we have adequate OL talent. There's a reason why we had to fight for Richmond, Boulware, Jones, Tatum, and Johnson; but other than Jones (who has played well) they are all inexperienced. I know a lot of people are ready to see Mahoney fired, but I'd like to see what he can do with the aforementioned players. I thought Richmond and Tatum played well against Bama given the circumstances.
3. We have to move Tyler Byrd to cornerback next year. Maybe not full-time, but he needs to get enough reps during bowl practice and spring practice that he can help us there. Buchanan and Osborne should be good players, but we'll be replacing two, maybe 3 corners next year. We need help there and Byrd has 1st round potential as a corner. The example I keep going back to is Chris Gamble.
4. We need to get Nigel Warrior ready to play and put him in the game. Period. I mean no disrespect to TKjr or Abernathy, but Warrior is the superior athlete. Once he and Maleik Gray are on the field together, teams will think twice about throwing over the middle.
5. The future looks bright at WR, even without Tyler Byrd. Jennings, Johnson, L. Williams, and Callaway is a solid group of underclassmen. Jordan Murphy will help us right away if we can hang on.
6. The future also looks bright at RB. Kelly is good enough to carry this backfield, but Chandler has the potential to be a top-tier SEC back. Signing Akers would be very nice bonus. He's a freak.
7. I'm concerned about how we're going to replace Derek Barnett and Corey Vereen next year. Kongbo is trending more and more toward being a DT, and Phillips nor Taylor have shown us anything to be excited about. Yes, they are both underclassmen and have plenty of time to improve, but great DEs make early impacts in this conference every year. They are both in year 2. An NFL-caliber player wouldn't be getting beat out by LaTroy Lewis, no disrespect intended. We need Phillips and Taylor to get much, much better in order to avoid a set-back next year.
8. We aren't recruiting well enough right now. Where is the elite LB, DE, and OT? We could answer the OT question with Trey Smith, but we aren't close to signing a good LB. Bumphus is a good start at DE, but we need to sign Herring, Ray, or some other elite prospect in order to have an adequate DE class. Also, we desperately need to sign Lamont Wade. We already have some good CBs committed, but we need elite.
