Six Position Battles: Post Scrimmage Answers

On Saturday morning, Cockfather Illustrated listed six key positions to watch for the first scrimmage. Today we will give our impressions of those position battles and project who will fill those positions when the season begins.

1)Right Guard - Currently there is a 3-way battle going on for that position with junior James Thompson, and true freshmen Kevin Young, and Garrett Anderson. Right now, it appears that Thompson will emerge from this battle as the starter. Thompson is farther along mentally, as far as understanding the protections, and assignments. Kevin Young has all the physical attributes needed to be a starter, but naturally , he hasn't had the time to master the offensive system. The same can be said of Garrett Anderson. The Dutch Fork High School product is also only 17 years old, and should be entering his senior year in high school.

Cockfather Illustrated projected starter: James Thompson will be the starter to begin the season, but Young could overtake him by mid-season if Thompson does not become more consistent.

2)Cornerback - Stoney Woodson worked most of the day with the first team defense, and Carlos Thomas worked with the second defense. Thomas was excellent in coverage most of the day, blanketing the outside receiver on his side. Woodson was solid on the day as well. True freshman Captain Munnerlyn was tested several times on the day and had his moments as well. The Mobile, AL native was beaten by All-American Sidney Rice for a 25 yard touchdown, then came back to make a circus grab for an interception, as he battled freshman walk-on Marquise Brown for the football along the west sideline.

Cockfather Illustrated projected starter: Carlos Thomas

3)Wolf Linebacker - This is a two -way battle right now between red-shirt junior Cody Wells and sophomore Dakoda Walker. Wells is more experienced, while Walker is more athletic and physically imposing. Both should see significant snaps this fall. Wells plays the run extremely well, but is still undersized and gets overwhelmed taking on blockers. Walker plays well in space and can drop well in coverage. As we also know, Walker can come off the edge with the pass rush. The sophomore frm Mays Landing, NJ displayed those abilites yesterday as he dropped into coverage, and picked off a tipped Blake Mitchell pass for an interception.

The third player in the race for the Wolf position is red-shirt freshman Gerrod Sinclair, who is out with a sprained knee. Depending on how much longer Sinclair is out with the injury, he could be on the outside looking in and be relegated to spot duty and special teams.

Cockfather Illustrated projected starter: Too close to call.

4)Back-up Quarterback- going into yesterday's scrimmage, red-shirt freshman Cade Thompson was working with the second offense, and true freshman Chris Smelley was working with the 3rd team. If you have ever heard the expression "the cream rises to the top" yesterday was a perfect example. Smelley was sensational, going 10-17 with 3TD's and no interceptions. Smelley seemed to have complete command of the offense and stood in the pocket and delivered strike after strike. When flushed out of the pocket, Smelley was still at his best, finding Taylor Rank in the flat for a short gain that rank turned into a 46 yard touchdown.

Cade Thompson, who was expected by some to challenge Blake Mitchell after an outstanding spring game, had a disappointing scrimmage. The former Tennessee Mr Football was 6 for 15 for 55 yards with no touchdowns and 1 INT. His struggles have been consistent through out fall camp.

Cockfather Illustrated projection: Chris Smelley

5)Back-up Offensive Tackle - There are three players competing for the second team positions. Red-shirt sophomore Justin Sorensen, and true freshmen Hutch Eckerson and Heath Batchelor.
Sorensen just simply does not have the footwork needed to play offensive tackle in the SEC, and Eckerson and Batchelor have only one week of practice under their belt. Both have much more upside and ability than does Sorensen.

Hutch Eckerson 6'6 290, who was very impressive in last year's North Carolina-South Carolina Shrine Bowl at left tackle is considered the best of the freshmen offensive linemen. Heath Batchelor has been the surprise of the OL class, as he reported at 6'7 311 pounds, with an very athletic build. Batchelor is also the strongest of the freshmen line class, with a bench press of over 400 pounds. The Haleyville, AL product is battling a stiff right knee, but if his knee holds up, could play this fall.

Cockfather Illustrated projection: Eckerson at LT and Batchelor at RT.

6) Kicker/Punter - heading into the scrimmage, sophomore Ryan Succop was the odds on favorite to handle all of the kicking duties this fall. While this still may still happen, there were some encouraging signs that relief could be on the way. Freshman punter Spencer Lanning, who kicked in the Shrine Bowl last December was very impressive, while Succop did not hit the ball well.

Succop connected on two of three field goal attempts, hitting from 50 and 37 yards out, and missing from 46 yards. Senior Charlie Carpenter appears to be the competition at field goal kicker, and he connected from 47 yards out.

Cockfather Illustrated projection: There is no doubt that Succop will handle kick-offs, and is still the favorite to handle both punts and field goals. Lanning and Carpenter will have to continue to show great consistency to overtake Succop.