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The 2018 football season is now officially over, ending with a 6-7 record. Not too bad, considering most tapped us out at 4 wins this season. Mane didn’t think we would win a game after starting the season 0-3, with one of the losses to Eastern Michigan.
But, that is not what this football team was. They were fighters. They had enough grit and fortitude to fight all the way back, even upsetting three ranked teams, to get to bowl eligible for the second straight season.
Sure, yesterday was not what we wanted. But, according to 247 Sports, Auburn has the 17th ranked team based on talent and well, we are ranked down at 71st. We exceeded expectations and Auburn did not meet theirs.
Ask any Auburn fan, they were not happy about blowing Purdue out in the Music City Bowl, they were pissed they were in that bowl in the first place. At one point, they were 4-1 and ranked #7 in the nation, with their only loss being to LSU. Then, they went on a slide and finished the season with a 3-4 record, to finish 7-5. Now, their 5 losses were a bit different than ours, as three of them were to Alabama, LSU and Georgia.
Enough of that though, lets get to the point of this post, a way too early look at our depth chart for next season. Again, we are starting to build depth, finally, but there is a bunch of underclassmen that will have to play next season.
Offense:
Quarterback:
Elijah Sindelar - Fifth Year
Jack Plummer - RS Freshman
Running Back:
Tario Fuller - Fifth Year
Alexander Horvath - Sophomore
Richie Worship - Fifth Year
Wide Receiver (X):
Jared Sparks - Junior
Kory Taylor - RS Freshman
Amad Anderson Jr. - RS Freshman
Wide Receiver (Z):
Milton Wright - Freshman
Jordan Bonner - RS Freshman
Keyron Catlett - Sophomore
Slot:
Rondale Moore - Sophomore
Jackson Anthrop - Junior
Tyler Hamilton or T.J. Sheffield - Sophomore or Freshman
Tight End:
Brycen Hopkins - Senior
Darius Pittman (Situational Blocking Tight End) - Junior
Payne Durham or Kyle Bilodeau - RS Freshman or Freshman
Left Tackle:
Grant Hermanns - Junior
Eric Miller - RS Freshman
Left Guard:
Mike Mendez - Senior
Will Bramel - RS Freshman
Center:
Viktor Beach - Sophomore
UHHHH - Undisclosed
Right Guard:
D.J. Washington - Sophomore
Kyle Jornigan - Freshman
Right Tackle:
Matt McCann - Senior
Mark Stickford - Sophomore
Defense:
Weak side End:
Kai Higgins - Senior
Robert McWilliams - Sohpomore
Defensive Tackle:
Giovanni Reviere - Sophomore
Steven Faucheux - Freshman
Nose Tackle:
Lorenzo Neal Jr. - Senior
Lawrence Johnson - RS Freshman
Strong Side End:
George Karlaftis - Freshman
Jeff Marks - Sophomore (I believe he played in more than 4 games this year)
OLB:
Cornel Jones - Junior
Ja’Quirius Smith - RS Freshman
MLB:
Markus Bailey - Fifth Year
Jaylan Alexander - Sophomore
LEO:
Derrick Barnes - Junior
Cornel Jones - Junior
Corner Back:
Dedrick Mackey - Sophomore
Jacob Abrams - Sophomore
Corner Back:
Kenneth Major - Sophomore
Jordan Rucker - RS Freshman
Nickel Corner:
Simeon Smiley - Junior
Strong Safety:
Marvin Grant Jr. - Freshman
Brennan Thieneman - Junior
Free Safety:
Navon Mosley - Senior
Cory Trice - RS Freshman
Kicker:
J.D. Dellinger - Junior (RS this year)
Punter:
Brooks Cormier - Freshman
I love the depth that we are building all over, but we are very young at places. I am worried about the offensive line and the cornerback position. While we are getting more athletic and better, we are still very young at both spots.
I love the depth at wide receiver. I think these guys will be able to make plays with Sindelar sending rockets all over the place. I also love the tight end position, I think Bilodeau will pair nicely with Hopkins.
At linebacker we are getting older and will need to stat healthy there again for a productive season from those three, Jaylan Alexander could potentially back up all three spots.
Again, this is a way too early look at the depth chart, and I really have no idea how it will shake out, but this is my best guess. Beat Nevada!