A little preview of the positions, updated who’s who, a couple predictions, and anything else I could come up with about each grouping.  Alas, I will be on the Akumal, Mexico beach for the next 10 days or so, and I will miss the beginning of camp, but I’ll get to a few and update after I return.

Offense: It sounds like Connor Wood is the man at quarterback (remember he was also named captain by his peers) unless he really screws it up.  JC transfer Jordan Gehrke is the backup now, although he is very confident and is definitely talking about the starting job.  He will have to really pick up nuances of the offense to catch up with Wood, or really wow with other ability to overtake him, but it will be good to have a backup with some experience above high school.
Frosh Sefo Liufau will be given a chance early to compete.  If he is close to the 2^nd team but not much “separation” the other guy would go, but if Sefo is the 2^nd best, he will be the backup; they might even try some trick plays using him in different ways, especially if his redshirt is going to be pulled.  It sounds like his arm probably needs another year and OC Brian Lindgren has even said it will be difficult for Sefo to compete against the experience at this point, so he will likely be slated for a redshirt, barring injuries. However, Kyle Ringo of the Camera said his “gut feeling” is that Sefo will play in some capacity this year.  
Stevie Joe Dorman (not his Uncle Koy), actually the longest tenured Buff QB, is not conceding anything, as I guess any scholarship player should, but, c’mon…although we could possibly “get” to see him on the field this year as he will be third string. 
No matter what this position will get a lot of press during camp. The QB will have more to work than anyone in a while. It may have just been to get a read on all the QBs but they certainly threw the ball a lot in the spring, so one question is “how much will they really throw the ball?”

Whoever the QB is will especially be excited for the deep group of wide receivers the team has, with P-Rich leading the way.  Coaches are super excited for him to get on the field, but not as much as he is, calling sitting out last year a “humbling experience…you can’t help but wonder.”  When asked if he is faster after the injury and rehab he said, “Oh definitely. I’m a lot faster than I used to be.  It’s scary.”

 This receiving corps is actually in great shape, going at least six deep, even with Gerald Thomas slinking away back to Texas: DD Goodson moving into the slot from RB is going to be a great fit; both of last year’s starters Nelson Spruce (Ralphie Report’s David G predicts he will lead team in receptions again) and Tyler McCulloch (even though he still can’t catch a ball with a DB in his face) should grab a lot of catches but might not even start; greyshirt WR Jeff Thomas, who has size, speed and ability, got a lot of hype all spring is the guy with the most potential to take attention away from P-Rich. Even walk-on Wesley Christensen caught a lot of balls and turned some heads in the spring.

Lastly, there are also three talented freshmen-Bryce Bobo, Elijah Dunston and Devin Ross-who have all received rave reviews from teammates in summer workouts and will compete for some playing time, although at least one will likely redshirt.  This group alone makes Wood better this year.

Unfortunately, the tight end position is not as well-stocked and may not be utilized a ton this year. Vincent Hobbs was by far the best pass-catcher at the position and without him they are very mediocre. Seniors Kyle Slavin, Alex Wood and Scott Fernandez will get some snaps, but all have their drawbacks: Slavin has always looked the part without performing much; Wood has bounced between FB and TE; and “Scooter” is a really an extra lineman, who will only catch the ball occasionally (although it could end up a big play like his 71-yarder last year). Hopefully, one of the redshirt freshmen Sean Irwin or Austin Ray can develop into a contributor. Late 2013 recruit Connor Center will almost assuredly redshirt learning to block and a little TE and OT while putting on some weight.

The team did not seem to focus as much on the run game or the running backs during spring ball because of the QB situation and there may be some more of that at the beginning of camp.  However, it appears Christian Powell will be the starter, main back; he has been getting some nice national attention, getting named to the Doak Walker Watch List.  However, the Buffs have a bunch of backs with some experience, talent or both.  Jr. Tony Jones and Sr. Josh Ford figure to get some carries and there are a bunch of younger guys: Donta Abron showed some flashes last season; Terrence Crowder and Malcolm Creer are both almost two years removed from nasty knee injuries; true frosh Michael Adkins and possibly Phillip Lindsay could contribute.

I think this team will more heavily favor the pass (60-40 maybe), but they will still run the ball and if P-Rich and some of the young speedy wideouts can stretch the field and hit a few longs ones, the defense will open up underneath for the RBs.

The starting offensive line is 4/5 set with one guard position still up for grabs after Alex Lewis left to beat up people way smaller than him so that he could enroll at nebraska.  There could be some shifting in the interior depending on who wins out at center, Daniel Munyer, who has recovered from leg injury, or Gus Handler, who struggled with snaps in the Pistol (shorter snap than traditional shotgun) during the spring.  Jack Harris and Stephane Nembot appear to have solidified their spots at the tackles.  The starters will still likely be the expected quint of Harris- -Handler-Munyer-Nembot. Kawai Crabb, Alex Kelley and Jeromy Irwin (could also play tackle) are battling for that last guard spot. All the freshmen should be able to redshirt.

MacIntyre: “I felt that coming out of spring we have 8 guys that are pretty good players. The good thing is four of them can switch positions. Then we have young guys that can be thrown into the mix. I’m pleased with the OL and their toughness. Our OL coach has done a great job. He has I think 24 years of experience in the Pac-12. We’ll run to their strengths”.  I am not sure who the “eighth” guy is, maybe tackle Marc Mustoe.

Defense: While the defense struggled overall, in the spring and all of the last two years, there is some hope as the group returns a lot of guys with playing experience, and there are a lot of coaches focused on supporting them.  The goal is a little improvement everywhere can add up to some decent, visible overall improvement.

Coach MacIntyre gave the linebacker position a lot of attention when he got here and it started to show this spring, although they are still a “we’ll see” from the ESPN Pac12 blog. We all know Derrick Webb will start at one inside slot and is a captain and leader of the D, second only to Chidera.  The coaching staff spoke highly of San Jose greyshirt Addison Gilliam and he did not disappoint, spending most of the spring working with the first string.  Sophomore Woodson Greer III also had a great spring showcasing his speed and hard hitting.  Brady Daigh was expected to grab another but struggles with some injuries and inconsistency in the spring leave him with some uncertainty. Don’t forget Sr. Paul Vigo, who was named captain and was very effective last season, especially in passing situations. Gilliam and Greer will be hard to keep off the field so I expect to see all five play. After that hey finally have some depth with Jr. Lowell Williams and Clay Norgard, who both had some nice tackles in the Spring game, plus a few freshmen who can redshirt unless they play special teams.

The defensive line is young but fairly deep, and most got some experience last year so they should be better based on that alone.  After seniors DT Nate Bonsu and DE Chidera Uzo-Diribe (captain and on many preseason “lists” getting a lot of hype), most everyone else who expects to earn playing time are underclassmen, with sophomore DTs Josh Tupou, Tyler Henington and Justin Solis leading the way along with DE Samson Kafovalu who had a monster spring after getting arrested in the offseason. DE De’Jon Wilson, the scout team defensive MVP last year but had some struggles in the spring, now has a slightly bigger chance to get some playing time as John Stuart has left the program, as does fellow redshirt Kory Rasmussen.  The forgotten man might be Jr. DE Juda Parker, a four star recruit who has played his first two seasons, but not very much and then missed spring ball with shoulder surgery. Many in this group were expected to work on losing weight and improving quickness over the summer but I have not heard any “recent updates”, although their coach, Jim Jeffcoat, who almost looks like he could still suit up, could probably lose a few along with them. Then, there are freshman Derek McCartney, Tim Coleman, Jimmie Gilbert (Chidera mentioned him as frosh to watch), who might fight their way into the mix (although at least one will redshirt and put on weight). This group could be the biggest key to the defense’s success or failure—if they can plug the holes a little better and get a little more pressure on opposing QBs, and the seven guys behind them can do a much better job and they might be able to stay a little closer in games later.  If this unit gets pushed around again though, it may not matter how well anyone else does.

The secondary has the most work to do still (and would benefit the most from improved d-line play), but also has the most support with two position coaches, Andy LaRussa on the corners and Charles Clark with the safeties, not to mention a hands-on head coach who is a former safety himself and Toby Neinas (Special Teams), who has also coached DBs in the past. This after only having one of Greg Brown’s fingers and some grad assistants the past two seasons.

Jr. Greg Henderson is just plain solid at one cornerback, and So. Kenneth Crawley should be much improved in confidence and ability, on the other side.  After that there will still be a lot of competition in August between Jr. Josh Moten and Sophs Yuri Wright, John Walker and Jeff Hall (brief spring experiment at WR).

There still seems to be a lot of uncertainty at the safeties. Srs. Terrell Smith and Parker Orms (who has continued to have injury problems) figure to play a lot, but there are others in the mix: Jered Bell came on toward the end of the spring now that he is fully recovered from his knee injury; So. Marques Mosley was pretty quiet in the spring; even Josh Moten was listed as the “starter” at one point in the spring.

Almost any of these guys could end playing the nickel (which will be a starter for at least half the games) and/or dime slots in a pass-happy conference so expect most, if not all of the ten names above to get some defensive snaps.  There is still a good chance that some of the freshmen, like S Tedric Thompson or CB Chidobe Awuzie, could contribute as well, especially if they can contribute on special teams.

It would appear there is depth and talent here, but they need to stay healthy (Orms especially), find the right combinations and get a little more consistent.

Overall, the defense has a looooong way to go.  They were basically dominated in the latter scrimmages, giving up a lot of yards and points, without making many turnovers.  DC Kent Baer is openly concerned about his team’s ability to tackle.  However, with just a little improvement in each area and grouping, the Buffs could keep themselves in games in the second half of games, which might just be the best we can hope for this season.

Special Teams: Wil Oliver is looking to kick a few more than his total of 8 FG attempts last year.  He is feeling very confident and excited to have a full-time coach dedicated to working with him and his mates.  He also wants to try and win the kickoff job over Justin Castor. Oliver said he definitely thought JD Brookhart was stretched thin last year coaching TEs, helping coordinate the passing game (because EB couldn’t handle it) as well as trying to coordinate the special teams.  O’Neill is the obvious choice a punter, and he had the heads up to make sure a blocked punt was only a safety. 

We are still waiting on freshmen to decide returners.  No one stood out in the limited spring game reps, except Keenan Canty who dropped a punt and Josh Ford had one ill-advised kickoff return.  They let P-Rich field a punt and everyone held their breath when Addison Gilliam hit him hard.

Although there is a ton of work to be done here, just having Neinas as a full-time coordinator should make this group much better across all coverage and return units than we have seen in years.

Overall, the coaching staff and players have kept up a positive attitude and are anticipating surprising some people this year.  Jon Embree was expecting this team to be able to make a big jump, and now everyone is biting their lip, hoping MacIntyre can bring that dream to fruition.  Although they are picked last in the Pac12 South by just about everyone and their grandmother, they are a hungry and ticked off.  With much improved wide receivers, more organized coaching and just a little tightening up at each other position grouping could go a long way.  The csu game will be telling and will set the tone for the season.

Go Buffs!