Storylines We'll Have To Wait On: A New Offensive Line
When the season was still on, Ed Warinner's job was already going to be tough. Four starters from last year's offensive line were drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft back in April, with only redshirt sophomore Jalen Mayfield returning from the starting group. Now, Warinner has to find five new starters along the O-line. As of Tuesday afternoon, Mayfield is off to the NFL as well.
With five job openings to fill, Warinner is going to be earning his paycheck whenever football resumes. We assume that two of the spots will go to redshirt junior Andrew Stueber and redshirt sophomore Ryan Hayes, who both have starting experience. Hayes filled in for Jon Runyan Jr. at left tackle last year and more than held his own. Stueber has started at right tackle in the past and might be penciled back in there with Mayfield off to the league. Redshirt freshman Zach Carpenter has been viewed as the favorite at center since Cesar Ruiz declared for the draft early, leaving the two guard spots wide open.
Warinner has a lot of talented guys to look at but none of them have significant experience. The veteran offensive line coach is extremely high on redshirt freshmen Karsen Barnhart and Trevor Keegan. Barnhart is extremely athletic at 6-4, 301 pounds, and versatile enough to play guard or tackle. Keegan was always billed as a tackle coming in, but he's not overly long either and would probably be just fine at guard. At 6-6, 327 pounds, he's got the bulk to play on the interior and could be an interesting player to watch. Warinner also loves true freshman Zak Zinter. At 6-6, 334 pounds, he also has the size, strength and bulk to play on the interior.
If one of these young guys can step up and grab ahold of one or both of the starting guard spots, Warinner will really have something moving forward.
Of course, there are veterans hoping to get their shot as well. Monstrous redshirt junior Chuck Filiaga has been on the cusp of contributing for a season or two and could be the guy whenever football resumes. At 6-6, 345 pounds, he's the biggest offensive linemen on the roster and is tailor made for the interior. Even dating back to his high school days, he struggled with speedy rusher on the edge, but could be a mauler and a force in the run game from either guard spot. As a former walk-on, fifth-year senior Andrew Vastardis is never going to be a needle mover, but if he's the best guy for the job he'll be out there. Warinner seems to like what he brings to the table, but at 6-3, 296 pounds, he's a whopping 50 pounds lighter than Filiaga. If there isn't much of a difference between the two, I'm going with beef.
If I had to take a stab at the starting offensive line today, I'd say it'll be Hayes at left tackle, Carpenter at center and Barnhart at right tackle. Throw Filiaga and Stueber in at the two guard spots and give it a go.
LT - Ryan Hayes
LG - Chuck Filiaga
C - Zach Carpenter
RG - Andrew Stueber
RT - Karsen Barnhart
Unfortunately, we're going to have to wait quite a long time to see how it all shakes out.
