While some like to call UVa "tight end-U", I personally think "o-line-U" is a better nickname. After all, we have some elite level alumni on NFL offensive lines. Take pro-bowl talents D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Eugene Monroe, and Branden Albert as examples. While we have had success at tight end, the only real long-term player in the NFL is Heath Miller.
Even as the program has declined under Mike London's tenure, we have still put offensive linemen into the NFL. The best example is the 2011 offensive line which featured four NFL offensive linemen -- Oday Aboushi (left tackle at UVa, now a guard on the Jets), Austin Pasztor (guard at UVa, now Jaguars' starting right tackle), Morgan Moses (tackle at UVa, now a tackle for the Redskins), and Luke Bowanko (guard/center at UVa, now a center for the Jaguars).
In recent years, a lot of this success must go to offensive line coach Scott Wachenheim. Wachenheim has been at UVa for going on five years, though this will be his fourth with the o-line. After coaching the Redskins tight ends in 2009, Wachenheim took over UVa's tight ends in 2010. It was not until 2011 that he assumed o-line responsibilities at UVa.
Honestly, it's tough to gauge Wachenheim's stint as the o-line coach. Obviously in 2011, we were pretty good. But we need to take into account that four of those five players are in the NFL. And the fifth, center Anthony Mihota, was no slouch either. The question is this: did Wachenheim coach these players to this level, or were these guys just that talented and cohesive?
Judging by the past two seasons, the latter seems to be the case. In 2012 and 2013, we have watched our offensive line play drop significantly. Running up the gut has been basically impossible. And it's not as if pass-protection has been great either. Furthermore, our short yardage game is atrocious. In my opinion, the best way to measure the ability of an offensive line is whether you can get that extra yard when the defense knows you're going to run it. The past two seasons, we haven't been able to do so. (Even in 2011, we failed miserably in short yardage situations against Va. Tech which really swung the game in the Hokies's favor.)
Now entering 2014, Wachenheim faces his toughest challenge yet -- building a solid offensive line with very, very little talent. Gone are our NFL guys, and now we enter an age of youth and underachieving upperclassmen.
It's reasonable to expect the offensive line to struggle. More than likely, we will experiment with several different combinations at the beginning of the season. There's just no standout player of the bunch. Junior Jay Whitmire was going to be the leader, but he's out for at least the start of the season with a back injury (and knowing UVa football, it could be longer). Sophomore Eric Smith looked promising late in the year, but can he really turn into an all-ACC-type player? He's got the talent, but his ego might be affecting the mental aspect. And now center -- who will make the offensive line assignments/shifts -- is very much up in the air.
When we break it down position by position, the unit leaves little reason for optimism.
Left Tackle likely starter: Jay Whitmire (Jr.)
Like I said above, Whitmire is out until at least October with a back injury. Obviously, anytime your left tackle -- by far the most important position on the offensive line -- is out with an injury, that's a big deal.
**NOTE: I normally like to take into account current scenarios when assessing the starters. If I were doing so, I would put Eric Smith at left tackle to start the season. But the o-line is as muddled as any unit on the roster, so it's tough to say who would move where once Smith takes over at LT (though it's probably as simple as putting sophomore Sadiq Olanrewaju at right tackle in Smith's place). Still, I'm not messing with assumptions here -- I'm going by the depth chart. Plus, Whitmire should be back on the left or right side in the second half of 2014.**
The former three-star prospect (No. 43 OT prospect in the nation according to Rivals) from Alexandria, Va redshirted in 2011 before seeing limited action at LT in 2012. In 2013, Whitmire started the season at right tackle. He finished the season at right guard due to injuries on the line.
I've mentioned this before, but I'm not the greatest at grading offensive linemen. You really need coaches film to do so, which I do not have access to. However, I feel I can give a good general overview.
The strongest part of Whitmire's game appears to be his strength. At 6'6" and 310 pounds, he has the prototypical size of a tackle. However, this strength helps his skills translate over to guard. But he lacks a good quickness and is not as light on his feet as we would prefer. Speed rushers can beat him off the line, and even if they engage, a good spin move can throw him off.
Honestly, he's similar to Morgan Moses in that most of the time he get's engaged, you're not going anywhere; also, he's not as quick off the line as most would like. The bad part though is that Whitmire lacks the ability to move in space that Moses possessed. Even in his days of playing at 350 pounds, Moses was an athletic big guy that would get out there on screens. Whitmire just isn't that guy.
That doesn't mean he can't develop into a good player, because he can. He just doesn't have that elite natural talent that Moses had. The fact that Whitmire was slated at left tackle is a huge hint as to the confidence the coaching staff has in him. They're trusting him to protect a new quarterback's blindside.
His loss is big, make no mistake about it. Whether he played guard or tackle, he's an upgrade over whoever will start there to begin the season.
NFL potential? I doubt it. But a solid collegiate player nonetheless.
Depth
The only other left tackle on the depth chart is sophomore Sadiq Olanrewaju. As a true freshman in 2013, the former three-star prospect saw time mostly at right tackle in mop-up duties in five games. As is to be expected, there were no real takeaways from such limited action.
Listed at 6'6" and 290 pounds, I liked Olanrewaju's athleticism. It seems to be above average for most collegiate offensive linemen. He needs to work on his strength though. As a freshman, it was to be expected that he wasn't going to be as strong as upperclassmen. After all, he's only had one season in a serious weight program. Still, it's something he needs to work on.
As a whole, I like Olanrewaju and what he could bring to this program. He probably will start the season at right tackle, so we'll really get a good look at him then. He's had good reports coming out of practice, so I'm expecting a pretty good performance.
Still, it's no lock that he will ever develop into a full-time starter. It seems clear that Eric Smith is above him on the depth chart. And Whitmire still has two years of eligibility. Perhaps Olanrewaju starts at right tackle his senior season.
But don't forget about freshman Steven Moss, the four star prospect from Fredericksburg, Va. While he is not formally listed as an offensive tackle, it seems likely that at his size (6'5" and 270 pounds), tackle is his future position. While it remains to be seen how Moss's career goes, he could supplant Olanrewaju at right tackle in 2016 (Moss's junior or redshirt sophomore season).
Left Guard likely starter: Connor Davis (Sr.)
Boasting 20 career starts on his resume, Davis is our most veteran offensive lineman in terms of playing experience. The former three-star prospect started 11 of our 12 games in 2012 at left guard. In 2013, he started BYU and Oregon at right guard before moving to left guard in the last seven games of the season (he didn't play against VMI, Pitt, or Ball State due to injury).
Davis is an average player, nothing more, nothing less. He's not going to go and steam roll a linebacker after pushing the defensive line back on a run. But at the same time, he's not going to give up quick inside pressure. He won't play at the next level, but if we had an o-line made up of guys like Davis, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
Davis's biggest asset is his experience. He presumably should help sophomore center Eric Tetlow with the line calls. He should provide steady play at the position.
Depth
First off the bench behind Davis is fellow senior Cody Wallace. Wallace was a former two-star prospect and has played as such during his UVa career. He started two games at right guard in 2013 but did not fare well. He started the first game of 2012 but lost his job after injury.
Wallace has had a roller coaster of a career after seeing time as a center, guard, and tackle at practice. If he starts this season, something has gone wrong. However, he's the type of guy you want as a backup -- he has starting experience. In spot duty, that's beneficial. Also, his versatility bodes well as he can also back up the right guard position.
The final left guard on the depth chart is sophomore Ryan Doull. After redshirting 2012, he saw action in nine games last season (mostly on special teams). The reason I mention him is because he will be in a competition for the starting job next season after Davis and Wallace graduate. He was a former three-star prospect, so there might be some potential. Still, until we see it, it's still just potential -- nothing more. I am in no way sold on Doull, so let's hope we can have some more challenger's for the job in 2015.
Center likely starter: Eric Tetlow (So.)
Luke Bowanko held down the position with relative success for the past two seasons, but now he's gone to graduation and the NFL. The next man up is sophomore Eric Tetlow. Tetlow saw some mop-up duty last season as a true freshman, but not enough to make any conclusions.
However, reports out of spring ball are promising. He seems to have settled down at center (was rated as a tackle by ESPN) and performed well. He learned for a year behind Bowanko, so you would like to think that's beneficial.
But as a player I have really never watched, I don't want to give him too much praise or criticism. He came into the program with relatively little hype, so I guess we'll see how he fares as he gets thrown into the fire week one against UCLA.
Depth
Who can forget last season when all the hype was around walk-on redshirt freshman Jackson Matteo. The coaches thought Matteo performed well enough in spring ball to overtake the center position as the starter. But we know that didn't exactly pan out. It was nice hearing Matteo's story, but the line was better with him on the bench.
Unfortunately, Matteo couldn't repeat that same performance in 2014's spring practices as he lost the job to Tetlow. Of course, nothing is set in stone, but Tetlow appears to be moving forward as the starter. Since they are both in the same class, this could doom Matteo's career.
Still, Matteo is a good backup (at least I would like to think so). He started against Ball State and saw time in several other contests. He'll probably never be the player we hoped he could become a year ago, but he provides good depth.
Guard Cody Wallace is also listed as a backup at center.
Right Guard likely starter: Ross Burbank (Jr.)
Burbank is slated to start at right guard, but most of his game experience has come at center. The former three-star prospect played center as well as right guard in mop-up duties in 2012 (his redshirt freshman season). In 2013, Burbank started four games at center while also playing guard in spurts.
By my limited offensive line observations, Burbank reminds me of Conner Davis. He's not going to blow anybody away with superb athleticism or pancake blocks, but he does his job decently. He's no all-ACC player by any stretch, but you normally don't find yourself yelling at him during games. He is what he is -- an average starter that has probably reached his potential.
Of course, there is still room to grow. This will be his first full season at guard (assuming we avoid shuffling the lineup, which is never safe). He could turn into a solid player, but the odds don't appear to be in his favor. We probably would have heard more positive reports out of practice if any of this were the case.
Depth
First on the depth chart behind Burbank is redshirt freshman Jack McDonad. The three-star player rejected offers from Miami, Boston College, and UNC among others for UVa.
If you have read other posts in this preview series, I am of course thrilled that McDonald redshirted 2013. As an offensive lineman, he most certainly added size and strength to his frame. This is beneficial because if you look at his high school film, he is best at using his power to drive blockers back. The year of practice should only improve this strength.
Furthermore, he now has time to refine his technique in the passing game. It's an area where all you offensive linemen struggle. Physically, the college-bound linemen are just leaps and bounds above their competition in high school, so they can get by on the line with poor technique. Not in college.
McDonald is a good developmental prospect that will compete at left guard in 2015 as well as right guard in 2016 as a junior. It's tough to predict how the line will shake out in the future, but it seems that McDonald will at least have opportunities to compete for a starting position.
A guy that will challenge McDonald is incoming true freshman Jake Fieler. After enrolling at UVa for the spring semester to participate in spring practice, it's fair to expect Fieler to be a step above the other incoming freshman (except for five-star talents Andrew Brown and Quin Blanding).
Fieler is a Pittsburgh native, though he played last season at Fork Union. He saw time at all offensive line positions, though he is listed on the roster as a tackle. Most likely, both Fieler and London know that Fieler's quickest path to the field is at guard -- where both positions are fairly weak, especially looking into the future. It remains to be seen what Fieler wil offer, though you always like the commitment of a player enrolling early (see Greyson Lambert, who is now a team captain as a redshirt sophomore).
Right Tackle likely starter: Eric Smith (So.)
As anyone who followed UVa football would know, last season's offensive line was a mess. It seemed as if a new starting five appeared every week. But if you want to take away a positive from the shuffling, we seemed to find our offensive tackle of the future -- Eric Smith.
Smith was just a two star prospect by Rivals, but he sure did not play like it. Only four UVa offensive tackles have started as a freshman -- D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Brad Butler, Morgan Moses, AND now Eric Smith. If Smith can follow in their footsteps, I think all of the wahoo faithful would be quite satisfied.
Smith made his first start of the season against Ball State en route to starting the final eight games of the season at right tackle. He performed quite admirably, although the play that stands out in my mind is his penalty against Ball State (ineligible man downfield) which negated a 79-yard touchdown pass to Tim Smith. But he was a true freshman making his first start; while those types of penalties are never acceptable, it's a little less stressing when a freshman makes it. Hopefully, he'll learn.
Smith is slated to start on the right side, though I think the left side will be his home for the next three years. He will start at left tackle in place of the injured Jay Whitmire to start the season. If his play from last year is any indication, I would think he will hold onto that job -- he played that well. He could turn into the real steal of the 2013 recruiting class.
As a big yet athletic tackle, Smith can seemingly do it all. If there is one area of concern, though, it's the mental aspect. Let's forget about the Ball State penalty and just focus on his attitude towards the game. He is very, very confident in his abilities, often quoting opposing players that told him he played a good game.
Don't get me wrong, you need confident players. However, I personally am a fan of the quieter guys; the guys that let their play (not their mouth) do the talking. Smith has done both. But maybe this is a Richard Sherman type of deal where Smith is purposefully very outspoken because he wants to prove the scouts that gave him two stars were wrong (just as Sherman feels he was drafted too low).
That's just a note to think on. Overall, I see Smith turning into an all-ACC performer before his UVa career concludes.
Depth
According to the depth chart, sophomore Michael Mooney is the second string right tackle. Again, let me reiterate what I said above. If Smith goes down (or when Smith moves to the left side to replace the injured Whitmire), Sadiq Olanrewaju will slide to right tackle.
Still, Mooney is in position to see significant playing time with an injury. As a former three-star player, that's what you hope for in their third season (Mooney redshirted 2012). Still, it's tough to get a feel for him. He played very sparingly last season, with most of his reps on special teams. If he can turn into a good player, great. However, at this point with classmates Smith and Olanrewaju ahead of him on the depth chart, his chances for future playing time look grim.
Lastly, let's briefly address Sean Karl, the third string left tackle. After redshirting 2012, he only say action for five plays against VMI in 2013. Yes, it appears his chances at a starting job have long past. Karl was a three star recruit, so you want more than a career benchwarmer from that type of player. At the bare minimum, you want to see depth. If either Karl or Mooney entered the game, I wouldn't exactly have much confidence.
Conclusion
**NOTE: I do want to make one thing clear -- what's listed above is the depth chart if everyone is healthy, but Whitmire is not. Therefore, my projected starting five to start the season until Whitmire returns is, from left to right, Smith, Davis, Tetlow, Burbank, and Olanrewaju. When Whitmire does return, I expect Smith to stay on the left side. Therefore, in the second half of the season, I think the starting lineup, from left to right, looks like: Smith, Davis, Tetlow, Burbank, and Whitmire.**
Ever since 2011, we have seen talent trickle out of the program. Sadly, it appears we have not recruited enough quality offensive linemen to refill the reservoir -- at least for 2014.
I really like Eric Smith and what he can become. He has all the tools to become an elite-level player. Additionally, I'm a decent fan of Whitmire, although I feel he is a right guard or right tackle -- I just don't see him as an effective left tackle.
But Whitmire is down, so basically I'm uneasy about four of our five starters. Even with Smith's ability, protecting the blind side of a young quarterback is a big task. There's no guarantee he's ready for it.
As definitely one of the weaker positions on the roster, London deserves a lot of blame. London simply has recruited too many "athletes" and not enough offensive linemen. Being able to go six deep at corner does no good if you can't go two deep on the o-line.
The problem is this: unless you have a truly game changing player, everything on offense revolves around the o-line. Especially in the pro-style system we run, we need to have well-rounded big men. That's simply not the case this year, and it hasn't been since 2011.
Maybe Lambert steps up and becomes a stud. Or maybe the 1-2 punch of Kevin Parks and Smoke Mizzell creates one of the better running back tandems in the country. But until either of those happen, I don't think the 2014 UVa offense will be successful because of our offensive line. There's simply not enough talent there to make a big difference. Parks can wiggle out a couple of yards on most downs, but when the defense know's when we're going to run, the play will fail. The line simply isn't good enough to overpower other defensive lines.
When I look at the 2014 UVa football roster, I see improvement in every position, except for one -- the offensive line. Simply not enough talent, depth, or cohesiveness for a successful group.
The offensive line is the offensive's biggest weakness. Unfortunately, this alone may doom the team.
Next Week: Quarterbacks
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