2007 Position Previews: Offensive Line

This is the seventh part of my position by position breakdown of the 2007 roster.

OFFENSIVE LINE

This was the hardest position preview to write because nothing is set. Whatever I post here could be meaningless in a week or two. With that in mind here is my guess on our 2007 offensive line.

Overview
As I’ve highlighted the past week, BC is transitioning to a new strict zone blocking scheme. Under the zone, you ideally want to use smaller more athletic lineman. It is sort of serendipitous that due to graduation and gradual transition, this group of lineman is not as big as some of the units we’ve trotted out the past four or five years. Cherilus is very tall, but many of the other players are in the 6’3ish range. That is certainly big, but with lower center’s of gravity and hopefully more agile.

The Players
T - Gosder Cherilus, SR, 6’7, 318lbs
G - Ryan Poles, SR, 6’4, 295lbs
C – Kevin Sheridan, SR, 6’3, 290lbs
G – Tom Aneviski, SR, 6’2, 291lbs
T – Clif Ramsey, JR, 6’6, 313lbs
T – Pat Sheil, SO, 6’6, 284lbs
C/OG – Matt Tenant, SO, 6’4, 278lbs
G/T – Ty Hall, SR, 6’4, 300lbs
T — Carlos Huggins, JR, 6’6, 316lbs
G/T – Rich Lapham, FR 6’8, 336lbs
G/T – Anthony Castonzo, FR, 6’7, 260lbs

Cherilus is the best of this group. He moves to the left side after spending the majority of his career on the right. Cherilus was excellent last year with one exception – his penalties. If he can get his full mental game in check, he can put together a perfect season. Poles yo-yo’d in and out of the lineup last season. I found him to be less effective than the guy he started over (Ty Hall) but Poles quickness should fit in better with the new staff. Sheridan had a good spring and would seem perfect for the new system. He moves well and played better as the season moved on. His current understudy, Matt Tennant, also impressed the new staff, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Tennant gets a few snaps with the first team. Aneviski was another spot player from last year who played very well when given the chance. The Right Tackle spot is also getting a lot of play in the press. It seems to be coming down to Pat Sheil and Clif Ramsey. My bet (with no inside scoop) is that Sheil gets the call. Ty Hall seems like the forgotten man. He went from starting as a Redshirt Freshman to mop up duty last year. I wonder if his gut is also hurting his standing with the new staff. He’s always played well when given the chance, so I feel good that he is still around to fill holes. Huggins isn’t getting much attention but might get to see the field. Lapham came in with a lot of hype but so far has not lived up to it. Castonzo is very unlikely to play, but you never know.

If I had to guess the starting lineup for Wake (once again, no inside info), I would say LT — Cherilus, LG – Poles, C – Sheridan, RG - Aneviski, RT — Sheil. Now by November it might look like this LT – Cherilus, RG — Sheridan, C — Tennant, RG - Aneviski, RT – Sheil.

Outlook
While it is the biggest concern of the offseason, I predict that the line will be playing very well together by the second half of the season. The zone movement will also rejuvenate many things about O-Line U and our running game.