Quarterback

(1) Jimmy Clausen
(2) Evan Sharpley
(3) Dayne Crist

Thank God we don't have to suffer through a repeat of last year's pre-season quarterback circus. What a god damned fiasco that was. Jimmy Clausen will be the starter going forward, and I still think the sky is the limit for him. He put up better numbers than Brady Quinn did as a freshman, and he did it behind an offensive line that looked like it was actively trying to set the single season sack record. A year in the strength and conditioning program, a better grasp of the playbook, and getting all of the starter's reps in spring and fall practice should all result in a much improved signal caller.

We really couldn't be much better off in terms of depth at this position. Evan Sharpley is a serviceable backup with loads of experience for the #2 guy. Five star freshman Dayne Crist can redshirt, learn the offense for a few seasons, and take over when Jimmy leaves in a much smoother transition than ND fans have grown used to. Gone are the days of starting true freshmen at the most important position in football.

Tailback

(1) James Aldridge
(1a) Armando Allen
(2) Robert Hughes
(4) Jonas Gray

I have James Aldridge above Robert Hughes for two reasons. First, Charlie has demonstrated a disturbingly Ty-esque loyalty to his older players. Second, I'm entirely unconvinced that Hughes' late season surge proved anything at all. Do you really think that a healthy James Aldridge wouldn't also have plowed right over Duke and Stanford's pathetic little defenders? I think we'll see Aldridge start the season, play pretty well, and then succumb to one of his nagging injuries and get replaced by Hughes.

I have Armando Allen listed as 1a because while I don’t believe he'll get the lion's share of the carries, I do believe that he'll be a significant part of every game plan. He's a lightning fast change-of-pace type guy that needs to be involved every week.

Jonas Gray should redshirt, although I wouldn't be surprised to see him spelling Hughes once Aldridge inevitably goes down with an injury.

Fullback

(1) Asaph Schwapp
(2) Luke Schmidt

Speaking of Charlie's loyalty to older players, how else can you possibly explain Asaph's presence on the field. He's the worst fullback ever to play the game, and he'll be in there at least 60% of the snaps. Another year of watching him run off in some random direction and hit absolutely nobody, or carry the ball in short yardage situations and fumble it like it's his job. Playing him is basically like playing with ten men, except for the miraculous, once-per-season block where he accidentally runs into a defender and flat out SCHWAPPS the guy. Boy is that a beautiful sight, but one bone-crunching, loud- enough-to-hear-from-the-parking-lot hit per year does not even begin to make up for his utter lack of utility the other 99.9% of the time.

Luke Schmidt sucks. If he didn't suck, he wouldn't be backup to the worst fullback known to man.

If I were in charge, I'd move Hughes to fullback, but I'm not in charge.

Wide Receiver

(1) Duval Kamara
(2) David Grimes
(3) Michael Floyd
(4) Robby Parris
(5) George West
(6) D.J. Hord
(7) Golden Tate*
(8) Deion Walker
(9) John Goodman
(10) Richard Jackson

Duval Kamara should be far and away Jimmy's top target. He rose to the top of the pack last year as a true freshman and could be the next MoSto. Grimes might be a team captain and should be a steady performer. Five star freshman Michael Floyd is honestly good enough to crack the top three from day one. Wideout is the easiest position for a freshman to make an impact, and he is certainly the definition of an impact player. Speed, size, strength, hands, moves… he's got it all. I predict he'll play every game this season, and be one of our biggest scoring threats by season's end. Robby Parris developed a case of the drops late last season, but he showed flashes early on. West and Hord are probably going to get buried in the depth chart this season, and freshmen Deion Walker and John Goodman will most likely redshirt. I'm officially labeling Richard Jackson a bust. The asterisk next to Golden Tate's name signifies that he is the X Factor. If he can be taught the offense… and not just the plays where he runs real fast in a straight line… he could be one of our most talented and dangerous players. If he continues to look like a tailback playing wide receiver, he'll get buried on the depth chart or switch positions.

Tight End

(1) Will Yeatman
(2) Mike Ragone
(3) Kyle Rudolph
(4) Joseph Fuaria

I'm officially predicting that Yeatman will be back for the season. Precedent has clearly been set for a DUI punishment, and it's one semester. Luckily, this happened in the Spring and he'll be back in the Fall. He's a great blocker and should make a fine starting tight end. Ragone is scary fast for a tight end, and should be a great pass-catching threat. I'm nervous about a true freshman occupying the third spot in an offense that likes to use three tight end sets, but if I had to pick a freshman for the job, it'd be Rudolph. The five star recruit was the #1 tight end in the country, and clocks in at an enormous 6'7". With any luck, Fuaria will be able to redshirt.

Offensive Line

Left Tackle: (1) Sam Young, (2) Taylor Dever
Left Guard: (1) Mike Turkovich, (2) Andrew Nuss
Center: (1) Dan Wenger, (2) Tom Bemenderfer!
Right Guard: (1) Eric Olsen, (2) Trever Robinson
Right Tackle: (1) Paul Duncan, (2) Chris Stewart

I just put on a sweatshirt because a cold chill ran down my spine when I started to think about our offensive line. They weren't just bad last year. They were soul-crushingly awful. They looked like a group of girl scouts trying to block a fleet of bulldozers. I'll never erase the mental image of that play against Michigan where all five linemen and a tight end attempted to pass block againt UM's four down linemen (a six to four advantage) and ALL FOUR UM linemen broke through COMPLETELY UNTOUCHED, not even allowing enough time for Jimmy Clausen's life to flash before his eyes before getting annihilated. You know you've got offensive line issues when your quarterback is on his back before he's done saying "hike." Here's a typical play for Jimmy:

READY!
SET!
HUT ONE!
HUT TWO!
HI-
{blinding white light}
-KE!
{pretty clouds, cartoon brids flying in circles}

So yeah, in short, the line was teh suxxorz. Will they get better? They kinda have to. I honestly don’t think they could get worse.

Sam Young will be back to full health and playing his natural position, left tackle. The former #1 offensive line recruit in the country might be a team captain and hopefully won't suck so much any more. All I can say about probable starting guards Mike Turkovich and Eric Olsen is hopefully they won't suck so much any more. Former starting guard Dan Wenger should be an upgrade at center seeing as how our previous center was literally unable to snap it out of the shotgun. Hopefully Wenger won't suck so much any more. Paul Duncan, the worst lineman in a group of pitiful linemen, will probably start at right tackle. Hopefully he wont su… oh who am I kidding, he's still gonna suck just as much. I imagine Chris Stewart will supplant him sooner or later. Hopefully Stewart won't suck so much any more.

Summary

I should think we'll be much improved next season. We'll still be on the young side, but we'll also be absolutely loaded with talent. Additionally, we return almost all of our starters and backups, and have a ridiculous infusion of freshman talent on the way. An easier schedule, no more distracting quarterback controversies, no more schematic overhauls, an offensive line that can literally only get better, and a (hopefully) different coaching philosophy should all add up to some significant improvements. I think the offense will make a huge statistical leap into the top 75% of all offenses.

BONUS(!)

Punt Returner: Armando Allen
Kick Returners: Armando Allen, Golden Tate
Kicker: Brandon Walker
Punter: Eric Maust

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