Kansas Football: Springer, Wilson Lead 70 Players Most Likely To Make Roster

Now I’m not sure what the official rules are, if there are any, regarding gameday rosters, but I do know that Turner Gill will likely suit up close to 80 players for home games (fewer players generally suit up when traveling).

I thought that with game one against North Dakota State not too far off, it would be fun to take a shot at which players will make the opening day roster.

I’ll go by position giving each individual a number ranking of one through five. 

I consider ones to be sure bets, twos to be guys who are set barring something pretty big between now and then, threes being the last guys in, fours being the first guys out and fives being injured players and others that simply have more work to do.

For the purposes of this article I’ll start by selecting 70 players, represented by threes or lower, who I think are most likely to suit up on Sept. 4.

Remember that these are only my predictions for Week One.  Just for your reference, here is the newest two-deep depth chart.

Here goes…

Kale Pick (1), Jordan Webb (1), Quinn Mecham (3), Jacob Morse (5)

Jordan Webb and recently crowned Game One starter Kale Pick have everything under control.

In a dire emergency, Christian Matthews could step in, too.  Quinn Mecham probably isn’t necessary, but is a comforting backup.

*denotes the total number from the respective position I expect to make the 70-man cut on game day

Angus Quigley (1), Deshaun Sands (1), Rell Lewis (1), Ryan Burton (3), Brandon Bourbon (4), James Sims (5).

Congratulations on another opportunity, Angus.  I expect Brandon Bourbon to redshirt, but he gets a four because even unfortunate minor injuries to a couple of higher-ups could have Bourbon suiting up.

Ryan Burton isn’t competing for carries, but he is performing well for the special teams and has a good chance to make the roster.

Steve Foster (1), Justin Puthoff (3), Tyler Hunt (5), Nick Sizemore (5)

I’m not sure two fullbacks are necessary, but if Toben Opurum’s playing defense, it can’t hurt.

Jonathan Wilson (1), Daymond Patterson (1), Bradley McDougald (1), D.J. Beshears (1), Chris Omigie (1), Erick McGriff (1), Christian Matthews (1), Rod Harris (2), Reece Petty (3), Ricki Herod (4), Andrew Turzilli (5), Brian Maura (5), Tertavian Ingram (5), Chase Knighton (5), Willie O’Quinn (5), Patrick Schilling (5)

Tertavian Ingram’s injury may open up the door for new scholarship recipient Reece Petty.

I haven’t seen enough of the true freshmen to make many guesses, but I think if one somehow avoids a redshirt, it will be Ricki Herod.

Tim Biere (1), Bradley Dedeaux (2), Nicholas Plato (3), Jimmay Mundine (5), Trent Smiley (5)

Keeping A.J. Steward and Ted McNulty as a different positional player may hurt Nick Plato’s chances at staying on the roster.

If Jimmay Mundine wanted immediate playing time, he should have stayed at linebacker.

A.J. Steward (2), Ted McNulty (3)

I guess this is just another form of receiver-oriented tight ends to keep in tight or split out.  Both of these guys are versatile, so there’s a place for them.

Tanner Hawkinson (1), Duane Zlatnik (1), Sal Capra (1), Trevor Marrongelli (1), Brad Thorson (1), Jeremiah Hatch (2), Gavin Howard (2), Michael Martinovich (2), Riley Spencer (2), Alex Smith (3), Carl Wilson (3), Joe Semple (4), Tom Mabry (4), Jeff Spikes (5), Chad Kolumber (5)

It’s hard to judge offensive linemen past those listed on the two-deep.  I know Carl Wilson is versatile and has been in the thick of the depth chart for years now and that Alex Smith obviously worked hard enough to earn a scholarship.

If anyone has any information to pass on here, I’d love to learn more about the happenings at the position.

Jake Laptad (1), Tyrone Sellers (1), Kevin Young (1), Quintin Woods (2), Keba Agostinho (2), Pat Lewandowski (3), JaQwaylin Arps (5), D.J. Marshall (5)

Last I heard, D.J. Marshall is back on the team but still not quite ready to compete after his bout with leukemia.

Congratulations to Keba Agostinho, who looks ready to contribute as a true freshman.

Richard Johnson (1), Patrick Dorsey (1), John Williams (1), Randall Dent (2), Darius Parish (3), Shane Smith (5)

We’re looking awfully thin up top, but as I’ve said before, Randall Dent and John Williams should provide an incredibly strong, change-of-pace rotation.

I wish Darius Parish would change some weight to muscle and make himself a literally huge factor.

Justin Springer (1), Steve Johnson (1), Drew Dudley (1), Toben Opurum (2), Steve Mestan (2), Brian Blackwell (3) Chea Peterman (3), Jordan Fee (4), Josh Richardson (4), Jake Farley (4), Ryan Nelson (4), Huldon Tharp (5), Ed Fink (5), Darius Willis (5)

It looks like everyone is in play, here.  I wish more would come of Josh Richardson, though.

Jake Farley may redshirt, but a real good showing this week in practice might make him a plausible game-day option.

Another thing to keep in mind is how useful linebackers tend to be on special teams.

Chris Harris (1), Isaiah Barfield (1), Calvin Rubles (1), Greg Brown (1), Corrigan Powell (2), Anthony Davis (2), Brandon Hawks (5)

This really is a deep backfield.  It still doesn’t appear super-talented at the top by BCS competition standards, but Chris Harris is a quality ball player.

If Calvin Rubles, Greg Brown and Isaiah Barfield keep playing as well as advertised, we’ll always be able to keep the secondary fresh.

Tyler Patmon (2), Ryan Murphy (3), Dexter McDonald (3), Ray Mitchell (5)

Tyler Patmon has allegedly placed himself among the team’s best, and Murphy has good game experience and versatility working for him.

Dexter McDonald is technically more of a safety, but because he’s versatile enough to handle any secondary spot, I’ll put him here.

Lubbock Smith (1), Olaitan Oguntodu (1), Phillip Strozier (1), Prinz Kande (2), Dexter Linton (3), Keeston Terry (4), Taylor Lee (5)

I was actually in favor of moving Olaitan Oguntodu to linebacker, but if he’s playing well enough to start at safety, it’s probably better this way.

I think Keeston Terry will redshirt in 2010, but I kind of like the position switch for future purposes. 

Alonso Rojas (P, 1), Jacob Branstetter (K, 2), Justin Carnes (LS, 2), Nathan Kalish (K, 3), John Millsap (K, 5)

I don’t know if Kalish can punt, but if he can at all he’ll make the roster as an emergency piece.  Plus, Branstetter is almost as well-known for his tackling as for his accuracy.

Alonso Rojas may be an all-league-worthy punter this season.

Because of wanting to stop at an even number, I chose 70 players.

However, like Chris Omigie and D.J. Beshears last year (or part of it at least), one can suit up on game-day and still retain a redshirt as long as they do not play, from what I understand.

Therefore, Pat Lewandowski and Dexter McDonald (as my last two in) are two guys who I think may suit up but play only in an emergency.

Assuming that the game-day roster will be closer to 80 than 70, Joe Semple (OL), Tom Mabry (OL), Brandon Bourbon (RB), Ricki Herod (WR), Jake Farley (LB), Jordan Fee (LB) and Josh Richardson (LB) would be my next additions to the roster in that order, though some would be in situations similar to Lewandowski and McDonald’s.

Thanks for reading, and start getting pumped because the Sept. 4 debut of new head coach Turner Gill and company is just around the corner!