31southst {l Wrote}:PhillyandBCEagles {l Wrote}:We'll have Kimble and Willis returning (along with Rouse, although I'm not crazy about him as any more than a depth guy) and I'd say it's a sure thing that either Outlow or Hilliman will play right away, quite possibly both. To be honest I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Alston play right away as well, as Willis is the only other guy on the roster with the type of skill set he has. Ideally I'd like to redshirt one of the two feature back type freshmen for spacing purposes, but we may have no choice but to play both especially if we don't get much production out of Kimble.
I think Alston will definitely play as a KR/PR and slot guy on offense. I think people might be overlooking Willis a little based on excitement over Outlow and Hilliman but he looked very good this year. I also imagine both Outlow and Hilliman will play as I think we'll spread carries out much more than with did with Andre. I think there's a good chance Rouse gets passed on the depth chart but then gain he was supposedly banged up for most of last year so maybe he can take a step forward being healthy. I honestly have no idea what we'll get from Kimble but I'm not expecting a ton.
I LOVE Willis, but he's 5'9/187--probably not gonna be an every down back. KR, PR, 3rd down/situational RB, slot WR, absolutely, and I think he'll probably be our most dangerous offensive player next year, I just don't see him as a true feature RB. Kimble, Outlow, and Hilliman are your candidates for that job.
As for whether Outlow and Hilliman both play right away or just one of the two, I'd say it comes down to what we can get out of Kimble. If Kimble shows equal or better to at least one of the two freshmen in spring ball/preseason and if he can stay healthy, I'd much prefer to redshirt one of the two incoming guys. With Willis, Rouse, and probably Alston also in the mix, if we can get decent production out of Kimble we should only need to play one of those guys right away.