Skip Holtz was nice enough to dictate his new depth chart to the media after the team arrived back in Tampa. There aren't too many earth-shattering changes, but some guys have shuffled around, and a few people who would normally be on the two-deep aren't there because of injuries or some other issues (see Barrington, Sam).
Here are the changes:
-- Not surprisingly, Evan Landi is no longer listed as a QB, although I think he might still be unofficially there. Bobby Eveld and Jamius Gunsby are now the backups to B.J. Daniels, in no particular order.
-- Kevin Gidrey, the East Carolina transfer, is now listed as the #1 tight end, although there's a lot of flexibility between that position and fullback. If I had to guess, Richard Kelly is the only one who would be a full-time fullback. Everyone else could probably bounce between fullback and tight end as necessary, or the H-back position (which I swear I'm going to write more about at some point).
-- With Sterling Griffin and A.J. Love both out, the starting WR unit is now Dontavia Bogan, Evan Landi, and Lindsey Lamar. The second unit is T.J. Knowles, Faron Hornes, and then either Victor Marc (I almost typed Vassay Marc, which would have really dated myself) and the newly-switched Joel Miller. Once Love and Griffin are back, I think they slide in behind Bogan, or maybe one slides into the fourth spot to keep Lamar as the slot receiver.
Kind of surprised not to see Deonte Welch on the chart - I figured he had a chance to crack the two-deep with all the injuries. There's still time, though.
Also he's not on the depth chart, but Holtz moved Daniel Bryant from corner to receiver earlier this week.
-- No real changes on the offensive line. All ten of the players on the two-deep are still there, with the exception of Mark Popek, who is only missing because he's been injured. That's opened up a spot for Quinterrious Eatmon to make the second-team right tackle. Whether he moves back down when Popek is healthy enough to practice again, we'll see. Still, I felt compelled to significantly reduce Eatmon's 50:1 odds of getting on the field this season.
-- The defensive line is almost exactly the same, but Cory Grissom has moved ahead of Keith McCaskill.
-- Linebackers are the same, except for Sam Barrington not being on the chart while he sorts out his problems. Please just go to the DMV, Sam.
-- Mistral Raymond moved over from strong safety to cornerback, where he's currently (and I think temporarily) listed ahead of Quenton Washington, who has been nursing an injury this week. Terrence Mitchell is also added as a slashed backup to Kayvon Webster, with George Baker.
-- The safeties have all shuffled around with Raymond moved to corner. Jerrell Young is now the #1 strong safety, and human missile Jon Lejiste moved to the front of the line at free safety. True freshman Mark Joyce also got in as Lejiste's backup.
(There is some debate here, as Scott Carter talked to defensive backs coach Rick Smith right before everyone left Vero Beach. He has Joyce playing at strong safety, Reshard Cliett backing up Lejiste, and Raymond floating between corner and safety.)
-- Specialists are the same. I have a feeling the Maikon Bonani/Eric Schwartz battle will be raging all the way up to the Stony Brook game. Which, by the way, is now only 15 days away.