NG Colby Whitlock, 6′2″, 285 lbs, Jr. – Whitlock is as good a player at DT as Tech ever needs to recruit.  If you gave me the option right now of starting two of him every year infinitely in our program, I would take that deal quicker than you can say “Littrell”.  There are better DTs in the conference, but we haven’t had guys the caliber of Whitlock starting to keep our LBs unoccupied or make teams pay for doing stupid shit like reach-blocking on a dive play out of their own endzone.  We can at least prevent every team from running the ball on us.  Whitlock will garner 1st Team All Big 12 honors as a senior, but for now, he’ll have to settle for 2nd team behind Suh and McCoy.  Just keep doing what you’re doing and get stronger at holding up double teams.

DT Richard Jones, 6′1″, 272 lbs, Sr. – I like Jones for Tech as a 2nd tackle.  While he’s not quite the athlete that Whitlock is, he holds up against the run better than the majority of #2 DTs on their respective team in this conference.  That doesn’t mean he’s a candidate for postseason honors, it simply means he can keep Kansas State and Kansas from beating you with a steady diet of zone read.  You don’t want Jones facing a lot of double teams, but he requires enough attention to give the LBs a chance.

DT Rajon Henley, 6′3″, 266 lbs, Sr. – Henley’s specialty is interior pass rush.  Watching him handle double teams in ground defense is the equivalent on your eyes of being burned slowly on a Comanche  firewheel.  He needs to get bigger and stronger, or lose 10 pounds and move to DE.  He’s solid when being conceded outside leverage in one-on-one scenarios.  Henley wouldn’t be necessarily quick off the edge, but he could serve as a solid run stuffer and contain guy.  Kind of like McKinner Dixon.  I’m not sure this will ever happen, but remember I mentioned it as an option when Sandy Riley and Daniel Howard are logging significant minutes at DE next fall and Kendall Hunter is picking up 15 yards per carry behind Russell Okung.

NG Chris Perry, 6′3″, 310 lbs, Soph – Perry is the most interesting of the group.  He’s got a shit-ton of talent, but so did Xavier Lawson-Kennedy.  Perry needs to listen to coaching and work on fundamentals.  The 4 snaps last year in which he kept his pad level low resulted in negative plays for the offense.  The other 10 snaps ranged anywhere from a first time to put on pads to acceptable level.  I’ll be watching for his development as a consistent Perry at NG and Whitlock at DT may be our best lineup.  As it stands now, we can’t count on him for significant minutes.  He’s a luxury for depth and will be a future quality starter.  I’m curious to see how he takes to the coaching and offseason work.

DT Brandon Sesay, 6′6″, 280 lbs, Sr. - Arrived with much fanfare, but suffered the classic look like Tarzan, play like Jane syndrome.  Sesay showed flashes of brilliance when motivated, but his technique and consistency were all over the place.  We may see a move back to DE out of necessity, which I think he could be questionably solid as a run defender.  I don’t think he’s as quick in space as Henley, which is why I would rather Sesay stay put and Henley move to DE.  Talent has never been the issue with Sesay, but motor and determination are subject to debate.  He could be a really good player for us, if he would start listening better and focus.  That’s all he needs to work on this spring.

DT Pearlie Graves, 6′3″, 260 lbs, True Fr. – I wouldn’t count on Graves to be a difference maker this season, but his talent should secure him playing time.  It would be nice to redshirt him for strength considerations, but he might be an viable option at DE this year, which means we would have to play him.  Graves could also be quicker than Jones or Henley right now, and Ruff isn’t scared to throw young guys to the wolves early on the inside.  Three years ago, he’s a starter from Day 1.  Today, I’m just glad we got him and don’t have lofty expectations for him right off the bat.

NG Myles Wade, 6,2″, 310 lbs, Soph – Wade has 3 to play 3, so redshirting is not an option.  If there’s not a lot of tangible difference between Graves and Wade, then Graves will more than likely redshirt.  If either one of them is logging significant minutes not due to injury, then be happy about it because that means they were both an upgrade from our existing talent.   Wade will be justifiably raw, but he seems to have his head on straight and a good work ethic.  This guy was considered a stud by a lot of respectable programs coming out of high school.

I think Romario Cathey is a redshirt all the way.  Your thoughts?