Back to taking a look at our personnel headed into the spring:

LT Brandon Carter, 6′7″, 330 lbs, Sr. – Moore is going to try Carter as the answer for Rylan Reed’s departure this spring.  Moore was quoted by Red Raider Sports as saying Carter has dropped from 355 at the Cotton Bowl to the sub-330 range.  I’m not sold on Carter’s feet at the LT position, but this could be calculated based on the matchups of our opponents.  Winn is the best tackle on our roster.  Sergio Kindle is the best pass rusher we will face.  According to the Barking Carnival, Kindle will be lining up over Carter this season.  We will find out earlier than anticipated, if he can be exposed.  I don’t like him out in space and Stephen Hamby saved his ass on several occasions last year.  Shedding 25 pounds was a necessity for this move, and if he looks quicker at that weight, I will begin to alter my opinion.  I trust Moore immensely, and we are in pretty good shape on the OL were this move to pan out.  Interesting development to say the least.

LG Lonnie Edwards, 6′5″, 290 lbs, Soph – I have high expectations for Edwards before his time is done.  In the limited action I’ve seen, he has the potential to be the best guard of the Mike Leach Era.  Seeing guys getting blown backwards in the running game was a refreshing surprise to the non-chalant styles of Louis Vasquez and Manny Ramirez.  He might be the first true drive-blocker Leach has had on his roster.  The position is Edwards’ to lose and I don’t expect him to disappoint.  If Mike Leach wants to help out Taylor Potts, it starts with giving the ball to Harrison Jeffers and Baron Batch behind this guy.  I wouldn’t mind seeing him team on the right side with Marlon Winn, another surprisingly accomplished run blocker.

C Shawn Byrnes, 6′4″, 295 lbs, Sr. – I can tell you right now that Moore will give Justin Keown the opportunity to win this job.  Byrnes started in 2007, so the experience gained is invaluable.  Moore’s decision to start Hamby last year was largely predicated on the lack of lateral mobility at the guard positions.  Edwards and whoever wins the RG spot will go further in determining Byrnes’ job security than anything he does on his own merit.  Byrnes is stronger than Hamby and a much better mauler in the run game.  However, he’s severely lacking in the ability to slide laterally, work combo blocks, and pick up blitzing LBs.  If our guards are quick enough to overcome this, Byrnes will be a great fit with the rest of the unit.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see Moore rotate the matchups here like we’ve seen him do in the past.  

RG Chris Olson, 6′5″, 275 lbs, Jr. – I’m temporarily penciling in Olson as the starter, but this job is wideass open from Moore’s perspective and I agree with him.  Olson has looked soft to me in spot duty and needs to get stronger and more aggressive.  I’m really shooting in the dark as to what will happen here, but it won’t surprise me one bit if Terry McDaniel or Deveric Gallington end up starting.  Mickey Okafor could be in play here, but he has yet to impress me with his pad level in gametime.  Olson has the most experience, and Moore will end up rolling with the guy whose style works the best with Byrnes or Keown in the run game.   McDaniel looks exactly like Carter on his high school film, which isn’t a bad thing given the nature of our blocking schemes.  The most athletically gifted of the bunch is Deveric Gallington and he possesses all the tools to be an outstanding guard.  He played as a 3-4 NG in high school, so I’m assuming his technique currently resembles the greenness of gooseshit. 

RT Marlon Winn, 6′6″, 325 lbs, Sr. – Winn and Russell Okung are the best two returning tackles in the Big 12.  He’ll be the highest drafted OL of the Leach Era and there’s nothing to worry about here.  Winn’s the only tackle in the conference with the feet to stay in the same zip code with Sergio Kindle.  He also plays with a nasty demeanor and those two qualities will make him a lot of money.  Winn will probably be a right tackle in the NFL, but more along the lines of a Marc Columbo in effectiveness.  He does some stupid shit on occasion, but the talent is there.  We’re gold here.  Hopefully, Moore has the insight to work Winn at LT during the spring and fall in case we need a mid-1st quarter adjustment against Kindle.

Summary

The Brandon Carter Project at LT should be watched closely over the spring.  Problem is, with Brandon Williams gone, we may not know how successful the move is until conference play.  Moore will test him by having Daniel Howard repeatedly try to get the corner on him throughout spring ball.  I think Carter is similar in footspeed to Rylan Reed (post-injury), but I don’t think he’s as smart as Reed.  We may be able to pull this off all season except against Texas.  (See reports on promising speed rushers Alex Okafor or RJ Washington as well).  I see Carter struggling with Frank Alexander and Auston English to some extent, but he should be able to handle all his opponents in the run game.

The key to watch in spring will be at Center and Right Guard.  Remember, Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh are still on our schedule.  Look for Moore to roll with several different combinations throughout spring and fall.  I would guess the final starting pair will look something like the following:

Byrnes/Olson

Byrnes or Keown/Gallington

Keown/McDaniel

With regards to talent, Gallington is the best of the bunch and could probably work with either center.