Big Weigh-In Analysis, Nerd-Style

Aug 6, 2021, 11:08 AM

I'm a nerd so I put all the data from the Weigh-In into Excel, and since DavidHood® is kind enough to post last year's numbers beside this year's numbers, I can calculate some stuff. I also added a filter for whether or not a player was on the post-spring depth chart released last month.

All numbers are pounds, of course.

CB
Average change: Up 3.4
Biggest change: Andrew Booth up 6; 201 from 195

All six CBs I looked at are on the 2-deep. Goodrich and Jones pretty much stayed put, but Booth, Davis, Greene and Wiggins all added 5-7 pounds. Hopefully some speed comes with that extra size, and that Ohio State is firmly in the rear-view.

DE
Average change: Up 8.4
Biggest change: Cade Denhoff up 30; 255 from 225
Notable: Zaire Patterson up 27; 252 from 225

Average 2D change: Up 1
Biggest change: KJ Henry up 10; 265 from 255
Notable: Justin Foster down 5; 270 from 275
Notable: Xavier Thomas down 6; 264 from 270

I LOVE THIS. Love, love, love it. For starters, the guys not on the two deep got BIG. Denhoff and Patterson adding 57 pounds between them and both getting over 250 sounds like a lot strength added to me. But the big thing here is the change on the 2-deep: our line looked slow in some games last year and Foster and XT responded by losing 5 and 6 pounds, respectively. Considering most guys add a pound or two in the off-season, seeing them LOSE weight is great news to me. I see more speed in our edge rushing in the future! Henry bulking up out of a light 255 shouldn't slow him down too much.

DT

Average change: up 3.8
Biggest change: Payton Page up 19; 334 from 315

Average 2D change: up 0.2
Biggest change: Tyler Davis down 2; 298 from 300

I LOVE THIS TOO. Same as with the DEs, the 2-deep tackles barely moved. Nobody gained more than two pounds, and Davis and Orhorhoro both lost a little. Again, a leaner line means a faster line, and I trust the staff to do it the right way. Only blip here is Page: gaining 19 pounds when you were already 315 is rarely a good thing. He IS 6'4", so idk. We'll see. He's just a freshman.

LB

Average change: up 8.4
Biggest change: Kevin Swint up 25; 255 from 230

Average 2D change: up 6.7
Biggest 2D change: Jeremiah Trotter up 16; 226 from 210

Skalski lost a pound, everybody else bulked up a bit. Pretty normal here too. Patterson, Simpson, Spector and Venables all added 8 to 10 pounds. Average 2-deep LB weight is 234.

OL

Average change: up 11.1
Biggest change: Marcus Tate up 37; 327 from 290 (on the 2-deep)
Notable: Tristan Leigh up 25; 315 from 290
Notable: Ryan Linthicum up 19; 299 from 280

Average 2D change: up 9.8
Notable: Mason Trotter up 5; 285 from 280

Tate is listed as the backup LT and has blown up. Like with the DTs, with guys already this big, that's generally not good. We'll have to see. Only blip here is Trotter at 6'2", 285. He's a bit shorter but 285 is still lean. Everybody else is about where you'd expect. Good on Leigh and Linthicum for adding what should be good weight while they redshirt (presumably). Average post-spring listed starter weight is 307.

QB

DJ Uiagalelei down 3; 247 from 250
Taisun Phommachanh up 7; 227 from 220
Hunter Helms no change; 210

May as well just show all three. Helms at 6'2" 210 concerns me. That's small for a QB any way you slice it, and I really wish he'd added at least 5-10 pounds. Hopefully Taisun's recovery is progressing well; good to see some new pounds. DJ is what I really like here. He's obviously already huge, the biggest QB we've had in a LONG time, and him losing a few pounds will just make him that much more dangerous when he's moving. Remember, most guys gain weight, so losing weight really shows a concerted effort at staying in shape over the off season. Love where DJ's at.

RB

Average change: no change
Biggest change: Phil Mafah up 7; 222 from 215

Average 2D change: down 2.3
Biggest change: Mikey Dukes down 7; 198 from 205
Notable: Kobe Pace down 4; 211 from 215

Shipley, Rencher and Mafah all added weight, Dixon, Dukes and Pace all lost weight. I know everyone's excited about Mafah at 222, but personally I think Pace (already listed as co-starter) is gonna be the guy. He ran very well in the spring and slimming down should come with a notable increases to speed and acceleration. My concern is that everyone but Mafah and Pace are significantly smaller than Etienne, nor are they Etienne, so don't expect as many broken tackles as he spoiled us to seeing. But you never know!

S

Average 2D change: up 6.4
Biggest 2D change: Lannden Zanders up 17; 217 from 200
Notable: Joseph Charleston up 14; 204 from 190

I only looked at the seven guys on the 2-deep. This weight gain surprised me. Jalyn Phillips lost 3 but Charleston, Zanders, Mickens and Venables all added at least 5 pounds. There's a tiny bit of concern with a speed position adding so much weight with Charleston and Zanders, but they're still at good safety weights, so it could be a very, very good thing for us if they didn't slow down. Both are listed as co-starters with Turner, who added 2 pounds.

TE

Average 2D change: up 2.8
Biggest 2D change: Jake Briningstool up 18; 233 from 215
Notable: Jaelyn Lay down 9; 261 from 270

David had Briningstool in bold, despite him not being on the depth chart, so I included him with the other four. Good on him for adding 18 pounds. But WOW look at Lay losing weight! Maybe my favorite number on the whole team. At 6'6", 270, he's always been a freak specimen, but not the cleanest or quickest route runner, unsurprisingly. Anything he does to add quickness, either in coming out of cuts or setting his feet when blocking, is great news. Maybe now we can use our monster TE to his fullest potential.

WR

Average 2D change: up 6
Biggest 2D change: Troy Stellato up 23; 198 from 175
Notable: Decari Collins up 16; 216 from 200
Notable: Ajou Ajou up 9; 224 from 215

Just looking at the ten guys on the 2-deep, and check out Stellato! He's 6'1", which is NOT little, so he's gone from shrimp to proper Clemson size. Good for him! Ross and Spector both lost a few pounds, but everyone else bulked up. Ajou, Collins, Collins, and Stellato all added at least 8 pounds. Average weight for both the starters and the whole room is over 205. There are some horses in this stable!