Re: TNET: Swinney says competition heating up at left tackle, backup center

CDS had mentioned Marcus Tate as an option at LT last year, if needed. As we all know, Dabo didn’t mention T.Leigh in any similar context last year.

It always fascinates me about how Dabo is always aware of how rising players (remember, they are all young and impatient, wanting to play early and often).

He keeps the players motivated and (as best as can be done with young people who all had been stars in HS) justifiably hopeful about their playing prospects, even if many of them remain as second string when the season starts.

Back to Tate and Leigh as LT starter candidates.

I think Tate will start at LT. He has extensive OL playing experience, and he is our best player from all of the starting 4 from last year that are still here. Leigh will be backup LT, and will get a lot of early season PT because of our ‘warm up’ games.

Moving into the LG spot will be D.Pennington. I thought he looked great in the spring. He was quick enough to square up against our excellent DTs, and was moving them without getting a ‘running’ start. Lock up, and then move the DT out of the hole from a standing start. That’s pretty awesome stuff. He also moved well enough in getting to the second level to not be embarrassed.

Left to right: Tate / Pennington / Putnam / Parks / Miller.

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LOL! Oh, okay, the "center thing means little".

Aug 19, 2023, 3:59 PM

Well, it means that the rating services, which you claim have him as a "3-star", rate him as one of the best at his position in the nation: top 5 by all but one, which rates him as #8. Now, you're right, he wasn't very highly rated as a WR, or a QB, or a DE. In fact, he wasn't even rated at those posititions; he was rated as a center, and as a center he was rated among the top 5 in the nation by MULTIPLE services. He was a very highly rated center.

Rivals rated him as a high 4-star (NOT A 3-STAR) and 119 player nationally, with a grade of 5.9 (6.1 is 5-star).

ESPN rated him as a 4-star (NOT A 3-STAR), at 245 nationally, with a grade of 82. Here is what ESPN says about that grade:

"80-89 Outstanding Prospect
Player has abilities to create mismatches versus most opponents in the NFL. A feature player that has an impact on the outcome of the game. Cannot be shut down by a single player and plays on a consistent level week in and week out. He rates in the top 10 at his position and is considered a second round draft prospect."

On3 rated him as a 4-star (NOT A 3-STAR) and 248 player nationally.

The only service that rated him as a 3-star was 247.

He was invited to play in the Under Armour All-American game, which typically doen't invite 3-star players. While recruiting ratings are a ultimately a guessing game, and OL is probably the most difficult position to evaluate, Ryan Linthicum was a 4-Star All-American who was rated by most services as a top-5 player at his position, and was expected by most to play in the NFL some day.

I don't know where all of this crazy stuff about him being a mid-level, developmental prospect came from. That may have turned out to be the reality, but that was not the buzz around him when he signed with us.

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TNET: Swinney says competition heating up at left tackle, backup center