University of North Texas Athletics
Green Gang: Spring Season Rewind: The Offensive Line
4/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Return to Play
By Steven Bartolotta, April 18, 2010, 12:46 p.m.
Now that the spring is over (thank goodness) we thought we would dissect a few positions and who stood out during the spring and what to expect as we head forward into the fall camp, which need I remind you is less than four months away. We move to the trenches and talk about the offensive line.
Spring Star - J.J. Johnson. Yes, this is an easy pick to make but with all the injuries the right one. Johnson really is the anchor that holds this unit together. Just a junior he should make enough of an impact to start getting serious all-conference recognition this year. Johnson was solid in the spring and what was pretty impressive to see was he did his part to help a lot of the newcomers learn their roles in the spring.
Runner Up - Matt Tomlinson. He's played just about every position on the o-line since arriving except center, but with so many bodies out this spring Tomlinson took advantage of that. He's big, and seems to have a little more mobility than before. Tomlinson's chances of starting hinge on the health of the rest of the o-line, but with his spring performance you feel a lot better about having to go deep if you have to.
Honorable Mention- Ayodele Adedipe. He's a great story of a guy who walked onto the team last fall and has just used old fashioned hard-work to get on the field. Adedipe last nearly 50 pounds since arriving in Denton, and has used the spring to work back into football shape at the tackle spot. He's still a big body at 320 pounds, but he's not just a great story, he could possibly help this team in the fall. He's playing behind Victor Gill, but much like Tomlinson and others this spring, it was important for them to get work this spring in case of health trouble in the fall. Coach Leftwich really started to take a shining to him, which for Lefty says a lot.
Fast Forward To The Fall- Kelvin Drake, Esteban Santiago, and Victor Gill will all return in the fall. The offensive line unit as a whole is the deepest on the offensive side of the ball. The one interesting battle to watch in the fall will be Coleman Feeley trying to hold off Aaron Fortenberry to win the starting guard spot. Feeley has the upper hand but Fortenberry will have a chance to win the job. Names like John Noble, Troy Franklin, and Jeremy Bean also need to be on the radar. All three got significant work this spring. Noble is a big guard who redshirted last season. Franklin is a guy who I think has been searching for a home since he got to Denton, might have finally found one. The rest of the offensive line is in great shape. While Lance Dunbar will get most of the headlines for what he will do rushing the ball, it's the hogs up front who deserve a lot of that credit.
