Preview 2008 - The Sun Belt Starting Lineups

The projected starting lineups, and key positions to spotlight going into the fall, for all Sun Belt teams.

Preview 2008

Projected Sun Belt

Starting Lineups

Who has the edge on a starting job going into the summer? What's the key position to watch out for and what needs to be addressed before the season starts? Here are the prjected starting lineups for every team.

Projected Starting Lineups
ACC | Big East | Big 12 | Big Ten | C-USA | Ind.
MAC | M-West | Pac 10 | SEC | Sun Belt | WAC

Arkansas State

QB 1 Corey Leonard, 6-1, 205, Jr.
RB 2 Reggie Arnold, 6-1, 205, Jr.
FB 34 Danny McNeal, 6-1, 255, So.
WR 82 Jarriel Norman, 5-9, 185, Jr.
WR 14 Brandon Thompkins, 5-9, 180, Jr.
TE 85 David Johnson, 6-2, 250, Sr.
OT 63 Matt Mandich, 6-3, 305, Sr.
OG 60 Dominic Padrta, 6-3, 295, Jr.
C 55 Brandon Ciaramitaro, 6-3, 295, Sr.
OG 59 Anthony Jackson, 6-4, 353, Jr.
OT 64 Mark Clemons, 6-4, 330, Sr.
PK 89 Josh Arauco, 5-9, 193, Jr.

DE 98 Alex Carrington, 6-5, 280, Jr.
DT 90 Bryan Hall, 6-2, 260, So.
NT 99 Khari Mays, 6-2, 290, Jr.
DE 44 Brian Flagg, 6-2, 243, Sr.
LB 46 Darius Glover, 6-2, 210, So.
LB 40 Ben Owens, 6-2, 223, Sr.
LB 51 Javon McKinnon, 6-0, 205, So.
CB 8 Dominique Williams, 5-10, 170, Sr.
SS 26 M.D. Jennings, 6-0, 165, So.
Position Spotlight: All Jennings has to do is replace Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, Tyrell Johnson, while Evan Van Dolah has to take over for sensational free safety Khayyam Burns. While there will be a drop-off from last year's stars, Jennings and Van Dolah were terrific at times in spring ball. Jennings might be undersized, but he makes plays.
FS 39 Evan Van Dolah, 6-2, 199, Jr.
CB 36 Daylan Walker, 5-9, 166, Jr.
P 11 Brett Shrable, 6-2, 226, Sr.

Florida Atlantic

QB 11 Rusty Smith, 6-5, 212, Jr.
RB 20 Charles Pierre, 5-9, 185, Sr.
FB 46 William Rose, 6-1, 227, Jr.
WR 16 Cortez Gent, 6-2, 170, Jr.
WR 7 Chris Bonner, 6-3, 195, Jr.
TE 88 Jason Harmon, 6-3, 210, Sr.
OT 65 Brandon Jackson, 6-3, 245, Sr.
OG 76 Ryan Wischnefski, 6-2, 310, So.
C 68 Nick Paris, 6-1, 290, Sr.
OG 73 Kevin Miller, 6-3, 304, Jr.
OT 71 John Rizzo, 6-3, 300, Sr.
PK 34 Warley Leroy, 5-10, 170, Sr.

DE 98 Robert St. Clair, 6-4, 250, Sr.
DT 92 Jervonte Jackson, 6-3, 280, Sr.
DT 95 Josh Savidge, 6-2, 280, Jr.
DE 94 Jermaine Council, 6-5, 275, Jr.
LB 49 Andre Clark, 6-1, 220, Sr.
LB 56 Frantz Joseph, 6-1, 229, Sr.
Position Spotlight: The offense is loaded with talent and experience with ten starters returning, led by QB Rusty Smith. The defense is another story with excellent corners, but plenty of issues everywhere else. One of the rocks will be Joseph in the middle, and he'll need to be better than ever to make up for the loss of playmaker Cergile Sincere.
LB 50 George Allen, 6-0, 220, Sr.
CB 26 Corey Small, 5-10, 170, Sr.
SS 3 Greg Joseph, 5-11, 195, Sr.
FS 38 Ed Alexander, 6-1, 172, So.
CB 5 Tavious Polo, 5-10, 160, So.
P 40 Mickey Groody, 5-11, 170, So.

FIU

QB 14 Wayne Younger, 6-3, 178, So.
RB 32 Julian Reams, 5-10, 205, Sr.
FB 27 John Ellis, 5-10, 233, Jr.
WR 84 Elliott Dix, 6-0, 201, Jr.
WR 82 Greg Ellingson, 6-3, 200, So.
TE 85 Eric Kirchenberg, 6-5, 250, Jr.
OT 58 Andy Leavine, 6-5, 292, Jr.
OG 78 Dustin Gibson, 6-5, 285, Sr.
C 63 Juan Gonzalez, 5-10, 245, RFr.
OG 50 Joe Alajajian, 6-3, 290, Jr.
OT 70 Mario Caraballo, 6-1, 253, Jr.
PK 41 Chris Cook, 6-1, 193, Jr.

DE 93 Ricky Booker, 6-3, 245, RFr.
DT 96 Jarvis Penerton, 6-3, 282, Sr.
DT 99 Daniel Chacreton, 6-3, 265, Sr.
DE 59 Cody Pellicer, 6-3, 235, So.
LB 44 Scott Bryant, 5-10, 220, Jr.
LB 47 Mannie Wellington, 5-8, 211, Jr.
LB 87 Ryan Martinez, 6-0, 216, Sr.
CB 26 Anthony Gaitor, 5-10, 175, So.
SS 18 Kreg Brown, 5-10, 193, So.
FS 11 Ashlyn Parker, 5-11, 206, Jr.
Position Spotlight: While Parker gets the depth chart nod, he's just holding the seat warm for Jeremiah Washington, the junior who missed all of last year with academic problems but showed he's ready to possible be the team's best defensive back after a dominant spring. He's a great tackler with great ball-hawking skills.
CB 29 Dezeriah Johnson, 6-0, 168, Jr.
P 10 Chris Abed, 5-8, 181, Sr.

Middle Tennessee

QB 9 Dwight Dasher, 5-10, 198, So.
RB 2 Desmond Gee, 5-8, 166, Jr.
FB 42 Jacob Longoria, 6-2, 227, So.
WR 13 Michael Cannon, 5-10, 185, Jr.
WR 17 Patrick Honeycutt, 5-9, 170, Jr.
Position Spotlight: The offense needs targets for Dwight Dasher to work with, and Honeycutt appears to be a keeper. An afterthought when spring ball began, he got better and better before finishing up with a monster spring scrimmage where he looked like a possible No. 1 target. The spotlight will be on this summer to see if he's the real deal.
WR 81 Wes Caldwell, 6-2, 178, So.
OT 78 Mike Williams, 6-3, 265, RFr.
OG 70 Jamal Lewis, 6-4, 302, So.
C 71 Jake Padrick, 6-0, 290, RFr.
OG 75 Chris Hawkins, 6-3, 285, So.
OT 72 Mark Thompson, 6-4, 300, Jr.
PK 38 Alan Gendreau, 5-11, 175, Fr.

DE 98 Chris McCoy, 6-4, 263, Jr.
DT 97 Trevor Jenkins, 6-1, 285, Sr.
DT 47 Dwight Smith, 6-1, 265, So.
DE 56 Wes Hofacker, 6-2, 252, Sr.
LB 55 Andrew Harrington, 6-2, 223, Sr.
LB 44 Danny Carmichael, 6-0, 238, Jr.
LB 27 Ivon Hickmon, 6-1, 213, Sr.
CB 6 Rod Issac, 5-11, 180, So.
SS 8 Anthony Glover, 6-2, 213, Sr.
FS 20 Jeremy Kellem, 5-10, 183, So.
CB 7 Alex Suber, 5-9, 165, Jr.
P 37 David DeFatta, 5-9, 184, Jr.

North Texas

QB 15 Giovanni Vizza, 6-1, 195, So.
RB 32 Micah Mosley, 6-1, 205, So.
Position Spotlight: Passing game, passing game, passing game. All the focus is on the high-octane UNT passing attack, but the ground game won't be completely ignored. Mosley was decent behind Jamario Thomas, and now he appears ready to blossom as a full-time starter. With a veteran line in front of him, he could be the team's breakout star.
WR 87 Casey Fitzgerald, 5-11, 195, Sr.
WR 8 Sam Roberson, 6-4, 210, RFr.
WR 82 Brock Strickler, 6-3, 219, Sr.
WR 19 Sam Dibrell, 6-2, 205, So.
OT 71 Matt Menard, 6-5, 275, So.
OG 57 Tyler Bailey, 6-2, 275, Jr.
C 68 Kelvin Drake, 6-2, 300, Jr.
OG 77 Esteban Santiago, 6-5, 302, So.
OT 64 Victor Gill, 6-5, 235, So.
PK 23 Thomas Moreland, 5-10, 193, So.

DE 94 Eddrick Gilmore, 6-5, 240, Jr.
DT 99 Isaac Thomas, 5-11, 289, Sr.
DT 65 Joseph Miller, 6-3, 275, Sr.
DE 43 Marquis Sykes, 6-3, 253, So.
LB 42 Craig Robertson, 6-0, 225, So.
LB 44 Tobe Nwigwe, 6-2, 237, Jr.
LB 59 A.J. Penson, 6-1, 220, So.
CB 35 Antoine Bush, 5-11, 176, Jr.
S 37 Kylee Hill, 5-10, 186, Jr.
S 13 Kartey Agbottah, 6-2, 190, Jr.
CB 31 Latif Nurudeen, 6-1, 200, Sr.
P 25 Truman Spencer, 6-3, 206, Sr.

Troy

QB 7 Jamie Hampton, 6-2, 193, So.
RB 30 Nathan Nolin, 6-1, 210, Jr.
Position Spotlight: Troy's offense doesn't always use a fullback and goes to plenty of three and four-wide sets, but there will be a great rotation of backs. Nolin is a good option who'll be the likely starter, but DuJuan Harris and Xavier Moreland combined for 229 yards in the spring game showing a good combination of burst and power.
WR 82 Jerrel Jernigan, 5-10, 175, So.
WR 88 Kennard Burton, 5-7, 167, Sr.
WR 81 Mykeal Terry, 5-8, 174, Sr.
TE 45 Travis Boyd, 6-3, 228, Jr.
OT 74 Dion Small, 6-2, 314, Sr.
OG 67 Wesley Potter, 6-5, 339, Sr.
C 75 Danny Franks, 6-3, 308, Jr.
OG 58 Tyler Clark, 6-3, 267, So.
OT 65 Chris Jamison, 6-3, 310, Sr.
PK 35 Michael Taylor, 5-10, 202, RFr.

DE 91 Brandon Lang, 6-4, 238, Jr.
DT 92 Steve McLendon, 6-4, 280, Sr.
NT 99 Dion Gales, 6-5, 285, Sr.
DE 90 Cameron Sheffield, 6-3, 237, Jr.
LB 50 David McDowell, 6-1, 259, Sr.
LB 2 Boris Lee, 6-0, 212, Jr.
LB 48 Bear Woods, 6-0, 216, Sr.
CB 12 Trevor Ford, 6-0, 183, Sr.
SA 15 Tavares Williams, 6-0, 221, Sr.
FS 6 Sherrod Martin, 6-1, 193, Sr.
CB 37 Chris Bowens, 6-0, 185, So.
P 47 Wil Goggans, 6-0, 217, RFr.

UL Lafayette

QB 6 Michael Desormeaux, 6-2, 200, Sr.
RB 32 Tyrell Fenroy, 5-9, 186, Sr.
FB 45 Chancellor Roberson, 6-0, 252, Sr.
WR 18 Derrick Smith, 6-1, 184, Sr.
WR 5 Jason Chery, 5-11, 180, Sr.
Position Spotlight: With more of an emphasis on the passing game, the excellent Ragin' Cajun receivers will finally be able to break out. Derrick Smith is a good target who should be in for a big season, while Chery improved throughout spring ball after leading the team in catches last season. He was more explosive and showed he could potentially be more consistent.
TE 88 Eric Jones, 6-4, 228, Sr.
LT 78 Kyle Pirtle, 6-6, 294, Jr.
LG 75 Brad Bustle, 6-2, 284, Jr.
C 79 Chris Fisher, 6-2, 280, Jr.
RG 60 Ian Burks, 6-2, 266, So.
RT 73 Jonathan Decoster, 6-4,, 297, So.
PK 48 Drew Edmiston 6-4, 195, Jr.

DE 93 Hall Davis, 6-4, 214, Jr.
DT 99 Seth Adams, 6-4, 288, Sr.
DT 95 LaQuincy Williams, 6-3, 283, Jr.
DE 97 Terrell Richardson, 6-5, 235, So.
LB 47 Grant Fleming, 6-3, 210, So.
LB 43 Brenton Burkhalter, 6-0, 223, Sr.
LB 41 Antwyne Zanders, 6-0, 212, Sr.
CB 3 Justin Branden, 6-1, 185, Sr.
SS 20 Derik Keyes, 5-10, 192, Sr.
FS 24 Phillip Nevels, 5-10, 190, Jr.
CB 37 Orkeys Auriene, 5-11, 165, So.
P 35 Spencer Ortego, 6-3, 178, So.

UL Monroe

QB 7 Kinsmon Lancaster, 5-11, 202, Sr.
Position Spotlight: The offense will now fully be Lancaster's. The Warhawks will still run the ball, and Frank Goodin is about to break out as a statistical star, but Lancaster is the veteran leader who should keep the offense moving through the air as well as on the ground. With one of the Sun Belt's best receiving corps, he'll bomb away at times.
RB 5 Frank Goodin, 5-9, 194, So.
WR 6 Marty Humphrey, 6-1, 187, Sr.
WR 3 Darrell McNeal, 6-0, 210, Jr.
WR 18 LaGregory Sapp, 6-3, 200, Sr.
TE 15 Zeek Zacharie, 6-3, 240, Sr.
RT 76 Larry Shappley, 6-5, 290, Sr.
RG 70 Aaron Schutz, 6-3, 310, Sr.
C 53 Keating Helms, 6-2, 300, Jr.
LG 74 Andrew Stout, 6-2, 290, So.
LT 79 Ryan Dercher, 6-6, 295, Jr.
PK 85 Radi Jabour, 6-2, 183, RFr.

DE 58 Alaric Coleman, 6-3, 250, Jr.
DT 92 Alex Ford, 6-1, 310, Jr.
NT 56 Brandon McCray, 6-1, 278, RFr.
DE 93 Aaron Morgan, 6-5, 215, Jr.
LB 50 Josh Thomas, 6-1, 195, Jr.
LB 51 Cardia Jackson, 6-2, 228, Jr.
CB 24 Tay Ogletree, 6-0, 195, So.
B 34 James Truxillo, 6-1, 190, Jr.
S 2 Greg James, 6-1, 195, Jr.
S 28 Josh Thompson, 6-2, 215, Jr.
CB 26 Nate Brown, 5-10, 175, RFr.
P 48 Scott Love, 6-0, 205, Jr.