Lehigh released their spring prospectus today, and anyone still asking the question "Where's the beef?" from that 1980s Wendy's commercial don't need to bother asking it any longer: they just need to look at the offensive linemen on Lehigh's roster.While the 2009 schedule is detailed in the prospectus, and the incoming class has some new tidbits of information as well that are included, but I'll talk here about my initial reactions about what Lehigh Nation might expect in 2009.
1. Beef. Count 'em: five offensive linemen, junior OL Ricky Clerge, sophomore OL Vinny Pellegrini, junior OL Alex Rowe, junior OL Keith Schauder and junior OL William Rackley all tip the scale at over 300 lbs. That could be the first time that's ever happened at Lehigh - and not a senior among them. Add to that junior NG David Brown, tipping the scales at 315 lbs on the defensive side, and you have a team that is going to be huge in the trenches without question. And did I mention that all are underclassmen?
2. Who Will be Clark's Three Amigos? Junior QB J.B. Clark has the starting nod at quarterback - that's a given. But what's interesting is the logjam at wide receiver, which may have been clarifed a little in the prospectus. Listed first are the two seniors, senior WR Jimmy Pocotnie and senior WR Brien Ruyak, who appear to perhaps have a slight edge at becoming the No. 1 receiver. After that, junior WR Craig Zurn, sophomore WR Travis Artim and sophomore WR De'Vaughn Gordon get mentions. While I wouldn't rule out someone working their way into even the starting lineup with a strong spring, these five seem to have the ever-so-slight edge going into camp.
3. An interesting "D"-line mix. Senior DL B. J. Benning (and LFN Fave) is a lock for a starting position on the line, but the depth on the 3-man front on Lehigh's 3-4 defense seems interesting. With junior NG David Brown as the "wide body" in running downs, senior DL Darrell Ray, junior DT Phil Winett and junior DE Billy Doukouslis could be an interesting rotation up front for Lehigh. Doukouslis was mentioned as someone who coach Coen is "eager to see what he can do." Coach Coen is not alone.
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