I took a moment to think about this move.
Yes, I like our young safeties, including—or especially—the current HS commits. However, the two areas hardest hit by graduation next offseason are going to be tight end and safety (and special teams, but who’s counting?). Otherwise, the ‘21 team is going to be loaded.
With Richard Bowens, Keonte Jones and Jaeveyon Morton all leaving the team (all of whom could have played safety or Star), the most experienced player is likely to be D.J. Miller as a junior, followed by a bunch of underclassmen.
So, as much as you like your youngsters, add a dash of experience for leadership.
As far as the tight end room is concerned, the staff already hedged their bets by adding JC redshirt DeShawn Hanikah late, and moving Dan Sichterman over to help at Sam Seonbuchner’s old F spot. Along with Dean and Loving-Black, that’s an intriguing TE room.
And there’s at least a slight chance that Charlie Kolar doesn’t go pro. If he does, either Sichterman will count as the “senior leadership”—or the staff has the option to bring in a grad transfer then. Either way, it’s covered.
Gosh, it’s almost like CMC & Co have a plan or something. Speaking as a Cyclone fan since the finish of Earle Bruce’s tenure, dang I love this staff!