Updated at 6:30 p.m.
Depth Chart
Practice No. 13 is in the books, and the annual Blue-White Game is just three days away.
Anxious for what could be the depth chart for Saturday?
Of course you are . . .
Offense
QB – Matt McGloin/Rob Bolden/Paul Jones
RB – Silas Redd/Zach Zwinak/Bill Belton
FB – Michael Zordich
WR – Justin Brown/Allen Robinson
WR – Christian Kuntz/Shawney Kersey
WR – Shawney Kersey/Matt Zanellato
TE – Garry Gilliam/Jesse James/Kevin Haplea
LT – Adam Gress/Nate Cadogan/Luke Graham
LG – Miles Dieffenbach/Angelo Mangiro/Patrick Christie
C – Matt Stankiewitch/TyHowle/Frank Figueroa
RG – John Urschel/Eric Shrive/Khamrone Kolb
RT – Donovan Smith/Mike Farrell/Kevin Blanchard
Note: Wide receiver is lacking depth because of injuries to Alex Kenney (knee/ankle) and Devon Smith (left foot sprain), so many guys rotated. Smith was seen walking with a slight limp in street clothes, sans motorized cart.
Defense
DE – Sean Stanley/C.J. Olaniyan/Kyle Baublitz
DE – Pete Massaro/Deion Barnes/Brad Bars
DT – Jordan Hill/Anthony Zettel/Cody Castor
DT – DaQuan Jones/James Terry/Tyrone Smith
LB – Gerald Hodges/Ben Kline
LB – Glenn Carson/Michael Yancich
LB – Jamie Van Fleet/Mike Hull
CB – Stephon Morris/Derrick Thomas
CB – Curtis Drake/Adrian Amos/Jesse Della Valle
Saf. – Malcolm Willis/Tim Buckley
Saf. – Jacob Fagnano/Stephen Obeng-Agyapong
Notes: Amos was seeing safety work in individual drills as well . . . Linebacker Khairi Fortt did not practice Wednesday. His status for Saturday is in doubt . . . Obeng-Agyapong was wearing a red no-contact jersey on Wednesday and had a sleeve over his shoulder.
Earlier at 12 p.m. — Stanley: ‘I Haven’t Made the Impact I Wanted to’
Senior defensive end Sean Stanley appears to have nailed down one of the starting jobs along the defensive line.
But getting reps on the field hasn’t been the issue with Stanley. Last season, he played in all 13 games and made 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
‘Over my career I’ve done all right,’ Stanley said Wednesday. ‘I haven’t made the impact I wanted to.’
Stanley is aiming for a double-digit sack season, which would almost certainly lead to All-Big Ten recognition.
‘We’ve had great players here,’ Stanley said. ‘They all made their impact. I just see it as my time.’
Earlier at 10:13 a.m. — Adam Gress is the Man to Beat Out at Left Tackle
By the second week of spring practice, redshirt junior Adam Gress was seeing most of the first-team reps at left tackle.
Thank you, Craig Fitzgerald.
Gress added about eight pounds to get to 310 and decreased his body fat, leading the first-year strength and conditioning coach to say Gress looked like an NFL lineman.
He said on conference call Wednesday morning the improvements in the weight room have translated to explosion on the field.
Limited to back-up duty and special teams work a year ago, in large part because of veteran tackles Quinn Barham and Chima Okoli, Gress set out this winter knowing full well four spots on the offensive line were open.
Heading into the summer season, he’s the guy to beat out at left tackle.
‘Having not started before and me coming into my last two seasons, having the new staff come in gave me the opportunity to set a new pace and I guess prove myself,’ Gress said. ‘I wanted to make sure I was gonna get the best out of these two years so I turned it up a bit.’
So was the decision to move Gress to the left side early in the spring a signal the coaching staff is entrusting him to be an anchor on the offensive line?
There is a position battle at right tackle.
And remember, all three of the contenders for the starting quarterback position are right-handed, meaning the left side is the blind side.
Position Battle at Right Tackle
Gress started the spring at right tackle before making the switch to the left side by the end of the first week.
Left in his wake is a position battle between senior Mike Farrell and redshirt freshman Donovan Smith.
‘I couldn’t even tell you who gets the majority of reps because I’m focused on myself on the other side,’ Gress said. ‘It’s kind of up in the air.’
During the brief 30-minute peek the media saw of practice Wednesday, Smith was seeing first-team reps.
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