The Bobcat Nation

What will the 2-deep look like at OL and CB next year?

Hmm this is off the top of my head driving

OL
Fleischmann - Winters
Mastel - Kaplan
Rollins - Ezekial
Zimmer - Nilson
Thorton - Luhmann




CBs
Carr - thomas
Boys - Coleman II

Will Titan kick out to tackle or stay at guard?

Will Mastel stay at guard or move back to Center?

What is Rollins best spot?

I imagine Carr will be back in the mix.

Assuming no one else leaves for Portal, I think it would be:

LT:
Zimmer / Thornton
LG:
Mastel / Nyland
C:
Kaplan / Nilson
**This is a spot where Mastel could play, as he was slated to start the season
RG:
Rollins / Carr
RT:
Fleischmann / Ezekiel

Depending on development, they may move Thornton to RT, and slide Fleischmann into RG again would be my guess

Corners:
I'm confident we'll pick a few up, so this will likely change

CB:
Carr / Krein (?)
CB:
Boyd / Coleman / Steptoe (?)

I think Tom Carter played some DB in high school. All-state cornerback first team. Very fast and athletic. 10.83 100m in high school.

TomCat88 wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 13, 2026 8:57 pm

I think Tom Carter played some DB in high school. All-state cornerback first team. Very fast and athletic. 10.83 100m in high school.

I'm very surprised Carter hasn't found a spot yet. Stud in HS.

KIX wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 13, 2026 9:09 pm

TomCat88 wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 13, 2026 8:57 pm

I think Tom Carter played some DB in high school. All-state cornerback first team. Very fast and athletic. 10.83 100m in high school.

I'm very surprised Carter hasn't found a spot yet. Stud in HS.

He will! Now everyone is expecting to young guns to play early.. He will be on the bus for sure next year.

My wayyy to far out reckless prediction for the 2 deep would be...

(Blue = 2025 All Conference; Blue + Bold = 2025 All American)

OFFENSE 2 DEEP
QB - Lamson, Warren/Vigen
WR - Dowler, Reed
WR - Steel, Cole
Slot - Woods, Hendrick/Carter
TE - Lencioni, Schlepp/Valcin
RB - Jones, Breslin/Coon
LT - Zimmer, TBD
LG - Rollins, Kaplan
C - Mastel, Nyland
RG - Fleischmann, Carr
RT - Thornton, Ezekiel

DEFENSE 2 DEEP
LE - Brock, Solano
DT - Marsh, Sharbono
DT - Asuega , Black
RE - Crews, Vigen/Fredrickson
LB - Taylor, Grebe
LB - Daly, Ahrens
CB - Boyd, Steptoe
CB - Carr, Thomas II
NB - Gray, Ross
SS - Dowler, Dolan/Petre
FS - Meredith, Taki

This roster is absolutely STACKED already, only need a few portal pieces here and there to strengthen a few areas. We have guys waiting in the wings, but I would go after 5 spots to bolster this championship caliber roster...

My Portal Targets would be...
1 DT
1 DE
2 CB
1 WR

BlueAndGoldNation wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 14, 2026 12:40 am

My wayyy to far out reckless prediction for the 2 deep would be...

(Blue = 2025 All Conference; Blue + Bold = 2025 All American)

OFFENSE 2 DEEP
QB - Lamson, Warren/Vigen
WR - Dowler, Reed
WR - Steel, Cole
Slot - Woods, Hendrick/Carter
TE - Lencioni, Schlepp/Valcin
RB - Jones, Breslin/Coon
LT - Zimmer, TBD
LG - Rollins, Kaplan
C - Mastel, Nyland
RG - Fleischmann, Carr
RT - Thornton, Ezekiel

DEFENSE 2 DEEP
LE - Brock, Solano
DT - Marsh, Sharbono
DT - Asuega , Black
RE - Crews, Vigen/Fredrickson
LB - Taylor, Grebe
LB - Daly, Ahrens
CB - Boyd, Steptoe
CB - Carr, Thomas II
NB - Gray, Ross
SS - Dowler, Dolan/Petre
FS - Meredith, Taki

This roster is absolutely STACKED already, only need a few portal pieces here and there to strengthen a few areas. We have guys waiting in the wings, but I would go after 5 spots to bolster this championship caliber roster...

My Portal Targets would be...
1 DT
1 DE
2 CB
1 WR

Who’s Cole? Unbelievable lineup. I think Carr will be a starting guard and Titan will be a tackle. Zimmer, Rollins, Mastel, Carr, Titan.

QB...Patrick Duchien? Did I miss him going in the portal. Where is he on your 2 deep list? He will be a Junior.

CaturdayClack wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 14, 2026 10:24 am

QB...Patrick Duchien? Did I miss him going in the portal. Where is he on your 2 deep list? He will be a Junior.

My question too?

nanacat wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 14, 2026 10:52 am

CaturdayClack wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 14, 2026 10:24 am

QB...Patrick Duchien? Did I miss him going in the portal. Where is he on your 2 deep list? He will be a Junior.

My question too?

Patrick is the #2
#1 is Lamsons to lose
Everyone else is speculative

In regards to the offensive line, I am curious what kind of shuffling will go on probably won’t really know till well into spring ball

For kicks and giggles.

Offense

LT: Zimmer, Winters? (wouldn't be surprised to see Matthew Perusse here)
LG: Carr, Nyland?
C: Mastel, Kaplan
RG: Fleischmann, Rollins
RT: Thornton, Noble/Ezekiel

If Kaplan proves he can be one of the best 5 or 6, then there's a strong case to having him at center and Mastel at LG again. I've heard the coaching staff is very high on Thornton, and I think Titan is better at guard than tackle.

The bad news is that while the were good this year, they struggled at times.
The good news is that we aren't replacing 3 or 4 starters.

iaafan wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 14, 2026 8:53 am

BlueAndGoldNation wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 14, 2026 12:40 am

My wayyy to far out reckless prediction for the 2 deep would be...

(Blue = 2025 All Conference; Blue + Bold = 2025 All American)

OFFENSE 2 DEEP
QB - Lamson, Warren/Vigen
WR - Dowler, Reed
WR - Steel, Cole
Slot - Woods, Hendrick/Carter
TE - Lencioni, Schlepp/Valcin
RB - Jones, Breslin/Coon
LT - Zimmer, TBD
LG - Rollins, Kaplan
C - Mastel, Nyland
RG - Fleischmann, Carr
RT - Thornton, Ezekiel

DEFENSE 2 DEEP
LE - Brock, Solano
DT - Marsh, Sharbono
DT - Asuega , Black
RE - Crews, Vigen/Fredrickson
LB - Taylor, Grebe
LB - Daly, Ahrens
CB - Boyd, Steptoe
CB - Carr, Thomas II
NB - Gray, Ross
SS - Dowler, Dolan/Petre
FS - Meredith, Taki

This roster is absolutely STACKED already, only need a few portal pieces here and there to strengthen a few areas. We have guys waiting in the wings, but I would go after 5 spots to bolster this championship caliber roster...

My Portal Targets would be...
1 DT
1 DE
2 CB
1 WR

Who’s Cole? Unbelievable lineup. I think Carr will be a starting guard and Titan will be a tackle. Zimmer, Rollins, Mastel, Carr, Titan.

Kaden Cole is an incoming freshman. He's a 6'2 contested catch monster WR out of Houston. I believe he is good enough to come in and get some playing time right away as the 4th or 5th WR to rotate in behind Taco, Dane, and Jabez. He offers something our other WRs don't, height and a true back shoulder threat. Cole's game really reminds me of Lance McCutcheon's. Once he puts on a little more muscle, watch out!
I also think Carter Dahlke out of Gallatin might come in and get some time, but I think his real target for playing time will be 2027. His game reminds me of Dane Steel. He will probably redshirt and then play a role later.

As far as the line goes, I have a hard time seeing them moving Titan after he was a 1st Team All American at right guard. His goal and aspirations are to play at the NFL level, and that is made clear by him seemingly choosing to stay and pass up on a quick payday. His best shot at the NFL is to keep dominating at right guard.

From what I have heard, Thornton is a very talented Tackle waiting in the wing. He is said to be a lot like Zimmer, his weight isn't quite there, but he is incredibly athletic and strong. I think the possibility of having 2 "Zimmers" out there and leaving Titan at his All American position is intriguing.

nanacat wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 14, 2026 10:52 am

CaturdayClack wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 14, 2026 10:24 am

QB...Patrick Duchien? Did I miss him going in the portal. Where is he on your 2 deep list? He will be a Junior.

My question too?

Yeah, I believe after one more off-season of developing the whole QB room, the backup QB position will be up for grabs again. We all thought Wilson was the shoe in starter/backup after last season just because he came in and played a little here and there in 2024 garbage time. We saw last summer that Wilson's backup spot was overtaken by Duchien when Lamson came in.

I believe this cycle will happen again this year with Duchien losing his backup spot to a guy that develops past him. The QBs that came in last year as freshman are Uber talented.

River Warren was one of the highest rated QB prospects we have ever gotten out of high school. He had 5 or so FBS offers, and he even had a visit to Oklahoma. He was the number 1 QB out of Oklahoma that year. He is an incredibly accurate passer in the short to mid range, and can throw on the run. Weirdly enough, his game reminds me of Lamson. Here are some of his highlights...


Grant Vigen was also an impressive prospect out of Gallatin. He is now hovering around 6'6 and 215 pounds. He's got a cannon of an arm, and a frame only QBs can dream of. He has a whole host of potential to be our starter down the line. I think that another season of him developing what he needs between the ears will do wonders for him. 2027 will be his target to truly compete and have a shot for the starting spot. Here are some of his highlights...


I know highlight reels against high school competition dosen't paint the whole picture of how well the player does at the D1 level. But, you can see traits. You can see throwing mechanics. You can see athleticism, and what made them big recruits in the first place. I believe Warren and Vigen will make big steps forward this off-season and challenge for the backup spot. Warren will be the one to watch for the most though. If he doesn't get the backup spot, I wouldn't be surprised if he transfers next year. He's too good of a prospect to sit 3 deep on the bench.

If Lamson finally smashes into a defender so hard that he gets injured can any of these 3 pick up the slack? I know we won't have much of an idea until after spring ball but wondering about initial thoughts.

coloradocat wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 14, 2026 1:09 pm

If Lamson finally smashes into a defender so hard that he gets injured can any of these 3 pick up the slack? I know we won't have much of an idea until after spring ball but wondering about initial thoughts.

I feel like that depends largely on the level of competition. Could MSU beat the likes of Weber State, Cal Poly, or Northern Colorado with a backup QB? Absolutely. But if they have to make a playoff run without Lamson then it's a very different story. It will be very interesting to see how the freshman QBs develop between now and the fall and in particular if River Warren is as good as the offers he got during his recruiting process would suggest he is.