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'20 CA OT Gerad Lichtenhan (SIGNED to COLORADO)
- Thread starter WasianCU
- Start date
Looks like a huge human being, as important his feet are much better.
I don't think the improvement in the OL and DL will match the improvement we see at some other positions but just being a P5 level unit will be a major step up and directly result in wins.
The past few years we have had our complaints about the QBs as well as the RBs/WRs and many of them haven't been up to standard but our OL was so bad that I doubt that Lamar Jackson could do anything with them in front of him.
On the other side of the ball our LBs and DBs have had very little protection from the DL.
Be great to see Lichtenhan continue to develop and become our next NFL LT.
There’s a reason he’s still here. Bodes well for the OL
From what I saw he looked like he had good enough power, always room to get stronger though.
For him the challenge was learning how to use his size and power. Should see a significant improvement with better coaching, more talented teammates, and an offense with a coherent plan and direction.
Last year he looked like a mid major's big hoss basketball center.
Finally healthy and in a system, he's transforming into looking like an all P5 conference offensive tackle.
It's exciting to see.
With the news that Christian-Lichtenhan made the Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list, I was bored and decided to look into the Pac12 numbers on the list.
Of the 20 Pac12 offensive linemen who made the list:
- Gerad is 1 of 6 from the class of 2020
- Gerad is 1 of 5 Left Tackles
- Gerad is 1 of 2 Left Tackles from the class of 2020
Given that there’s been some quiet excitement in the building regarding his potential, I think we might be in store for a special season from him. Very clear the scouts who have been at practice like what they see from him so far. Have heard his conditioning is top notch. One of my favorite stories on the team.
Of the 20 Pac12 offensive linemen who made the list:
- Gerad is 1 of 6 from the class of 2020
- Gerad is 1 of 5 Left Tackles
- Gerad is 1 of 2 Left Tackles from the class of 2020
Given that there’s been some quiet excitement in the building regarding his potential, I think we might be in store for a special season from him. Very clear the scouts who have been at practice like what they see from him so far. Have heard his conditioning is top notch. One of my favorite stories on the team.
He was that Coach Kap project recruit. Think about going from Kap/Tucker to Dorrell/Rod to Dorrell/coach whose name escapes me, to Prime/BOB.
OL coaching gumbo.
To those (mostly outside of the CU circle) who have been critical of Coach Prime's remake of the program Gerald is indisputable evidence that Prime and his staff didn't just come in an boot everyone out of the program.
What CP did coming in is tell everyone who was here that in order to be a part of this team they would have to earn their spot, nothing would be given to them simply because they had a jersey last year.
Consider that this individual was far from highly recruited out of high school. Many on this site were critical of taking him. Also consider that he was out of shape and that his technique was seriously lacking.
At the same time CP and his staff brought in multiple other linemen as transfers including some who had prior connections to coaches on the staff. They brought a new system, they brought new terminology.
Most of the other holdovers on the OL from last year decided to leave either transferring out or just quitting football. Gerad instead stayed, he obviously has bought in to the new program 100%. He has worked his tail off to get better physically and to meet the expectations mentally. He is clearly well liked by his teammates and could even be looked at as a leader. He earned the right to be a part of this team and a key part of the offense and he is.
For anybody out there who thinks that CP was harsh or unfair with the athletes who were already here this guy is proof number one that isn't the case. What is the case is that CP stepped up the level of expectation and a lot of guys made the decision that they weren't willing to make that commitment.
The result is that this guy is going to be able to look back and say that he was a part of building CU football into something players can be proud of.
JMBuffs
Well-Known Member
I'm surprised he is a Senior, huh
He is a RS Junior with 2 years of eligibility left. Part of why it’s so notable. Seems the scouts think he has enough pro potential to leave early with a good season.
Not that it's important, but William Vlachos was the interim when Mitch Rodrigue was fired and then they hired Kyle Devan full time. I actually thought those two guys seemed competent, but that's possibly because anyone would have looked competent after coach blocking sled.
As an aside, Vlachos is part of the "Hey I Remember That Former CU Coach" all-stars at Western Kentucky with Andy LaRussa and Tyson Summers. He's the "Blitz Coordinator and Defensive Run Game specialist" after one season as the OL coach at Central Michigan under Coach Sparkles and OC Paul Petrino. Weird career move to WKU.
Kyle Devan is the AHC/Run Game Coordinator/OL coach at Charlotte this season.
He's going to be at least a late round pick as a multi-year P5 starter. Especially since the draft philosophy in the last few rounds for many teams is to pick a guy who has something exceptional (size, speed, agility) since anyone who has the complete package is off the board and drafting productivity without exceptionality almost always means a guy who can't athletically make it in the NFL.
So right how I see him as a 6th or 7th rounder who could easily jump to the 5th with a solid season. If he plays great, he's a 2nd or 3rd rounder imo.
Weird career move but logical.
The best way to get the stink of what CU was off of him is to go someplace and win. If they can win at WKU that will advance his career faster than being mediocre at a bigger program.
Still has to work his way up but easier if he can point to being a winner.
Selfishly I'd like to see him stick around another year and develop, he is still very raw.
With his measurables and another season of development he potentially could move up to 2nd-3rd rounder which would pay him substantially better and also almost guarantee him at least a couple years with a team to develop at the NFL level.
To be clear, he went from CU (QC -> interim OL coach) to CMU (OL Coach) to WKU (some sort of support role).
Even if you were to argue that WKU presents a better opportunity, he took a step down from an OL coach role at CMU to get to a support role at WKU. Not sure what this has to do with CU.
Would that make him a Prime example?
On the coaching ladder he took a significant step down, also from P5 to the MAC to C-USA is a downward trajectory.
My only argument was that he had the misfortune of being in that role at CU at a time when the program was known nationally as a joke, as worse than incompetent, and as the ultimate losers.
In college football if a head coach wants to keep his job he has to win. To do this he wants assistants who have proven themselves by winning. If he can be a part of making WKU a winning program, even from a support role that may help him to overcome the stain of being part of the CU disaster and make it easier for him to climb back up the ranks of the assistant coaching world.
This 2023 team is going to have more draft picks over the next two years than CU has had in the last 10 years (pure speculation and possible hyperbole)
Easily. Not hyperbolic at all actually.
I am so glad to see tank playing well and being a leader. I randomly met a coach from Davis California the year we landed him and he said that GL had all the size and potential talent but he was not sure he had the drive to be great. Glad to see that he has put in the work to become what he is today.
Good for him.
Wells, Tank and Hankerson. Did Oregon State watch us this year?
JMBuffs
Well-Known Member
Hank and Wells will be serviceable
I was joking. Those are three veteran players who’ve played a lot of football against P5 competition. They will all be great signings and valuable additions for a team transitioning to a G5 schedule
They’re a MWC team and need MWC talent.