Players to watch as camp begins

Photo by: Middle Tennessee State University

7/31/2019 6:02:00 PM | Football

By: Josh Vardaman

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – There are some interesting position battles to keep an eye on as Middle Tennessee kicks off fall camp on Friday.

From quarterback to middle linebacker and punter, new starters will dot the Blue Raiders' depth chart come the end of camp. Here are some of the names to pay close attention to over the next few weeks as those battles get started:

Offense

QB
10 Asher O'Hara: (6-0, 190) Likely the top returning QB on the roster who'll battle for the starting job. Redshirt sophomore from Rolling Meadows, Illinois, played in two games and redshirted last season, relieving an injured Brent Stockstill against FIU and finishing with 114 passing yards, 85 rushing yards and a touchdown.

16 Chase Cunningham: (5-11, 188) A redshirt sophomore who saw action in four games a year ago and has shown improvement every day he hits the field. A very knowledgeable and smart player who you better not sleep on as camp gets underway.

19 Randall Johnson: (6-5, 233) Junior college transfer who's likely the other candidate for the starting QB job. Los Angeles native was named Golden Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2018 for Reedley College after throwing for 2,832 yards and 28 touchdowns (8 INTs) while rushing for 797 yards and 14 scores.

RB
21 Jayy McDonald: (5-9, 196) Junior college transfer who'll provide depth at running back with returners Chaton Mobley and Terelle West. Oakland, California native led Laney College to a CCCAA State Championship in 2018 with 1,313 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He also may contribute in the kickoff return game this season.

WR
11 Brad Anderson: (5-8, 166) Former running back is making the switch to wide receiver, but don't be surprised to see him run some reverses and quick hitters out of the backfield. He suffered a gruesome leg injury against FIU last season and missed spring drills as a result.

81 CJ Windham: (6-2, 207) Was one of MT's best receivers through the first three games in 2018, hauling in five catches for 105 yards and three touchdowns, but was injured for most of the rest of the season. Redshirt junior is the team's third-leading returning receiver behind Ty Lee and Anderson.

83 Jimmy Marshall: (6-5, 215) The big junior needs to have a big year on the outside for MT. He finished 2018 with only five catches for 107 yards, but earned the team's most improved receiver and grinder awards in the spring.

OL
66 Will Gilchrist: (6-3, 275) One of a handful of candidates for an offensive line starting spot. Redshirt junior was a junior college transfer from Blinn College in 2018 before redshirting.

71 Angelo Owens: (6-4, 294) One of a handful of candidates for an offensive line starting spot. Played in 13 games in 2018 with one start at guard. Redshirt senior was granted an extra year of eligibility.

65 Marcus Greer: (6-3, 285) One of a handful of candidates for an offensive line starting spot. Played in four games and took a redshirt in 2018 while receiving the Newcomer Ironman Award at the year-end banquet.

Defense

DL
91 Jordan Ferguson: (6-2, 272) Junior from Atlanta saw his production and usage go up later in the 2018 season. He could be in line for a starting spot opposite senior tackle Malik Manciel, and in his career has seven tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

LB
32 Chris Melton: (6-1, 212) Senior took a redshirt in 2018 after suffering an injury against Georgia. He could be named the starter at middle linebacker, and goes into the season with 156 career tackles (102 in 2016).

DB
17 Kylan Stribling: (5-11, 198) Started the first two games at safety in 2018 before being injured and missing seven games. The redshirt junior will be nice depth behind safeties Reed Blankenship and Jovante Moffatt.

3 Gregory Grate Jr.: (5-11, 186) One of several cornerbacks fighting for a starting spot, and could also factor in as a nickel safety. Started two games in 2018 as a true freshman, including against Georgia when he had nine tackles. Had an interception returned for a 97-yard touchdown against UT Martin.

31 Justin Brown: (6-0, 184) One of several cornerbacks fighting for a starting spot. Earned the team's grinder award for cornerbacks in the spring. Played in eight games in 2018 and has nine career tackles.

19 Teldrick Ross: (5-11, 180) One of several cornerbacks fighting for a starting spot. Took a redshirt last season after playing in four games as a true freshman. Also, was a stellar baseball recruit at Jones County High School.

2 Chris Stamps: (6-1, 187) One of several cornerbacks fighting for a starting spot. Missed all of spring practice while recovering from offseason surgery. Played in all 14 games in 2018, including a start against Kentucky.

Special Teams

90 Matthew Stephenson: (5-10, 213) Redshirt junior was the team's holder and backup punter in 2018. Had five punts in 2018, sending two 46 yards and downing four inside the 20.

Matthew Rigney: (6-4, 191) Preferred walk-on will battle with Stephenson for starting punter duties. Independence High School (Thompson's Station, Tennessee) graduate is a native of Newcastle, Australia.

Some other newcomers
43 Brett Shepherd (LB): (6-4, 230) Former Maryland linebacker left the program in August of 2018. Played in 18 games in two years with the Terrapins, recording seven tackles.

73 Robert Jones (OL): (6-5, 332) Team's biggest offensive lineman. Junior college transfer from Highland Community College in Illinois, where he started 13 games in two years. 247Sports ranked him in the top 25 junior college offensive tackles in the nation.

74 Steven Losoya III (OL): (6-4, 304) True freshman was named 2018 region and Nashville Metro lineman of the year at Overton High School.

86 Jarrin Pierce (WR): (5-11, 184) Big-play receiver coming to MT from College of the Canyons. The junior college transfer led his team with 52 catches for 770 yards and five touchdowns in 2018.

87 Marquel Tinsley (WR): (6-2, 205) True freshman led the state of Kentucky in receiving three times at Daviess County High School. Finished high school career with more than 200 receptions and 4,000 yards to go with 69 touchdowns.

52 Darius "Juju" Williams (DE): (6-3, 235) Team's only four-star recruit in 2019, according to 247Sports. Hemingway, South Carolina native was also 247Sports' fifth-ranked recruit in the state of South Carolina.

4 Quincy Riley (CB): (6-0, 177) Had five interceptions in 2018 for A.C. Flora High School in Columbia, South Carolina. Three-star recruit, according to 247Sports, also was the region special teams player of the year and an all-state track and field member.

Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman
and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.