It takes three things to be a great O-Lineman: 1. must be big and long - - 6'6" with a good reach is a big plus, he needs to get his weight to a solid 315#, athleticism = quickness, mobility, flexibility is all important, nasty - there are a lot of big tough guys, but very few big nasty guys. Nasty is real simple: you beat the guy across from you relentlessly until he submits, you put him in the dirt every chance you get, you run him off the field every chance you get, you out work him every play, it's a unique take no prisoners attitude of pure dominance. If you have all these then you have the makings of a good o-lineman. Then you need to take a couple of years (at least) with hundreds of reps to perfect technique, and you need a couple of years on the weights to bulk up with good weight and get rid of the bad weight (an stellar example of this on the D-Line is Brett Johnson). If you are 6'6" and can squat a car and bench 400+ pounds, then you are probably going to be at the top of the heap of college o-linemen. If you have the frame, athletic ability and nasty, then the rest is all about hard work. That's why there are only two reasons why a freshman o-lineman plays and they go hand in hand. One is you are fortunate enough to get a freak athlete and two is your existing talent pool is not good and you have no depth. Freshman do end up starting at O-line, but I would bet everyone of them will tell you that they were much better as a player in their 3rd year (like any freshman starter). The thing that takes time with o-linemen is transforming youthful blubber into muscle. I'd like to see Jackson kill it in the weight room (along with all of our o-linemen) for the next two years.
It takes three things to be a great O-Lineman: 1. must be big and long - - 6'6" with a good reach is a big plus, he needs to get his weight to a solid 315#, athleticism = quickness, mobility, flexibility is all important, nasty - there are a lot of big tough guys, but very few big nasty guys. Nasty is real simple: you beat the guy across from you relentlessly until he submits, you put him in the dirt every chance you get, you run him off the field every chance you get, you out work him every play, it's a unique take no prisoners attitude of pure dominance. If you have all these then you have the makings of a good o-lineman. Then you need to take a couple of years (at least) with hundreds of reps to perfect technique, and you need a couple of years on the weights to bulk up with good weight and get rid of the bad weight (an stellar example of this on the D-Line is Brett Johnson). If you are 6'6" and can squat a car and bench 400+ pounds, then you are probably going to be at the top of the heap of college o-linemen. If you have the frame, athletic ability and nasty, then the rest is all about hard work. That's why there are only two reasons why a freshman o-lineman plays and they go hand in hand. One is you are fortunate enough to get a freak athlete and two is your existing talent pool is not good and you have no depth. Freshman do end up starting at O-line, but I would bet everyone of them will tell you that they were much better as a player in their 3rd year (like any freshman starter). The thing that takes time with o-linemen is transforming youthful blubber into muscle. I'd like to see Jackson kill it in the weight room (along with all of our o-linemen) for the next two years.
Sounds like a starter in year 2 or 3. Go Bears!