Roster talk

The 2009 roster has been up for a couple of days and I finally had a chance to take a closer look at who's back and who's not.

Let's start with who is not on the roster. Of the 85 underclassmen on the 2008 roster, 75 have returned. Here's the breakdown of who is not on the roster.
Player Position Year in School (in 2008)
Michael Gabriel OL Freshman
Jake McCrary RB Freshman
Jason Pelletier DB Sophomore
Wes Phillips DB Junior
Nick Simmons DL Sophomore
McConnell Smith WR Freshman
Matt Smock DL Junior
Wells Stewart K Junior
Grant Todd DB Junior
Ryan Vandersloot WR Sophomore

Looking at the names, McCrary, Simmons and Smith were all key contributors on the junior varsity team but receiver and defensive line may be the 2009 Bulldogs' deepest positions (along with tight end). The early reports on the Yale freshmen running backs makes me think that may be the position where first-year players make the biggest impact so while Yale will miss those players, I think the Bulldogs' depth shouldn't take a hit.

The names of 30 freshmen have been previously reported but there is a new freshman Jordan Buxton-Punch. He is a running back who is from Alpharetta, Georgia but played prep school ball at St. Paul's in New Hampshire last year.

Linebacker Austin Pulsipher is back after a two-year Mormon mission while quarterback Patrick Witt (Nebraska) and offensive lineman Gabe Fernandez (UCLA) transferred and are eligible to play right away.

The other thing worth noting is the weight gains from last year's preseason roster to the 2009 player listing. I counted 18 players who have either gained or lost at least five pounds.

Leading the way is senior Cory Palmer, the only returning starter on the offensive line, who went from 261 to 305. Defensive linemen Patrick Moran and Joe Young added 30 and 20 pounds respectively. Senior captain Paul Rice bulked up from 225 to 240 as he moves from cornerback to linebacker. Sixteen of the aforementioned 18 have put on weight thanks to Yale's strength and conditioning coach Emil Johnson's offseason workout program. Running back Jordan Farrell (who missed the 2008 season with a shoulder injury) and offensive lineman David Bollweg dropped 10 and 7 pounds.