Rodney Picou, a 6-4, 300-pound offensive lineman from Canyon Springs High
School in Moreno
Valley,
Calif., said, "We have some big boys on our D-Line. The boys on the East
D-Line are not as
big. We've
been checking them out."
In a short scrimmage work at the end of the West practice Wednesday, the
offensive line
had its
troubles with the defensive front.
Jon Mack, who coaches at St. Bonaventure High School in Southern
California, agrees that
the offensive
front "is not as big as we have been in the past, or as big as we would
want." But he
thinks his men
have other qualities that will make them successful when the East and West
teams meet in
the
Alamodome at noon CST Saturday. Scout.com is a media partner and the game
will be
nationally
telecast by NBC.
Mack said, "The guys are real coachable. They have good feet and good
technique. They have
been
well-coached in high school."
The West offensive line started the week missing a coach. They will go
into Saturday's
game missing a
player. Mack didn't arrive until after the first practice. "It put us a
day behind, but
we're working hard to
get caught up," he said.
Saturday the West will be without Jesse White, a 6-3, 295-pound center
from Boulder, Colo.
White, an
Oklahoma commitment, injured his knee prior to all-star practice.
Additionally, he became
ill and lost
about 18 pounds before reporting. And then he injured his ankle in an
early week practice.
Although he
tried to carry on, he finally had to pull out of the game.
That leaves the West with a magnificent six for five offensive line spots.
And it would
have been five-
for-five except that the squad had enough defensive linemen to move
Ndamukong Suh, a 6-5,
280-
pound defensive tackle from Portland, Ore., to the offensive front. Suh,
who is deciding
between
California and Nebraska, also played left guard in high school and is in
that spot.
Indeed, the five West starters are all in the positions they played in
high school. The
East has had to
experiment with its linemen, all of whom were left tackles in high school.
Mack said, "Everyone is learning his own spot and also learning the spot
next to him."
But the "depth" comes from Picou, a Nebraska commitment. He is playing
every position on
the
offensive line except center. In practices he starts as a backup, then
replaces the left
tackle, Miami-
bound Reginald Youngblood, 6-5, 275, from Houston for a play. After taking
another play
off, Picou
moves into the left guard spot manned by Suh. After another play off,
Picou goes in at
right guard for
Craig Roark, a 6-3, 295-pounder from Ada, Okla., who has committed to
Nebraska. Then it's
another
play off before substituting for right tackle Daniel Borg, a 6y-6,
285-pounder from
Tucson, Ariz., who
will play for his hometown Arizona.
With White leaving, the only center on the West squad is Josh McNeil, a
6-4, 285-pound
Tennessee
commitment from Collins, Miss. McNeil is also handling deep snap duties on
punts and
placekicks.
Roark did get a little work at center in Wednesday's practice, but McNeil
acknowledged,
"I'd better not
get hurt."
McNeil said he had not only noticed the East defensive linemen, but the
offensive linemen,
too. The East
offense has a much bigger group. McNeil is particularly interested in
Michael Oher, 6-5,
340, of
Memphis, who is playing center for the East. McNeil said, "I think he'll
be a guard in
college. If he goes
to Tennessee, I hope that's what he is." Oher is to announce his school
Monday and
Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU and Memphis are the finalists.
West Head Coach John Barnes of Los Alamitos, Calif., said, "There is a
world of difference
in our
offensive line from the first day of practice until the third day. They
are tough kids,
and we need them
to be. If you can't block, you can't get a play off."
Barnes said, "They are typical offensive linemen-the best guys on the team
because they
don't care who
gets the
credit."