The CheckerBoard

I'm not putting a number order on mine, but here is the 10 I feel are the most important for this year in no particular order:

Byron Moore - Randolph has one safety spot locked down and we desperately need someone to step up at the other S spot. Moore seemed to put his stamp on the spot in the Spring, so hopefully he'll build off of that this fall.

Justin Coleman - Lanier is out due to academics and we really need someone to step up and take a hold of the second CB spot. Coleman showed a lot of potential last year, but wasn't consistent enough to keep a spot. This guy seems to have the most potential of the incumbents and we really need him to lock down the 2nd spot and play with consistency.

Marlon Walls - We haven't had a guy that could get to the QB since Robert Ayers was a senior. Granted Walker and G. Williams showed flashes, but it was normally against weaker competition. Walls should be the starter and has all of the tools to be a good DE. This guy is extremely important in terms of being a guy that can cause a disruption.

Sentimore - See Marlon Walls

Daniel McCullers - We haven't had a guy with any kind of size, much less this guy's size at the DT/NG spot in a long time. We need this guy to come in ready and be able to cause a disruption in a bad way. He doesn't necessarily have to be a sack master, but we need him to be a disruptive force.

James Stone - This guy showed a lot of potential after he became the starter the second half of his freshman year, but for some bonehead reason, the coaches decided to make him snap with his off-hand which we all know caused a lot of problems that never should have happened. Bullard is apparently not in good graces at this point and IMO is not a better center than Stone. Stone at center truly gets your best five on the line and makes a big difference IMO.

Marlin Lane - It's obvious at this point that we need a RB to step up. I have no doubt that we have talent at the RB spot, but no one has stepped up to this point. I think that Neal, Young, and possibly Borque will have important roles in the backfield, but IMO Lane has the potential to be the guy that can carry the rock at RB.

Cordarelle Patterson - We need somebody besides Hunter and Rogers to step up. We all now that it killed this team last year when Hunter went down because nobody else stepped up. Hopefully Patterson can be that third guy that can take some pressure off of the other two. He doesn't have to be this machine that a lot are hyping him up to be, but he does need to be a guy that can interchange between the slot and outside so that they can try to create multiple mismatches. If Patterson makes a contribution then this takes pressure off the freshmen WR's coming to play vital roles immediately. Obviously you want the frosh to contribute, but I don't think you want to rely on them to be the guys to be vital to the offense's success at this point. Patterson on the other hand can be vital to the success, so it is important that he comes in ready.

Tyler Bray - I know this one may be a surprise, but we need Bray to be the guy who can beat the good teams. I have no doubt that he can, but he hasn't beat a good team to this point. Albeit it is not his fault for the most part, but it is time to start beating the teams that matter. This guy has shown improvement in so many areas since he arrived on campus and has now apparently become more of a leader. Now it's time for him to lead this team back to beating good teams and back to contention in the SEC East.

Michael Palardy - Without a doubt IMO, the most important player on the team at this point. The kicking game has flat out sucked ever since Lincoln's RS Fr. year. Palardy has the talent to be a good kicker, but I honestly think it is mental for him at this point. I have a feeling that he is going to factor in to a few close games this year, so it is important that he gets things together. If he can become a consistent kicker then I think this bodes well for the team's chances of winning games this year. If he kicks the way he did last year then we may be closer to a .500 record than we hope for this year.

Edit: I didn't put guys like Hunter, Rogers, and Maggit because I think we know what we'll get out of them if healthy. They'll be relied on heavily, but we need guys besides the ones that we know that will contribute to step up. I also didn't put Tiny because I feel that if he doesn't work out, you put Thomas back at LT and possibly move Jackson back in at LG, plus he has more experience that Tiny anyway.