Date: 8/21
Position: Offensive Line
Position Coach: Richard Owens

Returning Letterwinners (Key stats): Dominic Esposito (13 games played, 12 games started, 84% grade, 35 knockdown blocks); Noah Fisher (13 games played, 13 games started, 85% grade, 30 knockdown blocks); Harrison Louden (11 games played, 6 games started, 89% grade, 12 knockdown blocks); Ryan Alexander (9 games played, 4 games started, 85% grade)

Letterwinners lost (Key stats): Stephen Foster (GP 11, GS 11); Curtis Williams (GP, 7, GS 6); Darius Young (GP 10, GS 5)

Newcomers (Yr., Previous school): D'Tavieus Taylor (Jr., Hinds [Miss.] CC); Bryan Ankerson (R-Fr., Theodore HS); Zeke Powell (Fr., Georgiana HS); Ethan Myers (Fr., Biloxi HS); Gunnar Dunaway (Fr., New Brockton HS); Haden Merchant (Fr., Fairhope HS)

Miscellaneous Notes
-Fisher was voted by the league coaches to the first-team all-Sun Belt squad during the preseason.  Fisher also received preseason second-team all-Sun Belt Conference accolades from both Phil Steele Publications and Athlon Sports.
-Last season, Fisher had a team-best 36 cut blocks, which were 14 more than any other player.  He has started all 25 games over the last two seasons.
-Esposito also received preseason honors this summer as he was named fourth-team preseason all-Sun Belt Conference by Phil Steele Publications.
-Alexander entered preseason fall camp as one of the projected starters at the tackle position after starting each of the last four games of the 2016 season at the left tackle position.
-Louden saw action in 11 contests, starting each of the last six at center and received seven grades at or above 80 percent, finishing the season with a team-leading 89 percent overall mark.
-Rowan Godwin, Nelson Santiago, Troy Thingstad, Zach Davis, Matt Stefin, Roy Albritton were all on the roster last season with Santiago (3 GP) and Thingstad (6 GP, 1 GS) both saw time of the field in '16.
-Thingstad made first collegiate start in regular-season finale versus New Mexico State before suffering an injury in practice leading up to the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl.
-Grimsley sat out the 2016 season due to NCAA transfer rules after coming to South from Miami [Fla.].

Richard Owens
-On his expectations for the offensive line group this fall: "The expectations are for us to come out, be assignment sound and to dominate up front.  We want to be able to take charge because we know as well as anyone that the battle is won and lost up front, so our expectations every year are very high."
-On where he feels the unit has improved the most since last season: "I think the area where we've made the most progress is in our pass protection.  During the springtime, we were more run oriented, but we also started to take pride and understand the difference of our techniques in order to be efficient in our pass protection."
-On what the group will need to do well in order for the offense to be successful: "Right now we are really trying to develop our depth and figure out who the next guy in is, who can move from one side to the other side and who we can pull in to fill a role if need be."

Noah Fisher
-On the preseason honors and the expectations/pressure that come with those accolades: "I'm extremely honored to be recognized with the preseason honors, but it's really all due to my teammates; they push me to get better and hold me accountable every day.  I just need to continue to work hard every day.  I feel that it's going to be a great year for the offensive line and the team."
-On the strength of the offensive line this season: "I would just say how close we all are.  We all trust each other and know what is going on out on the field. We have each other's backs so that goes a long way in helping us be successful."
-On how his preparation is different this season than his previous two seasons: "I just know what to expect more coming into this season.  I feel like it's my job to help bring the younger guys along and guide them throughout the season.  I just want to teach them what I learned last season as a result of my experiences."

Harrison Louden
-On the versatility of the group in the ability of the players to play multiple positions on the line: "I came in an played tackle my first two seasons, moved to center last season and now I'm at guard, and Dominic [Esposito] and [Noah] Fisher have also played multiple positions along the line, so we know what each position is going to do, and that just helps us click and move a lot faster and be a lot smarter out there on the field."
-On how he feels that he has improved and what his goals are heading into his senior season: "My first goal is to get back out there on the field in a game after my offseason surgeries.  I feel though that I've grown a lot mentally with coach [Richard] Owens and coach [Chase] Smith.  They've both help me out a ton with the mental side of the game.  They both have so much knowledge about the game and they've been able to pass that along, which has helped a lot.  They also push us to the limit and then some, and that's been great for us as a unit."
-On what he gained from the experience of starting the final six games last year: "I have a better understanding of how the game works and the speed of the game.  I know what to expect out there."

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