 |
#71 Ethan Douglas |
Position: Offensive Line Previous College: None Projection: Second-String Status: On Scholarship |
Ethan Douglas (b. Nov. 27, 1989) is one of those guys who, if you can't root for them to have a little success, you simply have no heart.
He grayshirted in 2007, redshirted in 2008 and appeared briefly in only two games in 2009. But his breakthrough moment dawned in August 2010, when Clyde Aufner suffered an undisclosed injury in fall camp.
Bill Snyder did not yet have the faith in Manase Foketi that he showed later that season, so Zach Hanson remained Foketi's backup at left tackle for the UCLA game. Filling Aufner's right tackle spot, then, was the untested Douglas.
We all know what happened next. On the second play of the game, Douglas went down with a torn ACL and had to be helped off the field to a cart. His season — and with it, perhaps his only chance to be a starter — was over.
That's some hard luck and you have to feel for the kid. He played sparingly, if at all, in 2011 and he has gained about 23 pounds, which might not be good weight given his injury history. It remains to be seen how or if he will contribute.
Personally, I'm rooting for the guy, even though I think we have recruited over him and he won't be a starter again.
But he does provide needed depth and experience at the guard positions, and perhaps even at tackle.