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B L U E - W H I T E G A M E P R E V I E W But even with Thorpe returning to his original position group, the Lions have been a bit thinner this spring than ex- pected, as redshirt freshman center Juice Scruggs has not been participating in practice after being involved in a car crash. Franklin did not elaborate on the extent of his injuries, saying only that he will be out of action this spring. FRANKLIN SAYS "We really believe that C.J. has got an unbelievable ceiling when it comes to being an elite offensive line- man, so we've moved him back over. He allowed us to create some depth and gain some maturity [at defensive tackle last season]. But we think for our team and for C.J., he's got a very, very bright fu- ture. He brings a physicality. We went back and watched cut-ups from early in the season and missed that on the offen- sive side of the ball, so we're excited about that." ANALYSIS While the staff is excited about Thorpe's potential, the battle be- tween him and Miranda for the right guard spot looks to be too close to call. As Gonzalez said, it's "probably going to go till the last week" of preseason camp. But otherwise, the depth chart is starting to take shape. Gonzalez is a lock at left guard, where he's started 29 games since the 2016 season. Menet started 12 games at center last year, and Fries started 11 games last year, includ- ing seven starts at right tackle. That leaves the left tackle spot, and even there, the situation is coming into focus, with Walker having turned in an impres- sive performance so far this spring. Gonzalez called the 6-6, 314-pounder "a freak athlete." "He has super-quick feet. He can keep up with anyone," the veteran guard said. "He has pretty good punch. His feet are just so smooth, and he has good flexibil- ity, good hip-bend, I guess you could say. Like I said, he's just a freak athlete." Walker played in four games last year, maintaining his freshman eligibility, and his upswing has continued this spring. The coaching staff isn't looking at him at the opposite tackle spot, preferring instead to get him as many reps as possi- ble at left tackle in order to build his confidence. That's a pretty telling sign that they expect to rely on him this com- ing fall. Said Franklin, "He's big, he's strong, he's athletic. He needs a thou- sand reps to gain the experience, but so far, so good." DEFENSIVE LINE NEWS Robert Windsor was back at de- fensive tackle in the March 20 practice. He had missed the Citrus Bowl while serving a suspension for a violation of

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