While the most glaring name-brand loss to the offense is wide receiver Sammie Stroughter (drafted 233rd overall by Tampa Bay), the loss of four key seniors on the offensive line might hurt even more.

Included in the departed bunch is former powerhouse left tackle Andy Levitre, drafted 182 spots ahead of the dynamic wide receiver (51st overall by Buffalo). LG Adam Speer, another All-Pac-10 performer, will be sorely missed as well.

With plenty of talent at their disposal, Head Coach Mike Riley and Line Coach Mike Cavanaugh have a lot to work with. But how quickly some of the young starters and depth guys can learn on the job will determine whether 2009 will be a rebuilding year or another shot at the conference title.

Alex Linnenkohl holds off UCLA's Brigham Harwell

Left Tackle:

64 Colin Kelly, 6-4, 284, Redshirt Freshman
68 Wilder McAndrews, 6-4, 288, Junior

- Colin Kelly was locked up in a tight race for the left tackle job with Junior Timi Oshinowo, but Oshinowo suffered a knee injury at the end of the spring that will require surgery. He may be ready to return by October at the earliest. With Wilder McAndrews missing spring practices with a wrist injury, Kelly enters the fall atop the depth chart by default.

Kelly, who also played tight end and basketball in high school, appears to have retained much of his speed and agility in the process of building up strength as he has bulked up.

McAndrews should be fully recovered come fall practice, and he is another true athlete who played both offensive line and participated in track in high school as a hurdler. He redshirted in 2007 after transferring from Hawaii (where he wasn’t on the football team), and played in three games before suffering his wrist injury in 2008.

What both players lack in experience they make up for in raw athleticism, and whoever isn’t starting will provide depth at both tackles in 2009.

Left Guard:

63 Ryan Pohl, 6-3, 284, Junior
61 Michael Lamb, 6-3, 285, Sophomore

- Ryan Pohl received a 3-star ranking from rivals.com and was ranked the 49th best offensive tackle in the 2006 class. At Kamehameha high school in Hawaii, Pohl helped the team win the state title as a lineman in 2004 and in 2005 helped the soccer team win the state title as its goalkeeper, a testament to how quick Pohl and his reflexes are.

At OSU he has seen limited playing time, starting two games at left tackle in 2007 and playing in three games in 2008. Pohl is considered a very intelligent player, and while a bit undersized he makes up for it with good decision making and light feet. With all of the departed seniors, Pohl will finally get some quality playing time in 2009.

Whether it will be as a starter will depend on how Michael Lamb performs this fall. Lamb missed most of the spring with a knee injury, but should push for the job when the position battle resumes.

While he lacks game experience, he made great strides as a redshirt in 2007 and on the scout team in 2008. The former Jesuit High (OR) won two state titles in his high school career, and was first team all-league and all-state as a junior on the o-line. Pohl has the edge, but both players should see time in 2009.

Brent McNeil was originally projected to fight for this spot as well, but issues on (injuries) and off the field have moved him down the depth chart. He still has time to get back in the mix if he can get healthy and sort everything out, though.

Center:

60 Alex Linnenkohl, 6-2, 297, Junior
70 Grant Johnson, 6-3, 278, Sophomore

- Alex Linnenkohl is the backbone of this offensive line, and emerged as an extremely reliable center in 2008. Despite having only played in two games in 2007, Linnenkohl proved to be a very quick learner on the job, starting in all 13 games last season and never looking out of place among his more experienced line-mates. He plays an extremely physical and hard-nosed game, which is what the Beavers football mentality is all about.

Rivals.com gave Linnenkohl a 3-star rating as a recruit, and he was ranked as the 14th best center in the class of 2006. After a strong 2008 campaign, he will be called upon to provide leadership and stability on the line, and should have no trouble doing so.

Right Guard:

73 Gregg Peat, 6-3, 295, Senior
78 Ben Motter, 6-5, 271, Sophomore

- To Linnenkohl’s right will be Gregg Peat, who started in all 13 games last season at right guard. Like Linnenkohl, you wouldn’t have been able to tell it was his first year as a starter watching him play; he was fundamentally sound and was heralded for his consistency, not suffering the exaggerated ups and downs at the position that some players do. For a player that was unheralded as a recruit to have come this far is a testament to what a hard worker and good learner Peat is.

Named a co-team captain on the offense (along with quarterbacks Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao), Peat’s hard work on and off the field will definitely set an example for the rest of his teammates to follow.

Right Tackle:

50 Mike Remmers, 6-4, 299, Sophomore
74 Burke Ellis, 6-4, 268, Sophomore

- A walk-on who redshirted in 2007, Remmers was forced into action as a starter at right tackle in 2008 until Tavita Thompson regained eligibility. In the seven games he started Remmers had his share of mistakes as most redshirt freshman do, but showed he had the strength and the potential to succeed at the position.

Despite his struggles last season, actually getting real game experience as a starter, especially for a walk-on, is invaluable. With the in-game experience gained from last season and an entire year to work on his form and technique, Remmers should take a step forward here in 2009.

True Freshman Factor:

Michael Philipp, 6-3, 320
Geoff Garner, 6-6, 300

The word “beast” gets thrown around all the time, but nothing else sums up Michael Philipp better. The jewel of Mike Riley’s 2009 recruiting class is already the biggest man on the Beavers’ roster. The 4-star super-recruit was ranked the best offensive guard of the entire class, the 66th best overall player in the 2009 class, and the second strongest offensive lineman in the class.

Mike Riley has made his intentions with Phillip very clear; “He’s either a starter or a redshirt, there’s no in-between. We are not going to waste a year with Michael.”

Coach Riley would obviously prefer to redshirt Philipp and let him gain a year of learning the playbook and working out with the team without losing a year of his eligibility, and my guess is that that is what will probably happen. But considering how inexperienced the line is, we’ll have to watch Philipp closely in the fall; he may make Riley’s decision a lot more difficult.

Geoff Garner is an outstanding athlete that played tight end in high school as well as basketball and baseball. With his size and raw athletic ability, he also has the potential to avoid a red shirt.

My Take

It is difficult to look at this unit and believe that they won’t struggle this season. Gone on the left side are two extremely talented and experienced pieces in Adam Speer and Andy Levitre, and in their place are two position battles between largely inexperienced candidates.

That said, there is plenty of athletic ability among them; and pure talent mixed with hard work goes a long way. The fact that Peat and Linnenkohl stepped right in with no problem last season is a reminder that it can happen; and both should be even better here in 2009.

My guess is the line will have an off year in 2009, but with the experience gained this season and Michael Philipp and Geoff Garner on the way, they should be a powerhouse as soon as next year.

Then again, as I type out that I think this unit will struggle, I can’t help but think of how much the Beavers love to prove people wrong. Time will tell, but whoever takes Canfield/Moevao’s spot in 2010 should be in very good shape.