Jonathan Himebauch would like nothing more than to see them grow up overnight, to fast-forward to a time when the position is second nature and potential is no longer part of the discussion.
But benefits of the aging process are not limited to the finest bottles of cabernet sauvignon.
“It's not a situation where we have other guys that we can trade for,” said Himebauch, San Diego State's offensive line coach. “We can't go out and pick guys up off the waiver wire. If we had to line up today, we'd be in trouble. Fortunately, we don't.”
Absent four offensive linemen who combined for 35 starts last year, the Aztecs are beginning to get a gauge of just how successful their recruiting efforts have been the past three years.
Focusing the vast majority of its energies on rebuilding an offensive front suffering from a dearth of depth, SDSU's staff has recruited no fewer than 17 offensive linemen during coach Chuck Long's three-year tenure. It was an approach born out of necessity, with the previous regime, under coach Tom Craft, having left the incoming Long with nary an offensive lineman in the program's sophomore class.
Now, in 2008, the rent has come due. The Aztecs return just three offensive linemen – guards Mike Schmidt and Lance Louis and center Trask Iosefa – who saw playing time last year. At present, SDSU is employing two redshirt freshmen – Kurtis Gunther and Mike Matamua – at the tackle spots, with additional help expected to come from El Camino College junior transfer Taylor Wallace. Because of academic issues, however, Wallace's arrival has been delayed until fall.
“So many of these guys were scout team players last year, and they're just starting to get a taste of our offense,” Himebauch said. “It's so much different in terms of speed, and things are moving fast for them.
“I think the biggest thing for young offensive linemen to be successful is the pre-snap, knowing what to do before the play starts. Once they get to that point, it's the same with any other athlete, the game starts to slow down and you're able to see things develop a lot easier.”
Such is the theory, at least.
“I've got a long way to go, there's no doubt about that,” said the 6-foot-8, 270-pound Gunther, one of six offensive linemen in last year's recruiting class. “That's why I'm out here after practice all the time. Technique has been a constant struggle for me. I've been working on it for about eight months now, but I'm still going through my share of struggles. It's a daily battle. All you can do is try and fix one thing each day. Fortunately, we've got a lot of time before we have to go out and play a game, because we need all the time we can get right now. That's why spring ball is so crucial.”
It's also why Himebauch relishes his job.
“We're excited about these guys,” he said. “These are guys that I went out and recruited. We've got a lot of new faces; they're introducing themselves to each other in the huddle. But we're growing together, and that's the great thing. It's also great that we've got a long way to go before August.”
Notre Dame tickets
SDSU is making 500 tickets available to current students for its Sept. 6 game at Notre Dame. The tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. Monday and can only be purchased at the Aztec Ticket Office, located at Window E at Qualcomm Stadium. Tickets are $65. Students must have a current SDSU red student ID. There is a limit of one ticket per person. Tickets are nonrefundable and may not be transferred. For more information, contact the Aztec Ticket Office at (619) 283-SDSU.
Mick McGrane: (619) 293-1850; mick.mcgrane@uniontrib.com
