By Heath Bradley.

Today we will look back at what we learned during fall camp on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. We will start with the offense and a breakdown at each position.

Defensive End- The Tigers will go with a five-man rotation at defensive end. On one side the starter will be senior Malliciah Goodman, Tavaris Barnes who has moved back outside from defensive tackle will back him up. The other side will be Corey Crawford, who is expected to start, and Vic Beasley. The fifth man in the rotation is Kevin Dodd, Dodd spent last season in prep school and will avoid a redshirt in 2012. The coaching staff will look to redshirt Martin Aiken from Bamberg for the 2012 season.

Defensive Tackle- At the end of fall camp, Brent Venables told reporters the plan was to go with a five-man rotation for the two defensive tackle spots. Dabo Swinney who told the media that both Carlos Watkins and DJ Reader would avoid a redshirt and play in 2012 reiterated this last night following practice. They will be used as backups to Josh Watson, Grady Jarrett, and DeShawn Williams who are still battling for the two starting roles and the third man in the three-man rotation.

WILL Linebacker- Tig Willard has emerged from fall camp as the starter at WILL linebacker to open the season. Fellow senior Corico Wright, who makes the transition from Mike to WILL linebacker for 2012, will back up Willard. The third man in the rotation is sophomore Tony Steward. Steward, who will avoid a redshirt in 2012, after knee surgery in 2011, is expected to be a starter on special teams and see snaps at linebacker as well.

MIKE Linebacker- Stephone Anthony will be the starter at MIKE linebacker for the Tigers entering 2012. Venables has raved about the talent and understanding of Anthony numerous times this fall. Anthony, while only a sophomore will look to be a leader on this defense in 2012. Spencer Shuey is currently listed as the second-team MIKE linebacker for 2012.

SAM/ Nickleback- The race at this position will have a lot to do with what type of formation the Tigers are in. The players involved are Quandon Christian, the prototypical outside linebacker, Lateek Townsend, a violent hybrid linebacker type, and Travis Blanks, the hybrid player who would be used more as a rusher off the edge as well as a defensive back. Depending on the personnel the Tigers have on the field, any of these three could see playing time. Coaches seem to be very high on what Blanks can give them; they feel that he could be a player that could fill all three roles in time. It will be interesting to see how coaches use him early in the season.

Cornerback- Brent Venables told the media Tuesday that he was comfortable with the starters at cornerback, but after the starters was not sure about the depth the Tigers currently have at corner. Those starters, Bashaud Breeland and Darius Robinson have logged a lot of snaps in their short Tiger careers. Behind those two will be Garry Peters a converted safety and Cortez Davis who redshirted in 2011. Xavier Brewer may also see snaps at cornerback, as he will play both at the corner and safety positions as a “swing man” in 2012.

Safety- Rashard Hall has returned after missing the spring due to surgery in the off-season. From all reports, Hall seems to be at 100%. A healthy hall along with Jonathan Meeks and Xavier Brewer will equal a very veteran safety corps for the Tigers. It will be very interesting to see who are listed as starters when the depth chart is released later this weekend. Hall has had a big day in scrimmages, while Brewer and Meeks have both improved greatly in their tackling in space as well as coverage skills. Also available is Robert Smith, Smith who played as a true freshman, will offer depth to these three, as well as push them in practice.