Army Spring Depth Chart Review: Center/Kicker

At the center position, Army returns rising sophomore Ryan Powis while others battle for backup playing time. The Cadets are looking for a replacement for veteran Alex Carlton. Look inside to get the full scoop on the Black Knight centers and kickers following spring drills.

Center
Starter: Ryan Powis #52 So.
Back up: Todd McDonald #51 So.
As a freshman Ryan Powis started the last eight games at center. If he stays healthy expect him to finish his Army career there. Powis dominated at times as a plebe. He was the best player at USMAPS in 2010 and has continued to improve. He was a former champion wrestler in high school. He is very quick, has excellent balance and plays with leverage. He is flexible and can bend his knees. Physically Powis is explosive and very strong off the snap. Ryan is tough, competes every down and has the orneriness of a pit bull. The only area of his game that needs work is the quarterback-center exchange. There were a few times last season, especially when Max Jenkins was at quarterback, that Ryan was so quick out of his stance that the quarterback didn't receive the snap cleanly causing fumbles.

Sophomore Todd McDonald was a teammate of Powis’ on that excellent United States Military Academy Prep School offensive line in 2010. Todd was a walk-on at USMAPS who won the starting right guard job. McDonald was moved back to center at West Point and started on the JV team as a plebe. McDonald is an overachiever and isn't near the talent of Powis but he's had an excellent spring. He made a huge move up the depth chart. He was an undersized (5-11, 253 pound) center who received little recruiting interest despite being an All-Star performer for Esperanza high school in California. McDonald is a great technician who understands blocking angles and position. McDonald moves fairly well and showed some quickness and pop off the snap. He is a fighter with a mean streak who gets after his opponents and he played well this spring. Despite being undersized Todd is very strong through his core.

Army has tremendous depth at center with Will Wilson and Michael Kime, who are competing at tackle, having starting experience last year at center. If you’re looking for a player to watch in the future it’s probably the center from the prep school. We'll discuss him on our Incoming series which looks at the new plebes after R-Day.
Kicker
Starter: Eric Osteen #37 Sr.
Backup: Billy Fisher #36 Jr.
With the graduation of inconsistent Alex Carlton the kicking job is wide open. Senior Eric Osteen won the starting job in the spring. He nailed both his field goal attempts in the Armor-Infantry spring game. Osteen has a strong leg and did an excellent job on kickoffs last year. The other kicker, Billy Fisher, is a hard worker but has been inconsistent at times. Fisher kicked on the JV team last fall. The player to watch here is the prep school kicker who we will discuss after R-day during our Incoming feature.