Who Are The Bucs’ Four Pillars For The Future?

Among that crop of young talent, there were four guys who were marked from the beginning as the “four pillars” of AEW: Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF), Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara and Jungleboy Jack Perry.

These were young upstarts in their 20s who had shown star potential despite not being highly recognized names just yet. From the beginning, it was made clear that they’d be the faces of the future for AEW. Fast forward to Sunday night, and these four are squaring off for the promotion’s top prize, the AEW World Championship. MJF is the current titleholder, and the other three have been locked in a feud with him over the belt heading into the Double or Nothing Pay-Per-View.

Why am I writing about this?

Well, it’s a good way to frame the current state of the Bucs’ roster.

In this context, who are Tampa Bay’s four pillars? To be clear, this isn’t asking who the four main stars of the team will be this year or in the coming years. Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Lavonte David, Tristan Wirfs, Vita Vea, and say, Devin White are names who are already recognizable and considered established, so they’re not eligible.

This is more about young players who have yet to truly break out, though they’ve shown the potential to be stars once they do get their chance to shine. So, who on the current roster might make up a “four pillars” type of group for the future?

Which Bucs Youngsters Could Cement Themselves As The Four Pillars?

At first glance, it’s hard to say there are four clear answers as to who could make up a Bucs version of the four pillars. For one, guys like Antoine Winfield Jr., Carlton Davis, Jamel Dean and Vita Vea are established enough in their own right, so they should be ruled out as well. They’re all young, but they’re essentially all either in their primes or entering those prime years.

Which guys, then, are unproven enough to warrant consideration?

There are plenty of candidates, including Rachaad White (24 years old), Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (24), Zyon McCollum (24), Logan Hall (23) and perhaps Cade Otton (24). White is the most proven among the group, but he has a chance to really take things to the next level in 2023 and beyond.

Tryon-Shoyinka, by contrast, may be set for his last chance to establish himself as a pillar this season.

Some guys in the 2023 rookie class — like Calijah Kancey (22), Trey Palmer (22), YaYa Diaby (soon to be 24) and maybe Cody Mauch (24) — could quickly establish themselves, too.

There was definitely an element of projection when it came to AEW settling on its own four pillars, so there has to be some of that with the Bucs’ as well.

Bailey Adams Picks The Bucs’ Four Pillars For The Future

If I’m going to take a stab at it.

I’m going with Rachaad White, Zyon McCollum, Calijah Kancey and Trey Palmer.

White really could develop into a 1,000-yard runner. McCollum has all the tools (physical and athletic) to be a fantastic starting NFL cornerback. Kancey is an athletic freak with plenty of tools. Palmer has the makings of an explosive playmaker downfield.

This is a quartet that could realistically be big-time contributors for Tampa Bay within the next few years. It’s far from a slam dunk, but there’s no denying that the potential is there.

But that’s the fun of it — it can be any combination of four unproven-yet-intriguing youngsters. From that wider group — or anyone not named — who would be in your “four pillars” conversation? Let us know in the comments section below, Pewter People!