At corner back, Logan Ryan and Brandon Jones form the top duo in the Big East and one of the best in the country. Ryan is coming off an All Big East performance in 2011, and he is getting some preseason hype nationally. He is true lock down corner who has the size and strength to play press coverage and the speed to run with receivers down field. Ryan also has tremendous ball skills, finishing 14th nationally in passes defended last year. If he builds off the great success he had a season ago, he will be an All American candidate and a potential first round draft pick. I don't think a lot of fans realize how good he is. Brandon Jones is easily overlooked on this defense, but he is a very good player in his own right. The senior has a nice blend of size and speed, while also possessing the ability to play man coverage. Mason Robinson, Marcus Cooper, and Gareef Glashen will see a lot of time as reserves this season.The 6th year senior Robinson looks to return to the field after missing all of last year with a knee injury. He will be playing defense for the first time in his college career, but the converted RB/WR is the favorite to win the nickle back spot. Cooper has great size and will probably be the primary back up for Ryan and Jones on the outside. The speedster Glashen could contribute in nickel packages as well, primarily covering slot receivers. The youngster Tejay Johnson also provides depth.
At safety, senior Duron Harmon looks to build off his All Big East selection from a year ago. Harmon is a very instinctive player and he covers a lot of ground as the lone deep safety in the defense. He has tremendous ball skills (5 interceptions in 2011) playing "centerfield" in this defense, and he is a very strong pass defender. Sophmore Lorenzo Waters is the lone new starter in the secondary, replacing David Rowe, and he is a very physical player who will often play down in the box to stop the run and blitz. Wayne Warren will back him up and play in dime packages, and when he is on the field he makes his presence known. Last year he recorded 2.5 sacks, an INT, a forced fumble and broke up 3 passes. J.T. Tartacoff will transition from wide receiver and back up Harmon, while run stopper Jonathan Aiken gives depth to the position.
Safety Davon Jacobs and corner Jevon Tyree are part of Rutgers' 24th ranked incoming freshman class, and both players are almost certainly going to red shirt. Jacobs is a fast, rangy athlete with good ball skills, giving him the talent to become a starting free safety in the future. Tyree, who happens to be Mohamed Sanu's cousin, has solid size, fluid hips and good feet, making him a great fit for what Rutgers asks their corners to do.
Jeff Hafley really did a nice job coaching this unit last year (obviously Schiano had a lot of influence on them as well), and Robb Smith looks to keep things the same here as both the position coach and the coordinator. He will keep the same scheme in place, with the corners pressing at the line and being left on an island in man coverage with the free safety over the top and the strong safety down in the box. Smith knows what he is doing and has been in the program for a while, so he should make this transition as smooth as possible.
The defensive backfield will be one of Rutgers' biggest strengths this season. They have top end talent, plenty of experience and quality depth. They will have a very difficult test in September against Arkansas, who features future first round draft pick Tyler Wilson at quarterback, but they probably won't face another high octane passing game after that. They should not miss a beat from last year, even with the new coaching staff, and they should consistently dominate and have a top 10 pass defense once again.
No comments:
Post a Comment