Post Spring Defense:

[FredWhite2]

The defense had several question marks going into spring practice... The certainties coming out of spring camp are: AJ Johnson is a beast and will start at ILB. Randolph will be at FS. Herman Lathers will be at either SLB or ILB. That's about it for 100% certainty. The defense as a whole received a lot of praise for their effort to want to get better and to learn the defense coach Sal is installing. Luckily there were no major injuries in spring ball, which is always a huge plus, and guys had the opportunity to learn and gain reps at multiple positions.



DE- Marlon Walls had to be licking his chops when he heard the defense would be primarily a 3-4 scheme this year. Walls is the prototypical DE in a 3-4 scheme and has also become a team leader in the locker room. Stephen Folkes also did well this year in spring ball and used his length and leverage very well at both OLB and DE. He will provide depth here this fall.

NG- One of the biggest question marks due to inexperience and Mt. McCullers not arriving on campus yet, Mo Couch would start here if the season started tomorrow despite being dinged up in spring ball this year. Greg Clark showed improvement, but is still a back-up at this point. EE Freshman Trent Taylor impressed when given his opportunity here as well. Given Taylor is not the ideal size, he still produced and looked good.

DE- Darrington Sentimore could be scary good if he dedicated himself... He's listed as the #2 option at DE, but I think that's to help motivate him this offeseason. He shows flashes of what he's capable of, but is not in the best condition. He's at about 300 and it's not a good 300 lbs either. He needs to get in the weight room and on an eating plan b/c he needs to add good muscle mass and he could be scary. Stephen Folkes and Jordan Williams will also contribute here.

Jack- Jacques Smith has the perfect make up physically for this position. He's 6'3 255 and athletic, but he hasn't wowed anyone yet. I'm not too worried b/c he's still learning and that could contribute to him playing hesitant at times. Jordan Williams has also received praise at the position and even got reps with the starting unit...

ILB- AJ Johnson gets my Defensive MVP award this spring. He looks like he's lost a few pounds and gotten quicker than he was a year ago. He is a stud on the inside in this defense. John Probst has looked pretty good in the spring. He will provide depth at ILB this year for us.

ILB- Herman Lathers has returned to his old form. That's great news for us. Lathers looked sluggish out of the gate, but really turned it on the last week or so to finish spring camp. I hope he can stay healthy b/c he and Johnson give us a great middle of our defense. Willie Bohannon has gotten reps here in spring ball. Obviously he's learning not only the system, but how to play LB after being a DE the last 3 years. Bohannon has the body and enough speed to be a wall at ILB if needed.

OLB- Curt Maggit will probably be the starter here when we kickoff against NC State. He's got great pass rush ability on the outside and is a great fit at OLB. Brent Brewer is another name being thrown out to play here in the fall, but both of these guys have been in red non contact jerseys all spring. That has opened the door for guys like: R. Crump, W. Bohannon, and D. Sapp time to get reps and have opportunities to show what they can do. Crump has had the best spring out of the 3, but Sapp looks great in pass coverage at OLB.

CB- Justin Coleman is the most aggressive corner we have right now. He's got ideal size and speed for the position too, he just gambles sometimes which gets him beat. Prentiss Waggner has looked like a solid cover corner, but has been limited in a red non contact jersey all spring. Eric Gordon is my darkhorse. He's more quick than he is fast, but he is physical and makes plays. He could be the nickel CB when it's all said and done.

CB- Izzy Lanier has potential to start this year. He is physical and a good sized corner as well. He still makes mental mistakes which cost him, but I think Ansley will work with him and that will improve. Marsalis Teague is more suited to be a backup. He's got a lot of experience which will be good if he's called upon. I'm eager to see D. Bonner get here and what he can do b/c there's a lot of good buzz surrounding him among the staff.

SS- Brent Brewer spent most of his time here b/c of his red jersey. It's good for him to learn that position anyway just in case... Rod Wilks also has gotten reps here and is a good fit back-up wise. Incoming freshman LaDarrell McNeil will get a look here when he arrives and the coaches are excited about him.

FS- Brian Randolph will start here in the fall. He's added good weight and seems to have a good understanding of the defensive concepts already. Byron Moore has gotten reps at both safety positions and has improved from a year ago.


- Sentimore and McCullers need to be workout warriors this offseason. If they both dedicate themselves and slim down a little bit, this DL unit will reap the benefits in the fall.

- Bonner and McNeil will both have chances to play right away due to a lack of depth and their individual talents. Bonner is a fast lockdown corner and could play if he learns the defense. McNeil is a ball hawking head hunter at safety. The coaches can't wait to get him here.

- Maggit needs to get stronger. His injury has limited him both on the field and in the weight room. He needs to work on his overall strength in the summer.



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[jspvol76]

I feel like a broken record, but this team could be very good if all of the uncertain's are taken care of.

[Cheese Donkey]

Thanks again for another great write-up.

[fade route]

Randolph looks like he could be the steal of last year's class....excited to watch him play this year.
Sentimore doesn't sound like a guy grateful for the fresh start and hungry to prove himself.....a little worried here.
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[orangeblood79]

How's Moore looking in the secondary, didn't see anything on him?

[SCvol333]

I am surprised to hear that about Sentimore as well but I think it could be the coaches trying to motivate him more than anything and push him to make sure he will come in and be a beast on that Dline

[volinexile17]

No major injuries except for Christian Harris's ACL.

[smokeyman15]

Sapp looking good in coverage at the OLB spot doesn't surprise me. I feel like he was a safety/'backer tweener coming out of high school, IIRC.

[golfballs]

So it sounds like marginal improvement over last year - with real potential to be a good defense. Still yet to be seen

[BigOrangeFanatic]

If Sentimore and McCullers can make an immediate impact on next season, the defense could be solid. Maggitt will be fine. Jaq needs to come on. For the first time in a while, I feel like we have a lot of solid players on defense.

Still alot of uncertainty with a new defense, however.

[mreynoldsdvm]

Great read. Thanks, FW2. I thought Sentimore looked awfully "healthy" in the spring game. Was worried he came in heavier than the coaches wanted. He needs to go into beast mode during off-season workouts.
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[SCvol333]

Originally Posted by smokeyman15

Sapp looking good in coverage at the OLB spot doesn't surprise me. I feel like he was a safety/'backer tweener coming out of high school, IIRC.

he was - not a highly rated guy likely b/c he was a tweener but I think he could come in and fill a nice role in nickel situations and passing downs - even if it is just as a backup in these scenarios

low rated guys that have really good niches can still be a good add to the team and I think Sapp will turn into a good example of this

[OCIVol]

The defense is a definite concern. There could be a lot of shootouts this year for our team, which is fun to watch, but difficult to win at a high clip in the SEC. The defense will need to create turnovers to be successful because we are not going to shut many teams down.

[FredWhite2]

Originally Posted by orangeblood79

How's Moore looking in the secondary, didn't see anything on him?

Moore has made tremendous improvement from a year ago... Hardly seeing the field last year, I think he's finally beginning to adapt to SEC football. He looks faster and leaner out there this year and will see time at both safety positions as well as on special teams.

[vol2002]

Good read, FW. Thanks for the time you put in to writing these.

Originally Posted by OCIVol

The defense is a definite concern. There could be a lot of shootouts this year for our team, which is fun to watch, but difficult to win at a high clip in the SEC. The defense will need to create turnovers to be successful because we are not going to shut many teams down.

OCI - interesting point, which I think many on here agree with. This your opinion, or something you are hearing?

For my part, from what I have read, I think we will probably not have a great defense, but at least a decent, aggressive defense that will produce a few more turnovers than we did last year. I'm hopeful they will improve as the year goes on and they get more comfortable in Sal's system. I've got to think that with the experience we have returning and the aggressiveness that Sal is preaching, we can be at least somewhat better than last year.