We all know about Jonathan McG and Brandon Facyson. But who else impressed you this spring? On the other hand, who were the biggest disappointments?
Riser: Devin VanDyke. He made plays all spring. He had a few highlights in the spring game, including stuffing Trey Edmunds in a goal line situation, and later blowing up Michael Holmes behind the line of scrimmag in the 2nd half. He has that ability to knife through the A-gap - - a common characteristics of our best Mikes including Vince Hall and Jack Tyler. Although they are not the fastest guys on the field, they all had a very quick first step, could diagnose the play in a hurry, and spent alot of time behind the line of scrimmage.
Riser: Ken Ekanem. He showed a great ability to track down plays from the back side and demonstrated a strong pass rush in scrimmages. I think he'll see the field this year as a redshirt-freshmen, and will probably be in the 2-deep next year as a redshirt-sophomore. Looks like he'll warrant his 4-star recruiting ranking.
Faller: Corey Marshall. Where was he all spring? I hardly heard his name mentioned, which I did not expect as he is entering his junior year. Did I miss something here?
With all that said, the development of DVD has made me feel better about LB depth going forward. It looks something like this.
Mike: Jack Tyler, Chase Williams, DVD, Andrew Motaukapa
Backer: Tariq, Deon Clarke, Drew Burns, Dahman Mckinnon, Jameion Moss
Whip: RVD...and then we probably go to a nickle look.
Andrew Motaukapa plays with a radar lock on the ball. I think he'll be good at knifing through the A-gap. Jameion Moss will definitely grow into a backer. I think Chase Williams will be like Brett Warren - - not necessarily a playmaker, but will get his job done.
