HubbaHubba wrote:We'll never be top 10 material or even win the conference until we get better on the defensive side of the ball. We have to have lineman that need to be blocked and are a physical presence. We need defensive backs who don't look lost and/or have the speed to make up for their mistakes. Some of this is being able to recruit the best players though a lot of this is coaching.
It is the Jimmies and Joes. It isn't the coaching. I'll explain in detail below, but with the right transfers, this can be a really good defense next season, and 2022 looks very promising. High quality defensive players come from a much smaller pool than on the offensive side, so they are much harder to recruit. That is what makes this last recruiting class even more impressive.
At Corner, Stephens was highly regarded recruit, but new to the position. Crossley is a highly rated recruit and showed well. Westfall was a good recruit, but hasn't shown up. Massey was a solid recruit, who looks very promising. Everyone else is DITR, we got lucky with Armani but he has some limitations even though he is an instinctual player. With Stephens leaving, I would expect us to grab a transfer. Crossley should be one of the top corners in the league next season. Armani is okay as a number 2, but will get pushed hard by Massey. A quality transfer makes this a very good unit. I would expect improvement in 2021, and a really good unit in 2022. They could use a better pass rush to help them out.
At DE, we have two stud recruits (Samuels and Jones). Paul, Mastrov, Walls, Ndukwe all go into the "solid" category, meaning we should expect them to contribute as Jr/Sr. So Mastrov and Walls aren't going to be ready yet next season. Coxe and Wiley are DITR. Coxe is solid, Paul saw an uptick at the end of the season, hopefully he is really ready to do something next year, and I would expect that the frosh are going to play a role. I think they will be improved next year, but I think 2022 is going to be the year this group really takes a next level step up.
At DT, Eby, Williams, Dotson, Aho, and Levelston are all upper end recruits. Chatman is solid, while the others are more DITR. Chatman is contributing very well early. Aho showed a lot of flashes this year. Williams and Levelston I would expect to be significantly better next season. Chatman and Aho have both shown that they are going to be players that "need to be blocked", and Williams showed it at Stanford. I would expect this group to be upper level AAC next season provided everyone comes back. Aho is inexperienced in general and hasn't had a spring, but somehow managed to contribute last season. I would keep my eye on him.
At Fox, Jones, DeArman, and Thursby are all well regarded recruits. We should expect more from this group next season, but 2022 is going to be the year they mature. Jones needs to get healthy. If we bring in a transfer here, I think it says a lot about where the coaching staff thinks Jones is at.
LB is a massive hole athletically. McBryde has limitations. Moore has been injured. Kelley and Sneed are good recruits, and Jolley is solid. But everyone else on the roster is a DITR. Delano has been better than projected, but we also need to recognize that his production is well behind what Kyron Mitchell did at that position. LB is incredibly important in today's defenses. If you watch the ECU game on the few plays Moore got, he is rusty and not in great position, but his speed pops on the film. That is what we need at all three of the LB spots. If we have Moore back healthy and can find one other player, that is a huge difference. Moore and a transfer starting with Delano and McBryde as backups would be a very good room and would completely change the complexion of the defense. This is the biggest immediate need on the roster.
S we have Calloway, Nwokbia, Clay, Taylor and McMorris as good recruits. Cromartie and Roberson are more DITR. Clay and Taylor pass the eye test athletically, although both are much better against the run right now than in pass coverage. There is actually a lot of talent here. Cromartie and Roberson I might not want starting right now, but if you tell me they are second team going into the spring and might fall to 3rd team in the fall, then you have really good depth. Nwokbia will challenge straight away to get in the rotation because he is physically ready to go. This group will take a significant step up in 2021.