Looking for Linebackers

[ponygrad90]

If you are a great Linebacker in High school, please consider us and starting for 4 straght years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stallion]

No kiddin'. Look at the players we have coming back next year at LB after losing Hawkins and McCray and even Hunt. Pretty desperate situation with a lot of swell high school All-District types. I really have trouble understanding why we a 10 deep at DE(an exaggeration) but keep moving some of our LB prospects to DE when they are 20-30 pounds under the weight they need to play the position. I really believe JUCO help at LB is an absolute necessity next year.

[Charleston Pony]

is Justin Smart too slow to play at LB? Wasn't he a LB in H.S.? Looks like a player from what little I've seen

[westexSMU]

[quote="Charleston Pony"]is Justin Smart too slow to play at LB? Wasn't he a LB in H.S.? Looks like a player from what little I've seen[/quote]...................Smart was 1st Team All-State 5A LB on Dave Campbell's team his senior year in 2005. (Check Dave Campbell's Texas Football 2006) So he could obviously be someone who might be moved back to LB next year considering our lack of depth there.

[RGV Pony]

how much does Ryan Leonard really weigh? I'll bet he's closer to 265 than 285. If he is, shave some weight off and he'd make a hell of an LB

[Stallion]

Youri Yenga is the one who appears to be more of a LB type-at least until he puts on some weight. Also, with scraps coming back at LB next year should Sowe be a DE. Maybe we can move Devin Lowery, Chris Phillips, David Haynes, Phillip Burley and Fitzgerald to LB next year. Can't afford to let Jessie Henderson on the field except for KOs.

[MustangFan]

Ryan Leonard has been the team's best interior lineman this year, and Yenga supposedly has shown the best "natural pass rusher skills" among the youngsters. I'm not opposed to moving a lineman backward, but it sounds like those two should stay where they are.

[Stallion]

who says a LB can't effectively rush the passer. Yenga may be a stud when he gets to 250 or 260 but at 220-225, he is not going to be effective at that position-I don't care how many neat quotes of Coach Phil are posted. If he's such a great athlete he should be starting at LB this year because we ain't that strong there even this year.

[OC Mustang]

is Justin Smart too slow to play at LB? Wasn't he a LB in H.S.? Looks like a player from what little I've seen

Yes. Could still play the position. He is fast enough, but his frame will allow him more weight. At least that seems to be the consensus from the coaches. But then again, there seems to be a lot of criticism that the coaches don't use their available talent well (including from me). So who knows. I think Stallion has a real valid point, though.

[PonyPride]

who says a LB can't effectively rush the passer. Yenga may be a stud when he gets to 250 or 260 but at 220-225, he is not going to be effective at that position-I don't care how many neat quotes of Coach Phil are posted. If he's such a great athlete he should be starting at LB this year because we ain't that strong there even this year.

You want him to start at a position he's never played? Weren't you the one who said switching positions is pretty hard (unless you're playing the "simple" game of soccer)?

[Stallion]

I want to put players in the positions that have the physical talents to play-like most coaches but apparently not all. I don't want 5-9 Safeties. I'd like to have DEs weighing morte than 220, I'd like to have DT that were taller than 6-0 and weighed less than 340. I'd like to have LBs that weigh more than 205 pounds. I'd like to have Wideout WRs than were at least 6-1 rather than 5-10. The most common position switch in FB is probably the switch between DE and OLB-but Yenga right now is more suited to OLB at his weight for the forseeable future. Then you switch him when he gets bigger.

[PonyDoh]

I want to put players in the positions that have the physical talents to play-like most coaches but apparently not all. I don't want 5-9 Safeties. I'd like to have DEs weighing morte than 220, I'd like to have DT that were taller than 6-0 and weighed less than 340. I'd like to have LBs that weigh more than 205 pounds. I'd like to have Wideout WRs than were at least 6-1 rather than 5-10. The most common position switch in FB is probably the switch between DE and OLB-but Yenga right now is more suited to OLB at his weight for the forseeable future. Then you switch him when he gets bigger.

You are spot on. We always seem to have kids out of position. Tech made us look tiny and its all b/c everyone is forced to play up a position. OLBs become DEs etc.

[mavsrage311]

I want to put players in the positions that have the physical talents to play-like most coaches but apparently not all. I don't want 5-9 Safeties. I'd like to have DEs weighing morte than 220, I'd like to have DT that were taller than 6-0 and weighed less than 340. I'd like to have LBs that weigh more than 205 pounds. I'd like to have Wideout WRs than were at least 6-1 rather than 5-10. The most common position switch in FB is probably the switch between DE and OLB-but Yenga right now is more suited to OLB at his weight for the forseeable future. Then you switch him when he gets bigger.

You are spot on. We always seem to have kids out of position. Tech made us look tiny and its all b/c everyone is forced to play up a position. OLBs become DEs etc.

This all stems from having a hard time recruiting D1 caliber linemen. The true DT/DE's go to the UT's and Miami's of the world. There are only so many talented big men to go around. SMU's been forced to find other ways to fill the Defensive Line. Sometimes you recruit linebackers and try to bulk them up to play there, sometimes you take a flyer on a Justin Rogers and he bulks up and excels, sometimes you have to go the transfer route (Haywood, Elizee). But it just seems like Lineman, especially quality Defensive Linemen are hard to come by for SMU. That's why a lot of Defensive Linemen SMU recruit don't end up on the OL, because they don't have the speed for the position.