Defensive Line: I am including Jack in this group as we will still base out of an even front. Coach Garrett has his work cut out for himself with this group. Marcus Harris is the most noteworthy player coming into the off-season but he wasn't on either the coach's or media's 1st, 2nd, or 3rd team preseason All-SEC list. At NG we've got two guys in Jones and Rogers with the size and experience in this conference but neither has turned the corner on being an all-conference performer. Behind those three its transfers and underclassmen with no experience. McLeod appears poised to be a breakout player as a pass rusher after transferring from App State, but his size may limit his ability to be an every down player. McAllister transferred from Vandy, immediately took on a role as a locker room leader, but has been quiet all camp and will likely be relegated to helping on run downs. Nasili-Kite received good early reviews after transferring from Maryland for his ability to occupy blockers, but his fall camp has been quiet and is fighting off Faulk who moved from Jack to SDE just ahead of fall camp. Overall there is a lack of star power and there is a lack of depth. The potential is here for a handful of guys and Garrett got great production our of his unit at Liberty, but until proven otherwise, this unit is a C+.
Linebacker: Riley and Steiner return and also return to their roles as backups after quickly being passed up by Keys, Asante and Nixon III. Asante and Keys appear to be the leaders of the group. Riley's versatility to play inside and out should get him on the field a decent amount and hopefully his added size helps him this year. Keys commented in an interview how much more he prefers playing behind the 4-man front compared to the 3-3-5 he was in at Ole Miss last year - hopefully that is a sign that the D-Line is perhaps better at occupying blockers and the LBs will be able to fill gaps and wreak havoc as Ron Roberts' defenses are intended to do. Again, though, the star power is lacking and we are depending on too many guys taking big steps forward to meet the production needed. I am a big Josh Aldridge fan and I think he is a star in the making himself, but right now his unit is a C+.
Defensive Back: The unquestioned strength of this defense are the DBs. DJ James should be the next great corner we send to the NFL, Pritchett should also be drafted. Zac Ethridge called Jaylin Simpson a "Sunday player" after his strong finish to the 2022 season at safety and his play this Spring and Fall. Zion Puckett has been here forever and is a solid contributor at SS and we have two guys at nickel in Scott and Kauffman that are very strong contributors. The depth at corner and safety is somewhat concerning but multiple true freshmen have shown out since arriving on campus and appear ready to help out when called upon. Other than getting a little content early in camp before HCHF called them out, this unit has been a strength all off-season and continue as such through the year. In a CFB world that is getting more and more pass-happy, it is great to have DBs that are a solid A.
Defense: Ron Roberts comes from the Dave Aranda school (or more appropriately, Aranda comes from the Ron Roberts school) that lives and breathes on disruption. Garrett's D-Line at Liberty led the country in TFL and finished 3rd in sacks - so he knows how to coach up a disruptive front. The question will be, do we have the players capable of executing this defense, particularly in the front 6? An aggressive defensive scheme that can't get to the quarterback could make even great DBs look bad. And lacking the personnel to set the edge could let teams churn clock by leaning on the run. We won't know for sure until we get out and play some tough opponents, but my guess is we will be extremely turnover dependent this year what it comes to getting stops on defense. I might be generous in giving this overall unit a B-.
Linebacker: Riley and Steiner return and also return to their roles as backups after quickly being passed up by Keys, Asante and Nixon III. Asante and Keys appear to be the leaders of the group. Riley's versatility to play inside and out should get him on the field a decent amount and hopefully his added size helps him this year. Keys commented in an interview how much more he prefers playing behind the 4-man front compared to the 3-3-5 he was in at Ole Miss last year - hopefully that is a sign that the D-Line is perhaps better at occupying blockers and the LBs will be able to fill gaps and wreak havoc as Ron Roberts' defenses are intended to do. Again, though, the star power is lacking and we are depending on too many guys taking big steps forward to meet the production needed. I am a big Josh Aldridge fan and I think he is a star in the making himself, but right now his unit is a C+.
Defensive Back: The unquestioned strength of this defense are the DBs. DJ James should be the next great corner we send to the NFL, Pritchett should also be drafted. Zac Ethridge called Jaylin Simpson a "Sunday player" after his strong finish to the 2022 season at safety and his play this Spring and Fall. Zion Puckett has been here forever and is a solid contributor at SS and we have two guys at nickel in Scott and Kauffman that are very strong contributors. The depth at corner and safety is somewhat concerning but multiple true freshmen have shown out since arriving on campus and appear ready to help out when called upon. Other than getting a little content early in camp before HCHF called them out, this unit has been a strength all off-season and continue as such through the year. In a CFB world that is getting more and more pass-happy, it is great to have DBs that are a solid A.
Defense: Ron Roberts comes from the Dave Aranda school (or more appropriately, Aranda comes from the Ron Roberts school) that lives and breathes on disruption. Garrett's D-Line at Liberty led the country in TFL and finished 3rd in sacks - so he knows how to coach up a disruptive front. The question will be, do we have the players capable of executing this defense, particularly in the front 6? An aggressive defensive scheme that can't get to the quarterback could make even great DBs look bad. And lacking the personnel to set the edge could let teams churn clock by leaning on the run. We won't know for sure until we get out and play some tough opponents, but my guess is we will be extremely turnover dependent this year what it comes to getting stops on defense. I might be generous in giving this overall unit a B-.
