MOBILE, Ala. – Even the most ardent supporters of the University of South Alabama football program in its first two seasons of existence should pay attention to the Jaguars’ outside linebackers in the fall, because there is no telling who will be on the field at the position at any given time.
“I think the neat thing that we’ve done with our outside linebackers since we’ve been here is that we’ve made them versatile,” explained assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Bill Clark. “We think it’s a great spot for a hybrid player; we’ve got guys there who were outside linebackers, guys who have been defensive ends, and guys who were quarterbacks in high school. I think the thing that we like about that the ones who are there now are they can rush the passer or they can drop; we’ve put them in man coverage before.
“That really opens that spot up to different kinds of guys, and that’s the way we wanted to pattern the position so we would have versatility with who we plugged in there.”
The projected starters on the preseason depth chart are both recognizable names, as both have appeared in every contest in each of the school’s first two seasons on the field. Logan Bennett, who has started all 17 games, has displayed a propensity to get in the backfield, as he finished second on the team in 2010 with five tackles for loss and three sacks among his career-high 24 total stops. Clifton Crews, on the other hand, not only can rush the passer – he had seven stops behind the line of scrimmage including 3½ sacks as a true freshman in ’09 – but has proved he can defend the pass as well after posting eight break-ups and picking off two passes in his first two seasons.
The duo’s experience will be a key for Clark’s group as he looks for leaders at the position.
“I think it’s helped a lot,” he said. “Those two have been asked to do so many things, it’s good to have those guys who we say have been through the wars. You’re talking about 17 games, plus all those practices, where they have had to drop, flip their hips, and do some things that defensive ends have not had to do, so that experience helps.
“They can definitely handle it,” he continued. “To us, they are really not sophomores when you think that they have played in every game – they are basically our seniors, they have been there and done that, so to speak. There is leadership by example and vocal leadership, and I think that those two are guys who are great to start with in that manner.”
Entering preseason practice, a pair of individuals with different levels of experience will be looked at to add to the unit’s depth.
Junior Cori Barnett has been with the program since its inception, going through spring practice in March and April 2009 before making the final roster. He has appeared in 15 of the Jags’ 17 games thus far, recording a total of 18 tackles; that figure includes four stops for loss.
“Cori is a guy you love to coach because he is so intelligent and he cares,” stated Clark. “And you talk about being through the wars, he has been a scout team player, he’s a good special teams player; he’s done everything we have asked of him. And he really had a good spring. You take intelligence and a good athlete – and Cori can run – and I think it gives him a chance to be a guy who can contribute.”
Darrius McMullin posted five tackles in seven games in 2009, helping USA go undefeated in its first-ever season. He played in the fall at Butler (Kan.) Community College, where he was credited with 29 stops – seven of those were for loss including 5½ sacks – while helping the Grizzlies go 11-1 on the way to an appearance in the National Junior College Athletic Association championship game, but returned to South Alabama last semester.
“Darrius is a guy who we are playing with at a couple of different positions,” Clark commented. “He was a highly recruited guy out of high school who we are just getting back, and boy did he have a good spring. We were playing him inside, and now he’s going to get a chance to play outside too, although he really didn’t do that until the last two or three practices.
“He’s a guy who we are really excited about.”
The twist at outside linebacker this season comes with the addition of defensive ends to the group. Instead of playing with a hand on the ground the entire game, junior Anthony Taylor and sophomore Alex Page will also start some snaps standing up.
Taylor had 19 tackles a year ago and has collected a total of 34 stops in two seasons, with nine behind the line of scrimmage. Page posted a career-best 14 stops last fall, including three for loss, as well, while both have been credited with at least one pass broken up in each of their first two campaigns.
“Anthony and Alex will be in as outside linebackers in different situations; both of those guys fit that same theme with their versatility,” Clark explained. “They may be a little undersized as a defensive end, but at outside linebacker they give us some size.
“What we are now getting into is being able to field a combination of speed guys and those who have bigger bodies. We can kind of mix and match based on who we are playing.”
Clark cites Cordivido Grice from Pensacola (Fla.) High as an individual who might be able to play as a true freshman this season. Listed at 6 feet and 200 pounds, Grice was ranked among the top 25 outside linebackers at the end of last year by ESPN.com. As a senior, he had 114 tackles – nine of those were behind the line – broke up two passes and intercepted another while helping the Tigers finish 12-1 overall after advancing to the quarterfinals of the state 3A playoffs.
“That’s a good question,” Clark responded regarding Grice’s ability to make an immediate impact. “For once, we are not really counting on a young guy like that to play. His goal should be to try and get on the two-deep, but with all those guys back that’s going to be a tall order. Athletically, there is no doubt that he can do it.
“As a junior he was a hand-on-the-ground defensive end, and then his senior year they moved him and stood him up. He’s that athlete that we are talking about, the guy that can define the position in our scheme. He runs like a safety, and of course the weight is going to come when he gets here just like it does with all the guys when they get on the training table.
“He’s going to be an exciting player, and a fun one to watch.”
The Jaguars could also see an increased contribution from Jaleel Atkins and Byron Sneed, who both saw game action last fall, their first as part of the program.
With so many individuals to choose from, and so many responsibilities to take care of, that’s what will make keeping an eye on Jaguar outside linebackers so intriguing this year.
“Of course we want them to play within the team concept with whatever it is we are trying to get done, but I think the thing we are looking for in this group is playmakers,” Clark observed. “There are just so many things that those guys can do, whether it’s rushing the passer or dropping off the edge; sometimes it means taking on blocks in order to spill things to other players.
“They will have definite roles, but I think the athletic ability in that group is exciting to see because we are going to ask them to do a lot of things.”
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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