Levorson in mix at DB

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

Levorson already in mix at cornerback

 

STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star

Friday, Aug 15, 2008 - 08:13:49 pm CDT

 

Perhaps John Levorson would be a project of sorts, a Nebraska football player who would sit out his first season and add weight to his frame and learn more about the game.

 

That was one school of thought.

 

Husker secondary coach Marvin Sanders evidently has other ideas.

 

 

 

“John’s a guy that I can say right now that, because he understands the game and is really intelligent, probably will be part of the fold this season,” Sanders said.

 

It’s clear by now — midway into Nebraska’s preseason camp — that the Huskers’ top four cornerbacks, in no certain order, are senior Armando Murillo and sophomores Anthony West, Prince Amukamara and Eric Hagg.

 

“Then there’s a battle for that fifth guy with Levorson and (fellow true freshman) Alfonzo Dennard,” Sanders said.

 

It appears at this point Levorson has an edge, as long as he shows he can play physically enough.

 

“I can’t even say he’s a surprise,” said Sanders, noting the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Levorson’s prowess as a multi-sport athlete at Crete High School. He was a run-pass threat at quarterback, averaged 18 points per game in basketball as a senior and cleared 6 feet, 7 ¼ inches in the high jump.

 

Crete football coach Chuck McGinnis isn’t necessarily surprised Levorson is pushing for immediate playing time at Nebraska, echoing Sanders’ comments regarding Levorson’s intelligence.

 

“He just really understands the game of football from whatever position he’s learning from,” McGinnis said. “He always wants to do things right.”

 

Said Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini: “Every time John gets coached, you see the attempt to take that coaching and translate it into whatever he’s doing. You see improvement every snap.”

 

Cornerback can be challenging to learn in big-time college football. It’s the “little things” that tend to add up, Sanders said. For instance, it’s crucial to know what to expect from an offense’s different formations and sets. What type of routes does a team run in a certain formation? What type of calls can the Husker defense make to counter those routes?

 

Levorson gets a taste of it all every day in practice against Nebraska’s complex offense and veteran wideouts.

 

“They’re going to do some different things to get loose,” Sanders said. “You have to figure out those things pretty fast.”

 

Meanwhile, the 5-10, 190-pound Dennard, of Rochelle, Ga., has been seeing action at both cornerback and as the No. 3 nickel back behind Amukamara and Hagg. It’s too early to say for sure if Dennard will help Nebraska this season, Sanders said.

 

“I can’t say he’s a redshirt guy because he has the ability to help us,” the coach said. “But we have to find out if he can handle the mental aspect of all the things we’ve started to install.

 

“He’s very talented. But we’re putting a lot on his plate. Sometimes he gets frustrated because he doesn’t know everything he wants to know right away.“

 

After all, Dennard, as of Friday, had only 14 practices under his belt at the college level. Nebraska, coming off a 5-7 record last season, has 29 practices scheduled before its Aug. 30 opener against Western Michigan.

 

“Our offense is very multiple, so they throw a lot of things at him,” Sanders said. “So another thing that will come into play is when we start simplifying and narrowing it down to what we will do against specific formations and plays we’ll see in that first game. We’ll see how Alfonzo handles that.”

 

Dennard raised eyebrows with his dynamic athleticism during Nebraska’s summer conditioning workouts and unofficial 7-on-7 drills. He also battled some homesickness, a common occurrence among freshmen.

 

“Everybody understands,” Sanders said. “He went home, came back and said, ‘You know, I’m not going back, I love it here.’ So I think he’s acclimated fairly well and enjoys the Nebraska atmosphere.”

 

Levorson obviously has no such issues, being about 25 miles from home. His immediate future at NU looks good. The longer term should be even better.

 

“Give him a year where he can just focus on the weight room and football,” McGinnis said. “Holy cow, he’ll be 210-215 pounds, easy.”

 

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[bbhusker]

If a redshirt is needed then great. But the more these younger guys get to play this year, the better off we will be in the future. I'm not saying to sacrafice this season in favor of just pure learning. But if the freshman are good enough to see the field a little bit here and there then it would be good for them.

[Hunter94]

If a redshirt is needed then great. But the more these younger guys get to play this year, the better off we will be in the future. I'm not saying to sacrafice this season in favor of just pure learning. But if the freshman are good enough to see the field a little bit here and there then it would be good for them.

 

 

i couldn't agree more. having these guys with some time under them, next year, would be huge.

[huzkerbob]

It may be more a choice of which one gets a red shirt this season. And it's not really a demotion to get a RS, alot of times you like the physical potential enough, that it is a benefit to the player & team. They will only get more fit and more prepared in the process.

 

One could probably list several current players who may have been short changed a season. And the sad part is, it wasn't even injury related.