How do we look at Linebacker?

N

NamelessHusker

Banned
The Mike linebacker for those of you who are not familiar with linebacker breakdowns is the INSIDE position. The Will and SAM are outside linebacker spots. We have enough guys on the inside to fill that spot. Right now Lance Brandenburgh is the current starter at that position according to the post-spring game roster. Right now, the depth at linebacker includes newcomers Steve Octavien, Phillip Dillard, Dontrell Moore, Nick Covey to go along with Lance Brandenburgh, Bo Ruud and Stewart Bradley, Andy Kadavy and Corey McKeon

Nick Covey is slated to play Will or Sam but from what i have heard, he still has some weight to put on, so i look for him to go on special teams this year. Lance Brandenburgh is the current starter at Mike and if Phillip Dillard steps up this fall, he should be the starter and Lance would be the backup and Corey McKeon would be third in line at that spot. It will be tough to replace a guy like Barrett Rudd on the inside.

For the Will and Sam positions, i expect Steve Octavien to take over the Will spot (why wouldn't he? He had a amazing spring game). Backing him up would be Bo Ruud and Andy Kadavy. Keep in mind Octavien is a Juco, so he wont be here all 4 years and Bo Rudd was great at the spring game but Andy wont see the light of day this year and he's already a junor.

At the Sam position, look for Stewart bradley or Dontrell Moore to take over that starting spot or a possible rotation. Moore still has not picked up the defensive packages completly and still is learning, so throwing in a guy who doesn't know the defensive alignments could be killer to the defensive line and backfield because it leaves our middle wide open for screen passes. Moore will be a junor this year and with him playing, he will have 1 more year left to play just like Octavien. Adam Ickes is not a player that i am to excited about. He is a senior and will graduate this year, leaving our LB core at the sam position VERY thin next year with only 2 guys returning.

Bill Busch wants a 4 man rotation at each spot and we only have 3 right now and several of the guys in the rotation graduate next year or leave early for the NFL or just are not DIV-A and Big12 material in my opinion.

That should give you an idea why after this year we will be thin at OLB

 
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This post from Nameless was originally within an individual recruits thread, but I think it's very informative so made it a separate topic so more people would get a chance to read it. Thanks NH.

 
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I wonder if there is any chance of Ruud or Octavien moving to SAM backer. I know that they are probably more adept at backside pursuit, but I think that Dillard, Octavien, and Ruud are our three most talented linebackers, and it seems kind of a waste to have two of them fighting for the same posistion, like Hollowell and Williams did as juniors.

 
Souder is slated to play linebacker when he puts on enough wait. Last i heard he was around 218 pounds, up from his original NU camp weight last year of 205 pounds, so he still has some weight to put on. He should be about 230 by the end of the season, and my understanding is the coaches want the LB's to be about 240 pounds.

 
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Well Souder is kinda tricky. If he had about 10 more pounds from now untill the start of the season, he could see some limited playing time at SS but in the end he should end up as linebacker.

 
So is he still apart of the 06 class or will he be playing this year or redshirt?
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He should be counted towards 2005 now instead of 2006. It doesn't do anything for the 2006 scholarships with him getting a full scholarship ride now. Yes he will be playing this fall on special teams and MAYBE (wouldn't put to much stock in it yet) some SS

 
Ruud was pretty good. Ed Stewart wasn't to bad either. Carlos Polk is a nother one that comes to mind. Super D was a stud though. His Senior year was un real.

 
Farley struck fear into the other defenses like I haven't seen in a long long time... If you look back at the 95 and even the 96 season the guy was a monster..

In 1996 the games that Farley didn't play in Nebraska lost... Charlie McBride once said that Terrell had the fastest first steps he had even seen... When you go back and look at Terrell coming off of the corner, for a sack or punt block you understand what he's talking about...

 
Farley struck fear into the other defenses like I haven't seen in a long long time... If you look back at the 95 and even the 96 season the guy was a monster..
In 1996 the games that Farley didn't play in Nebraska lost... Charlie McBride once said that Terrell had the fastest first steps he had even seen... When you go back and look at Terrell coming off of the corner, for a sack or punt block you understand what he's talking about...
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He had the attitude to go with it. Too bad would couldn't quit drinking

 
The Mike linebacker for those of you who are not familiar with linebacker breakdowns is the INSIDE position. The Will and SAM are outside linebacker spots. We have enough guys on the inside to fill that spot. Right now Lance Brandenburgh is the current starter at that position according to the post-spring game roster. Right now, the depth at linebacker includes newcomers Steve Octavien, Phillip Dillard, Dontrell Moore, Nick Covey to go along with Lance Brandenburgh, Bo Ruud and Stewart Bradley, Andy Kadavy and Corey McKeon
Nick Covey is slated to play Will or Sam but from what i have heard, he still has some weight to put on, so i look for him to go on special teams this year. Lance Brandenburgh is the current starter at Mike and if Phillip Dillard steps up this fall, he should be the starter and Lance would be the backup and Corey McKeon would be third in line at that spot. It will be tough to replace a guy like Barrett Rudd on the inside.

For the Will and Sam positions, i expect Steve Octavien to take over the Will spot (why wouldn't he? He had a amazing spring game). Backing him up would be Bo Ruud and Andy Kadavy. Keep in mind Octavien is a Juco, so he wont be here all 4 years and Bo Rudd was great at the spring game but Andy wont see the light of day this year and he's already a junor.

At the Sam position, look for Stewart bradley or Dontrell Moore to take over that starting spot or a possible rotation. Moore still has not picked up the defensive packages completly and still is learning, so throwing in a guy who doesn't know the defensive alignments could be killer to the defensive line and backfield because it leaves our middle wide open for screen passes. Moore will be a junor this year and with him playing, he will have 1 more year left to play just like Octavien. Adam Ickes is not a player that i am to excited about. He is a senior and will graduate this year, leaving our LB core at the sam position VERY thin next year with only 2 guys returning.

Bill Busch wants a 4 man rotation at each spot and we only have 3 right now and several of the guys in the rotation graduate next year or leave early for the NFL or just are not DIV-A and Big12 material in my opinion.

That should give you an idea why after this year we will be thin at OLB
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Does Covey really have an opportunity to ever play here. Seems there are alot more players at his position to over take

 
The post was in regards to this years players and not next year. Covey still has some work ahead of him in the conditioning department if you ask me, so if he gets some weight put on then he can be a contributor next year. I saw him hanging out with Cory Ross, Danny Bullocks and Suh at the bowling alley a few nights ago and Ross is bigger then him physically, which is funny cause ross is like 5-6

 
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