Article is from an NFL perspective, but when you think about the kind of LBs Butch has recruited so far and the 3 we have committed for 2017, you can see that we've been at the vanguard of this trend in CFB.
All of Page/Henderson/Burnam are listed at under 220 and are known for their coverage abilities. Hell, Henderson was listed as a S at this time last season. And watch Burnam's highlight tape - at least half of the plays are him in coverage ("They loved the way I played on film," Burnam said. "I play almost everything in the secondary but they see me as an outside linebacker.").
This is why guys like Gavin Bryant (classic "thumper") are having a hard time getting on the field for us AND why we're not recruiting a kid like Jacob Phillips this year or Tyrel Dodson last year, and is likely why (among other reasons per Paul) we aren't going all in on Justin Foster. Those big LBs aren't what fit our scheme and frankly are being phased out of football. If you're 245+ in high school you're less and less likely to play bigtime football as a LB unless you're a freak like Bituli (who isn't that big yet, but point remains).
The article also talks a lot about NBs and how they factor into the new schemes in both CFB and the NFL. Look at our roster - stacked with CBs, many of whom are interchangeable from CB to NB (Foreman, Osborne) and even S to NB (Gaulden, Abernathy).
Tangential to the @Brent_Hubbs article about the roster construction regarding the multiple 3-star recruits turned college stars on Team 120, I read this and thought about not just the details above but at a higher level how freaking good Butch Jones and his staff (especially Welton) are and have been at constructing this roster for 2016 and beyond.
Thoughts @P_Fortenberry?
All of Page/Henderson/Burnam are listed at under 220 and are known for their coverage abilities. Hell, Henderson was listed as a S at this time last season. And watch Burnam's highlight tape - at least half of the plays are him in coverage ("They loved the way I played on film," Burnam said. "I play almost everything in the secondary but they see me as an outside linebacker.").
This is why guys like Gavin Bryant (classic "thumper") are having a hard time getting on the field for us AND why we're not recruiting a kid like Jacob Phillips this year or Tyrel Dodson last year, and is likely why (among other reasons per Paul) we aren't going all in on Justin Foster. Those big LBs aren't what fit our scheme and frankly are being phased out of football. If you're 245+ in high school you're less and less likely to play bigtime football as a LB unless you're a freak like Bituli (who isn't that big yet, but point remains).
The article also talks a lot about NBs and how they factor into the new schemes in both CFB and the NFL. Look at our roster - stacked with CBs, many of whom are interchangeable from CB to NB (Foreman, Osborne) and even S to NB (Gaulden, Abernathy).
Tangential to the @Brent_Hubbs article about the roster construction regarding the multiple 3-star recruits turned college stars on Team 120, I read this and thought about not just the details above but at a higher level how freaking good Butch Jones and his staff (especially Welton) are and have been at constructing this roster for 2016 and beyond.
Thoughts @P_Fortenberry?
