Due to the departure of Jerel Worthy who declared for the NFL Draft, the Spartans must fill his sizable shoes on the D-Line…but not to fret, Coach Dantonio and Coach Narduzzi have a plan.
It’s worth remembering, Coach Dantonio has built the luxury of Depth at virtually every position and Defensive Line is no exception. It’s also worth remembering Coach D was obligated to find solutions for a myriad of problems upon his arrival in East Lansing and there is no reason to think Coach D and Coach Narduzzi won’t have a proper solution for the departure of Worthy next fall.
Arguably, the coaching staff will ‘jockey’ players during the Spring to find the right combination on the D-Line but Coach Dantonio has specifically mentioned the following ‘Redshirt’ linemen for exactly this contingency.
In the Spring, 6 ‘Redshirt’ linemen including 5 Freshmen and 1 Sophomore will compete for the vacated D-Tackle and Nose Tackle spots left vacant by the departure of Jerel Worthy & Kevin Pickelman respectively. Specifically, the Spartans will reload from the following list of players who will arguably be bigger and stronger next fall due to Coach Mannie’s intensive weight and conditioning program. Here’s a list of the Redshirts:
(I apologize...the following lists are out of alignment due to formatting problems)
Redshirt D-Linemen:
· Damon Knox (Fr) 6’4” & 274# Muskegon, MI
· Joel Heath (Fr) 6’5” & 270# Cincinnati, O
· James Kittredge (So) 6’4” & 270# Ramsey, NJ
· Matt Ramondo (Fr) 6’5” & 328# Las Cruces, NM
· Mark Scarpinato (Fr) 6’3” & 270# Milwaukee, Wis
· Brandon Clemons (Fr) 6’3” & 262# Milford, PA
Of course, there are plenty of D-Linemen and D-Ends who are returning from the #5 Defense in the land.
Returning D-Linemen:
· Micajah Reynolds (Sr) 6’5” & 320# Lansing, MI (Sexton)
· Jordan Sanders (Jr) 6’1” & 288# Rochester, MI (Adams)
· Anthony Rashad White (Sr) 6’2” & 316 Battle Creek, MI
Returning D-Ends:
· Tyler Hoover (Sr) 6’7” & 270 Novi, MI (missed 2011 due to injury)
· Denzel Drone (Sr) 6’2” & 262 Plant City, FL
· Marcus Rush (So) 6’2” & 260 Cincinnati, O (Moeller)
· William Gholston (Jr) 6’7” & 280# Detroit, MI (Southeastern)
· Corey Freeman (Sr) 6’2” & 250# Cleveland Hts, O
· Taylor Calero (Jr) 6’3” & 245# Beverly Hills, MI (Southfield Christian)
So, the bad news is…the Spartans will lose Pickelman and Worthy from one of the best D-Line’s in the country but don’t fret because there is extraordinary depth to fulfill 4 Line Spots…in fact, from the list above…there are 10 D-Linemen to fill 2 Line Spots…and 6 D-Ends to fulfill 2 End Spots. In that context, the Spartan D is so well stocked it will difficult to spread playing time.
And, if you’re worried about the Linebackers and D-Backs…don’t!
Other than the graduation of Free Safety, Trenton Robinson, the Spartans return their entire ‘two-deep’ roster for each Linebacker spot…as well as the 4 D-Back spots…which means, the Spartans have so much depth at Linebacker…that 5-Star, ‘Redshirt’ Linebacker, Lawrence Thomas, from the 2011 class, will have a hard time cracking the lineup.
So, as we begin 2012, let’s congratulate Jerel Worthy, Kevin Pickelman and Trenton Robinson who helped restore pride in the Spartans Defense. We wish each of them well as they pursue their life goals…but the next edition of Spartan D will proudly stand on their shoulders and reach for the next star.
Could that mean becoming the #1 Defense?
No comments:
Post a Comment