Safeties???
I think we'd all agree that bad safety play was a considerable factor in the defense's performance this year, and a big fear for next year.
Rivals shows us having (ahem, always tentative) commitments from 4 of the Top 35 safeties in the 09 class. Turner at #3, Emilien #15, Jones #25, Bell #33... Then there will be rFr Brandon Smith, a 4 start recruit.
Can someone who has watched more film than me enlighten us on any chance in hell that any of these guys could start or contribute strongly next year (at least Smith, I would expect)?
December 24th, 2008 at 11:07 AM ^
Out of those four true freshman, I think the guy most likely to contribute in 2009 is Justin Turner. From what he said in the interview, he might be a slot corner in his first year, a la Brandon Harrison a few years ago. He can cover, but most importantly, he can tackle. He might turn into a free safety down the road, but I doubt he'll play free safety as a freshman, since he played corner in high school.
Other people disagree with this, but I believe Mike Jones will move to OLB and Isaiah Bell will stay at safety. They both might play on special teams, but I don't think either will contribute significantly on defense.
I think Emilien is a redshirt candidate. He didn't play his senior year because of injury, so I doubt he'll be polished enough in his freshman year to play.
Thomas Gordon is another safety in this class. I think he's a redshirt candidate, too, since he's new to the safety position.
Almost by default, Brandon Smith will play. If we switch to the 3-3-5, I think he'll be a SS. If we stick with the 4-3, I think he could play either FS or SS. Either way, he'll contribute.
December 24th, 2008 at 11:11 AM ^
Well...
-Justin Turner is expected to be a CB
-Mike Jones and Isiah Bell are expected to be LB's
-Emilien didn't play a game this year due to a knee injury. As such, he's a little rawer, and many expect him to redshirt.
SO, I'd expect our starting safeties to be Mike Williams at FS (RS Sophomore I thought he played pretty decently last year) and Stevie Brown (5th year Senior) at SS. We'll also have Brandon Smith and possibly JT Floyd (both RS freshmen) as backups. I don't think it's clear whether Floyd will end up as a S or a CB.
In general, if we see Smith, I'd expect to see him spelling Brown more than Williams - both Smith and Brown are guys who are very limited in coverage and much better in run support - seeing them both back there would be scary.
December 24th, 2008 at 11:17 AM ^
There was a recent Rivals article that said Floyd is a corner, but I'm sure that it wouldn't take much for him to move to safety.
December 24th, 2008 at 12:01 PM ^
B Smith had a very good summer and was expected to contribute this year if not for his freak health issue. from what i've been told is that this kid can play. i expect him to be a solid 3 yr starter.