Head coach Gary Andersen just can’t get away from being a position coach. It’s in his blood, it’s who he is and in 2014 he will take on responsibility for coaching one position on the defensive side of the ball.
According to a report by Chris Vannini of CoachingSearch.com, Andersen will take on responsibility for the boundary (outside) linebackers for 2014. It’s usually a position that he’s allowed graduate assistants to take on, but is not filling that role this year.
It’s perhaps a nod to the fact that this year will see the Badgers play some very young and inexperienced players at those positions, and on the defensive line too. In taking on the responsibility, Andersen can impart his years of knowledge and mold the young group.
Having an experienced coach to go with youth at the position just makes total sense.
Wisconsin will look to sophomore Vince Biegel and former walk-on Joe Schobert to take over at the boundary positions this fall, and both would be making their first starts in an opener should they win those positions in camp.
Behind Biegel and Schobert are even more inexperienced options in Jesse Hayes and Sherard Cadogan. Sure, Cadogan is a senior and has appeared in 24 games with one start, but most of his work has been on special teams and he’s accounted for a grand total of one tackle in his career. Hayes, a redshirt junior, has appeared in a grand total of three games (all in 2012) and has not recorded a single sack in his first two years at UW.
There won’t be much immediate help coming in from the 2014 class either, as the Badgers only added 2-star outside linebacker T.J. Edwards to the mix.
That’s not exactly a confidence building set of players to put in the hands of a graduate assistant. So, having a veteran defensive coach like Andersen taking on a personal role with those players makes a ton of sense.
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