Happy Thursday afternoon my fellow Cougs! Can you honestly believe it is March already? Holy crap! March Madness is just around the corner, then Opening Day of MLB and then the WSU Spring Game. I cannot believe how fast 2011 is flying, but then again, I said the same thing last year about 2010.
Earlier today Sean got all of you up to speed, with a look at our DLine heading into Spring Ball. Apologies for cramming two Pre-Spring Glances into today, we were originally going to post them earlier in the week, but we didn’t want to diminish the win over UW on Sunday night.
Check back tomorrow for Tommy’s look at our Cornerbacks, and Longball will check in with Safeties and Special Teams! If you missed my LB preview last year, here it is! Read on for the linebackers for this spring….
Known Quantities
Alex Hoffman-Ellis: AHE returns for his RS Senior season after starting the last two season at LB. After posting 81 Tackles, 5 Tackles For Loss (TFL), 2 Sacks and 2 Interceptions (INT) during the 2010 campaign, many believe he has to earn his starting job back as their appears to be plenty of talent amongst the LB Corps. His best attributes are his speed, leadership and experience.
Sekope Kaufusi: Bursting onto the scene in 2010 was RS Freshmen Sekope Kaufusi. Lightly recruited out of the South Bay, Kaufusi appears to have found an excellent role on our D, as he has a nose for the ball and what appears to be good feet. To my surprise, he only notched 22 total tackles on the season, but he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. I would imagine he will be firmly entrenched as a starter after Spring Ball. Under the tutelage of Chris Tormey, I am excited to watch this young man grow as a football player!
CJ Mizell: Anybody who watched Cougar football last year knows this guy needs no introduction. After making the move to the Palouse from the Florida Panhandle, Mizell went on to collect 57 Tackles, 6 TFL, 2 Sacks and an INT. The incredible thing about Mizell’s numbers is he collected those in what I would definitely consider a part-time role, as it sounds as though he had some issues with practice and adjusting to being on his own. Mizell had two extremely memorable plays this season, the first of which was his late hit, personal foul, on Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rodgers. I was cursing Mizell at the time, but that hit definitely set the tone for the rest of the game, as our D was routinely hitting the Beavs in the mouth (insert Michael Scott joke here). The second play, was his WWF inspired suplex of Cal RB Shane Vareen. If Mizell can put it all together off the field, there is no doubt he will become a star in this league!
Mike Ledgerwood: The Pride of Kennewick enters his Senior year with the Cougs. After being a major contributor as a True Sophomore in 2009, he only logged 16 stops as he was a bit nicked up in 2010; he has 81 career Tackles. Ledgerwood played as much as he did in 2008 and 2009 because of our dearth at the position, however, he should provide excellent depth for us and be a contributor on Special Teams. Unfortunately, with all the talent coming in this Summer, Ledgerwood has a lot of work to do to remain in our 2 Deeps at LB. He has great instincts, is a solid tackler and appears to have a passion for the game, I just don’t know if he is fast enough to be a Pac 12 starter now that we have Pac 12 quality depth at the position.
Unknown Quantities
Louis Bland: I currently have Bland listed as an unknown quantity, because it isn’t clear whether he will participate in Spring Ball after his recent arrest. If you haven’t heard about his arrest, read this. Bland sat out the 2010 season to recover from a knee injury that severely plagued his 2009 season. He was a major spark to our piss-poor defense in 2008 as a True Freshmen. As far as his size is concerned, he definitely isn’t your prototypical LB. However, he is quick, smart, and has a nose for the ball using excellent technique to tackle ball carriers. If his legal matter is resolved, and he is healthier than he was in 2009, look for Bland to really push the unit. He could be a Starter come September.
Darren Markle: Darren will be a RS Sophomore this Fall, and was a contributor for us on Special Teams last season. Markle was rated a Top 30 prospect coming out of high school, is a world-class weight lifter, and is supposedly a leader for us off the field. Outside of that, I don’t know much more about his ability, because there isn’t a good enough body of work to assess him.
Eric Oertel: Oertel came to Wazzu as the 2009 State Player of the Year in Wisconsin. Wulff secured his pledge after holding off Bret Bielema at the 11th Hour. Oertel mainly contributed as a Special Teamer in 2010, but look for him to challenge and possibly crack the 2 Deep for us.
Darryl Monroe: Monroe is signed, sealed, and delivered to the Cougs after completing high school early so he could enroll at WSU. Monroe hails from Orlando powerhouse Dr. Phillips, where one of his high school teammates was 2011 D1 recruit Trey Griffey. Yep, that Trey Griffey. Monroe racked up a disgusting 256 Tackles, 5 Sacks, 4 Fumble Recoveries and a pair of INTs his final two seasons in Florida. He checks in at 6’1″, 210 lbs according to his Scout.com Profile, don’t know how he will fare until he steps on the field.
Sealby Twins: Hailing from Wenatchee HS, Jacob and Lucas, walked-on for Wazzu last season. Both have all-state speed, but could pack on a few more pounds. I am not sure if either will ever be full-time contributors, but I have a feeling either could make their mark on Special Teams for us. Their uncle Randall played at Missouri before a career with the New England Patriots.
Final Thoughts
We have a fantastic nucleus of returning players, which should make for a fierce competion this Spring. I am also very excited to see what this unit can do under the guidance of a LB Coach with credentials. It will also be important to see how Coach Tormey rotates this unit once September comes. Once Chester Sua and Logan Mayes get on campus, this should be the deepest and most talented unit on the defensive side of the ball.
Have a great rest of your day. Beat U$C!
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