Rockne's Roundtable

IMO #43 and #21 are going to turn heads come spring add Darby and Shepard we will be fine....

Yes we will be young but theres going to be some serious speed out there.

Try catching a pass while getting whacked by a swarm of relentless hornets.

Receivers are going to hear the buzz in the ear hole all game.

I don't doubt the talent an speed of the incoming freshman class but you never know how they are going to adjust and I think one of them (Darby or Tshep) will end up starting a few games in to the season kind of what countess has done at Michigan

I feel #2 will make a huge leap during the spring and has a real chance with his athletic ability to be a playmaker as long as he adjust to corner

Couldnt agree more on the coach cooks. Unlike on past coaching staffs during the weis area I have full confidence in every member on the staff Kelly has put together

Personally i would be really worried about so many young DB's back there in previous years, but the fact our pass rush will be nasty next year will ease my worries very much.

Thats why you start with the trenches (last years class) you must shore them up to be successful at any level of football. It takes tons of pressure off the other positions.

#2 has excellent size and speed 6'1" and runs a 4.4. I think he will make huge strides this offseason and start.

Bennett has been getting mixed in during meaningful downs that I've noticed in recent weeks, and Lo has had plenty of PT. Depending on how legit these 4-5 star DBs are, they should hold up as our starting CBs. Jackson could emerge into a Blanton-like CB, solid tackling with a nose for the ball as a former WR and ST star. The safeties should be Slaughter and a platoon of Austin and Motta, which is not a bad mix. Best case scenario the FR come in as quick studies and we can mix Tee and Darby into coverage and multi-DB sets with the upperclassmen holding down base defense.

I've had a chance to talk with both Chuck Martin and Kerry Cooks about whether they see Slaughter moving to corner, and neither seemed they were looking at that possibility. Safeties coach Martin in particular said it would be difficult for him to envision his starting unit being anything other that Slaughter and Motta.

Cooks said that Wood is definitely the most advanced among the four young corners, and it has been a particularly challenging position change for Bennett Jackson after moving from receiver last year. Josh Atkinson and Jalen Brown will vie for action in the spring, but Cooks said he hasn't really had as much a chance to work with them this year because their work has been more about running the other teams' defenses on the prep team. Spring is always a major evaluation period with younger players.

roc351w,

He's progressed enough to be in the dime package, which was a positive. But he hasn't progressed enough to supplant Slaughter and Motta from the top safety spots, according to Chuck Martin. That's why I asked if Slaughter, in an effort to get the four best DBs on the field, could be moved to corner.

Martin, Cooks and even Brian Kelly all seemed tepid at best to the idea. From the outside looking in, I would think that would still be an option to give the four best on the field. We'll see how it works out in the spring.

I was hoping we would RS Ishaq. As far as the DB's next year it's a major concern. I trust Slaughter back there. Can't say the same about Motta. Hopefully Collinsworth is able to pass him on the depth charts. We need Hardy to come back 100% for spring practice, kid is the kind of athlete we need back there.#2 should make huge strides from year one to year two at CB. My expectations on Shep and Darby are sky high. Hopefully they can push for serious PT, if not start. I'd rather let FR learn as they go than have someone with more experience play that's not capable of making the plays and covering WR's. Don't forget about the FR Brown.