Linebackers

Staying on defense, and moving along, we get to the?

Linebackers

Starters returning: Frantz Joseph, Cergile Sincere, Andre Clark.

Starters lost: None.

Backups lost: None

Does it get any better than this? No

Yep, the whole bunch are back, and even better, only one, Sincere, will be a senior, meaning Joseph and Clark will be around for 2008 as well.

Linebackers have always been a strength, and this unit was once Joseph got his bearings. A transfer, Joseph got a slow start, in fact he was suspended for the first game and did not make the trip to Clemson, but was pushed into the lineup when it was clear Greg Gagne was not up to the task in the middle. Joseph got better in a hurry, and by the end of the season was making people forget about Shomari Earls.

Sincere and Clark were just fine on the outside, and with them all back, offenses are going to have a lot to handle.

The backups are also a solid group, with George Allen, Ted Czepiga and Edward Bradwell all getting some time. And there are some redshirst coming up, Dustin Forston (6-0, 228), C.J. Lee (6-3, 230) and Malik Eugene (6-3, 200). You won?t find a deeper, more talented unit than this.

One caution, though. At North Texas, Joseph and Clark were penalized for a team rules infraction, and that penalty was that they would not start. With Czepiga and Allen in, the Kind and Gentle Green drove all the way down for a score.

I asked some coaches after the game if having those two out of the lineup was why the defense looked so soft on that series, and the answer was yes. So the backups need to get better so there isn?t such a big dropoff.

Outlook: Excellent

Sun Sentinel/Ted Hutton