OK, I'm assuming the former Syracuse signee joins the commitment party. First whack at a defensive depth chart:
Cornerback
CB: Abrams, Udoffia
CB: Wigley, Miller
N: Blackmon
Others: Rakestraw, Wallace*
Not really all that enamored with this position. In fact, I call it a weakness at this point until these guys improve a great deal. The good news is that both Udoffia and Wigley had over 550 snaps. Both started several games. Udoffia played a lot early and Wigley played a lot in the later games. Abrams gives us a top flight JUCO CB but unproven all the same. Miller is a redshirt with lots of potential who was undersized as a true freshman and Blackmon has nice cover skills but needs to improve his ball skills badly. Mostly a special teamer last year. Really need this group to step up in the spring as no fall newcomer will likely crack the lineup. Wallace does look the part though if we need him. I would feel a whole lot more comfortable with Julmisse added to the depth chart.
Safety
FS: Worthington, George
SS: Fisher, Dawson, Maddox*
NS: Lewis, Trego
Others: Hypolite*
Literally have no idea what this position is going to look like. With a bevy of new defensive coaches and a passing game coordinator running the show in the backend, things could look a lot different next year. One thing I'm sure of is that you have to have Worthington back there no matter what. Talk about a complete 180 turn. Barely saw the field as a struggling sophomore and most felt he wouldn't add much when announced last January that he was returning (due to having great safeties like Laguda and Moeller already). People greatly underestimated his impact. 86 tackles, 5 for a loss, a sack, 7 pass breakups and 3 picks later and he is probably our most effective defensive player. Fisher wasn't bad either after a slow start due to injuries. His 100 yard pick 6 was one of the plays of the year if not THE play of the year. 6 pass break ups and 30 tackles in just ~300 snaps is solid. George is the newcomer who redshirted last year but practiced much of the season at safety. Supposedly much bigger now, George could be a real factor. Maddox is highly questionable after surgery which leads us to Dawson. Dawson is going to be a 22 year old sophomore. Lots to like about that. Definitely a P5 type athlete as he had plenty of P5 interest in high school before the illness. Big stats at his JUCO in his first year playing in forever. I have a feeling he could be a real special player with the right coaching. Lewis is probably a special teams player next year along with Trego. Hypolite better redshirt unless he's amazing. Why else would you bring in 2 sophomore JUCOs? Lots to look forward to in this group. Not listing Sanchez just because he's been injured his entire time here.
Buff Backer
BB: Taylor, Newman, Robinson
Others: Worthington
This will be a new position for CU next year IMO. They will revamp this position for the talent CU has to work with. Taylor brings so much size and speed. He is probably more LB than coverage guy, but with his speed, he could definitely do both. This position got worked at times last year when fullbacks and TEs just blocked this position out of existence (felt bad for Moeller much of the time as he was just out physicaled). Newman had some injury issues coming into the season, but I expect he'll be another 220 pound Buff Backer for us next year. He was a really good recruit for us last year and really fits the bill for this spot. Robinson is the real X-Factor. We know about his speed (10.8 100m guy as just a junior in high school). He's probably just as fast as Taylor. He is already north of 200#s. I honestly see him playing right away both in special teams and on the field. He has all the tools to be a guy here and wouldn't be shocked if he were backing up the spot as a true freshman. I know he had the knee injury but he's an early enrollee and he'll get it worked out. With those 3 guys, I honestly don't see Worthington playing here as much. We need him at safety where he is a much better player and wreaks havoc.
Outside LB
SLB: Sparaco, TChangam, Wells
WLB: Callier, Falo, Hamilton*
Others: Bennion*, Gustav*
Well, we certainly have the bodies at this position now. I think we all know that not all of them will be there for the fall. Just doesn't add up. Pass rush was horrendous last year with so few sacks from this spot. Derek McCartney is gone with his 5 sacks and no one else was even close behind him (uggh). This position needs such a reboot that it is sad. The spring will tell us a lot about what we've got here and having TChangam there to push them in the fall is huge. With that said, Callier did show some signs of life with the pass rush (most pressures on the team) but otherwise was lost out there as a first year defender. He'll have to learn to play the position more cerebrally like McCartney if he's going to take the next step. Sparaco showed he can hold the edge but didn't show much else in his short time on the field due to injury. [remove]Hasselbach is not the answer. Like the man's power but he is too slow on the hoof to be effective there. Got beat pretty ugly on stretch plays and in coverage. Huge drop when he came in for McCartney.[/remove] Falo is the real wildcard. He was kind of like Callier in his first couple of years, just a wild man pass rusher. Now, he will have to be much more. We need him to be an effective all around player who can not only rush the passer but take a RB out in the flat. Hamilton I wonder about. Bad injury in the fall and no word on his recovery. Looked small and not all the way ready last year so redshirt was much needed. Still learning how to play standing up as he was a hands on the ground pass rusher as a JUCO. The spring is basically his showcase to prove he not only belongs but that he is a player here. Wells is the other wildcard. A ton of talent AND size. Big, fast, and strong. He could probably play here or Buff Backer if we needed. His skills are unknown at the present. I will be watching closely in the spring game. Bennion never got going last year after an early injury and quite honestly, I'm on the fence with him. [remove]Mathewes has been recruited over for the most part unless he can outplay Hasselbach for his spot.[/remove] Gustav is certainly redshirting. There is a lot to be excited about here potential wise, but zero production for the most part. These guys have a lot to prove but we certainly have the numbers to force the cream to rise to the top.
Inside LB
SLB: Gamboa, Jones, Van Diest*
WLB: Lewis, Landman
Other: Moore*
This position is going to look a lot like last year with a lot more experience and hope. The same 4 guys will be the primary players which makes depth look a little weak, but they are all good players which should make everyone feel better. Landman I raved about last fall after an outstanding fall camp. I didn't think it would take until the end of the year to show his worth, but alas, we now finally know we have a future superstar LB. Kid has it all including an amazing nose for the ball. He fills the gap quicker than any other LB on the team as well. It's hard to envision him not starting next year, but then again, we return 2 senior LBs who lead the team in tackles. Gamboa... we replace him every year in the starting lineup but in year 4, hard to imagine he loses his job. He'll end his career with 400+ tackles is my guess. No he isn't fast. Yes he struggles in coverage, but he is a team captain and the leader of the defense. He is a coach on the field and coaches everyone on what to do. Lewis is the best athlete on the team perhaps. Blessed with 4.5 speed and a big body, he can blitz, chase you down, and attack the hole with fury. He is our leading returning tackler, leading returning sacker, and just a lot of chaos for opposing offenses. Problem is, he lacks Gamboa's cerebral element and relied on Rick a little too much. When Landman came in, it was typically for Lewis. Until he gets the cerebral part down, he will be sharing his reps with Landman again. Jones made strides in the fall but just didn't get a lot of time on the field. I would like to see him get more reps and spell our starters more often. He definitely has the athleticism but needs to get the cerebral part of the position down like Gamboa has. Van Diest is the wildcard but a late year ACL tear puts him pretty far behind unfortunately. He may not even get cleared until the season has started. With that in mind, I don't expect to see him until the 2nd half of the year as a viable option. Clyde Moore should redshirt with so much senior talent but may be forced to play due to depth.
Defensive Line
DE: Mustafa, Lang, Antwine
NT: Edwards, Tuiloma,
DE: Mulumba, Franke, Roberts
Others: Finau*, Sami*, Umu**
Obviously this is where the rubber meats the road. This spot was not good for CU last year. So bad, in fact, that an underperforming recruiter finally had to be sacked for not delivering on the field either. In comes Drake to lead these guys to the promised land. Edwards was probably one of the biggest disappointments since Andre Simmons. Huge hype and anticlimactic ending. Why we still have hope though is that Edwards is working hard unlike Simmons and has a great deal of potential to still be an NFL draft pick if he wants to be one. He is strong as a bull, very athletic, and has a mean streak. Now, he needs a great deal of conditioning and a 40+ pound weight loss to make his dreams happen. Mulumba was a tail of 2 seasons. The first half of the season where he was taken off the field often especially in passing downs and the 2nd half of the season where he was rarely taken off the field no matter the down. Mulumba is a big dude at 300# and has the strength to really be a force inside. I think he was used to being more of an OLB/DE type previously and really took some time to get to be a fulltime inside player. He may actually be a huge stud for CU after a year of learning. High hopes for Mulumba. The 3rd spot I'm just going to hand to Mustafa for now. He's already 295, like Mulumba a year ago, has a build that you look for in a dominant inside player. If he plays like he looks, he'll be entrenched as a starter. Obviously Lang is the wildcard. He would have played a lot last year if he didn't have to focus so much on school that he pretty much didn't touch the weight room. I think we're all glad he did that though or he would be in USC's lineup right now. I think everyone knows he'll have a huge impact if he's healthy. I see him backing up both DE spots as they find as many ways as possible to get him on the field. I think he'll be all of 285 by next fall and a real pass rush specialist. Antwine is the obvious other wildcard. A 300# freshman DT who has the skill and the body to be a multiyear starter and future All Pac 12 player. No way you can sit such a player. He plays early and often as the 5th DL. The 6th guy in the rotation is between Franke and Tuiloma, whichever one gives the best backup reps to Edwards. Tuiloma did not impress me last year. He stands straight up and loses all his power when he does. He too could get in much better shape IMO. If he does, he could be a force. Franke is what Franke is. He's a mobile defensive lineman who is a little short and lacking in size and strength, but gets the job done with quickness and a bevy of good moves. He's probably our 6th guy since he can do a lot in there and 1 more year in the weight room might help turn the corner on the size/strength equation. Beyond those guys I have high hopes for Roberts as a sophomore but he needs to start showing it. With 3 seniors graduating, he is auditioning or a major role as a junior.
This spring will be all about getting that DL ready to play at a Pac 12 level due to what I consider an average CB crew. We need those guys to pressure AND to stop the run. Depending on what transpires in the spring may determine how interested the staff is in allowing Umu back into the fold. With limited scholarships, there isn't a lot of room for error in player evaluation. Umu's a big dude and could factor in at NT or one of the DE spots. Obviously it would be nice to have him in there as Javier's backup NT. He could give us a combination of Tuiloma's size and Franke's athleticism. Finau and Sami get a nice warm spot on the bench to work on becoming Pac 12 level players in the weight room.
Overall
Overall there are a lot of question marks on defense. Can the CBs shut anybody down? Can the safeties become a dominant group that Pac 12 offenses fear? Do we have the talent at ILB to shutdown the run and cover inside receivers? Can we generate any kind of pass rush with this disparate mix of players? Can the DL become a dominant, heck, even serviceable force in the Pac 12? Can we create more turnovers? Can Ambrose and Drake be the secret sauce we need coaching wise to turn the corner at those positions? Is Kevin George a future playmaker in the secondary? Is Lang a future playmaker on the DL? What can Callier give us in the pass rush in year 2? Is Worthington an All Pac 12 player and future draft pick? Can Edwards lose the required weight and gain the necessary conditioning to be a stopper in the middle? Is Landman the next big star?
Honestly, seems like more questions than answers at this point. Even with so many guys returning, so few return without question marks. So much to learn this spring about these guys. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. We can't be any worse than a year ago, but how much better can we be? Especially without Oliver?
Cornerback
CB: Abrams, Udoffia
CB: Wigley, Miller
N: Blackmon
Others: Rakestraw, Wallace*
Not really all that enamored with this position. In fact, I call it a weakness at this point until these guys improve a great deal. The good news is that both Udoffia and Wigley had over 550 snaps. Both started several games. Udoffia played a lot early and Wigley played a lot in the later games. Abrams gives us a top flight JUCO CB but unproven all the same. Miller is a redshirt with lots of potential who was undersized as a true freshman and Blackmon has nice cover skills but needs to improve his ball skills badly. Mostly a special teamer last year. Really need this group to step up in the spring as no fall newcomer will likely crack the lineup. Wallace does look the part though if we need him. I would feel a whole lot more comfortable with Julmisse added to the depth chart.
Safety
FS: Worthington, George
SS: Fisher, Dawson, Maddox*
NS: Lewis, Trego
Others: Hypolite*
Literally have no idea what this position is going to look like. With a bevy of new defensive coaches and a passing game coordinator running the show in the backend, things could look a lot different next year. One thing I'm sure of is that you have to have Worthington back there no matter what. Talk about a complete 180 turn. Barely saw the field as a struggling sophomore and most felt he wouldn't add much when announced last January that he was returning (due to having great safeties like Laguda and Moeller already). People greatly underestimated his impact. 86 tackles, 5 for a loss, a sack, 7 pass breakups and 3 picks later and he is probably our most effective defensive player. Fisher wasn't bad either after a slow start due to injuries. His 100 yard pick 6 was one of the plays of the year if not THE play of the year. 6 pass break ups and 30 tackles in just ~300 snaps is solid. George is the newcomer who redshirted last year but practiced much of the season at safety. Supposedly much bigger now, George could be a real factor. Maddox is highly questionable after surgery which leads us to Dawson. Dawson is going to be a 22 year old sophomore. Lots to like about that. Definitely a P5 type athlete as he had plenty of P5 interest in high school before the illness. Big stats at his JUCO in his first year playing in forever. I have a feeling he could be a real special player with the right coaching. Lewis is probably a special teams player next year along with Trego. Hypolite better redshirt unless he's amazing. Why else would you bring in 2 sophomore JUCOs? Lots to look forward to in this group. Not listing Sanchez just because he's been injured his entire time here.
Buff Backer
BB: Taylor, Newman, Robinson
Others: Worthington
This will be a new position for CU next year IMO. They will revamp this position for the talent CU has to work with. Taylor brings so much size and speed. He is probably more LB than coverage guy, but with his speed, he could definitely do both. This position got worked at times last year when fullbacks and TEs just blocked this position out of existence (felt bad for Moeller much of the time as he was just out physicaled). Newman had some injury issues coming into the season, but I expect he'll be another 220 pound Buff Backer for us next year. He was a really good recruit for us last year and really fits the bill for this spot. Robinson is the real X-Factor. We know about his speed (10.8 100m guy as just a junior in high school). He's probably just as fast as Taylor. He is already north of 200#s. I honestly see him playing right away both in special teams and on the field. He has all the tools to be a guy here and wouldn't be shocked if he were backing up the spot as a true freshman. I know he had the knee injury but he's an early enrollee and he'll get it worked out. With those 3 guys, I honestly don't see Worthington playing here as much. We need him at safety where he is a much better player and wreaks havoc.
Outside LB
SLB: Sparaco, TChangam, Wells
WLB: Callier, Falo, Hamilton*
Others: Bennion*, Gustav*
Well, we certainly have the bodies at this position now. I think we all know that not all of them will be there for the fall. Just doesn't add up. Pass rush was horrendous last year with so few sacks from this spot. Derek McCartney is gone with his 5 sacks and no one else was even close behind him (uggh). This position needs such a reboot that it is sad. The spring will tell us a lot about what we've got here and having TChangam there to push them in the fall is huge. With that said, Callier did show some signs of life with the pass rush (most pressures on the team) but otherwise was lost out there as a first year defender. He'll have to learn to play the position more cerebrally like McCartney if he's going to take the next step. Sparaco showed he can hold the edge but didn't show much else in his short time on the field due to injury. [remove]Hasselbach is not the answer. Like the man's power but he is too slow on the hoof to be effective there. Got beat pretty ugly on stretch plays and in coverage. Huge drop when he came in for McCartney.[/remove] Falo is the real wildcard. He was kind of like Callier in his first couple of years, just a wild man pass rusher. Now, he will have to be much more. We need him to be an effective all around player who can not only rush the passer but take a RB out in the flat. Hamilton I wonder about. Bad injury in the fall and no word on his recovery. Looked small and not all the way ready last year so redshirt was much needed. Still learning how to play standing up as he was a hands on the ground pass rusher as a JUCO. The spring is basically his showcase to prove he not only belongs but that he is a player here. Wells is the other wildcard. A ton of talent AND size. Big, fast, and strong. He could probably play here or Buff Backer if we needed. His skills are unknown at the present. I will be watching closely in the spring game. Bennion never got going last year after an early injury and quite honestly, I'm on the fence with him. [remove]Mathewes has been recruited over for the most part unless he can outplay Hasselbach for his spot.[/remove] Gustav is certainly redshirting. There is a lot to be excited about here potential wise, but zero production for the most part. These guys have a lot to prove but we certainly have the numbers to force the cream to rise to the top.
Inside LB
SLB: Gamboa, Jones, Van Diest*
WLB: Lewis, Landman
Other: Moore*
This position is going to look a lot like last year with a lot more experience and hope. The same 4 guys will be the primary players which makes depth look a little weak, but they are all good players which should make everyone feel better. Landman I raved about last fall after an outstanding fall camp. I didn't think it would take until the end of the year to show his worth, but alas, we now finally know we have a future superstar LB. Kid has it all including an amazing nose for the ball. He fills the gap quicker than any other LB on the team as well. It's hard to envision him not starting next year, but then again, we return 2 senior LBs who lead the team in tackles. Gamboa... we replace him every year in the starting lineup but in year 4, hard to imagine he loses his job. He'll end his career with 400+ tackles is my guess. No he isn't fast. Yes he struggles in coverage, but he is a team captain and the leader of the defense. He is a coach on the field and coaches everyone on what to do. Lewis is the best athlete on the team perhaps. Blessed with 4.5 speed and a big body, he can blitz, chase you down, and attack the hole with fury. He is our leading returning tackler, leading returning sacker, and just a lot of chaos for opposing offenses. Problem is, he lacks Gamboa's cerebral element and relied on Rick a little too much. When Landman came in, it was typically for Lewis. Until he gets the cerebral part down, he will be sharing his reps with Landman again. Jones made strides in the fall but just didn't get a lot of time on the field. I would like to see him get more reps and spell our starters more often. He definitely has the athleticism but needs to get the cerebral part of the position down like Gamboa has. Van Diest is the wildcard but a late year ACL tear puts him pretty far behind unfortunately. He may not even get cleared until the season has started. With that in mind, I don't expect to see him until the 2nd half of the year as a viable option. Clyde Moore should redshirt with so much senior talent but may be forced to play due to depth.
Defensive Line
DE: Mustafa, Lang, Antwine
NT: Edwards, Tuiloma,
DE: Mulumba, Franke, Roberts
Others: Finau*, Sami*, Umu**
Obviously this is where the rubber meats the road. This spot was not good for CU last year. So bad, in fact, that an underperforming recruiter finally had to be sacked for not delivering on the field either. In comes Drake to lead these guys to the promised land. Edwards was probably one of the biggest disappointments since Andre Simmons. Huge hype and anticlimactic ending. Why we still have hope though is that Edwards is working hard unlike Simmons and has a great deal of potential to still be an NFL draft pick if he wants to be one. He is strong as a bull, very athletic, and has a mean streak. Now, he needs a great deal of conditioning and a 40+ pound weight loss to make his dreams happen. Mulumba was a tail of 2 seasons. The first half of the season where he was taken off the field often especially in passing downs and the 2nd half of the season where he was rarely taken off the field no matter the down. Mulumba is a big dude at 300# and has the strength to really be a force inside. I think he was used to being more of an OLB/DE type previously and really took some time to get to be a fulltime inside player. He may actually be a huge stud for CU after a year of learning. High hopes for Mulumba. The 3rd spot I'm just going to hand to Mustafa for now. He's already 295, like Mulumba a year ago, has a build that you look for in a dominant inside player. If he plays like he looks, he'll be entrenched as a starter. Obviously Lang is the wildcard. He would have played a lot last year if he didn't have to focus so much on school that he pretty much didn't touch the weight room. I think we're all glad he did that though or he would be in USC's lineup right now. I think everyone knows he'll have a huge impact if he's healthy. I see him backing up both DE spots as they find as many ways as possible to get him on the field. I think he'll be all of 285 by next fall and a real pass rush specialist. Antwine is the obvious other wildcard. A 300# freshman DT who has the skill and the body to be a multiyear starter and future All Pac 12 player. No way you can sit such a player. He plays early and often as the 5th DL. The 6th guy in the rotation is between Franke and Tuiloma, whichever one gives the best backup reps to Edwards. Tuiloma did not impress me last year. He stands straight up and loses all his power when he does. He too could get in much better shape IMO. If he does, he could be a force. Franke is what Franke is. He's a mobile defensive lineman who is a little short and lacking in size and strength, but gets the job done with quickness and a bevy of good moves. He's probably our 6th guy since he can do a lot in there and 1 more year in the weight room might help turn the corner on the size/strength equation. Beyond those guys I have high hopes for Roberts as a sophomore but he needs to start showing it. With 3 seniors graduating, he is auditioning or a major role as a junior.
This spring will be all about getting that DL ready to play at a Pac 12 level due to what I consider an average CB crew. We need those guys to pressure AND to stop the run. Depending on what transpires in the spring may determine how interested the staff is in allowing Umu back into the fold. With limited scholarships, there isn't a lot of room for error in player evaluation. Umu's a big dude and could factor in at NT or one of the DE spots. Obviously it would be nice to have him in there as Javier's backup NT. He could give us a combination of Tuiloma's size and Franke's athleticism. Finau and Sami get a nice warm spot on the bench to work on becoming Pac 12 level players in the weight room.
Overall
Overall there are a lot of question marks on defense. Can the CBs shut anybody down? Can the safeties become a dominant group that Pac 12 offenses fear? Do we have the talent at ILB to shutdown the run and cover inside receivers? Can we generate any kind of pass rush with this disparate mix of players? Can the DL become a dominant, heck, even serviceable force in the Pac 12? Can we create more turnovers? Can Ambrose and Drake be the secret sauce we need coaching wise to turn the corner at those positions? Is Kevin George a future playmaker in the secondary? Is Lang a future playmaker on the DL? What can Callier give us in the pass rush in year 2? Is Worthington an All Pac 12 player and future draft pick? Can Edwards lose the required weight and gain the necessary conditioning to be a stopper in the middle? Is Landman the next big star?
Honestly, seems like more questions than answers at this point. Even with so many guys returning, so few return without question marks. So much to learn this spring about these guys. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. We can't be any worse than a year ago, but how much better can we be? Especially without Oliver?
Last edited:
