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The 2013 season produced mixed results in this position group. They were dealt a fairly tough hand, often having to cover while the opposing team had far too long to let go of the ball. Like most position groups there were some very strong moments and some head scratchers too. Generally speaking, when asked to cover in tight man, the unit excelled, and when asked to play zone, they struggled. There were some fundamental break downs at times, but far fewer than in recent seasons. In the final analysis, I would say they failed to make enough plays to turn games in our favor, while also playing well enough most of the time to keep us in games.
Gone: are Jemea Thomas and Louis Young, who both have exhausted their eligibility. Jemea will go down in TECH history as one of the best and most memorable defensive players. He played with great instincts, tackled like a machine, and generally covered very well, all while changing positions routinely. If there was one guy in our secondary you would call a play-maker, it was Jemea. He was a leader and a special player. Louis Young will probably be remembered as an enigma of sorts. He arrived, highly rated with a lot of fan fair, however, he failed to ever achieve a level of consistency that would engender confidence in the fan base. The highs achieved during his good games were matched equally by some maddening lows, which often included fundamental break downs in coverage and tackling technique. He had the physical ability to be a special player, but sadly, never reached that category. His future, unlike Thomas, is somewhat uncertain. Most likely he will be given a chance in the league, but he will have to take that next step of consistency to stick there and make a roster.
Returning with playing time: are Isaiah Johnson, RSR, 6-2, 210, Coray Carlson RSR, 6-0, 180, Jamal Golden, SR, 6-0, 189, Chris Milton, RJR, 5-11, 185, Demond Smith RJR, 6-0, 185, Domonique Noble, 6-2, 204, DJ White, JR, 5-11, 184, Lynn Griffin, RSO, 6-0, 195. Isaiah has a ton of experience and he is recovering from an ACL injury forcing him to sit out his SR season. He has played since he was a true frosh with many bumps in the road along the way, taking poor angles and over-running plays etc. He has a lot of ability. It will be interesting to see if he has fully recovered, or if he has been surpassed by the others during his absence. We are all certainly rooting for him. Jamal was obviously and electric special teams player in the return game. His importance to the team in that regard cannot be overstated. As a safety, he was forced into the role a little early before he was ready. Hopefully that experience will serve him well next year. Coray Carlson has been a reserve player for his entire tenure and it is hard to see him gaining a greater role at safety with all of the players returning. Chris Milton has battled some injuries that have slowed his progress. He is wildly athletic, albeit a bit small for the safety position. He is fast enough to cover in the secondary and has also made a big name for himself on kick cover special teams. He will be in the mix for sure. Demond Smith got the bulk of the work at safety in 2013 and the results were favorable. He tackles well and generally plays assignment sound. He will contend strongly for a starting position. Domonique saw a lot of action in 2013 and handled himself quite well. He made a lot of huge tackles in run support. Another year of work will have him in contention as well. DJ White has the inside position (bad pun) on a starting corner job in 2014. He played pretty much all of 2013. His coverage skills are quite good even if he struggled at the end of plays getting passes broken up despite being in good position. He will need to work on his ball fighting skills in the off season. Lynn Griffin looks every bit the part of a good player waiting to break out. He is athletic enough to probably play any position. Injuries slowed him a little in 2013 and he had the least experience of the group. He will need to take a large step forward during this off season to win a position.
Outlook: The good news from 2013 was that injuries forced a lot of young players into action. Fortunately the young lads did well enough to provide some optimism going forward. Most teams will not have as many experienced players on their roster in the back field like we will. It should bode well. We appear stacked at safety. There are a lot of good options there and the battle for a starting spot will be interesting to follow. We lose a starting corner in LY and a "do everything" in JT. Replacing LY seems to be the big question. Do we have the perfect guy for CB who will raise the bar on that side of the field? We need more consistency and a difference maker at the same time. DJ seems to be solid on the other side. Who will be the guy? I am not really sure. It will be hard not to miss Jemea, but I hope, collectively, with everybody a year older and better, we can replace these two and still make a positive move forward as a unit.
Gone: are Jemea Thomas and Louis Young, who both have exhausted their eligibility. Jemea will go down in TECH history as one of the best and most memorable defensive players. He played with great instincts, tackled like a machine, and generally covered very well, all while changing positions routinely. If there was one guy in our secondary you would call a play-maker, it was Jemea. He was a leader and a special player. Louis Young will probably be remembered as an enigma of sorts. He arrived, highly rated with a lot of fan fair, however, he failed to ever achieve a level of consistency that would engender confidence in the fan base. The highs achieved during his good games were matched equally by some maddening lows, which often included fundamental break downs in coverage and tackling technique. He had the physical ability to be a special player, but sadly, never reached that category. His future, unlike Thomas, is somewhat uncertain. Most likely he will be given a chance in the league, but he will have to take that next step of consistency to stick there and make a roster.
Returning with playing time: are Isaiah Johnson, RSR, 6-2, 210, Coray Carlson RSR, 6-0, 180, Jamal Golden, SR, 6-0, 189, Chris Milton, RJR, 5-11, 185, Demond Smith RJR, 6-0, 185, Domonique Noble, 6-2, 204, DJ White, JR, 5-11, 184, Lynn Griffin, RSO, 6-0, 195. Isaiah has a ton of experience and he is recovering from an ACL injury forcing him to sit out his SR season. He has played since he was a true frosh with many bumps in the road along the way, taking poor angles and over-running plays etc. He has a lot of ability. It will be interesting to see if he has fully recovered, or if he has been surpassed by the others during his absence. We are all certainly rooting for him. Jamal was obviously and electric special teams player in the return game. His importance to the team in that regard cannot be overstated. As a safety, he was forced into the role a little early before he was ready. Hopefully that experience will serve him well next year. Coray Carlson has been a reserve player for his entire tenure and it is hard to see him gaining a greater role at safety with all of the players returning. Chris Milton has battled some injuries that have slowed his progress. He is wildly athletic, albeit a bit small for the safety position. He is fast enough to cover in the secondary and has also made a big name for himself on kick cover special teams. He will be in the mix for sure. Demond Smith got the bulk of the work at safety in 2013 and the results were favorable. He tackles well and generally plays assignment sound. He will contend strongly for a starting position. Domonique saw a lot of action in 2013 and handled himself quite well. He made a lot of huge tackles in run support. Another year of work will have him in contention as well. DJ White has the inside position (bad pun) on a starting corner job in 2014. He played pretty much all of 2013. His coverage skills are quite good even if he struggled at the end of plays getting passes broken up despite being in good position. He will need to work on his ball fighting skills in the off season. Lynn Griffin looks every bit the part of a good player waiting to break out. He is athletic enough to probably play any position. Injuries slowed him a little in 2013 and he had the least experience of the group. He will need to take a large step forward during this off season to win a position.
Outlook: The good news from 2013 was that injuries forced a lot of young players into action. Fortunately the young lads did well enough to provide some optimism going forward. Most teams will not have as many experienced players on their roster in the back field like we will. It should bode well. We appear stacked at safety. There are a lot of good options there and the battle for a starting spot will be interesting to follow. We lose a starting corner in LY and a "do everything" in JT. Replacing LY seems to be the big question. Do we have the perfect guy for CB who will raise the bar on that side of the field? We need more consistency and a difference maker at the same time. DJ seems to be solid on the other side. Who will be the guy? I am not really sure. It will be hard not to miss Jemea, but I hope, collectively, with everybody a year older and better, we can replace these two and still make a positive move forward as a unit.
). Here's to DJ taking the next step!
