The Texas Tech football team's defensive line will feature a rotation of experienced and inexperienced players in the 2007 season, as coaches try to replace players who went on to play in the professional ranks.
Keyunta Dawson was selected in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the Indianapolia Colts, while Chris Hudler signed with the Lubbock Renegades of the af2, a minor league of the arena football league.
The freshmen linemen look to join a defensive line that returns players Rajon Henley, Richard Jones, Brandon Williams and Jake Ratliff.
Henley received significant playing time in 2006, playing 11 games while making 14 tackles, and Jones recorded six tackles and one sack in 10 games played.
Defensive line coach Ruffin McNeill said he believes freshmen Colby Whitlock and Bobby Agoucha present excellent potential up front and could be part of a six-man rotation McNeill intends to incorporate this upcoming season.
Agoucha's football experience may be limited - the 6-foot-4, 328-pound lineman played four high school games his senior season - but McNeill said the freshman's raw talent is an intriguing advantage when it comes to coaching.
"Everything is new to him, which I like because everything I know will be what he knows," McNeill said. "The thing that (Agoucha) brings is he's got as much talent or more at the position. He's got a great first step, great power at the point of contact. He uses his hands well, and he understands body position during pass rush."
Agoucha said he believes his fundamentals at the position continue to get better as his reps increase during practice.
"I look at it like everyday I step out here like I'm still at the bottom of the ladder," he said. "I just come out here everyday with an open mind ready to learn and just try to mature myself everyday."
McNeill said it is obvious Whitlock's experience as a high school wrestler gives him a considerable advantage.
"He understands balance and change of body momentum on an offensive lineman for pass rush, which is the hardest thing to teach," he said. "You only have a split second to take advantage of a guy's off-balance posture. Colby's wrestling experience helps him understand that. He gets them leaning one way, and knows how to counter that and come opposite."
Another freshman defensive tackle that could help the Red Raiders this season is walk-on Clint Stoffels.
Stoffels was redshirted last season and was not recruited out of high school, though he was a two-time all-state defensive tackle. At 6-feet, 269 pounds, Stoffels said his size was the reason he flew under the radar.
Regardless of size, McNeill said he likes what he's seen out of Stoffels, even drawing comparisons to how former Red Raider Zach Thomas proved himself by making play after play for the Miami Dolphins when McNeill interned there in 1996.
"After he makes three, four, five, six plays in a row, it's not luck anymore," McNeill said. "There's something to that. If he makes plays for us, he's going to play. If he makes the most plays for us, he's going to start."
Junior Henley said he enjoys showing you defensive linemen the ropes. He said he thinks the young players can help the defensive line exceed expectations if they can perfect what McNeill is coaching them.
"Our run defense, we need to work on our run and pass rush," Henley said. "We have a lot of quick young guys on the front line so we should be pretty good. The defensive line should be straight by the time the season comes."
McNeill said when older players guide younger players through drills and plays, he makes a point not to interfere because of his philosophy that a player can help another player more than a coach can.
"I do my job. I tell them in the meetings. I go over drills," McNeill said. "But a player like Rajon who's been around me for a year can go tell Bobby something and he'll be like, 'Oh OK.' That's valuable. My ego is very small. I just want to win. I want to come out and play good. I want our fans to be happy with a Red Raider victory."
Be the first to comment on this article!