LINEBACKERS

Returning lettermen: 6

Incoming: 8

Lost: 1 (Nick Bates)

Fresno State gave up a whopping 5.6 yards per rush last season – unacceptable for a team that expects to win. Part of the blame sits with a linebacker corps that was young and inexperienced last season, and is still young now. The difference is the youth now has starting experience under its belt, and a large crop of even younger prospects has added depth to a position sorely lacking a season ago. Coach Tim Skipper takes over the linebackers – a much more natural fit for the former Bulldogs standout – after spending the past two seasons as running backs coach.

The on-field leader is junior Ben Jacobs (6-3, 225), with two years of starting experience in the middle and second-team All-WAC honors in 2008. Jacobs turned his aggressiveness up several notches last season, and though his one weakness is speed, it didn’t stop him from collecting a team-high 113 tackles last season. He came to fall camp noticeably leaner and stronger and should be poised for his most successful season. When he has guys on offense looking up to him, it’s safe to say he’s doing things right.

One guy who did some things right in the offseason is junior strong side linebacker Nico Herron (6-3, 240). Though his listed at the same weight, it’s hard to believe he didn’t weigh more than 240 last year. Herron, too, is noticeably trimmer. His lack of speed was even more of a liability than Jacobs’ last year, in his first season as a starter, when he finished fourth on the team with 65 tackles. With highly-touted true freshman Travis Brown (6-2, 235) in the mix and battling for time, it should be easy for Herron to stay motivated and push himself. Brown, the son of the late longtime defensive coordinator Dan Brown, was expected to offer instant depth, but showed his youth (along with some promise) during fall camp. But it’s no secret coaches expect big things from him eventually.

On the weak side, sophomore Kyle Knox (6-1, 215) takes over as the full-time starter. Knox had lots of experience in 2008, but was in more of a reserve role as Chris Carter toggled between linebacker and defensive end. Now, Knox has the position to himself, and has quickly established himself as a wreckless hitter who loves to make big plays – see his team-high eight tackles for losses last year. He should be the unit’s best pass rusher. Sophomore Shawn Plummer (6-0, 200), a former walk-on, is the only reserve with much experience. Plummer can compete for time at weak or strong side after adding muscle to his frame. Frankie Manquero (6-1, 205), another former walk-on, converted from safety in the offseason and entered fall camp second on the depth chart. Manquero has been predominantly a special teams player, but might offer help in passing downs.

Backing up Jacobs in the middle is junior Sonny McCree (6-0, 230), yet another former walk-on, with very limited experience – five tackles last year. The way true freshman Daniel Salinas (5-11, 205) stands out in practice, it’s hard to imagine him not working his way up the depth chart this season. Salinas graduated high school a semester early to participate in spring camp, and has a knack at flying to the ballcarrier – something that used to be typical of Bulldog defenders.

The most noticeable thing about the incoming freshmen is their size – none of them look like Fresno State’s freshmen linebackers of recent years. They’re bigger. That’s the case with Salinas and Brown, as well as Patrick Su’a (6-2, 215), who has monster calves, Jeremiah Toma (6-0, 215) and Ibe Nduka (6-0, 220), whose physical build resembles former standout Bryce McGill. Another guy, currently behind Brown at strong side is freshman Damion Whittington (6-1, 235). While Su’a, Toma and Nduka are likely to redshirt, Whittington might be ready to see the field this season.

Though redshirt freshman Mario Moore (5-11, 180), a walk-on last year, might be the fastest linebacker, it’s odd to see someone his size not playing defensive back. He’ll battle to find a niche that gets him on the field this year, but new walk-ons David Halopoff (5-11, 210) and Steven Plevney (6-2, 205) have a long way to go.

Rating: 7 of 10

Random musings from Day 1 of fall camp

Welcome to Fresno true freshmen! Just don't expect 82 degree highs in the forecast, well, ever again. It was a rarity for August in The No (which I prefer to call The Yes) and Pat Hill let the newcomers know it.

Though there's no official word on it, this blogger suspects we also won't see Ebahn Feathers leaving the practice field with the scout team many more days. Sure, practicing with the reserves gives Feathers a chance to get the lion's share of reps, but he's going to need work with the guys who will be on the field when he enters the game for special packages.

Let's hope we don't see too many more dropped passes, especially by Marlon Moore, who got off to a rocky start on Thursday. Devon Wylie (who new receivers coach Keith Williams calls "Tim Dwight" all too often) looked polished and pristine.

Speaking of Williams, mark my words now the 'Dogs found themselves a special young coach. He's boisterous and energetic, but most importantly pays attention to the tiny details that were lacking last year under John Baxter's direction.

WAY too early to decide the Ryan Colburn-Derek Carr battle, but after Day 1, Carr gets a point for the speed with which he drops back to pass. Colburn gets a point for handling Joey Bernardi's snaps more cleanly.

Though we hear Devan Cunningham dropped 30 pounds every offseason...this time, I believe it. Other guys who look slimmer, trimmer and more defined: Ben Jacobs, Kenny Borg, Damion Owens, Nico Herron, Richard Pacheco.

So far, the battle for the sweatiest shirt is neck and neck between Bernardi and new defensive coordinator Randy Stewart. Bernardi is the first person to give Stewart a run...ever!

In memory of Dan Brown

It was a tough weekend to be a Bulldog. For lots of people. And that's because, seemingly, Dan Brown touched so very many in his 12 years in Fresno, and one can only assume everywhere he's been before.

The Fresno State defensive coordinator, at 50 years old, died on Friday. And to hear former players such as Marcus Riley today on ESPN 1430 and Jason Shirley, Alan Goodwin and Ahijah Lane in The Fresno Bee talk of Brown, one really gets a sense of what kind of guy he was. What kind of mentor he was. The type of coach he was.

Brown leaves behind his wife and six children, including Fresno State linebacker Eric Brown, who saw extensive special teams action in 2007, and incoming high-profile linebacker Travis Brown. The Fresno community will miss Dan Brown a great deal. And I think the Bulldog Bounce speaks for all Red Wavers by wishing the Brown family all our best. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

We leave you with the words of Jack Fertig, the former Fresno State director of basketball operations under Jerry Tarkanian. A recent Fertig blog captured a bit more of Brown's personality from one master of whit to another.

LINEBACKER

Returning players: 7
Incoming: 2
Lost: 5 (Marcus Riley, Trevor Shamblee, Ryan McKinley, Todd Chisom, Robert Schenck)

This isn’t the first time in recent years linebackers have been called the team’s biggest question mark. Last season the group thrived on the challenge, thanks in large part to sophomore Ben Jacobs (6-3, 225). Jacobs was thrust into a starting role in the middle as a redshirt freshman after Ahijah Lane suffered a career-ending injury in fall camp. Now, Jacobs enters the season as the veteran of the group, coming off a season with a team second-best 81 tackles, 6 for losses and 2 sacks. He also blocked 2 kicks on special teams. He fits that prototypical mold of the player who always seems to be around the ball. This year, Jacobs will be expected to take charge of the defense, especially the linebacker corps. During Jacobs’ first year in the program, former teammate Tyler Clutts predicted he’d be an All-American by the time he graduated. That’ll take some hard work, but Jacobs is off to a solid start.

The other two starting roles are what have fans wondering. Junior Quaadir Brown (6-0, 210) was expected to be the veteran presence of this group, but reportedly had some off-field issues that took his mind off football for a while and led to him losing a significant amount of weight. Brown spent at least the first week of fall camp on the sidelines, not participating in contact drills. With his status up in the air, sophomore Chris Carter (6-2, 220) was converted from defensive end. Though just a few weeks into his new role on the weak side, Carter has earned most of the first-team reps and has demonstrated he’s going to be a standout once he refines his technique and gets used to playing in open spaces. Carter had 15 tackles, 2 for losses and a forced fumble as a true freshman last season at end, but was ranked as one of the state’s top linebackers coming out of high school – so he’s not a stranger to the position. Carter is one of the most chiseled players on the team, and probably the fastest of the front seven.

On the strong side, the long-awaited arrival of sophomore Nico Herron (6-3, 240) seems to have arrived. Herron had a standout spring, and an even better start to fall camp, and looks to be the starter. He’s got prototypical linebacker size and is a vicious hitter. He’s even shown some ability in pass coverage during camp, something that won’t always be expected of him. It shouldn’t take the Red Wave long to fall in love with Herron after he crunches a few bones out there. The downside is that he has very little game experience other than on special teams. He missed the first 8 games with an injury last season, finishing the season with just 2 tackles.

The Bulldogs took another big blow to their depth with word that junior Ryan Machado (6-0, 210) is reportedly done for his career. Machado was having a breakout season in 2007 before an injury at Nevada sidelined him. But there is some reserve experience with sophomore Nick Bates (6-2, 210), who originally came to Fresno State as a highly-touted catcher on the baseball team before deciding his heart was in football and walking on under Pat Hill. Bates had 19 tackles, 4.5 for losses, 2 sacks and a forced fumble in his first season, but enters fall camp No. 2 on the depth chart.

A player who has somehow managed to flow under the radar so far is redshirt freshman Kyle Knox (6-1, 215). But he won’t be under the radar long – those who saw his high school film knew right away what type of an athlete the Bulldogs were getting. Knox moves well and is an aggressive, punishing tackler who specializes in snuffing out running backs and blitzing. He showed early glimpses in the first scrimmage of fall camp, delivering a crushing blow to running back Lonyae Miller and then intercepting a pass for a touchdown a few plays later. He’s sure to find his way onto the field this season.

Serving as backup in the middle is another redshirt freshman, Austin Raphael (6-2, 225), who has shown surprising speed early in his career and might play his way into the rotation a bit sooner than expected. He’s had an up-and-down camp, but definitely grown since last season.

A pleasant surprise in camp has been the emergence of freshman walk-on Shawn Plummer (6-0, 200), the son of longtime Hoover High coach Pat Plummer, a former Bulldog lineman. Plummer, who played safety at Clovis High, is a bit undersized but makes up for it with speed. He’s played well beyond his years in scrimmage situations, and draws comparisons to Bates last season.

A couple of local walk-ons from last season are working hard to climb the depth chart and will definitely play large roles on special teams, as they did last year. Sophomore Sonny McCree (6-0, 230) of Edison High has 3 tackles in 4 games since converting from H-back last season. Sophomore Eric Brown (5-11, 210) out of Clovis West High is the son of defensive coordinator Dan Brown. He finished with 9 tackles in 6 games, and was often the first defender down the field on kickoffs. Being brought up in a football family didn’t hurt his on-field intelligence either. Brown says his favorite football player is Marcus Riley, the WAC Defensive Player of the Year who graduated from Fresno State last season and is now in the NFL. Both McCree and Brown have been solid in camp.

True freshman Michael Butler (6-3, 220) of Sunnyside High was originally thought to be either a tight end or defensive end, but is now working at linebacker. Typically, the Bulldogs would want to redshirt him, but might need him this season with such unproven depth. He’s one of the most driven and positive-thinking recruits under Hill, who committed to Fresno State last season and then worked on convincing other area targets to become Bulldogs.

A couple of walk-ons fill out the unit in freshmen Dustin Russell (6-0, 210) of Atwater and Chad Martinez. Neither is likely to see a significant role this season. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, two of their most highly regarded recruits didn’t yet show up for camp in Ricky Pemasa (6-1, 205) and Damion Whittington (6-1, 220). Both would have been candidates to play as true freshman.

Rating: 6 of 10