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Basically ... Don't expect much of a drop-off in overall production from last year's excellent 18th ranked defense thanks to a tremendous, but unheralded back seven. The loss of Dave Ball and Rodney Leisle from the line is a killer, meaning several unproven players will have to fill the production gap.
Star of the defense: Junior LB Spencer Havner
Player that has to step up and become a star: Junior CB Nnamdi Ohaeri
Unsung star on the rise: Junior DE Kyle Morgan
Best pro prospect: Senior FS Ben Emanuel
Top three all-star candidates: 1) Havner, 2) LB Justin London, 3) Emanuel
Strength of the defense: The back seven, safeties
Weakness of the defense: Experience on the line
Defensive Line
Projected Starters
- Defensive end Kevin Harbour, Soph. - Harbour is the only Bruin end with any experience, he's only been used sparingly. He's impressively strong and very quick, but he'll have to fight to keep
the job on the end as there'll be a lot of rotating on the left side..
- Defensive tackle Kevin Brown, Soph. - Brown isn't the brick wall on the defensive interior that C.J. Niusulu is, but he's a strong. athletic player moving to the defensive side after starting
his career as an offensive guard.
- Defensive tackle C.J. Niusulu, Jr. - The one experienced lineman of the bunch, Niusulu moves into the starting role after being a strong reserve. He made 26 tackles last year and should be
the team's best run stopper.
- Defensive end Kyle Morgan, Jr. - Morgan was originally going to Miami before going the JUCO route. He was a star at Pearl River College in Mississippi and is expected to instantly
become the team's most productive end.
Top Backups
- DE Bruce Davis, RFr. - A pure pass rusher, Davis will be a situational player without the size of Kevin Harbour or Kyle Morgan.
- DE Nikola Dragovic, RFr. - A fullback by trade, Dragovic will stay on the defensive side as a physical, tough end.
- DT Junior Lemau'u, Soph. - Lemau'u was going to move from end to tackle providing more athleticism to the defensive interior and was expected to grow into a star, but he was dismissed from
the team for failing to meet team policies.
The Skinny: Even though the line needs to be completely rebuilt, the new players aren't that bad. There's no way the Bruins can replace the 16.5 sacks of Dave Ball with one player, but
the pass rush should be relatively decent even with the total lack of D-I experience. There's no developed depth whatsoever.
Player to keep an eye on: Kyle Morgan ... Defensive Line Rating: 5
Linebackers
Projected Starters
- Wesley Walker, Jr. - With Spencer Havner moving to the inside, Walker will take over on the outside after making 15 tackles as a reserve last year. He has good instincts and excellent
athleticism.
- Justin London, Jr. - London grew into a big-time producer on the inside last year and a good run stopper finishing second on the team with 98 stops. He has tremendous quickness both at
getting into the backfield and dropping into pass coverage.
- Spencer Havner, Jr. - Havner has been an ultra-productive linebacker filling in where needed and always providing steady production. He should be the team's top tackler taking over Brandon
Chillar's spot on the inside after making 82 tackles last year on the outside. He's also fantastic in pass coverage breaking up five passes and picking off three last year.
Top Backups
- Tim Warfield, Sr. - The No. 1 reserve on the inside, Warfield will back up London and be a factor on special teams. He made two tackles last year.
- William Snead, RFr. - Snead will get every chance to split time on the outside with Wesley Walker. He has a great knack for getting to the quarterback and making plays in the backfield, and
will become an important reserve as the year goes on.
- Danny Nelson, Soph. - The JUCO All-American is a tough player on the inside. He's buried a bit behind London and Warfield, but he's good enough to see time this year.
The Skinny: There aren't any superstars, but this is a very good, very diverse group with excellent depth (although it needs developing) and several good prospects ready to show what
they can do. Spencer Havner is one of the better unsung talents in the Pac 10, while Justin London should be in the mix for All-Pac 10 honors.
Player to keep an eye on: Wesley Walker ... Linebacker Rating: 8.5
Secondary
Projected Starters
- Cornerback Nnamdi Ohaeri, Jr. - A physical corner, Ohaeri will get the first chance to take over the right cornerback slot. He saw time in nickel situations finishing with 22 tackles and
could end up seeing time at safety if needed. First, he has to get over off-season knee surgery.
- Free safety Ben Emanuel, Sr. - A rock in the secondary seeing time at both free and strong safety, Emanuel is a speedy 220-pound playmaker finishing fourth on the team with 80 stops. He's
also a decent player with the ball in the air using his quickness to always be around the ball.
- Strong safety Jarrad Page, Jr. - Page's emergence has been everything for the Bruin secondary and where the other pieces fit into play. He's been a starter for the last 22 games as a big,
athletic playmaker picking off three passes and making 55 tackles. He's not the hitter that Ben Emanuel is, but he's as good an all-around player.
- Cornerback Matt Clark, Sr. - The ultra-quick Clark isn't big, but he's an excellent tackler, with 53 stops last year, and the team's best cover-corner. He needs to make more plays when the
ball is in the air with only one interception and one broken up pass last year.
Top Backups
- Strong safety Eric McNeal, Soph. - McNeal has been a career special teams player, but he'll play a big role as a backup safety with good size and excellent ball skills. He'll back up
Page.
- Cornerback Marcus Cassel, Jr. - Cassel has worked well as a reserve trained and ready to become the team's top backup corner. He'll push Ohaeri for playing time.
- Cornerback Trey Brown, RFr. - The scout team player of the year, the active, speedy Brown is ready as a backup to Matt Clark on the left side.
The Skinny: The safeties will be among the best in the Pac 10, but there's still a question at corner. There's quality prospects ready to back up Matt Clark and Nnamdi Ohaeri, and now
the starters need to come through on a consistent basis. In all, this is a great secondary that should be fantastic yet again even with Matt Ware leaving early for the NFL.
Player to keep an eye on: Nnamdi Ohaeri ... Secondary Rating: 8.5
Special Teams
- Placekicker Justin Medlock, Soph. - Medlock was a consistent kicker even though he struggled in the end. He has a good leg and should do just fine as he should grow into a better player after
a year of experience.
- Punter Chris Kluwe, Sr. - Kluwe took over for all-star Nate Fikse and did a fantastic job averaging 42.9 yards per kick putting 19 inside the 20. Considering how poor the offense was, Kluwe
turned into a savior setting a school-record for 91 kicks.
The Skinny: A concern going into last year, the special teams will be tremendous with a way above-average kicking game and explosive returners. Maurice Drew averaged a whopping 26.6
yards per kickoff. Craig Bragg didn't have his best punt returning year, but he's explosive.
Special Teams Rating: 9
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