Any word on LB development?

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- 08/06/2017 at 8:05 PM #36445
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  rbmw263
  Ute Fan
  
  @rbmw263
  
  Hoping for some bit time steps from davir and Donovan. That group has to be much better this year or 9 wins is not a hope but a likely cieling given schedule
- 08/06/2017 at 8:48 PM #36451
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  RiseasUtes
  Ute Fan
  
  @riseasutes
  
  Haven’t heard anything on Davir, but Thompson was reported to be fighting for playing time. Davir will probably get special teams playing time this year. Thompson I expect to be a rotational player at LB.
  - 08/06/2017 at 9:23 PM #36453
    
    Sweetness
    Ute Fan
    
    @sweetness
    
    I’m pretty sure Davir is full time d-end now. Could be wrong but that’s what I thought I had heard. I would have liked to have seen him and tupai get a shot at LB.
    - 08/06/2017 at 9:59 PM #36455
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      Onlyu
      Ute Fan
      
      @uf8fl
      
      Davir is a full time D-End…wasn’t able to make the transition as well as hoped in year 1 at backer so they moved him. Thompson and Barton are the 2’s right now. They each run so well and are so physical that they’ll both play a lot but Sunia and Kavika are the starters right now. Linebackers won’t be a weakness like they were at times last year. Kavika could be all conference and Sunia is consistently in the right place.
      
      Good depth and experience there now. Cody Ippolito is 250 lbs and with 3 knee surgeries in 4 years won’t likely find much time but he’s a gamer so it will be interesting to see where he fits in, if at all.
      
      Devin Lloyd is a freak athlete but word is he might have to move to D-End. Either way he has a high ceiling and could someday be in the mix.
      - 08/06/2017 at 11:44 PM #36459
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        Utah
        Ute Fan
        
        @utah
        
        I’ve heard the coaches think Davr has NFL potential at DE and they love what he’s doing there.
        
        08/07/2017 at 7:40 AM #36461
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        Sweetness
        Ute Fan
        
        @sweetness
        
        Moving linebackers to d-end is the new “move receiver to corner.” Seriously, the d-line is stacked, the LB core is thin and our best athletes at LB keep getting moved to d-end where they are 3rd-4th on depth chart.
        
        08/07/2017 at 10:27 AM #36468
        
        crazyute
        Ute Fan
        
        @crazyute
        
        One thing to keep in mind is that we are running more of a 4-2-5 defense now. and so only 2 LBers are needed on the field at a time. There is talent in the program at the position. We have some younger kids in the program that are developing still like Thompson. But I believe we do need to get 1 or 2 in this next recruiting class.
        
        08/07/2017 at 11:03 AM #36471
        
        GoUtes
        Ute Fan
        
        @goutes
        
        Admittedly, I’m not a huge Xs and Os guy, but have we been playing more of a 4-2-5 in recent years? Or is this something new for this coming season? What is the rationale behind this? More DBs to combat many of our opponents airing it out more? Has the 4-2-5 been more effective against these spread-type offenses?
        
        08/07/2017 at 12:56 PM #36477
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        UtMtBiker
        Ute Fan
        
        @utmtbiker
        
        I think it was a combination of pretty poor performance at linebacker last year and the necessity to keep more speed on the field for match up reasons.
        
        08/07/2017 at 2:57 PM #36483
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        Wilson’s Mustache
        Ute Fan
        
        @sigmaute
        
        No its not new for this season. We primarily ran out of a 4-2-5 last year. You are correct, it allows us to put more speed on the field for better coverage & better match ups against spread teams. Not to mention, I believe, it allows us to put the best 11 men on the field. We haven’t been especially deep at LB, but our secondary was talented last year and looks to be even deeper this year.
        
        If we were to play a team like Stanford, and probably BYU. We will most likely run our traditional 4-3 or possibly play with 5 D lineman.
        
        08/08/2017 at 7:57 AM #36524
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        89ute
        Ute Fan
        
        @89ute
        
        LINEBACKER
        
        THE LOWDOWN
        
        Second-year linebackers coach Justin Ena is tasked with the biggest rebuilding job on the defense after his 2015 All-Pac-12 seniors Gionni Paul and Jared Norris headed to the NFL. The Utes have officially moved away from their longtime 4-3 base defense to get an extra defensive back on the field, so they’ll have just two holes to fill on the field most of the time.
        
        From fall camp 2016
    - 08/07/2017 at 10:04 AM #36467
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      Rick
      Ute Fan
      
      @rickyrules
      
      I heard Coach Whit talke about Maxs Tupai will come in and play that kind of Trevor Reilly role of hybrid DE/LB in certain situations. Maxs is a tremendous talent and he will see some playing time this year and then he will take over for Fitts next year.
- 08/07/2017 at 9:41 AM #36463
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  St George Ute
  Ute Fan
  
  @stgeorgeute
  
  I’m rooting for Trevor Horlacher, #51. He’s the brother of a neighbor and I met his father the other day. Really nice family. He should see some time on special teams this year but I’m hoping he makes a name for himself at LB in the next couple seasons. He’s a redshirt Freshman, so still young with a lot of time left. But for their family, I’ll be rooting for him.
  - 08/07/2017 at 9:53 AM #36465
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    Tony (admin)
    Admin/Founder
    
    @admin
    
    Cool. Nice to have a connection like that. Makes it more fun.
- 08/07/2017 at 10:56 AM #36470
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  Utah
  Ute Fan
  
  @utah
  
  We also have Ippolito, a really good LB transfer from Arizona who is hurt a lot. He can play right away but is a SR, so enjoy him this year.