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Awini to LB
- Thread starter BuffUp
- Start date
He immediately becomes possibly our most athletic LB and adds good speed, size and depth to our weakest position. The mental side and instincts of playing LB will determine his PT, but he's obviously a fairly intelligent kid (Gatorade POY and accepted to AF), so hopefully it'll be a smooth transition. With JL coaching him up all Spring and Fall, he could very well make a push for playing time. There's the sunshine and roses outlook for ya.
Well, if he's as good an athlete as has been said, gotta find somewhere to put him. I'm not opposed to him playing wherever they think he can help.
Or just not sold on Awini's QB abilities.... I think it's a little of all of the above. And lets see how our 2014 QB looks this spring.
I like it. Probably seen the writing on the wall, that he was not going to see any PT at QB. MM has stated he likes RB's at LB and basically a QB at AFA is a RB. His QB knowledge and speed will be a huge advantage to making that first step needed at LB. As long as he can wrap up and tackle? I think it is a smart and good position change. Or a big safety would be a good fit?
Awini has got to be focused on earning a scholarship first and foremost. If he can emerge as a vital player, that option is possible at end of semester.
stretch
Club Member
We were short in the recruiting class, so he shouldn't have to take anyone's spot. We have a couple scholarships to spare. Hopefully mentally he is able to pick it up quickly because I think athletically he could be very valuable to us. I think Leavitt will simplify the scheme and allow our athletes to fly around the field. Not a bad coach to have when you are learning the position.
Just now noticed this.
MacIntyre also announced that sophomore Christian Shaver has been moved from defensive end to middle linebacker.
Shaver (6-foot-3, 235 pounds) made two starts at defensive end as a true freshman in 2014 and made 18 tackles. He played both defensive end and linebacker at Jordan High School in Sandy, Utah.
We did need another middle backer
MacIntyre also announced that sophomore Christian Shaver has been moved from defensive end to middle linebacker.
Shaver (6-foot-3, 235 pounds) made two starts at defensive end as a true freshman in 2014 and made 18 tackles. He played both defensive end and linebacker at Jordan High School in Sandy, Utah.
We did need another middle backer
Awini was a really good option QB at AFA, that doesn't translate into a very good spread QB in the PAC. The AFA passing game was based on the threat of the run creating wide open recievers on the first read. It didn't involve a lot of passing to guys who were covered by DBs expecting them to get a pass their direction, it also didn't involve a lot of moving off the primary reciever to the second or third option.
What Awini did at AFA was carry out the run fake, take a couple of steps to present the threat of the keeper, then look up to the spot where his receiver was supposed to be. If the receiver was wide open throw the ball in his area and let him get it, if he wasn't there or wasn't wide open tuck the ball and run for what he could get.
He has a strong arm but not a very accurate arm. He made excellent reads in the attack he was in but those are completely different than what he would have to do at CU. As a comparison imagine Sefo trying to run the AFA offense, it would be ugly.
I expect that they kept him at QB last year both to satisfy their promise to him and to see if he could adapt and become a more accurate passer and master a multiple read system. This gives the answer to how that worked out.
If I were them I would do everything possible to get Gillam out of the middle and into one of the outside spots. Reduce the amount of contact he has to take and take advantage of his mobility while keeping him healthier.
Highflyer
Club Member
You just described every triple option QB in four paragraphs. :congrats:
They're not going to pull Rippy's scholarship just because he hasn't lived up to the transfer hype, or because people here don't think he works hard.
Not at the expense of the defense. If they're going to run a 3-4 that everybody is suggesting, is Gillam really going to move to OLB where he'll amount to mostly a stand up, pass rushing player? I don't think that's what makes him a special player for this defense. Tough situation for him regarding the concussions, but that's a part of football. Changing a guys position in an attempt to limit his contact doesn't mean much when the position change is MLB to OLB.
I didn't say they were going to pull his scholarship. The original post said he would possibly take his spot. What spot?
Rippy will either prosper under our new LB coach and DC (I suspect) or he will choose to leave. His new position coach is WAY too passionate to not get to this kid.
The key word in that last sentence is "get". I predict Rippy will get it, as the alternative will not be an option under JL.
So are you suggesting that Rippy is either going to be a starter or he'll leave the program? The kid's already transferred once; you think he'll do it again? If JL can't get Rippy to be a "dude" in this defense, he'll be a special teams player and back up LB. I don't know why it's starter or bust for him.
Gillam doesn't help you in the training room or in street clothes. He is a very good inside backer but is undersized and injury prone.
Putting him on the outside also doesn't necessarily mean he would be a pass rusher. Plenty of 3-4 defenses use an OLB as a guy who plays in coverage and has more freedom to cover ground against the running game without constantly having to fend off interior OL firing out on them every play.
LB is a physical position inside or out. At the same time the frequency and type of contact on the outside is different than it is playing in the meatgrinder in the middle.
We could go round and round about the difference between the MLB and OLB in the 3-4 but we'll end up in the same position. I guess the question is whether Gillam is a better OLB than Rippy, Olugbode or potentially Awini. If he's a better option than any of those guys, and JL can fill the ILB positions with Shaver, Gamboa, Watanabe or potentially Awini, then maybe that is the best option. I just don't like moving one of our only stud defenders to an unfamiliar position so he can marginally avoid contact.
Hope Awini slides in where he belongs. If LB is a good position, it'll be good to see Awini fill the gaps.
I'm just confused as to what your point is with Rippy. Your response with a "FIFY" was that Awini could take Rippy's scholarship and I'm not quite sure what that even means. Then you said "Rippy will either prosper under JL or leave". It seems there's no middle ground with Rippy for you. He's either a guy that flourishes or leaves the program? Why? I'm just confused.
As far as I'm concerned, everyone on D has a clean slate. If the light bulb finally turns on for Rippy, than he should be a solid player for us under JL. If he continues with the same attitude that many people on this site portray him as having in the past, then he'll be nothing but a depth guy and special teams player.
Idk if he'd take his ship, maybe his spot. No telling, who knows how he'll do there? We need depth there anyway, I doubt Rippy is going anywhere. Maybe he's figured things out.
In my brief research, most quarterbacks who switch positions, switch to WR, P/K Returner or RB. Very rarely do they go from QB to defense. I did find this article on Anthony Barr who went from RB to LB very successfully. But very rarely do you find a QB who moves to LB. Of course, the Buffs had a very successful "do over" between '89/'90 and '90/'91 with Ron Woolfork switched from QB to OLB. So it can be done.
