Who replaces Tre’ Williams at linebacker ?

[aubiefifty 16,754]

Looking Ahead: Who replaces Tre’ Williams at linebacker in 2018? | Football

Josh Vitale | AU Writer Follow on Twitter Like on Facebook

6-8 minutes

Auburn linebacker Richard McBryde (51) looks on during practice on March 21, 2017, in Auburn, Ala.

Shanna Lockwood/For the OA News

Auburn lost at least one key contributor at every level of its defense following the 2017 season — Jeff Holland on the defensive line, Tre’ Williams at linebacker, Carlton Davis at corner, and Tray Matthews and Stephen Roberts at safety.

The position where the Tigers are perhaps best suited to make up for what they lost is linebacker, where they return leading tackler Deshaun Davis as well as Darrell Williams and Montavious Atkinson. But position coach Travis Williams has gone into each of the past two seasons with four players he felt were capable of starting, and to do that again in 2018, he’ll need one of he team’s younger linebackers to step in and fill Tre’ Williams shoes.

They’re big shoes to fill: Despite missing three full games and significant portions of multiple others with a shoulder stinger that affected him from Week 2 through the end of the season, the senior finished the year ranked fifth on the team with 50 tackles to go along with 2 ½ sacks.

“I think the example and the leadership he has set, minus the injury, is huge,” defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said prior to the Peach Bowl. “But the work ethic and the resolve to go practice when he was not at his best, and practice at a high level with a great focus, has been a huge, huge example to young guys.”

Veterans Davis, Darrell Williams and Atkinson should be able fill the leadership role Tre’ Williams vacated in 2018. They already took on some of those responsibilities in 2017. They produced on the field, too: Davis had 23 more tackles (82) than anyone on Auburn’s defense to go along with 3 ½ sacks, Williams recorded 57 tackles and five quarterback hurries, and Atkinson finished with 43 stops.

Auburn does have some talent coming up behind that group, though. The most experienced of those players is rising junior Richard McBryde, a former four-star recruit out of Troy who served as the team’s de facto fifth linebacker this season and recorded 13 tackles and two tackles for loss.

Rising sophomores Chandler Wooten and K.J. Britt could also be ready for bigger roles after getting some experience playing as reserves as true freshmen this past season.

Davis compared Wooten, a former three-star recruit who recorded eight tackles in eight games, to Darrell Williams for his ability to play in space but also fill gaps against the run. Britt, a former four-star recruit who played in all 14 games and recorded four tackles, earned the nickname “Downhill Britt” from his teammates.

“He don’t make a false step going downhill,” Davis said. “He sees the ball, and he’s gone.”

Both were forces in their senior seasons at North Cobb (Ga.) High and Oxford (Ala.) High, each totaling 124 tackles and 15 or more tackles for loss.

The Tigers also signed 2018 four-star linebackers Zakoby McClain and Michael Harris in December, as well as versatile three-star defender Josh Marsh, who could play either outside linebacker or safety.

So while they might not have an obvious choice to step up in the absence of Tre’ Williams, they should have no shortage of potential options.

“We have really good linebackers. Coach T-Will, the job he has done his first year of coaching and his second year of coaching, has been amazing,” Williams said. “I already know those guys are going to step up and take care of business next year.”

Josh Vitale is the Auburn beat writer for the Opelika-Auburn News. You can follow him on Twitter at @AUBlog. To reach him by email, click here.

[bigbird 60,491]

I expect Britt to take over 

[Mikey 16,576]

Depth could start to be a problem once again. The fruits of Muschamp's five-LB recruiting season will be seniors next year and Holland and Colbert are already gone from that group. Add ZERO LB's in the '16 class and three in '17 with one of those already moved to DE and very soon we will short there again. If we don't flip Quay Walker from UAT it will again be time to become alarmed about the position.

[bigbird 60,491]

5 minutes ago, Mikey said:

Depth could start to be a problem once again. The fruits of Muschamp's five-LB recruiting season will be seniors next year and Holland and Colbert are already gone from that group. Add ZERO LB's in the '16 class and three in '17 with one of those already moved to DE and very soon we will short there again. If we don't flip Quay Walker from UAT it will again be time to become alarmed about the position.

However, retention and development has increased substantially.  

[Mikey 16,576]

5 hours ago, bigbird said:

However, retention and development has increased substantially.  

We've signed better players, which has a lot to do with that. However, right now and considering moves to rush end and Tre Thweatt's departure, we will have five LB's from the last three signing classes. That's not enough. Walker, if he signs with us, will bring it to the edge of sufficient but that's all.

[Apraser99 168]

But in Malzahn vernacular....."we like where we are at right now"

[Mikey 16,576]

10 minutes ago, Apraser99 said:

But in Malzahn vernacular....."we like where we are at right now"

The last time he said that with regard to recruiting linebackers was February of 2015.

[auburnphan 6,050]

we spend a large amount of snaps in the nickel or dime.  Next man up.  Britt from what I hear is the guy to watch

[corchjay 5,311]

No one next year will replace what we lost.  Tre had a fantastic year.  I’m very skeptical of our LB play next year.  Deshaun plays way over weight in my opinion at what 5’11” 245...  he need to cut that down a lot.  He’s instinctive and needs to play with that speed increase.  Our scheme allows our LBs to play as a team and fill their assignments.  It’s a pretty basic system so whoever has the physical tools can be decent.  We do however need some lager backers.  Need a few 6’3” guys that carry 230 easily.  I love speed but you gotta have a couple mashers in there to.  Plus shutting down the run completely is going to be the utmost importance next year because we are gonna give up points through the Air just because of inexperienced DBs.  So making teams play pass only will be very important.  If we give up 140 yards a game on the ground on average it’s gonna be tough stopping people

[Apraser99 168]

34 minutes ago, Mikey said:

The last time he said that with regard to recruiting linebackers was February of 2015.

And here we are!

[Mikey 16,576]

8 hours ago, Apraser99 said:

And here we are!

Here we are? When, recently, did Gus say he likes where we are with linebacker recruiting? "Here we are" implies that he's made that statement recently, so please provide a link.

[Linayus 676]

13 hours ago, corchjay said:

Deshaun plays way over weight in my opinion at what 5’11” 245...  he need to cut that down a lot.  He’s instinctive and needs to play with that speed increase. 

Almost all muscle though. Dude is solid! lol But I agree - he's a little too slow to contain the outside against SEC speed. I think the added weight was more a factor of him being a smaller LB so he added the muscle to be a better defender against the run.

Whatever happens, I'm not too stressed with him out there making plays. He made big improvements between his sophomore and junior seasons so he could have a hell of a senior campaign!

[Randman5000 4,226]

We need the younger guys to step up like D. Williams did his sophomore year.

I trust the leadership of older guys and T Will though. 

[Apraser99 168]

7 hours ago, Mikey said:

Here we are? When, recently, did Gus say he likes where we are with linebacker recruiting? "Here we are" implies that he's made that statement recently, so please provide a link.

You said, " The last time he said that with regard to recruiting linebackers was February of 2015. "

I said,  "And here we are!"

Simply meaning we are close to being thin/young/inexperienced(whatever term you choose) at LB again.

Gus has a habit of saying "we like where we are" rather than stating our needs.

 

[M E R L I N 53]

I wouldn’t mind seeing Nick Coe/Big Cat Bryant and Marlon Davidson at DE and put Moultry back at LB. Dude is a beast and can lay the lumber. 

[Mikey 16,576]

2 hours ago, Apraser99 said:

You said, " The last time he said that with regard to recruiting linebackers was February of 2015. "

I said,  "And here we are!"

Simply meaning we are close to being thin/young/inexperienced(whatever term you choose) at LB again.

Gus has a habit of saying "we like where we are" rather than stating our needs.

 

So, you pretended to quote Gus when he said no such thing. Got it.

[AuburnTiger4Life 2,225]

We're not that thin. 

[WFE12 9,191]

Speaking of Tre looking like that shoulder is a hundo. Forced a fumble at practice 

 

[looney 794]

18 hours ago, WFE12 said:

Speaking of Tre looking like that shoulder is a hundo. Forced a fumble at practice 

 

Dang.

Wish more uga linemen (I think that's a "G" I'm seeing on the blurry little red helmet) had missed blocks like that in our 2nd matchup.

[Apraser99 168]

On 1/23/2018 at 5:47 PM, Mikey said:

So, you pretended to quote Gus when he said no such thing. Got it.

Just for the hell of it I googled and here is one instance....

http://www.auburntigers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/040117aab.html

If you are honest you have heard him say it many times.

[Mikey 16,576]

4 hours ago, Apraser99 said:

Just for the hell of it I googled and here is one instance....

http://www.auburntigers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/040117aab.html

If you are honest you have heard him say it many times.

Not with regard to linebacker recruiting, which was the subject of the discussion and was what you claimed Gus made the remark in reference to.

[Beaker 2,457]

On 1/23/2018 at 5:43 PM, M E R L I N said:

I wouldn’t mind seeing Nick Coe/Big Cat Bryant and Marlon Davidson at DE and put Moultry back at LB. Dude is a beast and can lay the lumber. 

This^^^

Why is this not an option?   I have wondered the same

[auol72 188]

Because he is too good of an option at the Buck/DE position. We normally only play two lbs at a time and we have plenty right now. With him and Big Cat at Buck and Marlon and Coe at SDE with what we have inside we are well on the way to the 8/10 deep DL that Rodney plays with. It is that simple.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

22 hours ago, Apraser99 said:

Just for the hell of it I googled and here is one instance....

http://www.auburntigers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/040117aab.html

If you are honest you have heard him say it many times.

Word of advice... don't argue linebacker recruiting with Mikey. He's followed it closer and is far more passionate about it than anyone else on this board for as long as I have been a part of the board.

[Apraser99 168]

On 1/25/2018 at 4:55 PM, Mikey said:

Not with regard to linebacker recruiting, which was the subject of the discussion and was what you claimed Gus made the remark in reference to.

Maybe I should have clarified I meant Gus seems to say that a lot about the program in general. I agree it has been a while since he has saud that about LB recruiting. We have been okay there the past couple of years. You win.?