LBs

[Stu Gotz]

With the split broadcast of the Stanford and Arizona spring games, it was difficult to follow any specific player, especially on defense. Any word on how Smothers has looked at LB, in the spring game or generally? Getting Cobb and Ware in the fall should help from a depth perspective -- both could see time as true freshman -- but Smothers was really counted on to provide immediate help at the position. He could be the most important recruit from last year ... we really need him to make an impact.

Cam Denson is another guy who may play as a freshman, although we certainly don't need him at WR

[Wildcat Jones]

I don't have much to offer based on what I saw in the spring game, as our D played everything very vanilla, for whatever reasons our coaching staff had for that.

I will say that we look much bigger at LB than we have in past years when we had Jake Fisher (5-10) and Sir Thomas Jackson (6-0) on the field at the same time. Smothers "looks" the part, he's a big guy and has a great build, listed at 6-2, 237. DeAndre Miller is listed at 6-3, 224, and looks really fast. Jake Mathews is 6-3, and listed at 214 but that's last years weight. He looks to me to be at least 225. He's big and quick. Scooby is listed as 6-1, 230 and honestly, he looks bigger and a bit slower. I hope I'm wrong there. Add in Keoni Bush-Loo at 6-4, 225 and Hank Hobson at 6-3, 227, and then Ware and Cobb in the fall, and we have FAR more depth and size at LB than we've had in years.

[rickyk]

I wouldn't forget about Turituri. If he gets healthy for an extended period of time I think he could be a real force.

[Wildcat Jones]

I know Turituri is listed as a LB, and I am really excited about his potential and all I read about him. But I really don't think we'll see him as an everyday LB for our style defense, but rather he'll play as a 3rd down rush end/LB or just eventually be moved to defensive end.

[catnaz]

It was hard to make out the numbers on TV, but from what I could see, it looked like Milller (WLB), Scooby (MLB), and Bush-Loo (SLB) were the ones, Matthews (WLB), Hobson (MLB), and Smothers (SLB) the twos, and Jackson, Ippolito and Turituri the threes.

I think Smothers will challenge in the fall for the starting SLB, and Turituri was dinged up for most of the spring but got in a little. It'll be interesting to see if Cobb and/or Ware are ready to be in the mix in the fall, and I think with our depth, Turituri may still get a look at DE where we need some play makers and better depth. LB is definitely looking up!

[excatdb]

Smothers did not come in in the the type of shape needed to compete. He showed flashes but was so out of shape compared to the other backers that he just couldn't make the impact he needed to. They did like the flashes that he did show but they were few and far between because of his lack of conditioning.

[Maui]

Re Turituri, last year he was used mostly situationally on third and long to rush the passer. Perhaps he's not the kind of guy who would stand up well to the run, but when he and Wright were in the game, we had a noticeably better pass rush (one of the only times during the entire season we put pressure on the opposing team's QB). I'd like to see more of that in 2014.