Today's preview focuses on the defense and specialists. Our preview of the offense is HERE.
First-year head coach Tyson Helton is set to begin his first spring practice with the Hilltoppers on Tuesday, March 12. In a homecoming of sorts for the former offensive coordinator under Jeff Brohm in 2014 and 2015, it won't be an unusual setting, but it will be an unusual role. How Helton organizes and runs practices, communicates with players and staff, and maintains his oversight role as the head coach will all be new to the longtime position coach who has worked with quarterbacks specifically for the last five years at Tennessee, Southern California, and WKU.
The Defense
While the offensive staff features a host of new assistant coaches, the defensive staff was largely retained under Helton as he elected to bring defensive coordinator Clayton White back for his third season as the program's director of defense. Along with White, three other defensive assistants were retained including linebackers coach Maurice Crum, defensive ends/recruiting coordinator Jimmy Lindsey, and defensive tackles coach - and WKU alumnus - Kenny Martin. The only new addition to the full-time defensive staff is safeties coach Andy LaRussa. LaRussa, who worked with Helton previously at USC, will also lead the direction of the special teams in 2019.
Unlike the offense, which returns nearly every player on the two-deep, White and his defensive staff will be looking to fill major voids with the loss of five starters including both starting linebackers, two defensive backs, and a defensive tackle. However, the Hilltoppers will have just two senior returners in the starting lineup heading into this spring meaning the opportunity for young players to make an immediate impact exists not only in 2019 but well into the future.
The Secondary
For two seasons, Drell Greene and DeAndre Farris roamed the defensive backfield as starters for the Hilltoppers. Farris, serving as a captain in his final season on The Hill, set top-five marks in WKU's FBS era for passes defended and Greene was largely touted as one of the most athletic safeties in Conference USA. Both players are now training for their professional futures and suddenly juniors Devon Key and Roger Cray are the veterans of what could be a dynamic, athletic group.
In Greene's void, Antwon Kincade will look to establish his place in the safety rotation after two years of being a key contributor at all three positions: cornerback, nickelback, and safety. The versatile Kincade has been a fixture on WKU's special teams units since playing as a true freshman, and the spring will be a key time in his development.
Another young defensive back expected to take a major step forward in his contributions this season might be another junior in Dionte Ruffin. Like Kincade, Ruffin has seen action in his first two seasons at WKU, particularly as a rotational cornerback, and may well be in the lead position heading into spring practices to take the position opposite Cray at cornerback. The Hilltoppers also added former North Carolina State defensive back Trae Meadows out of junior college, and Meadows will provide a wealth of experience as he pushes for playing time.
Where there is no discussion on the starting role is at the nickelback position. Former walk-on Ta'Corian Darden has taken the role by storm since White's installation of the 4-2-5 defense, and it will be on Darden to mentor the underclassmen and first-time starters around him.
Linebackers
Well, Coach Crum, can you do it for the third season in a row? In each of his first two seasons on The Hill, linebackers coach Maurice Crum has seen his leading tackler depart a year early for the NFL (Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Chicago Bears) or the chance to play their final season for their father (Ben Holt).
All that's left to do now is find out who Crum's next star pupil will be. Transfer linebacker Eli Brown found his way as the 2018 season progressed and put together an impressive highlight reel of thumpers in his 25 total tackles. Brown also had a knack for getting through the line and into the backfield as he racked up 5.5 tackles for loss, a ratio of 1.0 tackle for loss every 4.5 tackles. For reference, the next best ratio by a linebacker was 1.0 TFL per 10.1 tackles. Defensive tackle Jaylon George averaged 1.0 per 4.6.
Next to Brown is another question mark this spring. Demetrius Cain has been a pass rushing linebacker for the better part of two seasons and will provide excellent experience and depth. Former safety Kyle Bailey will slide down into the box after spending his first two seasons on The Hill as a safety. Bailey came to WKU as a linebacker and so he will now return to his natural position. Damon Lowe (Eastern Kentucky) and Clay Davis (Tennessee Tech) sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, and both players have playing experience at their previous stops. Youth will also come into play this spring as three other linebackers are coming out of their redshirt seasons to give Crum a variety of skill sets to work with.
Defensive Line
When three of your four starters return, it's a pretty good start. When one of those starters also includes a freshman All-American who also set the program's freshman sack record, it's an even better start.
That's where defensive ends coach Jimmy Lindsey and defensive tackles coach Kenny Martin begin the spring. But, where they end the spring could be as important as any other group on the team. With the graduation of Julien Lewis and Evan Sayner at tackle, Martin's group lost a combined 67 games worth of experience. His returning group features just 51 combined games of experience and the bulk of those games are from senior Jaylon George (18) and junior Jeremy Darvin (20). Newcomer Ricky Barber may find a role early on as Martin will look to find a starter next to George, and after Darvin and fellow junior Jalen Madden, the rest of the depth chart is comprised primarily of redshirt freshmen.
At end, Lindsey returns the All-American, Juwuan Jones, and his equally disruptive counterpart, DeAngelo Malone. The young duo combined for 15 tackles for loss and 11 sacks last season as they began to find their stride in the back half of the 2018 season. Rising senior Carson Jordan also returns with five starts from a season ago after missing the entirety of the 2017 season due to injury. Newcomer Marcus Bragg could factor into the rotation as well.
The Specialists
Alex Rinella became a sort of one-man show last season at one point for the Hilltoppers handling the kicking duties in all three phases: placekicking, kickoffs, and punting. Since the departure of all-time leading scorer Garrett Schwettman in 2015 and Skyler Simcox in 2016, the field goal game has been up and down for the Hilltoppers. That will be a point of emphasis of LaRussa and Schwettman, now serving on WKU's staff as a special teams assistant, to put points on the scoreboard on a consistent basis. Freshman kicker Cory Munson will join the team in the summer to provide another leg to the competition.
In the punting game, Rinella was steady and will factor into the position battle there. However, Australian John Haggerty has come stateside to try to put his stamp on the position. There have been numerous punters from Australia joining American college football teams in recent years who have gone on to great success. Haggerty no doubt has hopes he can be the next sensation, and he will have that opportunity with the Hilltoppers beginning this spring.
