A look at the linebackers as preseason camp begins its final week

It wasn’t too long ago when depth at linebacker was a very real issue for the Golden Flashes.

During spring practice in 2013, five linebackers were on the depth chart. Only two of those players were with the team in the fall.

This year, the Flashes had six linebackers in the spring and they’ve added several more who could be a factor in 2014. I talked with defensive coordinator Brian George as preseason camp entered its final week, and he talked about the current depth at the position as “being a real plus because we have some great competition and some really good young players.”

The returnees from last season are continuing to get better based on their work in the spring, the offseason and now during the first few weeks of August. Matt Dellinger headlines that list. The junior from Clarkston, Mich. may not have the most athleticism in the linebacking corps, but he has a high football IQ that makes him a key to George’s defense. He directs traffic, sees things well, and understands the big picture behind what the defense is running.

Darius Redmond played quite a bit as a freshman last year, and that early action is paying off. Redmond is extremely athletic. He makes plays in space. He is also an excellent pass rusher. He’ll do an even better job of understand opposing offenses and see the things that are happening in front of him in year two.

DeVante’ Strickland is the most experienced linebacker on the squad. The senior has been a bit dinged up in camp, but when he gets back he will be a major asset. George said Strickland has been one of the most dedicated players to the offseason training program, and “came out in fall camp looking like a different guy, physically.”

A couple of freshman have jumped off of the radar during camp, including Marques Moore from Springfield, Ohio and Matthew Sommers from Roosevelt High School right here in Kent. George said those two in particular have been working very hard to get up to speed for the chance to play in their first year. Both have a chance to be very good football players. Marques is athletic and hard to block because of the way he runs around and gets off of blocks. Sommers had a reputation as being big and smart, but he has surprised the coaches with his athleticism. George said Sommers is “much more athletic than people thought.”

With Elcee Refuge taking over the “star” position, that spot could be a bit more like having an extra linebacker on the field than it was last year. The position is a hybrid linebacker-safety position, and with Jordan Italiano moving to safety full time, Refuge brings a bit more size to the role. He is almost 25 pounds heavier than Italiano, and he packs a wallop.

Afternoon practice took place on the grass fields just north of Dix Stadium, as seen above in a tweet by director of football operations Zack Tilves.