2011 Syracuse Football Preview: Linebackers

Marquis Spruill will try and bring the pain this year
Photo from Frank Ordonez/Syracuse Post Standard

The Wake Forest game is just days away, which means it's time to hustle and get this preview series done.  Next up, the skakiest, most untested unit on the Syracuse football team -- the linebackers.  I'm not going to lie, this unit makes me more nervous than a maid who gets sent to Dominique Strauss-Kahn's room for turn-down service.

Linebackers

Position Overview

Converted running backs Doug Hogue and Derrell Smith anchored a strong unit that played a key role in Syracuse having the country's seventh best defense last year.  Both are gone and leaving the third starter Marquis Spruill all by himself.  This year he's moved from the strong side to the middle.  Spruill started all 13 games last year as a true freshman and demonstrated that he's a player with a bright future in the Big East.

Joining Spruill will be a group of guys cobbled together from the ranks of junior college, prep school, and high school.  None of them are particularly big, but if media reports are to be believed, they can all run to the ball.  The big question is can they shed enough blocks to actually get to ball carriers?  We'll see in a few days.

Depth Chart

Strongside LB

• Dan Vaughan (Jr.)
• Cameron Lynch (Fr.)

Middle LB

• Marquis Spruill (So)
• Siriki Diabate (Jr.)

Weakside LB

• Dyshawn Davis (Fr.)
• Dom Anene (Jr.)

Project Changes to the Depth Chart

Spruill, Davis and Vaughan have been the starting unit since the spring, so don't expect any changes here.  Behind them there could be some movement, as back ups Siriki Diabate, Cameron Lynch, and Dom Anene are a juco transfer, a true freshman, and a walk-on respectively.  Guys like Oliver Virgile and Lewellyn Coker could push for playing time.

Synopsis

The heaviest linebacker Syracuse has on it's roster in Anene at 224 pounds.  In fact that whole unit only has 2 guys who crack the 220 mark, so Syracuse is either the most honest school in the country when it comes to listing heights and weights, or this unit is very slim.  Now that's necessarily a terrible thing, as you don't want a bunch of young Levon Kirkland's out there either, especially given the fact that the conference's two best teams, West Virginia and Pitt, will run spread offenses.

However, when you have a unit that is this small AND this inexperienced, you'd be crazy not to be concerned.  Of the six guys on the two deep roster, only Spruill has played a meaningful Division I college football down.  Even with his move to the middle, I expect Marquis to have a very good year.  He proved last year he was physically ready to play and more than held his own. Another year of experience as well as moving back to his more natural MIKE spot sets the stage for him to really develop into a playmaker.

Dyshawn Davis drew rave reviews in Spring ball and he's got the frame to grow into an intimidating presence, but we'll have to see how he reacts when the lights go on.  After all, he was initially brought in as a wide receiver, so having him appear as a starting linebacker not long after his recruitment is not something you see every day.

I'll be interested to see how Dan Vaughan works out, because so far all I've read about him is how "smart" he is and how he "knows the defense" and has great "instincts."  I put all of the above in quotes because they are all code words for not being very athletic.  I hope I'm wrong and I haven't seen him play, so let's hope he's got enough ability to help set the edge and fight off blockers out there.  Vague code words are nice in the pre-season, but once the games start, you need guys that can pound opponents.

Behind the starting three, it's a bunch of guys with no experience.  No offense to Mr. Anene, but you never want to see a walk-on crack the two deep.  Cameron Lynch is a freshman who impressed many who saw him in high school, so it's possible he could get up to speed quickly and really contribute.

Best Case Scenario

Spruill takes to the middle like Skip Bayless does to attention and becomes Keith Bullock, Davis becomes the second coming of Doug Houge, and Vaughan actually does have great instincts -- and the ability to turn those instincts into results.  Like Dan Conley before the 27 knee surgeries.

Worst Case Scenario

Remember how teams spread the field and gouged Syracuse with the spread option attack when Greg Robinson was the coach?  Yeah, let's just move on.

Position Grade

Incomplete - we don't know what any of these guys can do

Bonus Video

Watch Doug Hogue wreck people one last time: