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How the UGA Personnel Fits Coach Grantham 3-4 Philosophy

Changing from the 3-4 to the 4-3 is really much more than changing from 4 down lineman to three. The differences between the schemes call for different types of players at certain key positions. The defensive tackles in a 4-3 defense must be big enough to take on multiple blockers and to stop the run, but not so big that they cannot slide through the line and get to the quarterback on occasion. The nose tackle in a 3-4 must be even bigger, as he is responsible for plugging up the middle all by himself and has very little pass rushing responsibility.
The defensive ends in a 4-3 defense should be big enough to take on an offensive tackle one-on-one, but athletic enough to get around the tackle and get to the quarterback. The defensive ends in a 3-4 defense, though, are similar in size and responsibility to the defensive tackles in the 4-3. They must be stout against the run and should take on multiple blockers to help out the linebackers. Pass rushing from a 3-4 defensive end is something of a bonus.
The outside linebackers in a 4-3 defense can get away with being a little undersized because their primary responsibility is stopping the run and dropping into coverage. The outside linebackers in a 3-4 defense, though, are the playmakers. They are often referred to as "tweeners" because their size and athleticism fall somewhere between that of the outside linebacker and the defensive end in a 4-3 defense. The 3-4 outside linebackers are primarily pass rushers, so they must be big enough to take on the tackle, but athletic and nimble enough to drop into pass coverage, as well.
So the question is how does the current front seven personnel at UGA fit in with the 3-4 defense Coach Grantham will install:
First let’s take a look at the DEFENSIVE LINEMAN:
Look at the 3-4 defense that Alabama has been running and you look at the anchor of that defense was Terrence Cody at 365 pounds. Under Martinez UGA had put a major emphasis on speed so we really do not have that huge size for a nose tackle. On the current roster I see Kwame Geathers (6’6 326) and potentially A.J. Harmon (6’5 335). A.J. Harmon was a two way player coming out of high school and with all of the depth and experience we have on the offensive line UGA needs to find a way to get this mammoth guy on the field. The switch to the 3-4 I think is a great move for his career at UGA. I also believe that D’Angelo Tyson (6’2 305) and Ricardo Crawford (6’1 310) also have the ability to play nosetackle although they are not quite the size you would like. One recruit that is coming in who could potentially get some playing time at Nosetackle is Jeffrey Whittaker who at 6’5 305 has the potential to fill out and become a solid nosetackle. Now what will be a lot of fun is to see who will be playing the defensive end position. I turn my attention to four players who fit this position the best. First, Abry Jones (6’3 285) was one of the top defensive tackles in the country coming out of high school because of his supreme athletic ability. However, in the 3-4 I believe he is the ideal defensive end. He will be a great run stopping defensive end and has the ability to get to the quarterback if needed. Next, Demarcus Dobbs (6’3 280) and Brandon Wood (6’2 285) have good size to play defensive end in the 3-4. The last guy who I am very excited to see get the opportunity to play in the 3-4 is Kiante Tripp (6’6 280). The poor kid has played defensive end, defensive tackle, left tackle, right tackle, and tight end in his first three years at UGA. Before this change to the 3-4 I thought we had unfortunately screwed this kid up beyond repair. However, I think now he is finally in a system where his talents will be used. It is a fresh start and I believe in his senior year he will have a great opportunity to shine and show the Bulldog Nation what he is capable of. We also have one recruit coming in who could immediately contribute at defensive end. Garrison Smith – 6’3 275 is rated by Scout.com as the #1 defensive tackle in the country. He is incredibly athletic for someone his size and is the prototypical 3-4 defensive end. This will be a great system for him.
Next, let’s take a look at the TWEENERS who could potentially be the 3-4 outside linebacker rush ends:

Since Coach Grantham is coming from the Cowboys I will use them as the example. Their starting outside linebackers are Demarcus Ware (6’4 262) and Anthony Spencer (6’3 259). So who can fill that role that is on the UGA roster. These are players that need to be able to get after the passer. Therefore, I have several players that I think have the potential to excel at the position. Montez Robinson (6’5 250) was a great athlete coming out of high school and showed flashes of being able to get after the quarterback as a true freshmen. Cornelius Washington at 6’4 248 I think is the most natural for this position of the players who are currently on our roster. He has outstanding speed and an excellent burst coming off the edge. He should excel at this position. The most intriguing player at this position to me will be Justin Houston (6’3 262). He was our best pash rusher in the 4-3 and was really coming into his own during the 2009 season. The question is does he have enough fluidity in his hips to be able to occasionally drop back into coverage while he is playing the outside linebacker position. If he does he could be a dominating force! One recruit who I think will also benefit greatly from this change is T.J. Stripling (6’6 235). I watched this guy play on a game on CSS and he is an absolute freak. He is unstoppable coming off the edge and has incredible speed. If we were in the 4-3 he would probably end up redshirting b/c he doesn’t quite have the body to play defensive end but will be incredible in the 3-4.

The other LINEBACKERS are in a very interesting position:

For me, this is the most difficult area to evaluate. Who will be the linebackers to play the middle position and who will have the opportunity to play the outside rush end position. UGA has a lot of talent with Chase Vasser (6’3 220), Nick Williams (6’2 219), Akeem Hebron (6’2 223), Akeem Dent (6’2 235), Christian Robinson (6’2 225), Marcus Dowtin (6’2 230), Daryl Gamble (6’2 255). The question will be is where do they fit in this 3-4 defense. You need some big middle linebackers in the 3-4 so I think Darryl Gamble, Akeem Dent, Chase Vasser, Marcus Dowtin, and Christian Robinson could all be really solid middle linebackers. The question then is where do our smaller linebackers like Nick Williams and Akeem Hebron fit in?

In the end I think we really have a lot of players who fit in quite well and it will be very interesting to see how Coach Grantham utilizes the talent. However, this is going to be a lot to learn for our players so lets at least show a little patience because I truly believe he will be incredibly successful!

GO DAWGS!!