One of the main concerns for the upcoming 2009 campaign in football is the lack of experience at the linebacker position. That is about to change with the recent commitment of Vernon Brooks of Blinn Community College.
Brooks was a Juco All American last season and will add immediate depth to a depleted linebacking corps that saw the loss of Joe Mortenson, Mike Rivera, and James Holt to graduation. Considering that the Kansas staff was considering making the nickel their base defense for the 2009 campaign, the addition of Brooks will allow them to shift into a traditional 4-3 scheme on early downs and give them additional flexibility on short yardage situations.
Brooks will look to play on the outside, due to his excellent speed. He has been clocked regularly under 4.7 in the forty and has excellent hips and recovery ability in traffic. With Brooks playing outside linebacker it should create some fierce competition for the remaining 1-2 linebacker spots depending on which scheme the defensive coordinator Clint Bowen decides to utilize as the base defense.
How will this effect the upcoming campaign? It will depend on the development of the remaining linebackers and how quickly Brooks is able to acclimate into the D-1 level. If Angus Quigley is able to become comfortable playing defense all of the time, then the Jayawks should have excellent speed and quickness at the linebacker position. It will also be interesting to see who will step up to take the final starting linebacker spot. At this point and time, Arist Wright is looking like the most likely candidate, but he will get plenty of competition from Jake Schermer and Justin Springer. Some of the incoming freshmen may push for playing time as well, with Julian Jones and Huldon Tharp being the most likely candidates.
Regardless of how things play out for starting positions, the acquisition of Brooks to the Jayhawks linebacking corps will create a level of competition that will make the group as a whole better. It will also allow the Jayhawks to be much more creative in their defensive scheme and game planning, which will hopefully lead to another bowl victory in January.
