Thought I'd switch to the defensive side of the ball for the next position.
Outside of Defensive End, Eastern's line-backing corps. will be the deepest and most talented position on the defense. The 2011 season saw a bunch of different guys get reps due to injury, but I see this as a positive going into 2012. Eastern will have a great combination of veteran players, which should include 4-5 Seniors, as well as a bunch of young talent which includes a few guys that could make an impact early in their careers.
#10 Zach Johnson 6'1 225 Sr. 3L* Tumwater, Wash.
Eastern got some great news when it was announced that Johnson would receive a 6th year of eligibility after missing the entire 2009 season with a blood clot, and much of 2011. Zach was another important piece of the 2010 team - he started all 15 games for the Eagles and was a Big Sky second team selection. His Qb sack late in the 4th quarter of the National Championship game forced Delaware into a long 4th down situation which ultimately led them to turn the ball over on downs and deliver EWU the win. Although he moved to MLB for the 2011 season to fill the void of the departed J.C. Sherritt, I would not be surprised to see him moved back to the outside, where he has played the majority of his career. This will most likely depend on the health and maturation of other potential starters.
#18 Grant Williams 6'1 225 Sr. 3L* Puyallup, Wash.
Grant has been a constant fixture in EWU's program for the past 5 years. After redshirting in 2008, he played his first season as a FB and scored Eastern's only TD against Cal. He moved to LB for the 2010 season and played in all 11 of EWU's games in 2011, accounting for 61 total tackles - good for third-most on the defense. Look for him to split time as a starter at strong-side LB. Along with fellow Seniors Zach Johnson, Tyler Washburn, Rusty Haehl, and Chase King, Williams will have an important role in leading the defense in 2012.
#39 Ronnie Hamlin 6'2 210 Jr. 2L* Lacey, Wash.
After redshirting in 2009 and then missing all of 2010 due to injury, Hamlin came on strong this past season. With a total of 85 tackles, he led the team in that statistic. With increased depth at LB, he may not get as many tackles again this season, but either way, look for him to get a lot of playing time at OLB.
# 51 Tyler Washburn 6'1 230 Sr. 3L* Sammamish, Wash.
Washburn will be another Senior going into 2012. Tyler had a great season in 2010 in which he started all 15 games and came up with a couple of key plays in the playoffs. Because of an injury sustained just prior to the championship game, he wasn't able to take part in practices last Spring, and he seemed a little limited in 2011 as compared to the previous year. Although he participated in 10 games, he only started in 3, accounting for 20 total tackles. If he can return to his 2010 form, I could easily see him splitting time as a starter at either MLB or strong-side LB.
#14 Cody McCarthy 6'1 230 So. 1L Boise, Idaho
A highly regarded HS recruit from Eastern's 2010 signing class, Cody accounted for 41 tackles in 7 games (starting 5) played as a true Freshman. If Johnson doesn't start in the middle, McCarthy might be a viable option at MLB with a year's worth of experience already under his belt. At 230+ pounds, he has great size for the position and good natural instincts. A quote from Cody when he was in HS is pretty indicative of how much he loves football:
"My high school coach Lee Leslie calls me 'The Freak' because I am football 24-7," McCarthy said. "I love football. I love hitting people. And I love the atmosphere around the game. I love walking on the field when the lights are turned on. I love the summer workouts. I am always in the weight room. I am always talking about football. I love to watch film. I understand the game. Football is my life."
#41 J.C. Agen 6'2 210 Jr. 2L* Spokane, Washington
A Spokane native, J.C. played in eight games and recorded 30 tackles in 2011. He missed three games due to a bicep injury, but was the starter at weak-side LB towards the end of the season.
# 43 Rusty Haehl 5-11 215 Sr. 3L* Bellevue, Wash.
Rusty saw action in 9 games this past season, and tallied 15 total tackles.
#45 John Goldwire 6-1 225 So. 1L* Lakewood, Wash.
From the limited amount of time I've been able to see him play, Goldwire seems like a young player with a lot of potential. He played in three games in 2011 after redshirting his Freshman year.
#32 Chase King 6'1 215 Sr. 2L* Federal Way, Wash.
King originally played as a RB early during his career, but switched to MLB in 2011 after missing the entire 2010 season to injury. My impression is that he missed all or most of 2011 as well, as I was not able to find him listed in any statistical categories.
#36 Cody Hecker 6-0 210 So. 1L Sandpoint, Idaho
A former RB, Cody has moved to LB for the 2012 season.
Newcomers:
Eastern signed three LB's to letters of intent.
# Jordan Pulu 6'2 240 Fr. HS Federal Way, Wash.
Jordan is considered by most to be one of the top 2 recruits Eastern landed in February. A Rivals 3-star recruit, he'll join his brother Andru at Eastern in the fall. Amongst other accolades, he was selected by the Seattle Times as one of the top 27 prospects in the state of Washington. With all the depth at linebacker for 2012, it's unclear whether or not Jordan will redshirt in 2012. But one would think that if he works hard, he has a the size and skill-set to be an elite linebacker in the Big Sky in a couple of years. Jordan has the size to play inside, but it also probably fast enough to play on the edge as well.
# Cedric Gonzalez 6'1 210 Fr. HS Tucson, Ariz.
Eastern deviated slightly outside its normal recruiting area of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California to get Cedric. He earned several honors as a high school player, and appears to have the complete skill-set to be a good outside LB at Eastern.
DeAndre Johnson 6-4 220 Fr. HS Inglewood, Calif.
Coming out of high school, this guy is a big linebacker, and chances are he is going to get bigger. In my opinion, DeAndre falls in line with a number of guys that Eastern has recruited that are athletic enough to play a bunch of different positions. At 6'4 220, he is big enough to play Defensive End by putting on some weight, or he could even play WR. Look for him to RS the 2012 season.
Outside of Defensive End, Eastern's line-backing corps. will be the deepest and most talented position on the defense. The 2011 season saw a bunch of different guys get reps due to injury, but I see this as a positive going into 2012. Eastern will have a great combination of veteran players, which should include 4-5 Seniors, as well as a bunch of young talent which includes a few guys that could make an impact early in their careers.
#10 Zach Johnson 6'1 225 Sr. 3L* Tumwater, Wash.
Eastern got some great news when it was announced that Johnson would receive a 6th year of eligibility after missing the entire 2009 season with a blood clot, and much of 2011. Zach was another important piece of the 2010 team - he started all 15 games for the Eagles and was a Big Sky second team selection. His Qb sack late in the 4th quarter of the National Championship game forced Delaware into a long 4th down situation which ultimately led them to turn the ball over on downs and deliver EWU the win. Although he moved to MLB for the 2011 season to fill the void of the departed J.C. Sherritt, I would not be surprised to see him moved back to the outside, where he has played the majority of his career. This will most likely depend on the health and maturation of other potential starters.
#18 Grant Williams 6'1 225 Sr. 3L* Puyallup, Wash.
Grant has been a constant fixture in EWU's program for the past 5 years. After redshirting in 2008, he played his first season as a FB and scored Eastern's only TD against Cal. He moved to LB for the 2010 season and played in all 11 of EWU's games in 2011, accounting for 61 total tackles - good for third-most on the defense. Look for him to split time as a starter at strong-side LB. Along with fellow Seniors Zach Johnson, Tyler Washburn, Rusty Haehl, and Chase King, Williams will have an important role in leading the defense in 2012.
#39 Ronnie Hamlin 6'2 210 Jr. 2L* Lacey, Wash.
After redshirting in 2009 and then missing all of 2010 due to injury, Hamlin came on strong this past season. With a total of 85 tackles, he led the team in that statistic. With increased depth at LB, he may not get as many tackles again this season, but either way, look for him to get a lot of playing time at OLB.
# 51 Tyler Washburn 6'1 230 Sr. 3L* Sammamish, Wash.
Washburn will be another Senior going into 2012. Tyler had a great season in 2010 in which he started all 15 games and came up with a couple of key plays in the playoffs. Because of an injury sustained just prior to the championship game, he wasn't able to take part in practices last Spring, and he seemed a little limited in 2011 as compared to the previous year. Although he participated in 10 games, he only started in 3, accounting for 20 total tackles. If he can return to his 2010 form, I could easily see him splitting time as a starter at either MLB or strong-side LB.
#14 Cody McCarthy 6'1 230 So. 1L Boise, Idaho
A highly regarded HS recruit from Eastern's 2010 signing class, Cody accounted for 41 tackles in 7 games (starting 5) played as a true Freshman. If Johnson doesn't start in the middle, McCarthy might be a viable option at MLB with a year's worth of experience already under his belt. At 230+ pounds, he has great size for the position and good natural instincts. A quote from Cody when he was in HS is pretty indicative of how much he loves football:
"My high school coach Lee Leslie calls me 'The Freak' because I am football 24-7," McCarthy said. "I love football. I love hitting people. And I love the atmosphere around the game. I love walking on the field when the lights are turned on. I love the summer workouts. I am always in the weight room. I am always talking about football. I love to watch film. I understand the game. Football is my life."
#41 J.C. Agen 6'2 210 Jr. 2L* Spokane, Washington
A Spokane native, J.C. played in eight games and recorded 30 tackles in 2011. He missed three games due to a bicep injury, but was the starter at weak-side LB towards the end of the season.
# 43 Rusty Haehl 5-11 215 Sr. 3L* Bellevue, Wash.
Rusty saw action in 9 games this past season, and tallied 15 total tackles.
#45 John Goldwire 6-1 225 So. 1L* Lakewood, Wash.
From the limited amount of time I've been able to see him play, Goldwire seems like a young player with a lot of potential. He played in three games in 2011 after redshirting his Freshman year.
#32 Chase King 6'1 215 Sr. 2L* Federal Way, Wash.
King originally played as a RB early during his career, but switched to MLB in 2011 after missing the entire 2010 season to injury. My impression is that he missed all or most of 2011 as well, as I was not able to find him listed in any statistical categories.
#36 Cody Hecker 6-0 210 So. 1L Sandpoint, Idaho
A former RB, Cody has moved to LB for the 2012 season.
Newcomers:
Eastern signed three LB's to letters of intent.
# Jordan Pulu 6'2 240 Fr. HS Federal Way, Wash.
Jordan is considered by most to be one of the top 2 recruits Eastern landed in February. A Rivals 3-star recruit, he'll join his brother Andru at Eastern in the fall. Amongst other accolades, he was selected by the Seattle Times as one of the top 27 prospects in the state of Washington. With all the depth at linebacker for 2012, it's unclear whether or not Jordan will redshirt in 2012. But one would think that if he works hard, he has a the size and skill-set to be an elite linebacker in the Big Sky in a couple of years. Jordan has the size to play inside, but it also probably fast enough to play on the edge as well.
# Cedric Gonzalez 6'1 210 Fr. HS Tucson, Ariz.
Eastern deviated slightly outside its normal recruiting area of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California to get Cedric. He earned several honors as a high school player, and appears to have the complete skill-set to be a good outside LB at Eastern.
DeAndre Johnson 6-4 220 Fr. HS Inglewood, Calif.
Coming out of high school, this guy is a big linebacker, and chances are he is going to get bigger. In my opinion, DeAndre falls in line with a number of guys that Eastern has recruited that are athletic enough to play a bunch of different positions. At 6'4 220, he is big enough to play Defensive End by putting on some weight, or he could even play WR. Look for him to RS the 2012 season.
