With the 2015 season right around the corner, The Chronicle's football beat writers break down each of the 10 major position groups: running backs, quarterbacks, receivers, offensive line, defensive ends, defensive tackles, defensive backs, linebackers, kicker/punter and punt/kickoff returners to prepare you for the regular season.
For the second straight season Duke will be without All-ACC linebacker Kelby Brown, but this time around Jim Knowles’ defense will have to rely on a slew of new faces to take over in his absence. With new faces comes new talent as a hard-hitting linebacker corps gives way to a quicker, more agile unit that is looking to strike opposing offenses early and often in the trenches.
This season the speed and tenacity of a new unit will be used to improve last year’s No. 12 ranked total defense in the ACC—which particularly struggled on the ground and gave up the second-highest rushing yards per game in conference.
Key Players Lost: Kelby Brown, David Helton and C.J. France
Although the loss of Brown is a major setback for a Blue Devil defense that hoped to utilize his skills and leadership, the departure of All-ACC selection David Helton may be just as big a blow to a defense that only returns one starter to its front six. Helton’s team-high 134 tackles and five quarterback hits provided a strong presence out of the box that will be sorely missed. In addition, the intangible leadership that the Chattanooga, Tenn., native brought to the mike linebacker position will leave just as big of a hole for newcomers to fill in his wake. Fortunately for Duke, Brown remains on the team as a student assistant to provide a player’s perspective on the other side of the playbook.
In addition to losing the talented Helton, the Blue Devils will be without eight-game starter C.J. France—who recorded 59 tackles, including 13 in a double-overtime victory against Pittsburgh—at the will linebacker position. The absence of France will further add to the steep learning curve at the position many of the new faces—only three of which have played in more than three games—will encounter.
Cutcliffe on the Linebackers
“I think overall it’s the most athletic group of linebackers that we’ve had, just through the recruiting process.”
“[Zavier Carmichael and Dwayne Norman] can really, really, really run. I think they give us a chance of being guys that do a lot of different things. They can be excellent speed guys, blitzers, pass-rushers, good in coverage and then you’ve got to learn over a period of time—Zavier did it and Dwayne can too, he did it a lot this spring—you’ve got to play between the tackles, which is what Kelby [Brown] and David [Helton] did really well.”
Projected Starters
As fall camp begins, sophomore Zavier Carmichael is slated to take over in Helton’s stead as the starting mike linebacker, with senior Dwayne Norman set to take on the will role at the position. After playing in all 13 games last season as a freshman and recording 20 tackles and two interceptions, Carmichael will take over the defensive reigns and serve as a pivotal player for the Blue Devils this season. His speed and ability to recognize plays pre-snap will prove crucial as he directs the defensive unit in front and behind him.
On the other side of the box, Norman exemplifies the new quickness and agility that has earned the Duke secondary behind him “the Cheetahs” moniker. Although the Jacksonville, Fla., native is not a true Cheetah per se, he made the transition from safety to linebacker in the spring and became the embodiment of the hybrid Knowles has been searching for in Durham. In 36 career games, Norman has recorded 126 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. The addition of 15 to 20 pounds to his 6-foot-1 frame in the offseason should also provide a harder hitting impact as he delves into the trenches to blitz and stop the run.
As one of nine active Duke defensive players with 1,000 career snaps, Norman’s leadership on the field is sure to complement Carmichael’s experience last season working alongside Helton. If the two can combine their leadership and knowledge of the 4-2-5 defensive scheme with their speed and agility, the starting linebackers have the potential to seamlessly fill in the gaps left from last season’s departures.
Dark Horse: Chris Holmes
Although redshirt sophomore Chris Holmes will not start to begin the season, expect him to come off the sideline at the will linebacker position in every game this season after making four starts in 2014. His ability to tackle and see the ball will be pivotal backing up Norman.
With little known experience amongst the rest of the linebacker corps, Holmes will likely be the only consistent substitution as the year progresses. Should the need to fill a spot in the depth chart due to injury or another unforeseen circumstance arise, expect redshirt freshman Tinashe Bere, redshirt sophomore Dominic McDonald or junior Wyatt Smith to see the field.
The 6-foot-2 redshirt sophomore has the physique to succeed this season as he ranked second among Duke linebackers in both the vertical jump and broad jump. With the potential to use not only his quickness but also his reach to tackle speedy opponents and crowd opposing quarterbacks’ vision, look for Holmes to become a familiar face giving ACC offenses fits this fall.
Be sure to stay with the Blue Zone for our continuing 2015 position preview series. Check in tomorrow to see how the Blue Devils will address the kicking game this season.
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