21 Aug

Defensive backs preview

If you don’t know who Jestin Love is either (1) you haven’t been following UCA football the last two years or (2) you haven’t stood close enough to hear him on the field. Opposing defenses certainly know who Love is. And with his partner from 2010, Radarius Winston, back in the secondary with him after sitting out last season with an injury, the safety position certainly appears to be in good hands. Karl Brady was Love’s backup in 2011 and returns to battle for the starting spot this season. And there is plenty of experience to along with those three. Desmond Wilcox and Rojae Jackson are seniors playing their final seasons as Bears. Dominique Brown, Marcus Peters and Josh Jones all are coming off solid sophomore seasons and round out last year’s two-deep at the cornerback position. There are also two players (Taurean Anderson and Charley Gardner) who redshirted last season that are back for their redshirt freshmen seasons. And what should be one of the deepest positions on the team might have gotten even better with the addition of transfers TC Robinson (Baylor) and Marvin Mitchell (West Hill CC). Robinson is the second Baylor transfer of the offseason. He was a special teams player in five games for Baylor. The West Hills stats show two Marvin Mitchells, so I’m not sure what’s going on but both had an interception, so…

Returning:

Love – looking to add to his interception total of 11 and to lock down one of the safety positions. Led DBs with 75 tackles.
Winston – If he can come back from the injury at 100%, the secondary should see a positive bump in all phases.
Brady – Still battling love for playing time. Had 26 tackles last season.
Jones – should add depth after playing in 17 games his first two years.
Peters – started 11 games in 2011. Is a (not very common) 6-2 cornerback that got a lot better last season.
Brown – started nine games at cornerback in 2011.
Wilcox – appeared in only six games last season after playing in 11 as a sophomore.
Jackson - played in 10 games after transferring in from Arkansas Baptist.

Key losses:

Jerrel McKnight – played 10 games in his senior season. Finished with 30 tackles. Tied a season-best with 8 tackles against Montana.
Bryce French – played 11 games in 2011. 34 total tackles (good enough for 9th on the team). Not sure we heard if he transferred or not. Was the backup free safety at the end of last season behind McKnight.
Marcus Dumas – no longer listed on the roster. Another that I’m not sure I remember hearing a reason. Played in only four games last season according to the stats.

Current Roster Additions: