Nov 30, 2013; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers defensive end Carl Lawson (55) reacts after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide during the fourth quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. Auburn Tigers won 34-28. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
When Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn fired defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson following the 2014 regular season, and hired former Florida head coach Will Muschamp to replace him, it meant several things to the future of the Tigers’ defense.
“First of all, he’s a great coach,” Malzahn said at Muschamp’s introductory press conference. “He’s got a proven track record. I love his energy. I’m an energy guy, too, and I wanted somebody that had great energy and intensity to have that defense take on his personality. He’s one of the best in the business, if not the best, so we got all the above in what we were looking for.”
Muschamp brings renewed optimism and high expectations because of a history of success that includes ten separate top ten defenses in 12 years as an SEC defensive coordinator or head coach. Also, hiring Muschamp means the Tigers will play a new style of defense.
Instead of Johnson’s 4-2-5 scheme, Muschamp will implement a multiple defense, based in a 4-3, but with the ability to move fluidly between even and odd (3-4) fronts. The position that allows the defense to be so flexible in the looks it gives the opposing offense is the “Buck,” which is a hybrid defensive end/linebacker
Dante Fowler, Jr. played the Buck position at Florida, and played it well enough that he may be a first round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
At 6-foot-3 and 266 pounds, Fowler has a unique combination of size and speed that allowed wreak havoc as a pass rusher in 2014. The junior led the Gators with 15 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hurries.
And while Fowler’s tremendous talent had a lot to do with his production on the field, his coaches – Muschamp and Florida defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin – put him in a position to be successful.
Odds are, someone currently on the Auburn football roster will be asked to step into the shoes Fowler wore so well, but for the Tigers instead of the Gators.
“We’ve got some good players,” Malzahn said. “Will will have a chance to evaluate and assess them and he’ll put the pieces of the puzzle together to help create his defense.”
So, now that Muschamp is running the Auburn defense, who will play the Buck? We take a look at the candidates that could fit into that puzzle.
Next: Carl Lawson
Oct 5, 2013; Auburn, AL, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Bo Wallace (14) is tackled by Auburn Tigers defensive end Carl Lawson (55) during the first half at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
Carl Lawson
Muschamp didn’t mention many current Auburn Tigers in his first meeting with the media in early December, but one came to mind when he was asked about the state of the Tigers’ defense in 2014.
“When you lose a guy like Carl Lawson, a pass rusher like that, that is going to affect your coaching ability, I can tell you that right now,” Muschamp said, alluding to the ACL injury that sidelined the potential All-SEC performer for the entire season.
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Listed at 6-foot-2 and 261 pounds, Lawson is a near carbon copy of Fowler. He’s also extremely talented.
A five-star recruit from the state of Georgia in 2013, Lawson made an immediate impact as a true freshman with 20 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, seven quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles in a reserve role.
Unfortunately, Lawson suffered a knee injury in spring practice that ended his 2014 season before it began.
With Lawson on the shelf, the Tigers struggled all season to create a consistent pass rush, forcing only 21 sacks in 13 games. Failing to pressure opposing quarterbacks is a big reason the Tigers ranked ninth in the SEC in total defense (388.7 yards per game), and 13th in pass defense (239.2 yards per game).
With Lawson in the mix at Buck as a redshirt sophomore in 2015, there’s a lot of optimism those numbers will look much better next season.
Next: Casanova McKinzy
Cassanova McKinzy
Aside from Carl Lawson, the best natural fit for Buck on the Auburn football roster is linebacker Cassanova McKinzy.
If he is on the roster in 2015, that is.
McKinzy finished his junior season with 91 total tackles, just two behind safety Rudy Ford for the team lead. He had a team-high 11 tackles for loss this season, as well as 1.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and three quarterback hurries. The Birmingham native also led the team in tackles as a sophomore.
Betsided
That production might make McKinzy an NFL draft pick in 2015, and he is considering turning pro.
“We’ve both been talking to each other through this whole entire process. It kinda feels like recruiting all over again,” McKinzy’s running mate, fellow junior linebacker Kris Frost said following an Outback Bowl practice in December. “We’ve both been weighing out the options of coming our early or staying. It’s all about how we feel, going into this bowl game how we play, what’s right for us, what’s the right business decision for us and our families.”
Both players would be wise to come back, and if Buck is the best fit for his skill set in Muschamp’s offense, McKinzy’s draft stock could soar next season.
McKinzy has good size for the position at 6-foot-3 and 249 pounds, and he’s comfortable with the linebacker responsibilities of the position after playing three seasons as both a middle and outside linebacker for the Tigers.
Interestingly enough, McKinzy also has experience putting his hand in the dirt as an edge rusher.
With Lawson unavailable, defensive tackles Montravius Adams and Gabe Wright not quite quick enough, and leading sacker DaVonte Lambert injured late in the season, Ellis Johnson had McKinzy do exactly that in passing down situations in the last few games of the regular season.
Next: Raashed Kennion
Raashed Kennion
A name that is somewhat off the radar but could certainly be a factor at Buck in 2015 and beyond is Raashed Kennion.
Kennion was a relatively unheralded recruit in the 2014 class from Jacksonville, Florida, but has a ton of upside. At 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, he has great length that should remind many of Georgia outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who led the Bulldogs in sacks each of the last two seasons.
“Kennion’s making some progress,” Ellis Johnson said in August. “I think he’d be a role player for us. He’s a really good third-down pass rusher, maybe.”
The true freshman was hampered by injury this season; otherwise he might have been more of a factor. As it was, he played in four games this year, recorded only one tackle and was credited with one quarterback hurry.
The problem, however, was Kennion is a prototypical 3-4 pass rushing outside linebacker and Ellis Johnson ran a 4-2-5 – meaning that his ideal position didn’t actually exist for the Tigers in 2014.
Now, with the Buck, it does… kind of.
“The Kennion kid, he can run, he can bend, he’s long,” defensive line coach Rodney Garner said in fall camp. “He has natural stuff. We don’t know how it’s going to develop, but as far as a speed guy, he is the best speed guy in that young group.”
Kennion is a late-bloomer that will put on some weight in his first off-season on campus. Once he fills out his big frame, and if he can stay healthy, he could be a monster pass rusher.
Next: A True Freshman To Be Determined
A True Freshman, TBD
There are other current Auburn football players that could make an impact at Buck. Elijah Daniel, Justin Thornton and Andrew Williams are a few that come to mind.
However, along the lines of “if you want something done right, do it yourself,” Will Muschamp may bring his own Buck to campus.
National Signing Day is a month away, and right now the Tigers don’t appear to have a true impact player committed to the 2015 recruiting class (though Darrell Williams put on a great performance at the Under Armour All-American Game), but there are a handful of uncommitted prospects that fit the mold very well.
Betsided
The first is Byron Cowart, who reminds a lot of people of Dante Fowler, Jr. Even down to the Chucky doll he carried last week in St. Petersburg.
“Me and Chucky have a great connection,” Cowart said. “He’s violent, I’m violent. He’s a killer, I’m trying to kill whoever has the ball. Like I said, this game is 100 percent. This is a real practice and a season game for me. This isn’t a vacation.”
That violent attitude is necessary when your primary goal is to either blow by go through an offensive lineman and sack the quarterback. And it would work very well in Muschamp’s defense.
Cowart was recruited hard by Muschamp when he was Florida’s head coach, which made Auburn a potential landing spot when Coach Boom took over as defensive coordinator for the Tigers. The addition of former Gators defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson has probably helped, as well.
Still, Auburn isn’t considered the favorite to land the Sunshine State product. Both Florida and Florida State are expected to have a better chance to land the 6-foot-4, 250-pound five-star pass rusher.
Still, with Muschamp and T-Rob now on the Plains, Auburn is in the picture for Cowart and a handful of other recruits as well.
CeCe Jefferson, Arden Key and Jeff Holland are a few more prospects to keep an eye on in the coming weeks. Jefferson and Key are long shots, and Auburn has to fend off the Gators for Holland, but any of the four could become Auburn Tigers and eventually play Buck for Muschamp.
Next: Auburn Football: The 3 Most Important Recruits of 2015
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