Football | 7/16/2015 1:53:00 PM
Over the next few weeks we will continue previewing each position on the 2015 Wayne State University football team with each position coach highlighting their respective units.
Keith McKenzie, the linebackers coach, is featured in this segment.
Heading into 2014, the linebacking corps was possibly the thinnest in terms of depth. But the performances of seniors
Nores Fradi and
Marcell Jones, along with middle linebacker
Anthony DeDamos (Rockford, Mich.) turned this group into a weekly highlight show.
Fradi was voted GLIAC Defensive Back of the Year as well as AFCA First Team All-American. He started all 11 games at outside linebacker in 2014 for the Warriors and led the nation with 28.5 tackles for loss during the regular season. He tied for the GLIAC lead with 8.5 sacks, while finishing with exactly 100 tackles (73-27) on the year. His 70 yards lost on sacks led the conference as did his 113 TFL yards and 73 solo tackles.
Despite never having started a game prior to 2014,
Marcell Jones earned All-GLIAC Honorable Mention Team accolades after starting all 11 games at outside linebacker. He was also the recipient of the squad's Courtney "Cortez" Smith Award which recognizes a member of the Wayne State University football program whose contributions include: a positive approach to all aspects of the program both on and off the field; noticeable improvement to academic growth and progress, as well as skill and physical development; and finally, growing spiritually and contributing to the overall vitality of the football program. Jones was also selected to the USA College Football Honorable Mention All-America Team.
The lone starter returning among the linebackers is DeDamos. He notched a career-high 12 tackles (8-4) in the season finale win over Hillsdale, along with recording the longest non-scoring interception return in school history (85 yards) breaking an 89-year school record to earn the WSU Defensive Player of the Week for the third time that season. DeDamos finished third on the squad in both tackles (70) and tackles for loss (12.0 - 11 solo, 2 assisted), while ranking tied-for-second in forced fumbles (2). His 12.0 TFL was tied-for-sixth in the GLIAC and two fumble recoveries was tied-for-fifth.
Redshirt juniors
Valorian Cunningham (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Loy Norrix) and
Idris Hobdy (Flint, Mich. / Powers) are slated to start on the outside in 2015. Cunningham played in the first seven games, making one start (vs. Carson Newman). His lone "official" tackle vs. Michigan Tech was a six-yard sack. He also made the stop on MTU's PAT run. Cunningham tied for the team lead with eight special teams tackles (8-0), all on kickoff coverage. Hobdy saw playing time at linebacker and on punt coverage in all 11 games. He recorded a season-high three tackles in three different contests.
Sophomore
Dustin Carlin (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Utica Stevenson) was the lone true freshman to play in 2014. Besides seeing playing time at linebacker in all 11 games, he also blocked a Findlay punt which
Jay Hayes returned 10 yards for a touchdown.
A quintet of redshirt freshmen in
Carterris Carter (Southfield, Mich.),
Drew Dowding (Michigan Center, Mich.),
Randy Garvin (Belmont, Mich. / Rockford),
Anthony Pittman (Beverly Hills, Mich. / Birmingham Groves) and
Zach Heddy (Grand Blanc, Mich. / Goodrich) have had a year to adjust to the speed of the college game and add the strength needed to compete in the GLIAC. Junior
Brook Higgins (Portage, Mich. / Northern) is also in the mix for a spot on the travel squad after seeing action in five contests a year ago.
Expected to redshirt in 2015 are four highly-touted recruits in
Leon Eggleston (Sylvania, Ohio / Southview),
Darius Griggs (Akron, Ohio / East Community Learning Center),
Michael Hazime (Dearborn, Mich. / Fordson), and
Ryan Smith (Warren, Mich. / De La Salle).
