Football | 7/10/2017 8:12:00 AM

Over the next few weeks, we will be previewing each position on the 2017 Wayne State University football team with each position coach highlighting their respective units.  Linebacker coach Jon Robinson, who begins his second full-time season on Paul Winters staff, is featured in this segment.
 
The linebacker corps will look much different after graduating three seniors from a year ago in Anthony DeDamos (34 starts and was 25th in school history with 247 total tackles), Valorian Cunningham (27 career starts and was a First Team All-GLIAC selection in 2017) and Idris Hobdy (made 10 starts in 41 career games played and finished tied-for-fifth in career quarterback hurries since the statistic started to be kept in 2002).
 
However the cupboard is not bare, as the Warriors were able to rotate many less experienced players a year ago.

The projected two-deep at each position looks solid especially in the middle with senior Dustin Carlin (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Utica Stevenson) and redshirt sophomore Ryan Smith (Warren, Mich. / De La Salle).  Carlin has played in all 33 games in his first three seasons for the Green and Gold.  A solid contributor on special teams, he is tied-for-ninth in school history with two blocked kicks.  Carlin also earned Academic All-GLIAC honors each of the last two seasons.  Smith was voted WSU's Defensive Rookie of the Year a year ago in addition to being named to the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team.  He saw action at outside linebacker in all 11 games and made his first career start at Ohio Dominican.  He has moved inside this year to form a talented 1-2 punch in the middle.

Redshirt sophomore Leon Eggleston (Sylvania, Ohio / Southview) and redshirt junior Drew Dowding (Michigan Center, Mich.) will handle the strong side linebacking duties.  Eggleston saw action on the outside in all 11 contests in 2016, and finished second on the squad with eight special teams tackles (4-4 on kickoff coverage) along with ranking No. 2 among all-first year players in tackles with 25 (15-10).  Dowding was WSU's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2015 and has played in all 22 games the last two seasons, while also contributing on special teams.

Redshirt junior Anthony Pittman (Beverly Hills, Mich. / Birmingham Groves) and transfer Quentin Taylor (New Lothrop, Mich.) are slated to handle weak side linebacking assignments.  Pittman has appeared in 21 games in his first two seasons for the Green and Gold, making seven starts.  He has recorded 42 career tackles (35-7).  Taylor attended Allen Community College in Iola, Kans., in the fall of 2016 to play baseball, and Western Michigan University in the winter of 2017.  He earned Associated Press Division 7-8 Honorable Mention All-State honors in 2014 and Special Mention All-State recognition in 2015.

In terms of depth at the position, redshirt sophomore Terry Sanders (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Stevenson) has moved from safety to outside linebacker.  Sanders saw action on the kickoff return team and on the kickoff coverage team in five games last year, plus another game on punt return during his six games played.

The three incoming freshmen - Nick Isley (Rockford, Mich.), Spencer Stephenson (Midland, Mich. / Dow) and Brandon Tuck-Hayden (Akron, Ohio / Buchtel) will most likely redshirt to adjust to the speed of the college game and add the strength needed to compete in the GLIAC.

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