South Carolina’s defenders have the advantage of having the defensive coordinator act as their position coach. So, what is it like to play linebacker in Clayton Whiteof the 4-2-5 defense? Two veterans in the room, Sherrod Greene and Brad Johnson, explained on Tuesday the freedom that white allows them to play in the positions of MIKE and WILL.
Greene, a senior midlineback player, said the responsibility for lining up the defense is off his shoulders, unlike the MIKE 2020 linebacker. Ernest Jones had before him.
“There is more freedom. I can run and hit people, ”said Greene. “(Coach White) allows us to make more moves and trust our instincts and react to them. This year we don’t have to make calls or fronts for the defensive line. Really, Coach White is making our job easier this year, recognizing the formations and us playing with it. “
Johnson, a veteran who is new to the internal linebacker game after spending his top three as BUCK and last year as SAM, likes how his new positioning on the pitch puts him in every play.
“I feel like playing SAM let me go last year, playing in space,” said Johnson. “This has been the main thing. When you are on the line, especially at the edge, you are manipulating and ready. Now, back in the box, you see everything.
“SAM in (Will) MuschampThe defense of is a linebacker, but it is not a real linebacker. I am not in the box or piled on my nose and my responsibility was limited and I am only in a few packages. In this defense I’m playing WILL or MIKE and I am a true linebacker where I could be anywhere in the field at any time. What is exciting about this is to always be in the play. I have a lot more free space and I can make things happen, which definitely excites me. “
White is training linebackers for the first time in his coaching career in college, after spending 15 seasons training defensive backs in Western Carolina, Western Michigan, Stanford, Western Kentucky and his alma mater, NC State. A linebacker during his college days and three years in the NFL, White quickly conquered his linebackers’ room in Columbia.
“He’s got a lot of energy, man,” said Greene of his coach for third linebackers in South Carolina. “He’s very down to earth and cool. If you give him respect, he returns the respect. He expects a lot from us as linebackers. I’m trying to brake and make sure that I can do everything I can to help this team. At the moment, he is more focused on the effort and execution of the moves ”.
Johnson is happy to have defense leader Gamecocks in his room as he gets used to his new role in defense, talking to his position coach and playing at the same time.
“Coach White is a great guy,” said Johnson. “When I arrived, I didn’t know what to expect. Coach White is a tense guy when you meet him, but when we start talking face to face with the linebackers, he’s great. I have nothing but good things to say about him and I’m excited about how he will train the linebackers and lead the defense. “
Greene played 36 games, with 25 games in his career in South Carolina, but missed the final nine games of the 2020 season due to a hip fracture suffered at the opening of the season. Six of Johnson’s 34 games in a Gamecocks uniform came in 2020, but the neck / back stingers limited their availability, especially at the end of the season. Stay tuned on TheBigSpur.com for a story about those two defenders explaining their injury-ridden 2020 seasons and how they are eager to recover to help defend Gamecocks under White in 2021.