Player #4 Cole Joyce. We need LBs to contribute right away since our LB recruitment and development under Randy has been atrocious. We needed imo 2-3 solid LB prospects in this class but only managed to get one.
Cole Joyce has been a regular in football camps since 9th grade. Many P5 programs were tracking him including the school he always wanted, Arkansas.
The downside in many eyes are his height and frame. He is listed at 6 ft but 5'10" is closer to the truth. That's the only reason he did not get a P5 offer from the home school. Cole just stopped growing after 9th grade.
He played MLB in high school but there's no way he can do that in college, not as a full time player game after game. His frame just doesn't low for him to put on more much more size.
Now to the goods. He is very fast, a cannon. He makes up a lot of ground and does it very quicly. Cole is perfect for that hybrid outside LB/safety role. He can easily cover backs out of the backfield, spy and contain DT QBs.
I can see many scenarios where he can be moved all over the field and sent on blitzes, delayed or otherwise. He has that quickness to get to the QB or RB in the backfield.
Joyce is very instinctive and loves to hit. He plays with a lot of raw emotion and his speed is truly impressive.
It's difficult for true freshman LBs to start but I would to see him on the field early. Again his skills and physical attributes are ideal for an aggressive, inovative defensive scheme. Maybe when the next DC is hired.
Cole Joyce has been a regular in football camps since 9th grade. Many P5 programs were tracking him including the school he always wanted, Arkansas.
The downside in many eyes are his height and frame. He is listed at 6 ft but 5'10" is closer to the truth. That's the only reason he did not get a P5 offer from the home school. Cole just stopped growing after 9th grade.
He played MLB in high school but there's no way he can do that in college, not as a full time player game after game. His frame just doesn't low for him to put on more much more size.
Now to the goods. He is very fast, a cannon. He makes up a lot of ground and does it very quicly. Cole is perfect for that hybrid outside LB/safety role. He can easily cover backs out of the backfield, spy and contain DT QBs.
I can see many scenarios where he can be moved all over the field and sent on blitzes, delayed or otherwise. He has that quickness to get to the QB or RB in the backfield.
Joyce is very instinctive and loves to hit. He plays with a lot of raw emotion and his speed is truly impressive.
It's difficult for true freshman LBs to start but I would to see him on the field early. Again his skills and physical attributes are ideal for an aggressive, inovative defensive scheme. Maybe when the next DC is hired.