Another day, another opportunity to think a little bit more about what this season could look like for the Golden Bears.
After already looking at the defensive front, running backs, receivers, quarterbacks and offensive line, it seems we are rapidly approaching the end of our previews; just the defensive backs and linebackers.
Today, we’ll take a deeper look into the defensive backfield.
1. How do the players who did not participate in spring practice look when they're back in action?
This primarily applies to two players here: corner Collin Gamble (Jr.) and safety Craig Woodson (R-Jr.). Both players were mostly limited to sideline rehab work throughout spring, although Gamble did end up getting some lighter work in as the spring began to wind down.
These two are potential impact players when they’re on the field for the Bears. Gamble and Woodson both have significant playing experience from past years and could look to be big time contributors for a team that needs to be good togreat on defense again in 2022.
Gamble looked good moving around when he was out there, but not seeing Woodson at all definitely raises some concerns.
Right now, the assumption is that they’ll both be working in some during fall camp, but their ability level and rust are going to be big determining factors for securing a starting spot in 2022.
2. Who is going to start across from Lu-Magia Hearns?
This is the million dollar question. There is going to be a ton of flexibility here, and the staff is going to have to pick what kind of player they want out there with him.
Gamble and junior Isaiah Young do bring some starting experience to the role, but they are relatively similar in build to Hearns. If they want to bring in a bigger body, redshirt sophomore Tyson McWilliams and redshirt freshman Evan McLurkin could bring size and a good body of work from spring practice to the field in the fall.
There are a lot of decent answers to this question right now, but finding the best one could prove to be challenging. There’s a decent chance that the starter could be based on weekly matchups until someone shines a little brighter and plays a little faster than the rest. Matchup-based rotations aren’t inherently awful, but making sure the room stays competitive and versatile is going to be important as well.
