Syracuse Football: Clark Lea Talks Orange Linebackers

With a defensive line in flux and a secondary that is a secondary, the linebacking corp might one again be the Syracuse Orange defensive unit we count on for stability. Stephen Bailey spoke with linebackers coach Clark Lea recently to find out what he's seeing out of the guys on the roster.

Middle Linebacker

The easiest one to call, this spot is probably Zaire Franklin's from now until he graduates or goes pro. Lea praised the way Franklin handled his debut last season:

"Some guys would have gotten to that first game, realized they weren't going to be able to play much, packed it in and accepted that they would be a role player for that season," Lea said. "That resiliency, you just don't see that very much."

Weakside Linebacker

No surprise to see Marqez Hodge atop the depth chart here as well. He's backed up officially by Alryk Perry and Shyheim Cullen, though Oliver Vigille can slide in if needed. Expect to see Cullen leapfrog Perry and work his way towards playing time.

"When he blitzes, he's got a knack for leaning and running and bending," Lea said. "In camp we saw the same thing."

Strongside Linebacker

Parris Bennett has the title of starter right now but he's probably going to have to work hard to cement that in camp. Jonathan Thomas and Oliver Vigille will be working to unseat him. Then there's Ted Taylor, the JUCO transfer who could be a wild card. Lea points out that we could see any of these guys show up at other linebacker spots along the way.

"The competition's not always just the first-string guy and the second-string guy," Lea said. "Is there a world that exists where Jonathan Thomas is a better Sam than Marqez (Hodge) is at Will, and do we flip Parris over?"

There's good building blocks here but, like most positions on the roster, still plenty of depth to figure out. May the best men win.