4. College Football News Preview 2020: Old Dominion Monarchs Defense 3 Things To Know
– The new coaching staff has the luxury of not having to focus too much on the D. This wasn’t a killer group – it didn’t generate enough of a pass rush – but it was great at coming up with a whole lot of tackles for loss and wasn’t awful against the run. Nine of the top 11 tacklers are expected back.
– Keion White is a keeper. He led the way with 19 tackles for loss, defensive tackle Juwan Ross came up 9.5, and almost all the parts are back up front. There’s a little bit of size in the rotation across the line, and there’s a whole lot of quickness.
– Lawrence Garner returns to his spot in the middle of the linebacking corps, leading the team with 111 tackles in what was a 4-2-5 alignment. Garner and second-leading tackler Jordan Young were impossible to get off the field.
The secondary loses a few parts, but Kaleb Ford-Dement is a nice corner on one side, and Geronda Hall will work on the outside after finishing third on the team in tackles. There’s enough versatility at safety to play around with the alignment.