Barrett Ruud’s second season coaching inside linebackers at his alma mater is already shaping up to be an interesting one.
On the one hand, he’s got a dangerously low number of scholarship players — three for two positions — potentially standing between the current situation and being forced to put a true freshman on the field.
On the other, he’s got a group that blends leadership and an undeniably bright future.
“I think the biggest thing is I think the young guys — and including some of the walk-ons coming back — we’re younger but we’re more experienced at the same time,†Ruud told the Journal Star on Wednesday. “The guys who are leading the room know what we expect, they’ve been in the defense for the year, they’ve been in the program for a year.â€
That’s why, despite the presence of perhaps the most sure-fire captain candidate on the roster in Mohamed Barry and a set of incoming freshmen headlined by Nick Henrich and Jackson Hannah that has sparked considerable buzz already, the key for 2019 very well might reside right in the middle with a pair of juniors.
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Those are Will Honas and Collin Miller. Honas, a junior-college transfer in 2018, played in four games before a knee injury ended his season. Miller moved from outside to inside at the outset of preseason camp and never fully earned a spot in Ruud’s rotation.
The second-year assistant, though, has high hopes for each.
“The biggest thing with Will that he needs to learn, and he admitted it, too, is he has to learn how to practice,†said Ruud, adding that Honas is right on or even ahead of schedule after having surgery in early October. “He’s a different player in games than he was in practice. Practice, at times, you were like, ‘Well, why isn’t he doing it like he did on his film from junior college?’ Then when he got into a game you’re like, ‘Oh, there it is.’
“I think that’s going to click for him. He’s so studious and tries to do everything so perfectly. Now he knows, ‘Hey man, turn it loose.’ I won’t bust you and if you make a mistake going fast, we’re still going to be all good. I have no doubt he’s going to have a really, really good year.â€
As Ruud showed practice clips to high school coaches Wednesday evening at Hudl’s headquarters, he several times showed the difference in technique between, say, Barry, and Miller, who had just switched over.
Miller is physically imposing at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, and Ruud says he’s staying in the middle, hopefully for good.
“He will and I think that will be good for him, too, because he’s really a talented guy,†Ruud added. “He just needs to play inside linebacker. It’s a lot different than outside linebacker. Outside, you’re essentially told what to do. Inside linebacker, you’re telling people what to do. There’s a little bit more reads, more things you have to see, but I have a lot of confidence that he’s going to be a good player.â€
Barry is a known commodity, though of course he will try to take another step as a senior after compiling 112 tackles in 2018. Henrich will get a lot of chances in the spring, especially considering Honas’ left knee surgery was less than five months ago. Ruud is also high on his group of young walk-ons.
“We’re fortunate that one of our young guys, Nick, is a midyear guy and that’s going to help him out a lot as well,†Ruud said. “I feel like even though we are pretty young, we’re way more experienced than we were a year ago.â€