When you look at the safety position at Tech, I think it’s an interesting study. We look at last year, we had Daniel Lewis, Darryl Lewis, and Jordan Baldwin.
Daniel Lewis didn’t have great foot speed, but won with instincts and smarts. Darryl Lewis was a former walk-on, who played in a similar mold to Daniel, just a solid player. Jordan Baldwin was a thumper, not a great coverage guy.
All three are solid, but no one that a team has to game plan around.
Fast forward to 2019, Jeff Burris is pretty much coaching the safeties along with Diaco. Diaco will spend a good deal of time with the OLBs as well.
This could be a blessing, we know how good Burris is.
L’Jarius Sneed:
-primary position is CB, not the first time he’s play safety in the spring
-exceptional in coverage out of the slot regardless of size of WR
-became more vocal this spring, showed more competitiveness
-watching him evolve over the course of 4 years has been fun, he’ll play in the NFL, may be the better NFL prospect out of him and Amik, not kidding
Darryl Lewis:
-he opened the door for someone to beat him out this spring, he was just so-so
-effort wasn’t consistent throughout, almost felt like he thought his starting spot was a given
-not a flashy player, must be in right position in order to make an impact
Jaiden Cole:
-slow start to the spring after redshirting a season ago, but came on late like a MAD MAN
-redshirt year was extremely beneficial, has slimmed down some
-showed better foot speed, at least it appeared that he did, maybe he’s more sure of his assignements
-emerging as more of a vocal leader on the back end
-has no issue coming up in run support
-really beginning to show why he was a highly rated recruit
Beejay Williamson:
-if not for Sneed, he’d be the most talented safety we have, I think he plays in the NFL one day
-really long, runs well sideline to sideline, still needs to add some weight
-will be a captain at La Tech before he leaves
-wouldn’t be a surprise if he earned significant time as a RS FR this year
Derek Turner:
-best ball skills of any safety we have and it shows up daily
-the safety position has some depth, but he’s put himself in the mix to get time
-will be a key player on special teams
-got a little home sick last year, but appears more focused this year
-great kid
Kollin Hurt:
-Tech didn’t miss on his talent, they missed on his drive to be great
-plays too tentatively most of the time, when he flies around, it’s easy to see why he was recruited, can be a ball hawk
Trey Spencer:
-phenomenal kid, just not all that talented
-if he transferred, I wouldn’t be surprised, but if he stuck around, he’ll help on ST and be a great locker room guy
Overall:
-I think this group is better than they were last year, Sneed is an upgrade over Baldwin/Lewis, and Jaiden Cole is going to make Darryl Lewis better or he won’t play
-Williamson and Turner signed in the 2018 class are the best safeties we've signed since Xavier Woods
-Safety plays a huge role for Diaco, they communicate so many things pre-snap as far as reads go
-Will Daniel Lewis possibly be back? Would he be a factor? Would be nice to at least have that experience, I know that for sure.
Daniel Lewis didn’t have great foot speed, but won with instincts and smarts. Darryl Lewis was a former walk-on, who played in a similar mold to Daniel, just a solid player. Jordan Baldwin was a thumper, not a great coverage guy.
All three are solid, but no one that a team has to game plan around.
Fast forward to 2019, Jeff Burris is pretty much coaching the safeties along with Diaco. Diaco will spend a good deal of time with the OLBs as well.
This could be a blessing, we know how good Burris is.
L’Jarius Sneed:
-primary position is CB, not the first time he’s play safety in the spring
-exceptional in coverage out of the slot regardless of size of WR
-became more vocal this spring, showed more competitiveness
-watching him evolve over the course of 4 years has been fun, he’ll play in the NFL, may be the better NFL prospect out of him and Amik, not kidding
Darryl Lewis:
-he opened the door for someone to beat him out this spring, he was just so-so
-effort wasn’t consistent throughout, almost felt like he thought his starting spot was a given
-not a flashy player, must be in right position in order to make an impact
Jaiden Cole:
-slow start to the spring after redshirting a season ago, but came on late like a MAD MAN
-redshirt year was extremely beneficial, has slimmed down some
-showed better foot speed, at least it appeared that he did, maybe he’s more sure of his assignements
-emerging as more of a vocal leader on the back end
-has no issue coming up in run support
-really beginning to show why he was a highly rated recruit
Beejay Williamson:
-if not for Sneed, he’d be the most talented safety we have, I think he plays in the NFL one day
-really long, runs well sideline to sideline, still needs to add some weight
-will be a captain at La Tech before he leaves
-wouldn’t be a surprise if he earned significant time as a RS FR this year
Derek Turner:
-best ball skills of any safety we have and it shows up daily
-the safety position has some depth, but he’s put himself in the mix to get time
-will be a key player on special teams
-got a little home sick last year, but appears more focused this year
-great kid
Kollin Hurt:
-Tech didn’t miss on his talent, they missed on his drive to be great
-plays too tentatively most of the time, when he flies around, it’s easy to see why he was recruited, can be a ball hawk
Trey Spencer:
-phenomenal kid, just not all that talented
-if he transferred, I wouldn’t be surprised, but if he stuck around, he’ll help on ST and be a great locker room guy
Overall:
-I think this group is better than they were last year, Sneed is an upgrade over Baldwin/Lewis, and Jaiden Cole is going to make Darryl Lewis better or he won’t play
-Williamson and Turner signed in the 2018 class are the best safeties we've signed since Xavier Woods
-Safety plays a huge role for Diaco, they communicate so many things pre-snap as far as reads go
-Will Daniel Lewis possibly be back? Would he be a factor? Would be nice to at least have that experience, I know that for sure.
