Unit Analysis: Secondary

Time to take a look at the secondary.  The Bulls started the 2011 season with a healthy unit, but as the season wore on, injuries took their toll as the unit became depleted and younger players had to play increased snaps and big plays happened.  This year, the Bulls have a strong corps returning, new players entering, and younger players ready to rise to the top, let's see who will shine out of this unit.

Depth chart coming out of the spring:

Safety

JaQuez Jenkins (6-2 189-pounds); Ernie Tabuteau (5-10 196-pounds)

Mark Joyce (5-10 200-pounds); Trevon Griffin (6-0 211-pounds)

Cornerback

Kayvon Webster (5-11 192-pounds); George Baker (5-11 182-pounds)

Fidel Montgomery (6-0 185-pounds); Josh Brown (6-0 193-pounds) or Kenneth Durden (6-0 176-pounds)

Who else is on the roster:  The Bulls return Jon Lejiste (6-0 212-pounds) at the safety position.  He missed the spring as he recovers from surgery, but should be a starter come the fall.  At cornerback, Spencer Boyd (5-10 179-pounds), CJ Garye (6-3 209-pounds), Tyler Robb (5-9 196-pounds), and Chris Bivins (5-11 170-pounds) who enrolled early (part of 2012 recruiting class) and missed the spring recovering from ACL surgery (should be cleared by the fall), are all on the roster.

What the team lost:  The team lost 2 starters and 2 reserves at the end of the 2012 season.  At safety, Jerrell Young and Thanasi Mihalakos both graduated.  At cornerback, Quenton Washington and Tyson Butler also graduated. 

Incoming 2012 recruits:  The Bulls added Montgomery, Brown, and Bivins in the class and all enrolled this spring.  Two more will be joining them in Jarvis McCall (6-2 185-pounds) and Jalen Spencer (6-0 175-pounds). 

Strength of the unit:  The Bulls have several returning starters and others that have played a lot of football in their young careers.  Kayvon Webster is a solid starter and should have a monster senior season.  Jenkins and Joyce have played in big time games, so they are ready for primetime as well.  Once healthy, Lejiste will be a major factor in the secondary and is one of the toughest hitters on the team.  The depth on the roster with Tabuteau, Brown, Montgomery, and Baker gives Holtz and staff experienced players that can come into any situation, whether it's starting or coming off the bench, to help lead the secondary.

Weakness of the unit:  Starting with the safety position.  Joyce can be a solid starter, but the Bulls will need Lejiste healthy this season.  Jenkins has all the skill in the world, but the team needs him to stay healthy out on the field.  Tabuteau and Griffin turned heads this spring, but does that translate to the field this fall, time will tell.  Aside from them, there is not much depth at safety, so health will be a major concern to watch. 

At corner, Webster is ready for prime time, but is Baker ready for a full season of playing time behind him?  Montgomery seems to have won the other starting job out of the spring, but Brown and Durden will pressure him.  The Bulls need to figure out the other cornerback position before the season starts.  The depth behind them is thin.  Boyd has played sparingly and Garye and Robb have never taken the field.  Bivins is recovering from ACL surgery, but has the high praise of the coaches.  Will he be ready to emerge this fall? 

Overall Assessment: B.  The secondary is solid, but there are question marks with some of the projected starters and with the reserves.  The safety position should be fine once Lejiste returns, but at corner, the team needs to find out if Montgomery is ready to take over and if the depth behind him and Webster, will be ready for playing time.