Leaders Emerging Among Louisville's Outside Linebacker Group
On the defensive side of the ball for the Louisville Football program, one of the deepest and most versatile units is their group of outside linebackers.
At the hybrid "Card" position, starter Rodjay Burns has All-ACC potential in his second year transitioning from cornerback, while JUCO transfer Marvin Dallas & freshmen Zay Peterson were mid-year enrollees who have adapted well so far in the offseason.
On the other side at the "Dog" position, Yasir Abdullah & Nick Okeke bring back significant experience to the linebacker corps, with Thurman Geathers & freshman Kam Wilson as serviceable backups.
Having all that talent at your disposal certainly puts the Cardinals in a good spot at outside backer, but it would be all for naught if none of them wanted to step forward and be leader for their teammates.
Fortunately, outside linebackers coach Cort Dennison has seen several players under his wing take on leadership roles in his second stint with Louisville. At the "Dog" position, he notes that both the starting Abdullah and back up Okeke have "really stepped up to the plate and become vocal leaders".
"Yasir is a more reserved person off the field, and he's really come out of his shell," Dennison told reporters in a teleconference Thursday after practice. "(He) encourages some of the younger guys to really get in their playbook. It's obviously not always about what you're doing on the field."
"(Nick)'s a vocal guy. He's got a great attitude all the time," Dennison continued. "He's always the kind of guy that's gonna go out of his way to communicate. He's not afraid to speak up and talk."
One example of Abdullah's leadership revolves around the film room. Every day after practice, the junior from Miramar, Fla. will head there with the position group where they will go over plays and critique other. The next day, they will hit the practice fields and correct their mistakes from there.
He's not the only one ascending to a leadership role amongst the outside backers though. While Rodjay Burns is just in his second year at the "Card" position, the redshirt senior has been leader to everyone on the defense - no matter where they line up.
"Last year I really looked up to Rodjay, I still look up to him. He's like a brother to me" Abdullah said. "When I need something, he's there. When I need help on a play, he'll tell me even though I'm at "Dog". He's been a huge factor on the defense, and shoot as a brother."
Dennison challenged him to continue to grow as a leader because of the fact that so many players look up to him and he has such a large influence on the defense as a whole. So far, he has risen to the challenge brought forth by his coach.
"He continues every day to get better on that vocal bases," Dennison said. "I've been very impressed so far with Rodjay in this camp."
Louisville will return to the practice fields Saturday morning at 9:30am for their tenth practice of fall camp after taking Friday off. The Cards are set to kickoff the season against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Cardinal Stadium.
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