Football: Big Man McDuffie to Fill Some Really Big Shoes
Travis Jones has been a staple for the UConn Huskies defense for three seasons. He has been a reliable run-stopping presence in the middle of the defensive line. During his tenure at UConn, Jones has produced 134 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Jones was a massive gap-filler for the Huskies at 6-foot-5 and 333 pounds. He will enter the 2022 NFL Draft for 2022 as one of the better nose tackles available.
Jones is expected to be either a Day 2 or early Day 3 selection. His departure will leave a large hole in the Huskies defensive line, and a huge void of talent. The good news for the reeling defense is that they landed former three-star defensive line recruit, and transfer from Old Dominion, Sokoye McDuffie. McDuffie is a 6-foot-5, 310-pound defensive tackle that adds some slightly different skill to the middle than what Jones represented.
Jones is a legitimate top-level nose tackle. As good as he was at filling gaps, controlling blocks and clogging lanes, the Huskies were one of the worst teams in college football rushing the passer. As a team, the Huskies were able to produce only 12 sacks in 12 games. For reference, Bowling Green was the 50th-ranked team in the nation in sacks, and they had 30 sacks, almost three times as many as UConn. Nobody will ever deny the talent of Jones, but McDuffie could add an extra level to the interior.
McDuffie is also a solid run stuffer in the middle. He has a great anchor and is a people mover with good strength in his hands. McDuffie does a very good job at holding his gaps and using his length to wrap up runners trying to break through the line. Though Jones is easily the better nose tackle, McDuffie has more pass-rush to his game. He has plus snap timing and routinely gets the upper hand catching offensive linemen on their heels. McDuffie uses a nice inside swim move, making himself skinny while knifing his way through the offensive line. He possesses a strong initial punch and has cinder blocks for hands.
McDuffie is by no means a flawless player. He plays a bit out of control at times, which gets him off balance and works himself out of a play. Double teams usually take him out of a play easily. He needs to work at recognizing when a double team is honing in on him. These are things that McDuffie will need to improve on, though the Huskies have the coaching staff in place that should allow him to expand his repertoire.
McDuffie is coming off a sophomore season where he posted 27 tackles, five for a loss and three sacks after playing only three games his freshman year and sitting out 2020 due to COVID. Improvement is already evident in his game. As good as Jones was, the Huskies needed more than just a gap stuffer on the interior of their defense. The defense needs a weekly spark, and McDuffie could add some of that. Jones is the better player overall, though McDuffie could be better for the defense. Jones is on his way to a productive NFL career, so those are big shoes to fill for McDuffie. Hopefully he can continue to improve and carve himself out a significant role in helping lead the Huskies defensive line.
