Utah Position Review - Linebackers

The next group for review is the linebackers. These guys might be the most solid group of the entire team. This front seven is deeper than most teams I remember Utah having. The starters are all familiar guys. Brian Blechen (started at safety as a freshman last year), Chaz Walker (senior, started last year), and Matt Martinez (senior, started last year).

Blechen played safety last year, and did a good job for a freshman. He made some big plays (one of the biggest in his first college game) but also found himself out of position many times. I think that linebacker is a better fit for him and he'll really excel there. The backup is listed as a tie between Trevor Reilly and Nai Fotu (also listed at left end). Reilly played 11 games at defensive end last year. He had 11 solo tackles (5 for loss) and assisted on 8 tackles (1 for loss). He also blocked a PAT against Iowa State. I always felt like he was a pretty solid player when he was on the field and he should be a reliable backup if Blechen gets hurt or needs a breather.

Chaz Walker led Utah and finished second in the Mountain West last year in total tackles. He had 50 solo tackles (5 for loss) and 93 assisted tackles (4 for loss), 2 sacks for 14 yards, a pass defened and a forced fumble. While he really racked up a lot of stats last year, I felt like a lot of was because he's the middle linebacker, which is the position that often leads the team in tackles. However, he is still a very good linebacker and should be even better than he was last year. The stats probably won't show it because of the improved defensive line, but I think he'll be a better all around player. Backing him up is a tie between freshman V.J. Fehoko and junior Boo Anderson. Anderson has played in all 26 games in his career at Utah and has a total of 37 tackles (10 solo).

Matt Martinez started all 13 games last year and was Utah's second leading tackler. He recorded 17 total tackles (7 solo) against BYU, and on the season ended up with 37 solo tackles (2 for loss) and 54 assisted tackles (7 for loss). He also recorded 2 sacks (1 solo) and returned an interception for a touchdown against New Mexico. Even though the stats don't say it, I think that Martinez was probably the best linebacker last year. He also has senior J.J. Williams as a backup, so there is a lot of experience at rover linebacker. Williams played every game in 2006 and 2009 but injured his leg, limiting him to 2 games last year.

Overall, I feel very good about the linebackers. I feel very good about the front seven, which will be important moving into a tougher conference. The three linebackers all started every game last year (though Blechen started at safety), and that should really help the defense. I look for the front seven to be the anchor of this team, and could make some big plays to help Utah win a couple games this year.

Grade: A-