Pass Rush Spotlight: Iowa’s Top QB Hunters Part II

The art of the pass rush is one of the most sought after commodities in the modern game and requires a tremendous amount of skill. Take a look below to see how the mechanics and fundamentals of Iowa’s best lead to pressures, hits, and sacks. These quarterback hunters know how to execute and cause nightmare scenarios for an opposing offense. [player_tooltip player_id="100048" first="Kyson" last="Van Vugt"], Western Christian, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14794699/5fa046df0dc0390288c559ec">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/kysonvanvugt">Twitter</a> DE, 6’7, 225 One element of becoming a premier pass rusher is knowing and playing to your natural strengths and abilities, Van Vugt does just that. He has a massive frame that lends well to a couple of very important characteristics that are essential to getting to the quarterback: use of hands and a big first step. Van Vugt has exemplary stance mechanics that compliment the amount of ground he can naturally cover. He has increased stagger, he coils his body to load the joints, and puts a lot of weight on his hand. Doing this allows him to accentuate his stride to get to the hip of a setting offensive linemen and force his opponent out of good technique. The second part of what makes Van Vugt so effective is his use of hands that compliment the first step. He places them as soon as he is in proximity to do so and, with his reach, it is virtually impossible to recover. Van Vugt works speed and power off of his separation. He can keep his feet moving through his hand placement to strike and separate; there is no way an offensive linemen can recover from this compromised position. Van Vugt also works an impressive bull rush and a bull-pull. The leverage he creates using his arms as levers make it very difficult for a setting offensive linemen to maintain good posture and weight displacement. [player_tooltip player_id="100043" first="Jaylen" last="Pettus-McMullen"], Dowling Catholic, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11211875/5f866248b023070aa855202a">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/jaylen_pettus">Twitter</a> DT, 6’2, 220 Pettus has an impressive array of inside gap pass rush moves that he uses effectively and at the appropriate times. He does a very fine job of using his alignment and footwork to set up his moves. Interior pass rushers have less space to work with and what can make an A or B gap rusher good at what they do is their ability to create room. They can overpower short setting guards and centers or get them to open up, Pettus is a master at the latter. The first is a well-trained hesi/euro step that gets a blocker to step opposite of the gap he plans to rush through. It can be challenging for an offensive lineman to shift their weight and steps back in your direction in time to recover. The second is a jab with his hands. This will often get the blocker thinking there is an immediate threat and he will lunge forward to strike. Either way, Pettus looks like a seasoned inside gap rusher as he influences his opponents out of their mechanically correct sets. Off of his hesi/euro step, Pettus uses a technical club/swipe-arm over to knock hands away and pass the hip through the gap he is rushing; he bends as he passes to prevent recovery. Off of his jab Pettus has shown that he can knock hands away or work an inside gap spin, both of which stem from getting the blocker out of position. [player_tooltip player_id="105139" first="Andrew" last="DePaepe"], Pleasant Valley, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14838126/6003bbc65b476d03f00c6673">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewDepaepe2">Twitter</a> DE, 6’6, 230 A lot of young pass rushers have terrific motors and are relentless in how they attack a pass set, but don’t understand how to react or transition within a rush. That is not the case with Depaepe; he has a very advanced understanding of how to most efficiently cause pressure and get home. Depaepe is consistent out of his stance in taking precise angles to the outside hip of a setting tackle, which limits steps and makes an impressive speed rush even faster. He does a great job of limiting the amount of steps it takes to get from his stance to the pocket. When Depaepe wins with speed he does a great job of shifting his weight to his inside foot and driving his inside shoulder down to get small. Reducing surface area makes it really tough on an offensive lineman to place their hands on Depaepe as he passes them. When he doesn’t get hip to hip Depaepe shows off his knowledge of pass rushing and transitions to power or counters. Depaepe reads the hip and if hips are square to each other he accelerates through the tackle with a bull rush. If the hips are turned he counters across the face and stays tight as he passses. Depaepe compliments superior athleticism with a depth of understanding that is very mature and this makes him a very dangerous pass rusher. Cullen McShane, MFL-Mar-Mac, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/video/3/13273718/5f80db538cd5940c2ce545a6">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/McshaneCullen">Twitter</a> OLB/DE, 6’2, 200 McShane looks like he is shot out of a cannon at the snap when blitzing or rushing at the line of scrimmage. He is capable of lining up over an inside gap or in tight or loose alignment on the edge and applying big pressure. What makes McShane so effective and efficient is his ability to find and attack space. He regularly puts larger and slower offensive linemen at a disadvantage because they aren’t able to put hands on him. If a blocker is able to get hands on him they end up in a compromised position and McShane wins with superior athleticism and frequently bends to reduce surface area or counters across. He is a disciplined pass rusher and can work his bend and counter to exploit blockers all while staying in his rush lane. This is especially true when he is flying off the edge; he does a noticeably great job of knowing where the quarterback is and taking excellent angles to the upfield should to keep the quarterback contained and in the pocket. McShane isn’t just a speed rusher; he can knock hands away with swipes and clubs as he passes and transition from speed to power off the edge or when a blocking back steps up on him in an inside gap. He also does an impressive job of matching hands with the quarterback to bat down passes and retrace when he identifies screens to be even more disruptive. Jamin Stuhr, Webster City, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13144360/5fbe9fdfd45e9c09b44a391d">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/StuhrJamin">Twitter</a> DE, 6’2, 210 Stuhr has an upfield first step that gets him even with the hip of his opponent; he has a knack for using his hands in a reactionary way so he isn’t slowed down or distracted by the punch of the tackle he is passing. Many young pass rushers delay themselves in their rush anticipating movement. Not Stuhr, he is aggressive and relentless in keeping his feet moving to the quarterback. Understanding this creates a lot more opportunities to get pressures, hits, and sacks. From a technical standpoint Stuhr does an excellent job of fighting hands within the natural movements of how he runs. He keeps his hands tight and concise and brings them through to fight punches away; this keeps an offensive lineman from being able to identify what he is about to do and react. Stuhr does a fantastic job of flipping his hips at this point, which accomplishes a couple things. One, simultaneously flipping the hips adds power to his hand fighting to make sure he gets clean. Two, it puts him into a change of direction so he can square up his next target, the quarterback, and maintain speed. Stuhr is a diverse pass rusher who can stunt to an inside gap with a lot of success, match hands with a quarterback to bat down passes, and keep a quarterback contained.