PRZ MD Mid-Season Trenches + LB report: Up-Front Impact

Dive into Maryland's midseason trenches/LB report, where Eli, Wenger, Hunt, Sullivan and Rigby are making noise up front.    Per his Hudl highlights intro, he's made 11 total tackles (8 tackles for a loss) and sacked the quarterback once in three games so far.   He's a defensive tackle with a compact build. His highlights show that he wins with pad level and power. Eli has multiple interior tackles for loss on film. He's not twitchy, but he shoots the A/B gap, stays low, and finishes tackles by wrapping up. A couple of highlights show him holding the point and stuffing the run. On some of the pass-rush reps, Eli gets good pressure with power.   Worth noting that he also plays offensive guard      Wenger is a versatile piece on LB's defensive line, able to line up at the nose, tackle, or end position (as shown in his highlights). Strong at the point of contact, he plays with leverage and can power through double teams at the line of scrimmage. Wenger has a strong base and is a run disrupter, clogging running lanes regularly. As a pass rusher, he gets pressure with great effort and can disrupt timing without making the sack. He's best when lined up inside, but he's more than capable of setting the edge when needed.        Hunt is SJC's starting center. One thing that stands out to me about Hunt is his power, especially at the point of attack. That, along with how he wins the leverage battle, makes it hard for interior defensive linemen to get around him or move him. Hunt is a big center who can drive, combo, and finish blocks. Decent get-off and lateral agility. Great use of hands; consistently gets his hands inside the defender's pads and takes control. Not a road grader, but he definitely moves people.   Hunt currently hads early offers from both Liberty and Rhode Island.      In three garmes, Sullivan has made 29 total tackles (17 solo) and deflected two passes. The majority of his highlights show him at the middle linebacker position playing the run. Sullivan makes sure tackles and does a good ob of mirroring backs in the box. Takes efficient angles to make tackles at or near the line of scrimmage. Sullivan does fire on the snap. Not a twitchy guy, but he stays clean and doesn't get caught up in the traffic. Conistent closer, I like the second effort he gives on cutbacks and outside runs shown in the highlights.      In his first three games, Rigby has made 19 tackles (2 TFLs), sacked the quarterback once, and has registered five quarterback hurries. I had an opportunity to watch him play against Concordia Prep. I'll have more on that at another time.   However, his three-game highlights confirm much of what I saw in person. Rigby controls the middle of the defense for his team, and his film shows a lot. He checks the boxes: he's strong enough to take on guards/centers with leverage, shed blockers quickly, and attack whoever's running with the football with force. Definitely a sideline-to-sideline backer. Diagnoses run plays quickly, leading to tackles near or behind the line of scrimmage.   A hard-nosed player with a strong chance of cracking the Top 100 in the rankings.

Dive into Maryland's midseason trenches/LB report, where Eli, Wenger, Hunt, Sullivan and Rigby are making noise up front.