Outside Linebackers

David Nixon is, I believe, the best player on the defense. He caught my eye as a true freshman in 2003 and has not disappointed me since. Nixon has battled injuries in both his Sophmore and Junior seasons which limited his production a little bit. He also had to take a back seat to Brian Kehl as Kehl was utilized as the playmaker a lot. That said, Nixon has had some huge moments in his career and I believe has been hugely underappreciated. If BYU ran a more aggressive scheme instead of the more conservative approach in current existence, I think Nixon would receive national hype and be looked at as a shoo-in all conference pick. Nixon has great speed. I think he plays faster than Kehl did. Nixon is a QB's nightmare when he blitzes and often will cause fumbles when he makes the backfield hit. Nixon is also very gifted in his coverage abilities. He has been beat on occasion, but more often than not, he is very solid in coverage and it is often in matchups where very few LBs would ever be asked to even try. I think he is very underappreciated for this because Kehl was one of the best coverage LBs I have ever seen in either the pros or college. Nixon is also very good against the run. He isn't the biggest LB so sometimes you can run right at him but when utilized as the weakside LB, it is rare when he will get caught in a postion that can neutralize him and he is outstanding at running plays down from behind. Obviously, I am a big Nixon homer, but I really do believe that some NFL team is going to get a steal when they get him because I feel he is the best LB in the conference but will likely not even get on the 1st team when awards run around.

Vic So'oto receives a big incomplete as an LB right now. In the brief time he played to start the season, you could see the great physical ability but it was also plain to see that he didn't have a feel for the postion yet and he was caught out of postition a lot. Hopefully the injury will allow him to catch up mentally to what his responsibilities are and he can provide some solid, maybe event spectacular play, later this year and next.

Coleby Clawson was the biggest pleasant surprise of the Northern Iowa game. It is plain to see that he is good at rushing the passer and has special burst right before he arrives. In the 3 games since, Clawson hasn't made a lot of big plays but I haven't noticed him being out of position a lot either. Nixon is given more responsibility and opportunity for the big plays this year so I'm not too disappointed in Clawson't lack of game changing plays. I think he has done well since he was a DE at junior college and his new to OLB. He seems to have good instincts and a great mind for the game. I do look for him to get more consistent in flowing to the ball so he is in better position on cut back runs. I also look for him to have some more chances in conference to rush the passer and make some big hits and hopefully cause some fumbles. From what I have seen, Clawson is not the best in pass coverage but that is to be expected from someone so new to that skill. I think that is one reason why the coaches have put in the nickel. It is also a reason why I love that coaching change. I love seeing Bradley in the game to cover and as long as Johnson can be so good against the run, it is a plus for the team. I also like that it doesn't put Clawson in a situation where he is more likely to fail.

I can't believe that Daniel Sorenson was changed to LB just a week before the season started. He is one of the most impressive looking true freshman LBs I have ever seen at BYU. You can tell that he is a playmaker and he is better against the run than I expected. Right now, he does struggle some when teams run right at him but that is to be expected from someone that is undersized. The thing I like is that he doesn't back down from the big linemen and he will be much bigger by the time he is expected to start. What he can do is run. I loved Kehl's speed and I love Nixon's speed. Sorenson is made from the same cloth. He can really run. He is also very good in coverage. I think his coverage skills have helped a lot in the 2nd and 3rd string defenses being able to maintain the last 2 shutouts.

As impressive as Sorenson has been, I think I may be even more impressed by Michael Alisa. When he is in the game, I tend to gravitate to him because he just looks like a special player. If he wasn't a true freshman, I would wonder why he isn't starting. I know he hasn't played a lot but I really can't see any big weaknesses in his game to this point. He is physical. He is a fundamentally sound tackler. He appears to have great speed. He seems to know where he is supposed to be and what he is supposed to do. It has to be disheartening to teams to see the backups come in and then see players like Alisa play because there isn't much, if any, dropoff.

Overall, I think the OLBs are weaker than last year. That makes sense since you don't easily replace a Brian Kehl. That said, I think Nixon will continue to make big plays and the young talent is just awesome!