The inside linebackers for FAU are going from one of the most experienced units on the defense to one of least, but between a mix of developed and incoming talent new linebackers coach Aaron Schwanz is hoping for no drop off in the room.
Jackson Ambush, Desmond Tisdol and Eddie Williams were all veteran contributors at linebacker over the past few years for FAU and now with them gone, a redshirt freshman in Char’Quez Lee will have the opportunity to earn more playing time alongside veterans Zyere Horton, Tyler Stolsky, and Leon Hart Jr. and there is enough talent in the room to potentially keep this unit as a strength of the defense.
Although there is still a lot that will unfold prior to the season, the linebackers have been having to prepare the defense to face off against a Kittley led offense this Spring which should more than prepare them for what they will face off against in the AAC.
Below will be a look at newcomers and returners, as well as quotes from linebackers coach Aaron Schwanz and players Zyere Horton, Char’Quez Lee and Tyler Stolsky.
Newcomers
Senior, Transfer from Marshall- Leon Hart Jr, 6’0 215 pounds
Freshman- Robert Lee, 6’1, 210 pounds
Freshman- Hector Chavez, 5’10 215 pounds
Redshirt Junior, Transfer from Minnesota- Tyler Stolsky, 6’3 225 pounds
Early outlook
All 3 newcomers to this unit have a chance to make an impact this season, as Leon Hart Jr and Tyler Stolsky both have playing experience under their belt, while Chavez and Lee are talented 3 star recruits out of high school. Although it may be an uphill battle for playing time right away for Lee and Chavez, Hart Jr and Stolsky both have the experience to contribute right away and help prevent any drop off early in the spring.
Stolsky played 3 seasons at Minnesota prior to coming to FAU, playing in 23 games recording 32 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack, while Hart contributed mainly on special teams while at Marshall, finishing with 13 tackles total last season. Both Stolsky and Hart have paid their dues, grinding out roles on special teams and now they will both have a chance to carve out a consistent role at linebacker later this season.
With a solid freshman in Lee and incoming veterans in Hart and Stolsky, the unit has a solid dose of new talent and combined with returners the early outlook is solid at interior linebacker.
Returners
Redshirt Freshman- Char’Quez Lee, 6’2 215 pounds
Redshirt Junior- Zyere Horton, 6’3 225 pounds
Redshirt Freshman- Tito Nunez, 6’1 220 pounds
Redshirt sophomore- Jadyn Church, 6’0 220 pounds
Redshirt Sophomore- Zach Marino, 6’2 220 pounds
Redshirt Freshman- Jarvis Johnson, 5’11 220 pounds
Outlook
Although the portal can sometimes be brutal at the G5 level, FAU was able to retain a lot of the talent at linebacker that they were developing last season. 2 of those pieces are Char’Quez Lee and Zyere Horton, with Lee entering his second season with the Owls and Horton entering his 3rd after transferring in from Georgia Southern.
Both Horton and Lee noted the importance of learning from the veterans who led the unit last season and now with a chance to earn a role this year, they have the knowledge that Tisdol, Williams and Ambush imparted on them as a part of their game. Horton has seen his role increase during his time at FAU, carving out a special teams role under Chad Lunsford and now he will have a chance to earn consistent playing time at linebacker.
It is still early to tell if Nunez, Church or Marino have a chance to earn playing time directly at linebacker, however there are roles on special teams which as evidenced by Horton can turn into snaps at linebacker over time.
There is a solid amount of depth in the returners at linebacker, and as mentioned, with the influx of new talent combined with the the talent which remained, linebacker may very well end up being a strength of the defense once again.
Quotable from Aaron Schwanz:
On the outlook of the room;
“I think we have a young room, you know, so I think we have a lot of promising young players that are coming in, and have all the building in the world and they’ve been developing. We had to add some experience to be able to come and develop. And so the focal point on the additions that we had to be able to make is, you know, we wanted to be able to add quality players that come in experienced, played some football, had some production, but were still hungry and looking to develop a role. And so we had to add some pieces of experience to bring the younger ones along. But I like where we’re headed,” Schwanz said.
Job of the linebacker in this defense
“We put a good amount of communication on the mic. And so Mike is kind of the quarterback and the voice of the defense. And so number one job, a Mike linebacker has to be able to communicate. You know, we do a number of different things. We’re going to be flexible on our scheme, and so he’s got to be able to communicate. He’s got to be able to man and operate inside the box and be able to play for sure, tackle, but then also be able to have range and move out on the perimeter. When we’re playing some of these offenses, they’re going to spread it out. And I’d say what we’re looking for in our Will linebacker, just the way we align them. He can line inside the box. He just, he’ll be out the first one outside of the box based on the formation. And so he’s got to be able to play in space a little bit as well. And then so aside from just controlling on the perimeter, he’s also going to be able to have some pass rush ability. And so our will linebackers, we try, schematically, be able to attack matchups more so than bringing numbers and over populating it with pressures. We’re trying to stress protections and we’re trying to get matchups, and so we’re trying to get that wheel linebacker up on running backs and against, you know, one of their lower level protectors More times than not. So the will has to be able to have pass rush ability as well. So that’s kind of what we look for in those two positions,” Schwanz said.
On Char’Quez Lee and Tyler Stolsky
“I think you know, Char’Quez had played some will. He played outside the box the majority of his career, whether in high school, or in his last year as well. We kind of moved him over to Mike, you know, kind of per the question before, you know, the number one thing they gotta be able to do is communicate. Quez has handled that beautifully as far as getting into that Role and communicating great demeanor. And then the one thing that you don’t have to teach Quez is to be able to be physical in the box. He’s going to communicate, he’s going to get the front declared set, and when, when the ball moves, he’s going to show up the ball in with the right attitude and effort. And he jumped right into the role. He had a great winter. He came along, jumped right into the mike position,” Schwanz said.
“Tyler was a kid that we had to bring in, we had to have somebody that had experience, you know, somebody who has been around and kind of lead. We have a very young group. he’s been in a winning program, he knows what stuff will look like. He’s been around some good players and had great mentors in his first years over at Minnesota. And he just kind of fit the characteristic of, you know, coming in and developing that workmanship mentality and attitude, and we need somebody to kind of come in and assume themselves as in a leadership position, which, you know, he’s done. He’s done a phenomenal job, phenomenal job, whether it’s on the field, communicating, staying positive all those things, or off the field, just putting in the extra time, bringing kids in to work on extra technique work or understanding scheme a little bit in and out, little bit better. He’s done a great job of kind of setting the tone and tempo for the room, which is what we need, because we have all the ingredients we need, but we just need to get them up to speed,” Schwanz said.
On who’s wearing the green dot
“We put majority of the communication on. Mike, so Tyler, wears a green dot, Quez wears the green.as well, just the central location where they are physically, what we put on them from a front standpoint, and then just having them be so communicator, the defense, they can reach all levels and so absolutely. And we’re going to stay with it at the height position, and we’re going to put that on, we’re going to kind of push and continue to stress all of them, to continue to get, keep moving forward from a communication standpoint, because there is no over communication in football. So you look at any of the great ones that play in the league right now, I mean, they’re trusted with it. They take pride in it, and, you know, they see themselves as coach on the field,” Schwanz said.
Players:
Zyere Horton on embracing his role:
“Ever since I came here it was a senior heavy room. In January I felt like I had to step into a role and embrace the leadership position and fill the shoes of the guys who left before me, those guys taught me how to be a leader,” Horton said.
Char’Quez Lee on being feared
“I want to be feared, they see 17 and they know that he’s coming,” Lee said.
Tyler Stolsky on difference between AAC & Big 10 for a linebacker
“In the Big 10, it is a little bit easier taking running backs down here, they are a lot faster, and smaller. So it’s something I’ve had to adjust to, because in the Big 10 it’s more try and run you over here, it’s a lot more, you got to go get them. You got to tackle them and get them on the ground. So it’s kind of something I’ve had to adjust my game to. But I think my biggest attribute would probably be effort. That’s something I’ve always prided myself in,” Stolsky said.