This is the third in a series breaking down the personnel in each area of the 2009 Bryant Hornets football team.
By Rob Patrick
In 2008, the Bryant Hornets defensive line pretty much had to be rebuilt. But a number of players stepped up to make it one of the strengths of the team and a trio of them return for this season, seniors Dustin Grimmett (5-9, 205) and Mitchell Wise (5-10, 175) and junior Josh Hampton (6-2, 255).
D-line coach Brad Stroud said he’s been working Hampton and senior Blake Heil (6-2, 215) at the ends along with senior Ryan Cox (6-0, 200). “I’ve got Wise and Grimmett in the middle,” he continued.[more]
“I’ve also got Matt Jones (a 5-9, 210 junior) who hasn’t played before. But he’ll be in the mix. “I’ve got the flexibility of putting Hampton at the three technique then still having these two outside guys, Heil and Cox,” he added. “Mainly, I’ve got three ends and four tackles that I’ll be working. With Hampton being able to go inside, we’ve got some other options to go with.”
Situations and the opposition’s brand of offense will dictate how Stroud deploys his charges.
“In the past, we’ve been kind of small at the tackle position and once in awhile you get run over,” he noted. “So it’s nice to have Josh Hampton and then a big find that we’ve had is Ronnie Maxwell. He’s 275. We haven’t had a 275 guy around here. He came in kind of raw as far as technique and kind of knowing what he’s doing but he’s coming along. Against Pine Bluff, for instance, he really held his own against those big boys. We haven’t had that element so that’ll be nice to have.”
The coach pointed to Hampton’s size and strength as assets. “Plus, he and Heil being able to tip the ball with their reach, just knock down passes at the line of scrimmage. Of all of them, Hampton’s probably got the best instincts. You just turn him loose. He knows what to do. He reads the screen, the draw pretty well.”
Overall, Stroud added, “We just need the reps. You never know how you are until you play somebody. And this year, we didn’t embarrass ourselves (in the scrimmage) like we did last year against Pine Bluff. At least, we were in it.
“Last year, we made a lot of improvement by the time we played Benton in the Salt Bowl. And there’s no reason why we can’t this year too.”
Stroud said the main thing he wanted the linemen to learn from the scrimmage was the speed of the game. “And we faced a real good quarterback who had the knack to stand back there and find his receivers with the ability to feel pressure and get away. We needed to see that.”
