Good piece by SnowBuff from a fan post that I am promoting to the front page. If you have something interesting or knowledgeable analysis to point out about the Buffs, fire up a fan post on the right side bar and it will probably be promoted to the front page. If it doesn't get promoted or does get promoted, the fan post allows your voice to be heard which is what we want from this site!

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Here is our defensive players next year if we sign NO ONE.

I count FIVE freshman (some RS Frosh) on the roster, 2 sophomores and 2 juniors. That is a back loaded class. Some have been calling for 6 recruits at DE/DT. Here is why that is not a big deal, and why losing Kasa is not crushing. Sunshine pumping? Some. Not to much though, in my opinion.

Barring a miracle, accept that whoever we sign this year is almost certain not to start since they will not be elite, with perhaps 4* Edward Nuckols or some sort of other nugget being found by Hawk changing that scenario. However, I don't think we are in on ANY elite pass rushers. What we are missing here is any sort of DE that is a pass rusher.That was going to be Kasa. If we were running a 4-3 Defense, we would be totally screwed.

But we are not. We are running a hybrid 3/4 right now, and I bet that next year we go all the way to 3/4 with the wealth of size and speed at LB. In the Big XII these days, otherwise known as spread central, the 3/4 is a solid choice for a defense. What does a 3/4 take? Block eating DT's. Even the DE's in a 3/4 are basically the normal DT's from a 4/3. They are generally NOT pass rushers.

This is a draft for DEPTH. If Hawk gets a few solid guys (3*), we will be fine. I hope to land 3, and I bet we land that many or maybe even four. And they probably won't even start. We will get our pass rush from our LB's. Beatty has shown some promise there, and who knows what Katoa, Rippy, Major and our other guys will deliver.

And its not like Bandison has coached up any of our guys to be elite pass rushers anyways, so the end conclusion is: welcome to the 3/4. All will be well on the defensive line. Hope we get some solid guys, but this is a draft for depth, not starters.