Question for those who know more than me (most people)

[ProudUte]

We rotate defensive linemen to keep guys fresh. Every team rotates running backs and wide receivers. Most teams rarely rotate offensive linemen. I hear that it is because the timing and teamwork up front are so critical.
So my question is – would it make sense for the Utes to rotate linebackers to keep them fresh? We have four or five very good linebackers and we generally only play two. We will put in a third linebacker depending on down and distance. It seems that the leader of the D is typically a linebacker. I would assume that rotating the middle linebacker is not wise.
Your thoughts.

[2008 National Champ]

depends on the linebacker. you weren’t going to sub out Hanson, C. Barton, Lloyd unless you absolutely had to. If your room is roughly the same skill level, you try to find ways to leverage their individual skillsets.

Utah has never had a really deep LB room (playable bodies) so we don’t know how Scalley/Swan will handle it. Over the last decade, they’ve been lucky if they can get 3 who they completely trust in any given year. Assuming Daimuni gets up to speed quickly and Fotu can play like he did in 2020 you’re already 4 deep with Medlock, Calvert and Furey having a couple of years in the system. 2023 & 2024 should see new platoon patterns, if for no other reason than having enough bodies to mix and match.

[Ute Dub]

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[UtahMan17]

This^

[FtheY]

I don’t know enough schematically to answer this question. But here are my thoughts. 

I agree that it seems like we only have trust in 2-3 guys, therefore, that’s who plays. This year may be different. 

I love the thought of rotating guys. So many benefits. Allows flexibility for optimal defensive setups for down and distance. Offers insurance in case there are injuries. Forces your opponent to study film of more guys and formations.

My personal favorite, keeps guys fresh in the fourth quarter. Remember during the peak of our D line days, all of the sudden we’d start getting home in the 4th quarter? I’m sure some of that was Scalley setting up the scheme all game, but I also believe we had the depth to pull it off. If our guys have the confidence that the fourth quarter is “our time”, we’ll win a lot of ballgames. 

[D T]

I guarantee there’ll be rotation in our LB room.

[Charlie]

I do know that way back in the McBride days most teams did not rotate Dline much and Fred Whitt Sr was an early adopter of rotating Dline. Kyle of course used and refined all Fred’s Defense basic points. The Polynesian pipeline was a part of that and it requires a shift of a couple of roster positions. Fred said it kept the line fresh and was important in the 4th qtr when passing often picked up. McBride also favored 2 RBs rotating through the game for a similar reason, to run ball control in the 4th qtr with fresh legs.

The situation with LBer playing 2 is not due to able bodies although we often have dropoff after about 3. We play 2 mostly because of offenses we face. Teams that pass a lot Whit prefers 2 especially against 4 WR and considering how much the TE runs routes. Depending on the offense, if they most often run on short yardage, Whitt will play 3 LBs daring them to pass. If they often pass on short yardage he plays 2. 2 LBs has become our base defense in the Pac. Earlier we played a NB that was part of the safety group but offenses now will move their feature WR to the slot to move him around and test a teams ability to defend the slot. As a result, Utah favors a slot corner meaning that NB guy is now in the CB group. All that can vary depending on personnel and a key guy that can play 2 or more positions at a high level. We don’t see the option in the Pac but 3 LBs will defend that. If we ever see 4 LBs in a Utah set, I expect Whitt is messing with somebody. Also realize, in the Utah defense the middle LBer is calling the defense resulting in a LBer that does not come out much. The other LBer will rotate more.

Daimuni, I expect will figure in. My guess with Barton. He is more experienced than Reid but will know the defense less in the beginning. Usually the next LBers, 3-4-5 will be key on special teams except place kicks and earn their way onto the field in the defense.

[NarfUte]

Yeah the MLB is the QB for the D – we all know how well the 2 QB systems worked at Utah…

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