Tulsa's Projected Defensive Starters in 2011

Originally Published: Jan 7, 2011 8:42 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Reporter

TULSA, Oklahoma – The defensive side of the ball was up and down for the Golden Hurricane in 2010. The unit was dominant on more than one occasion, but stumbled a few times as well. Youth got a lot of game experience and veterans taught them how to perform on the college level and that has helped pave the way for success in the future.

Here’s a look at my projected defensive starting lineup this fall:

See OFFENSIVE starters

LEFT DEFENSIVE END
Tyrunn Walker
6-foot-3, 256 lbs.

Walker has more energy than anyone else on the defensive side of the ball for Tulsa. He’s always pushing upfield towards the quarterback, but also has the ability to turn and chase down a running back who’s trying to escape the pocket. He started all 13 games in his first season a year ago and was second on the team with 12 tackles for loss. Only Shawn Jackson had more sacks (8.5) than Walkers’ 5.5.

RIGHT DEFENSIVE END
Corey Dorris
6-foot-4, 275 lbs.

The former Jenks standout led all linemen in tackles with 46. He logged 5.5 tackles for loss in his 13 starts. Dorris clogged up the running lanes and pressured the quarterback pretty well, too. His size is a problem for a lot of offensive lineman and he’s quick enough to chase down ball carriers to the sideline.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Rashad Robinson
6-foot-1, 252 lbs.

This is the hardest position to speculate as to who will fill it. It could be a number of guys but Robinson seems like the most likely candidate. Whoever fills that spot will have to replace Odrick Ray. That won’t be easy, since Ray was one of the team’s most versatile and powerful pass rushers. Ray started all 12 games he played in and had 4.5 sacks. Robinson will have big shoes to fill in 2011.

NOSE GUARD
Darrell Zellars
6-foot-2, 300 lbs.

Zellars filled in nicely in spots when Odrick Ray went down with injuries. He played in a dozen games and started one of them. His 2.5 tackles for loss were ninth on the team. He has pretty good speed and should do well in his senior season.

MIDDLE LINEBACKER
Shawn Jackson
6-feet, 230 lbs.

The freshman was sensational in his first year in college football. The coaching staff raved about Jackson’s ability to find the football. He earned a starting job after the first few weeks of the season and racked up 88 tackles, including 15.5 for loss. His 8.5 sacks helped earn him on the All-Conference freshman team. He ranked first in the conference in tackles for loss among freshmen.

STRONG SIDE LINEBACKER
Curnelius Arnick
6-foot-1, 230 lbs.

Arnick had a breakout season in 2010. He started all 13 games, led the team in tackles (115) and picked off the first four passes of his career. Against Houston on the road, his two interceptions set up Tulsa scores. In the bowl game against Hawaii, he returned one interception for a score and nearly returned a second. He learned from Tanner Antle and became one of the surest tacklers on the team. He will be the undisputed leader of the Tulsa defense in his senior season.

WEAK SIDE LINEBACKER
Cody Wilson
6-foot, 226 lbs.

Wilson was a pleasant surprise for Tulsa in 2010. As a freshman he saw playing time in 12 games and logged 20 tackles. He played exceptionally well on special teams as well and earned the admiration of the coaches by giving his all on each play. He gained valuable experience in his first collegiate season and should see a lot more playing time as a sophomore.

CORNERBACK
John Flanders
5-foot-10, 175 lbs.

As a junior, Flanders made the biggest play in Golden Hurricane football history with his last-second interception to preserve the team’s win over Notre Dame. Todd Graham called him the best corner on the team and teams didn’t threaten him often. He did have a few hiccups against top-flight players like OSU’s Justin Blackmon, but more than held his own against the rest of the conference wideouts. He nabbed two interceptions last season.

CORNERBACK
Dewitt Jennings
5-foot-10, 200 lbs.

Good luck to Jennings, because he’ll have to replace Charles Davis. Davis had a brilliant career for Tulsa, with 39 career starts, 217 tackles and four interceptions. Jennings is inexperienced, but so is the rest of the Tulsa secondary. Jennings played in a dozen games as a freshman and had 19 solo tackles. He will get some competition from Lowell Rose, Justin Skillens and DeAundre Brown.

FREE SAFETY
Dexter McCoil
6-foot-4, 190 lbs.

McCoil plays with confidence and flair. The sophomore has great size and sure hands. He picked off six passes and was sixth in tackles with 56. He hits hard and covers a lot of ground in the secondary. He missed some time with injuries in 2010 but is pretty durable overall. He and Marco Nelson make up an above-average tandem for opposing QBs to deal with.

STRONG SAFETY
Marco Nelson
6-foot, 192 lbs.

Nelson was sensational as a freshman. Having not played defense before, he flourished in his new role, picking off six passes and registering 59 solo tackles. He started 12 games and made some huge plays en route to being named to the C-USA All Freshman team. He did make some mistakes early on but grew once he got a better understanding of the defensive schemes. Expect him to be even better in his second season at Tulsa.

PUNTER
Toss up

Michael Such is gone. As a senior, he was outstanding. His replacement won’t be nearly as experienced. Such played in nearly 50 games for Tulsa and was one of the top kickers in the nation as a senior, averaging over 42 yards per punt. His possible replacements include place kickers Kevin Fitzpatrick, Matthew Hulse and Marshall Gilbert.