Express pre-spring depth chart: Defense
Ryan Walters will kick off his second spring practice on March 19, his first look at a roster that has welcomed 15 portal additions (one walk-on) and 13 early enrollees (11 freshmen and two JCs).
How will the influx of talent be worked in with a core of veterans for a Boilermaker program coming of a 4-8 season?
The Boilermakers will practice 15 times, with five practices on Tuesdays, five on Thursdays and four on Fridays. The spring game will be Saturday, April 13 at noon ET in Ross-Ade Stadium. The final practice will be April 18.
The Tuesday and Thursday practices will begin at 9 a.m. and include media availability. The Friday practices will start at 5 p.m and have no media availability.
All practices will be closed to the public.
Our best guess at a pre-spring depth chart for the defense. We looked at the offense on Wednesday.
DEFENSE
| Pos. Name, Class | Pos. Name, Class |
| E Will Heldt, So. | Shitta Sillah, 6th |
| T Joe Anderson, 6th | Jamarius “Spider” Dinkins, Jr. |
| NT Cole Brevard, 5th Sr. | Mo Omonode, Jr. |
| T Jeffrey M’Ba, Sr. | Joe Strickland, So. |
| E CJ Madden, So. | Jireh Ojata, 5th Sr. |
| LB Kydran Jenkins, 5th | Yanni Karlafits, Jr. |
| STAR Kyndrich Breedlove , Jr. | Salim Turner-Muhammad |
| CB Nyland Green, Jr. | Derrick Rogers, So. |
| CB Markevious Brown , Sr. | Botros Alisandro, Jr. |
| S Antonio Stevens, 5th Sr. | Ethon Cole, RFr. |
| S Dillon Thieneman, So. | Joseph Jefferson, So. |
NOTES:
• LINE: The OLBs are now called “rush ends,” which is more reflective of what they do. It hurt to see Nic Scourton transfer to Texas A&M. The staff countered by landing three portal rush ends led by Shittah Sillah (Boston College) and CJ Madden (Georgia). Will Heldt looks poised for a breakout.
The interior will be anchored by big NT Cole Brevard. But who will flank him with Malik Langham and Isaiah Nichols gone? Joe Anderson and Jeffrey M’Ba will get first crack. Anderson came on last year; M’Ba looks good getting off the bus but needs to develop. The staff will see what Kentucky transfer Jamarius Dinkins has got. He looks the part. Injury has dogged Damarjhe Lewis. NT Mo Omonode plays like his hair is on fire.
• LINEBACKERS: The staff has moved Kydran Jenkins from rush end to inside linebacker, where he will start. Jenkins was a playmaker deluxe on the edge last year. How will he adapt to playing on two feet and in the box? Yanni Karlaftis looks to continue to develop. When the defense takes the “Star” position off the field and opts for another linebacker, Clyde Washington will come in. He’s backed by Winston Berglund and Owen Davis.
• SECONDARY: Georgia transfer Nyland Green looks like a gem. Is he the best of all the portal additions? He’s expected to pair with Markevious Brown as the top corner tandem. Derrick Rogers impressed as a true freshman last year; his future is bright. Depth at this spot is better.
This time last year, S Dillon Thieneman was an anonymous early enrollee. Now, he’s a freshman All-American and budding star. He’ll look to pick up where he left off, as he becomes even more of a leader for the defense. Antonio Stevens is Thieneman’s partner with Cam Allen departed. Stevens’ comeback from a devastating 2020 knee injury is remarkable. D’Mon Marable is an early enrollee who is mature beyond his years. Could he forge a role? The safety unit will miss Sanoussi Kane.
Kyndrich Breedlove and Salim Turner-Muhammad will man the “star” position, but Turner-Muhammad may be out with injury this spring. He has yet to play a snap since arriving from Stanford last year. Breedlove–a Colorado transfer–may be the fastest player in the secondary.
