BYU Football: Scouting the Schedule – UMass
By Shaun Gordon
The Defense
Defensive Line
If there’s one giant question mark for UMass, it’s the defensive line. The Minutemen only return one starter after losing three to graduation.
Joe Previta (Sr.) is the lone returning starter at one tackle spot, and redshirt freshman Chris DiTomasso will battle Mario Patton (Jr.) for the other one.
On the ends, both Jake Byczko (So.) and Leon Flanagan (Jr.) saw significant time in 2017, but there will be very little depth behind them to give them rest or replace them if there’s an injury.
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Linebacker
The linebackers will be anchored by seventh-year senior Bryton Barr, who led UMass with 105 tackles last season. Jarell Addo (Sr.) is also back as a starter in a hybrid linebacker/safety role.
The other spot will likely go to Cole McCubrey, who impressed as a freshman backup in 2017.
Just like the defensive line, there’s very little experience behind the starters, so a handful of newcomers like Mike Ruane (So.) and Chinedu Ogbonna (So.) will have to learn fast.
Secondary
The UMass secondary should be their biggest defensive strength. They bring back two stellar cornerbacks, Lee Moses (Sr.) and Isaiah Rodgers (Jr.), who combined for seven interceptions and 20 passes broken up.
They’ll be backed up by a pair of promising redshirt freshmen in Chris Hunt and Brian Roberts.
Tyler Hays (Sr.) is back at free safety, and he’ll be joined by UConn graduate transfer Brice McAllister, who will step right in as the starting strong safety.
Unlike the rest of the defense, there’s returning depth at safety. Both Tyris Lebeau (So.) and Bakhari Goodson (Jr.) saw significant playing time last year.