[BJWilliams]

As we are inside of two weeks until the 2014 season opener, we quickly move to the defensive side of the ball and start with the boys up front:

Players Lost

Jibrille Fewell 32 Tackles (11 Solo) 3.0 TFL 1.0 Sacks
Cory Freeman 23 Tackles (9 Solo) 1.0 TFL 1.0 Sacks
Francis Bah 13 Tackles (6 Solo) 1.0 TFL 1.0 Sacks
Dominique Davis 6 Tackles (4 Solo) 1.0 TFL* (see below)

Players Returning

Dominique Davis*
Nolan Spicer
JaRon Greene
Chima Uzowihe
Dylan Bowman
Roger Bryan
Erwin Dessources
Gerald Holt
Toby Onyechi
Spencer Cook
Leo Hunt
Marc Wilson

Players Incoming
Tolen Avery 6'4" 235 Lbs (Ball HS, Texas City, TX)
Dane Dabney 6'0" 265 Lbs (Venice HS, Venice, FL)
Javon Majors 6'3" 280 Lbs (Ocean Lakes HS, Virginia Beach, VA)

Those of you who may be confused as to why Dominique Davis is listed under both players lost AND players returning, can take a chuckle from a story written by Flames beat writer Chris Lang in the Lynchburg News and Advance in the offseason. Apparently, Davis' sister posted on his page as a prank that he was giving up football, something the 2014 captain swiftly denied, but not before getting a nice laugh out of it himself. Davis, who started out as a walkon in the spring of 2010, has steadily improved in his time with the program, and after earning the Samkon Gado award for defense in spring 2013, played in 11 of 12 games last season and was named a captain in 2014. The player to watch in this group is Chima Uzowihe. The junior exploded onto the scene in 2013, more than tripling his tackle total from 2012, and led the team in both TFL and sacks on his way to Big South first team all-conference honors. The junior will be teaming up with the senior Davis to squeeze the quarterbacks of opposing teams. Another one to keep an eye on is JaRon Greene. As a freshman last year, the big tackle from Texas finished with 12 tackles in 11 games, including his first start against Coastal Carolina.

Of the three incoming linemen, I probably would reckon that all three will redshirt in 2014, although Avery or Majors could see time if the need arises.

Projected Rotation

DE – Dominique Davis
DT – Nolan Spicer
NG – JaRon Greene
DE – Chima Uzowihe

Erwin Dessources
Toby Onyechi
Dylan Bowman
Roger Bryan
Gerald Holt

[olldflame]

It's already been announced that Majors, who arrived a week late after getting some academic issues straightened out, will be redshirting this year.

[BJWilliams]

Thanks olldflame. I had a feeling he was already redshirting anyway but I did forget about getting his academic house in order

[bluejacket]

This is a deep group that should be capable of maintaining defensive pressure through substitutions. They should perform even better than they did last season.

[BJWilliams]

Agreed...the first 9 guys on the list of returning players I believe were all double digits in tackles in 2013 save Davis, and he is a captain this year.

[Chris Lang]

The DL preview. The depth chart is completely different than how it appears in the media guide.

http://www.newsadvance.com/sports/liber ... b2370.html