I am hearing that Paddy Fisher will be the starting middle linebacker for the Cats next week. As many here expected, the redshirt freshman from Katy (Texas) has beaten out redshirt sophomore Nathan Fox and will fill Anthony Walker Jr.'s extra-wide shoes.
So the starting trio will be Brett Walsh at Will, Fisher at Mike and Nate Hall at Sam. Fox will be the backup at both Will and Mike. This is what the depth chart is expected to be on Monday's two-deep:
Will
Brett Walsh
Nathan Fox
Blake Gallagher
Mike
Paddy Fisher
Nathan Fox
Sam
Nate Hall
Warren Long
The takeaways:
- Fisher is the real deal. He is big, he is fast, he is smart and he can deliver a whallop. I think NU could have another star in the making in the middle.
- Fox is NU's "fourth starter." He going to play quite a bit of football and gives NU some much needed versatility with such a thin group. More than ever, NU needs another veteran presence who can play multiple positions in the linebacker room.
- Gallagher proved me right and will play this year as a true freshman. I figured he'd be ready to contribute right away. It appears he's the guy that leapfrogged Jango Glackin, causing CatsDad's exodus.
- This group has to stay healthy. Only three guys have played a down of college football. If Walsh or Hall go down with an injury, NU is going to experience some major growing pains. Hopefully, they can get Long and Gallagher a lot of work during the non-conference schedule (at least against Nevada and BG) so that they're ready to go for the Big Ten.
So the starting trio will be Brett Walsh at Will, Fisher at Mike and Nate Hall at Sam. Fox will be the backup at both Will and Mike. This is what the depth chart is expected to be on Monday's two-deep:
Will
Brett Walsh
Nathan Fox
Blake Gallagher
Mike
Paddy Fisher
Nathan Fox
Sam
Nate Hall
Warren Long
The takeaways:
- Fisher is the real deal. He is big, he is fast, he is smart and he can deliver a whallop. I think NU could have another star in the making in the middle.
- Fox is NU's "fourth starter." He going to play quite a bit of football and gives NU some much needed versatility with such a thin group. More than ever, NU needs another veteran presence who can play multiple positions in the linebacker room.
- Gallagher proved me right and will play this year as a true freshman. I figured he'd be ready to contribute right away. It appears he's the guy that leapfrogged Jango Glackin, causing CatsDad's exodus.
- This group has to stay healthy. Only three guys have played a down of college football. If Walsh or Hall go down with an injury, NU is going to experience some major growing pains. Hopefully, they can get Long and Gallagher a lot of work during the non-conference schedule (at least against Nevada and BG) so that they're ready to go for the Big Ten.
