Filling the Room and a Void

Every position room took a hit. It may have been due to graduation, or some players choosing a different path to walk, but the rooms are smaller.

Depending on who departed, some of the rooms just feel emptier. Take the linebackers room for Colorado State.

The Rams didn't just lose two starters in Dequan Jackson and Cam'Ron Carter, the defense lost it's two starters in the 4-2-5 scheme. The Rams are without two of the three players in the past two seasons to record 100 tackles in a year, Carter having done so in 2021, Jackson in 2022. Combined, they had 360 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks the past two campaigns.

More than that, they lost a huge voice in Jackson. Not just a leader in the linebacker room, or simply on the defense. His was a voice – even a look, maybe a glare – which carried across the locker room as a three-year captain.

Filling the void isn't as simple stepping into the position this spring, and the next two backers in line understand the assignment.

"Those guys were great leaders. Your eyes light up for who is going to take that leadership role and who's going to be that guy that Jackson was for me for the young guys coming in," Drew Kulick said. "That's what it's all about right now, is setting the standard, getting on track and playing together like we did last year.

"Those are big shoes to fill, but we're up for the challenge. You always have goals, and that's part of those, is filling that leadership position, filling that mike linebacker, just being that guy on the field that makes the difference. That's the main goal of what I'm trying to accomplish this spring, and that's what all the guys should be trying to accomplish is being a leader on the field. That's what linebacker is all about."

The next two in line for the Rams are Kulick, who has risen from walk-on to key reserve who has registered his first career start, and Chase Wilson, another key reserve who ended the season on a high note. Kulick played enough to finish seventh on the team with 43 tackles, including 4.0 for loss. Wilson ranked in the top 15, with 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks in the final game against New Mexico.

They've done everything position coach Adam Pilapil wanted them to do this winter in preparation for spring camp, starting with taking the reins of the room.

"Those guys took a leadership role almost immediately. Those guys have done an incredible job this winter of really improving themselves," Pilapil said. "From where we finished with zeros on the clock at New Mexico, I think we've made leaps and bounds of improvement.

"You probably don't replace a leader with just one guy. A lot of other guys have been able to come out of their shell and have a voice. It's Mo (Mohamed Kamara) and Chigy (Chigozie Anusiem), Hank (Henry Blackburn) and Jack (Howell) … A lot of guys being able to have that voice and be leaders together. Chase, that's his personality. He jumped at it, and he was pushing Drew to get out of his comfort zone and his shell as well. It's important you stabilize that a little bit and kind of go from there. You do need a voice."

Which they have, especially Wilson. They also have the most experience in a room which is relatively young or returning from injury. To move the room forward, Wilson knew there were lessons from the past which he could link to his personality.

He not only put to use what Jackson had been saying all those years, but he paid attention to the timing and delivery. Most of all, how Jackson went about his day to day.

"Every day is a workday. You can't come in and think you own anything on any given day," Wilson said. "You've got to come in and earn it each day.

"He taught me discipline and leadership through that discipline. We've had some seasons that haven't been the turnout we wanted as a football team, but they kept their nose to the grind, kept going, kept pushing guys. They pushed me. I learned a lot through that, the good, the bad and the ugly. You still have to come back to work each day."

The work in spring will be important, too.

Pilapil had a mixtape for all of his players. About 100 plays in depth, it was filled with the good and the bad they did, when technique was good or lacking, even players on other defenses running the same scheme doing this directly.

It was a personal to-do list for all of them on the field, with an additional task list of what was needed in the winter to be prepared to fly from the first workout.

Both of them had to improve their bodies in terms of strength and speed, areas where each has made gains. Being able to read and react was paramount, so improving their football IQ was near the top of the list.

Now one season into the system, and with a few captain's walkthroughs under his belt, Kulick can sense a change for him.

"Most definitely. You see things. Everything slows down," he said. "I remember last spring, things were flying around, and simple plays were complex. Complex is now simple. Everything is very slow. It's a completely different outlook from last spring going into this year.

"It's just reps. You're used to seeing it. You see things better and you have anticipation. You know when this is going to happen and that's going to happen. It all slows down."

While they may be the first in line when it comes to replacing two longtime starters, another issue arises in the need to find capable backups and build depth.
Sanjay Strickland and Aaron Moore both missed last season due to injury, and Pilapil is excited to get them back into the mix. Jaseim Mitchell is a sophomore who led the team in special teams snaps in 2022 and Pilapil wants to see him carry that into his position play with a year under his belt. A redshirt freshman, Rocco Schramm, was stellar on scout a year ago, and in camp is true freshman Drew Rodriquez, who is getting a jump start on his career in camp.

Wilson wants to be in the mix, obviously. Particularly, the starting role he's built toward. As a leader, he knows what his true goal has to be in camp.

"What I want more than anything else is to make sure all my guys are getting better and the whole defense is getting better," he said. "There's nobody left behind. If we're consistently making progress and we have five guys who can play, then we're going to have five great guys who can play in the game, keep everybody fresh. How that plays out, whether I'm the one or the four, I want to keep pushing guys and make sure everybody is coming along with us, that we're getting better each day."

The concept is not foreign to the linebacker room alone.

Head coach Jay Norvell noted since last season the need to build up depth to create better competition in each and every area. Only a few groups have such a flow right now, a mix of depth and experience to maximize the results – defensive line and safety.

Pilapil knows what he needs, and it simply isn't starters.

"We're going to compete all the way through. That was something day one when we came back I wanted to address with those guys," he said. "We need to compete harder to play. If you're quote-unquote the fifth linebacker, you need to be competing to be the starter. I know you guys love each other, grind together and you're boys, but we need to compete with each other. If you're competing with each other, you're both getting better."

If the Rams can accomplish that this spring, then the room won't seem so big this upcoming fall.

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Chigozie Anusiem

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Cam'Ron Carter

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