As
previously stated, IU’s linebacking crop for this season wasn’t just weak, it was nonexistent. Fortunately the coaching staff is already looking to make the 2009 class much stronger at the position.
We’ve already featured a great weakside linebacker who is strongly considering IU in
Jeremy Gainer. Georgia native
Qua Huzzie (Qua is pronounced with a long A, as in quake) is an equally promising prospect at the strongside linebacker position.
Qua Huzzie
Position: Strongside (Sam) linebacker
Height: 5’11
1/2”
Weight: 210
Hometown: LaGrange, Georgia
Rivals.com Rankings: 3 stars, 38th out of outside linebackers
Interested Schools: Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia, Duke, UAB, Auburn, Memphis, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt
Additional Information: Huzzie received a scholarship offer from IU during the last few weeks of his junior year. He has drawn the attention of numerous schools, particularly in the SEC, and is currently considering Kentucky, South Carolina, Auburn and Florida.
Although Indiana isn’t often mentioned as one of his main options, he stressed that he does have interest in the IU program. He said that he has been in regular e-mail correspondence with the IU coaching staff (particularly assistant coach Mike Yeager), and is planning on visiting IU sometime in July. “So far I think I really like [the IU coaching staff], I really enjoy it,” Huzzie said about his relationship with IU. “I’m looking forward to seeing the school.”
Huzzie attributes his success on the field to “reading the defense, getting to the ball, and getting blockers off of me.” Apparently he does all these things and more very well, as he finished his junior campaign with 106 total tackles, an astounding 21 tackles for loss, three interceptions, and four forced fumbles. He also runs the 40-yard dash in only 4.57 seconds.
As for things that he’d like to improve upon, he said that he needs to focus on “using more of my hands, and not my shoulders,” on the field, an adjustment that he feels will help him a lot.
Right now Kentucky and South Carolina are leading for Huzzie, but a visit to IU could change that. Huzzie stated that the coaching staff and the general atmosphere of the school would be important factors in his decision.
“I’m going to be looking at how I fit in, and how they’ll coach me,” he said about what he will be looking at during his visit to IU. “If they will they coach me good, instead of always fussing, and stuff like that. Instead of fussing, coaching me, and making me learn.” Overall he said that he just wants “the place that makes me feel more like I’m at home.”
Analysis: It’s hard at this point to gauge Huzzie’s interest in IU because he hasn’t even been here before, but it’s great to know that IU is still under consideration. It sounds like he certainly has some clear favorites, but with a good visit IU could certainly jump up his list.
There’s no question that Huzzie is a great player who could provide IU with a good dose of young talent in the linebacking corps. He appears to have extremely good instincts and is a very physical player. He is indeed very good at evading blockers, and when he doesn’t, he has enough power to push right through them. He’s a very solid tackler and he looked best against the run and rushing the passer.
If the coaches can convince Huzzie to come up farther north for his college career, they could nab a good potential successor for current SLB
Geno Johnson, who has been superb for the Hoosiers but is graduating in 2009.
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