Before suffering a broken foot against Alabama, Dre Greenlaw was well on his way to leading Arkansas in tackles seven games into the 2016 season. Following the tough injury, the sophomore failed to make an appearance in another regular season game but did manage to return in time for the Belk Bowl and made six tackles against Virginia Tech.
Despite missing meaningful action last season, Greenlaw has been receiving a deservingly high amount of praise this summer. With the Razorbacks making the offseason transition to a base 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, many are looking to Greenlaw to become a premier defender for Arkansas.
SEC sideline analyst Cole Cubelic is among those touting Greenlaw’s potential heading into 2017. During his Wednesday appearance on Sports Talk with Bo Mattingly, Cubelic rated the junior among the best returning linebackers in the conference for 2017.
“I looked at the five best linebackers coming back this year (in the SEC) and I have him in a tie with three or four other guys, Tre’ Williams at Auburn and a few others that I really thought were right there on the edge but hadn’t really separated themselves,” Cubelic said on the air regarding Greenlaw.
Taking into consideration the team is undergoing a transition to a new defensive system, Cubelic also pointed out that the Razorbacks have the ideal player necessary to build the defensive system around in 6-foot-2, 335-pound Bijhon Jackson. If Jackson can successfully manage to absorb offensive linemen at the line of scrimmage, Greenlaw should have plenty of opportunities to make plays next season.
“I think (Greenlaw) is a guy Arkansas really needs because when you run that 3-4, and I think one big advantage of moving to that will be Bijhon Jackson in the middle of that defense,” Cubelic continued. “He is a prototypical space-eating SEC nose guard. You want to start there if you are going to run that defense, you almost have to start there. I think Dre Greenlaw is a guy that’s super athletic, can get sideline to sideline, very physical at the point of attack, does not shy away from contact. If he’s healthy, I would absolutely expect him to finish the season as a Top 5 SEC linebacker.”
Before making his appearance on the show, Cubelic also took the time to praise Greenlaw on Twitter after studying the Arkansas linebacker’s film.
Arkansas LB Dre Greenlaw might be the best returning LB in the SEC nobody is talking about. Elusive & quick with power. pic.twitter.com/TAkKtAtS9t
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) June 24, 2017
Factoring in the shift to a new defensive system and an entire offseason to rest his foot, Greenlaw certainly has the potential to be one the breakout defensive stars in the Southeastern Conference next season. If Arkansas is going to make some noise in the West this season, it’s going to take players like Greenlaw and Jackson seamlessly making the transition to the new defensive system.
With plenty of offseason hype surrounding the talented linebacker, look for Greenlaw to be a catalyst for the Razorbacks success in 2017.
Arkansas LB Dre Greenlaw is back in 2017. In 7 games last year he had 43 Tackles
If he's Healthy in 2017 he should get 90+ Tackles pic.twitter.com/8NKofYxvll
— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) June 26, 2017
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
