Even if the ‘26 defense might not have as much star-power as ‘25, I think it could have much more versatility/depth in the front7. The secondary will as well, but just looking at the front here. Patricia is going to have a ton of guys with different skill sets to move around.

• With assuming we stay in the base 5-1 front, not sure which combo Patricia ultimately rolls with, but he’s got plenty of options. 
• Personnel Notes: I find it very hard to believe that we paid up big $ to bring in J. Smith to come in and simply rotate 50% of the snaps at 3T with Houston. He’s going to start for sure.
• Russaw is being talked about as a DE. He’s not a true DE. He’s an odd-front Edge player. Meaning you wouldn’t want him on the edge at DE in a base 4-2-5 in non-passing situations. Why would we intentionally bring in a tweener? You’d think they were seeking out his body type and skill set, and not just wasting $ in order to get Smith. Miami’s Marquise Lightfoot is only about 235lbs and used manly in pass-rushing situations. Maybe we were looking for someone to do that (who didn’t cost as much as Chaz Coleman).
• Alleigro mainly played as a MLB, but moved around some. He is a good pass rusher. He’s a much more natural on the outside than any of Pierce, Pettijohn, or Alford are. I think they brought in Russaw and Alliegro to try and split what they got from Arvell. When sliding back into normal 4-2 base, both can play LB (although Alliegro is much more comfortable at this than Russaw). Alliegro isn’t great on coverage, which is why I think he’s best outside compared to how WI used him.

Option 1: Mimic the ‘25 personnel:

• One of the DE’s is lined up as the 4i. KJ played this mostly as he was bigger bodied than Curry. The other DE is lined up on the edge, and the OLB is on the other edge (Arvell)
• The two starting DE’s, KJ and Grady, remain in these spots. Although KJ is much better suited for the 4i (Grady is only 258lbs), it’s believed that part of his returning was to be put more in pass rush situations. So he could be outside more, and Grady inside. Atkinson wasn’t as big or sturdy as he looked on tape at UNC playing inside. He was listed at 7lbs less. I’d try and add 10lbs on his frame this offseason.
• Lineup: NT- Walker | Smith Jr , 3T- Smith | Houston , 4i- Grady | Atkinson , Edge- KJ, OLB- Russaw | Alliegro , MLB- Pierce | Pettijohn

Option 2 - Go Bigger:

• With minimal true DE depth, go with a bigger body at 4i. I find it very hard to believe that we paid up big $ to bring in J. Smith to come in and simply rotate 50% of the snaps at 3T with Houston. So you could go with Smith playing 3T and Houston slimming 5-10lbs (I don’t think he moves as well when he added all that weight since HS) and moving over to 4i. Khary Wilder is absolutely expected to play immediately. He weighed in at 270lbs on his OV, and can easily get 280. Playing other guys at 4i would allow for Grady to rotate in with KJ at Edge and let both get more of a breather.
• Downside is we don’t have great DT numbers. Only three 3Ts right now who are not true freshman. Would have to have confidence J. Moore is ready to play a much bigger role.
• This kind of personnel is what the typical odd-front teams like UGA and Bama do. That 4i is around 275-285lbs.
• Lineup: NT- Walker | Smith Jr , 3T- Smith | Moore , 4i- Houston | Wilder , Edge- KJ | Grady, OLB- Russaw | Alliegro , MLB- Pierce | Pettijohn

Option 3- Traditional 4-2-5:

• Playing so much Penny front was a good way to let KMac shine. It was a way to isolate him to dominate OC’s, as he wasn’t double-teamed as much. We’re going to be playing some more teams that spread you out wide and go quick game like USC, Texas, Oregon. Getting your front7 spread out more might be used more here. Notice how we went with the Penny-front far less against Miami, because Carson Beck barely throws the ball past 5yds and it’s all quick game to Toney.
• With using two traditional LB’s, Alliegro is better here than Russaw. You’d use Russaw at DE, but just as a pass rush specialist.
• Lineup: NT- Walker | Smith Jr , 3T- Smith | Houston , DE- KJ | Atkinson , DE- Grady | Wilder , WLB- Alliegro | Pettijohn , MLB- Pierce | Alford