Aug. 21, 2009

Stony Brook, N.Y. - With fall football practice now in full swing for the Stony Brook University Seawolves, GoSeawolves.org will present a position by position look at the 2009 team during the course of fall camp. Today the Stony Brook linebackers will be featured.

Inexperience will not be a problem at linebacker for Stony Brook in 2009 as the Seawolves return all of their starters from last season and then some; a total of five letterwinners altogether. Together the group accounted for well over 200 tackles and 16.5 tackles for loss.

Senior Tyler Santucci (New Kensington, Pa.) earned All-Big South recognition last year during his first tour of duty in the conference and led Stony Brook in tackles with 79 while also breaking up a team-high five pass attempts. A high intensity player who has a nose for getting to the football, he has played in every game in his career but one and will serve as one of the Seawolves' captains in 2009.

Senior Carl Teague (St. Petersburg, Fla.) made an impact in his first season at Stony Brook after transferring to the Seawolves from Connecticut. Holding down a starting position on the outside, he finished third on the team in tackles and was also among the team leaders in tackles for loss and sacks.

A third senior in the linebacking corps is Julian Glenn (Uniondale, N.Y.). Earning a starting spot for the first time in his career in 2008, he responded by starting every game and coming up with career-highs in every category.

A pair of juniors are also in the mix at linebacker, making the position a very deep and experienced one for Stony Brook. Steven Schwicke (East Patchogue, N.Y.) was one of the starters in the 3-4 scheme employed a year ago and proved to be a solid force in the middle where he finished second on the team with 60 stops, a career-high. Chevar Rankins (Middletown, Conn.) has been hampered by injuries the past two seasons, limiting him to just five games over that time. Back to full health, he made 50 tackles as a true freshman when he started every game for the Seawolves. His return will be an added plus to the unit as it transitions to the 4-3 in 2009.

One name to watch for in the ranks of newcomers to the team in 2009 at linebacker is that of Craig Richardson (Revere, Mass.). Like Gowins and Hoffman from the SBU offense, Richardson is a product of the Bridgton Academy program in Maine. A native of Massachusetts, he has been with the Stony Brook program since January and made a strong impression during spring practice.

"Linebacker is one of our deeper positions," said head coach Chuck Priore. "Running a 3-4 in the past has given us more linebackers in the program, so it is a deeper position for us. Tyler Santucci is a three-year starter and Steven Schwicke and Julian Glenn are proven performers for us. We have Chevar Rankins coming back from knee surgery along with players like Carl Teague that give us great depth and the opportunity to keep fresh people on the field."