'08 NJ DT Hafis Williams (Signed LOI to ND)

[irishunclebill]

Great line from Hafis about what CW told him at the B&G game.

Let's get this train moving, Jersey guys stick with Jersey guys.

Art & Brendan, hope you are listening.

[irishunclebill]

For anyone who is interested in hearing Hafis talk to Mike Frank, here again is the direct link to the free Power Hour blog page. Click on the 4/3 Power Hour hyperlink to hear that Power Hour. The Hafis Williams interview starts at the 2:40 point, and ends at 17:15.

http://irisheyespowerhour.blogspot.com/

[johnnd05]

Originally Posted by irishunclebill

Now to add to the confusion of his position, Hafis is quoted as saying he will work at DT or NG at ND, which as we all know in the 3-4 is the same position, but he also said that he would primarily be at DT. Confused?, me too. The new ND defense will most likely be a hybrid 3-4 which will align differently according to formations and game situations, but it appears that no matter what the formation, at least initially, they are looking at Hafis as an interior guy, not an end. In reality, it is probably way too early to peg him anyway, because he physically seems to be capable of playing any position on the DL, and CW and CB have to be thrilled, as we all are, to grab another great kid from Jersey with great defensive talent.

Great post, IUB - thanks for the insight. I take it you mean 'DE' above (see the highlighted text)?

[irishunclebill]

No, he actually said DT, that is why it's so confusing, but he could have easily been misquoted or was just responding quickly without thinking of the tag. The gist of what he had to say though was he felt he was going to be an interior lineman. Also, I've seen his weight ponied about quite a bit. Rivals profile lists him as 285, but in an article, they mention him as being 265. Scout only shows him as 260, so that's a pretty big range. It's hard to tell from pictures and clips, but I don't see him as a problem getting to 300 or 310, but he is also kind of tall to be playing NG anyway. Scout has him as 6'4". In any case, wherever he plays, I think he is going to be a good one for ND.

[irishunclebill]

BTW, IMO his commit to me does not neccessarily mean there is more pressure on Newman to commit, no matter where they have Hafis slotted. I think in the bigger picture, his commit along with potentially a few more this month puts more pressure on all ND offers who are seriously considering the Irish. 11 verbal commits out of as few as possibly 19 in early May does not leave a whole lot of wiggle room for later in the recruiting season.

[johnnd05]

Originally Posted by irishunclebill

No, he actually said DT, that is why it's so confusing, but he could have easily been misquoted or was just responding quickly without thinking of the tag. The gist of what he had to say though was he felt he was going to be an interior lineman.

Got it. Pretty confusing. Definitely looks like he'll be on the inside, though.

[Irishknight1023]

This is confusing but i'll relay what i've heard. Weis has our defensive line setup as a DE NT and DT....With Cwynar being the DE....Newman(hopefully) being NT....and Hafis being the DT. The NT lines up over center obviously, and the DT( which is a DE in the 3-4, but Weis calls it a DT because the lineup on the strong side or something and more on the inside of the line so it would be like a DT run stuffer kind of how Hafis Williams is. As we all know Cwynar is a pass rushing end already in HS so he would be on the Weak Side DE to rush with more freedom. If you are confused i am sorry because thats the best i can describe it without confusing myself. It's just Charlie and his wierd terminology again i guess.