Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
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It's hard to call Kyler Fackrell "under the radar" because it's hard to ignore what the red shirt freshman did on the field last year. To say he was "under the radar" is like saying Dom Toretto is an okay driver who occasionally enjoys a sleeveless shirt.
All the young man did in his first year, besides starting all 13 games for a defense that finished seventh in the country in points allowed and didn't allow a first quarter touchdown all season, was finish fourth on the team in tackles with 87, combined solo and assisted. That ranks third all time for Utah State among freshman behind Jake Hutton in 2005 and Del Lyles in 1988.
Fackrell also added three sacks, seven QB hurries, a forced fumble, three pass deflections, eight tackles for loss, three interceptions, one blocked field goal, and was named MVP of the All Valley Karate Tournament.
Okay, so all but one of those is true.
Fackrell is a playmaker; pure and simple. You can see it whenever he is out there. Take the San Jose State game for example. It was the conference opener for the Aggies; it was a game that featured a school record 13 sacks, and Fackrell had the most memorable one.
Late in the fourth quarter, with the Spartans trying to rally, Fackrell blew by the left tackle and delivered a monster blow to David Fales, jarring the ball loose, and giving the ball back to the Aggies. Kerwynn Williams scored two plays later and sealed the game for Utah State; that kick started the Aggies undefeated run in conference play.
Let's look at one more.
In the third quarter of the bowl game against Toledo, the Rockets were marching their opening drive of the half down the field, looking like they were going to score. First and 10 from the 15, Austin Dantin's pass is tipped by Jake Doughty and Fackrell comes down with it keeping Toledo scoreless in the third quarter and well, we all know how that one ended.
Even in spring Fackrell was making memorable plays; who can forget this monster hit on Joe Hill.
Folks around the nation are taking notice too. Fackrell earned first-team All-WAC honors and is the first Aggie in history to be named a Football Writers Association of America Freshman All American.
Fackrell is also garnering a lot of preseason attention; he was named to the second team of Phil Steele's All-Mountain West Team, the 2013 College Football Performance Awards Watch List, and first-team Athlon Sports Preseason All-Mountain West Team.
Now, bear with me for a moment, I'm about to praise a BYU player.
I have been known to take my shots at the Cougars; however, I fully admit that I love watching Kyle Van Noy play the game of football. I mentioned on Cougar Sports Saturday this past weekend, that I am a "linebacker enthusiast," I believe it to be the most important position on the field in a defensive scheme, especially in a 3-4, and Van Noy plays the outside ‘backer position the way it should be played.
The reason I bring this up?
I've spend the past couple years on the sidelines of nearly every BYU game because of my responsibilities on the Coach's Show, I've seen a lot of Van Noy…a lot. When he made his first fumble recovery for a TD as a freshman at Colorado State, I was there; when he stripped, sacked, and recovered the ball for a game winning touchdown against Ole Miss, I was in the end zone he scored in; so when I say I see a lot of Van Noy in the way Fackrell plays, I'm not just spewing a bunch of hyperbole.
They are cut from the same playmaker mold.
I'm aware that no Aggie fan wants to hear one of their best players compared to a Cougar, it's downright blasphemous; but it's hard to deny how great Van Noy is.
Now here's the hook, I think Fackrell will be better than Van Noy when all is said and done.
For fun, let's look at some hypothetical stats. Van Noy is known for his ability to do a little bit of everything and do it really well. Sacks, TFL's, interceptions, blocked kicks, he does it all. In fact, incredibly, he has improved statistically in every major category (except interceptions, he went from 3, including blocked kicks.
Let's apply the improvement Van Noy had, shown by Greg Wrubell on Tuesday, to Fackrell's stats for the next 2 seasons(since Van Noy is entering his senior season) and see how it compares.
Kyler Fackrell's Projected Stats
| Year | TFL | Sacks | INT | PBU | QBH | FR | FF | Blocked Kicks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2013 | 15.5 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2014 | 22.5 | 14 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
Not too shabby.
Now clearly this all projection and I'm not saying that Fackrell will put up these exact numbers but he definitely has the talent and ability to do so if he stays relatively healthy for his career.
Considering the returning core of great linebacker (Doughty and Vigil) and a stout defensive line anchored by Connor Williams and Jordan Nielsen; I fully expect Fackrell to wreak havoc in the Mountain West in the 2013 season and two years from now, we'll being hearing a lot about how high this kid could be drafted.
(Fade out to Joe Esposito's "You're the Best Around")…
