Cougar Tracks Extra: BYU Defensive MVP

(Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo)


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PROVO — Ty Detmer and his new offense may be getting the headlines, but the strength of this BYU football team might very well be its defense. Who's going to be that MVP on D?

Alex Kirry, my co-host on Cougar Sports Saturday, made the poor selection — that you can see in the video above — of Fred Warner. It’s not that Warner is a bad choice, it’s that he’s not Harvey Langi.

I also have to take issue with him saying that Warner is the fastest guy on the field. He's not even the faster Warner. That would be his brother — and true freshman — Troy Warner.

Langi will be defensive terror and opposing teams have to plan for him, specifically. He possesses that rare combination of speed, power and attitude that sets the tone for the entire team. That’s why Langi was named a captain.

Speed:

Langi was a star running back at Bingham High school with multiple offers, including Stanford, UCLA and Colorado, before signing with the University of Utah. After his LDS mission, Langi transferred to BYU where Bronco Mendenhall moved him to the defensive side of the ball as a middle linebacker.

Power:

If you look at trends of elite pass-rushers in the NFL, you need look no further than Broncos’ Super Bowl MVP Von Miller and Raiders’ 15-sack-a-season defensive end Khalil Mack. Both are 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds.

Langi is 6-2 and 250 pounds.

Attitude:

It’s a well-known fact in the locker room that there are two guys that are the vocal leaders of the team. Safety Kai Nacua and — do I really need to say it — Langi.

Speed, power and attitude, slated in the most high-profile position on defense and you have your future 2016 defensive MVP — Langi.

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Dave Noriega

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