Role Play: Looking at the Possibilities for Kenneth Edison-McGruder in 2018

The 2018 season will present an opportunity for Kenneth Edison-McGruder to finish his career on a positive note. Edison-McGruder, who played nine games and didn’t play more than three consecutively all last season, is one of Oklahoma State’s most electric defensive players, as evidenced in his 82-yard scoop-and-score touchdown against Tulsa in August.

The accomplishments in the season opener didn’t stop there. He also recorded five solo tackles, a sack, a tackle of loss for 11 yards and broke up a pass.

However, he missed the next couple of games at South Alabama and Pittsburgh and then against Texas and Kansas State. McGruder, a senior in 2018, joins linebackers Calvin Bundage – a junior – and redshirt senior Justin Phillips as the most experienced linebackers on the squad.

He finished 2017 with a pair of pass breakups and tackles for loss, as well as 21 tackles, 17 of which were solo.

Edison-McGruder is a bit of a safety/linebacker hybrid but he’s listed as a linebacker on OSU’s spring roster. To further explain the possibilities for the upcoming season, I asked X’s and O’s experts Thomas Fleming and Adam Lunt to help dissect how he will likely be used in Jim Knowles’ 4-2-5 defense in 2018.

“4-2-5 would probably have him play the role of run-stopping safety,” Fleming said. “Knowles puts a stress on safeties playing run support, but they’re not necessarily in the box 100 percent of the time. He’s going to learn how to cover, for sure.”

Lunt agreed Edison-McGruder would likely be used in run support more than in the past. He was also able to provide some in-depth explanation.

“Personally, I think he should make the move to linebacker, as I don’t think he’s athletic enough to move to safety,” Lunt said. “Let’s say that doesn’t happen, though. He can’t play the striker role (the 5th DB), as that is a nickel/slot corner-type role. This means he would have to play safety, if not linebacker.

“If that happened, I don’t think he would be providing more pressure, but probably would be involved in run support more than in the past.  Knowles likes his safeties playing flat-footed (playing run-first) because generally the striker is going to play the slot. Where before in Spencer’s scheme, it was more likely the slot defender play the run and safety would cover the slot.  So in that case, he would definitely have a big impact on run support, more so than ever before, which is good for tackle numbers.”

So there you have it. Of all the projections for next season, Edison-McGruder’s is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing. It will be interesting to track him on the field during April’s spring game to see where he lines up.