You might be right that LB play, but I would argue it has become the most difficult position to play well, and as such, the standard for good play has been lowered. Most teams only play with 2 true LB’s anymore at a time except in obvious running situations. The LB’s all have to be able to play the pass and run. Used to be that of a 3 person LB crew, 1 LB always had the responsibility to cover the TE. The MLB was typically just a run stopper. Now every LB has to be fast enough to cover a TE or even an RB, and big enough to take on a guard and still bring down the RB.
So let me ask you this to highlight how difficult it is to play LB with today’s offenses. Tell me 1 LB we have faced this year you would want to have at UM? The guy from Cal was good but I wouldn’t take him over Wes or Kiko. Same for Howard or James on UF.
Now let me ask you to name the best LB you can think of in college football. In year’s past there have always been some pre-season studs at ILB. Now the best known LB’s seem to basically be rush ends (think TJ Watt), and I still can’t name anyone.
I’m not arguing the UM’s LB’s are the best because I have not watched enough college football to come to that opinion. And Wes did make a mistake on the long run by Johnson for UF and got pinned inside, and Kiko has over run plays. BUT to your point, Wes and Kiko still might be better than any other LB unit on college football. It can all be true.
