Defense Preview

DL – The return of Ezekiel Larry is a game-changer for the defensive line as Larry could be the quickest defensive end in the Ivy League. Larry outperformed McDonough in 2023 and McDonough has been very impressive at Iowa State this season. Jackson-Bass was solid last year in his sophomore campaign with 23 tackles and 3 sacks. With another offseason of training under his belt, Jackson-Bass should have a breakout season. Rivers saw playing time as a freshman in 7 contests flashing his potential of becoming a disruptive end. Yang battled through injuries and was heavily utilized at end, but his natural fit might be at defensive tackle where he excelled in his earlier years. Freshman Xavier Coleman has had a strong preseason camp and could break into the 2-deep at defensive end. Egodogbare always seems to be banged up in some fashion, but when he is healthy, there is no stronger defensive tackle in the Ivy League. Egodogbare has manhandled interior offensive linemen since his freshman season and earned a 1^st Team All-Ivy nod in 2024. Shaber has played extensively at defensive tackle and was a starter in 2023, yet he did not show great improvement from 2023 to 2024. Austin, Tate, Johnson, Fadeyibi, Cave, and Michalik all saw time along the defensive front in 2024 and will likely factor into the rotations.

LB – As noted previously, the poor performance of the linebacking corps in 2024 was a major factor in the losses to Cornell and Dartmouth. Ayo-Durojaiye returns for a fifth season and he was able to provide some stability to the position by the end of the 2024 season, but his early season play left much to be desired. Yale still lacks a true middle linebacker in the mold of John Dean or Joseph Vaughn with the physical presence to intimidate opponents. Phoenix Grant appeared in 8 contests last season and made a handful of nice plays but will need to become more consistent in filling gaps. There’s hope that players such as Partin, Palumbo and Barry can develop into solid linebackers, although at this point, there are more questions than answers at linebacker. Schutzman returned to Yale after missing the 2024 season and could earn playing time in 2025. Despite the talented recruits that were brought in, it is a tall task both physically and mentally for a freshman linebacker to make an impact outside of special teams. With three safeties on the roster that could start nearly anywhere in the FCS, moving a player such as Tarver to outside linebacker could be a smart move as Tarver, Daniyan and Kamara are clearly among the best 11 defenders on the roster.

DB – There are holes to fill at the cornerback positions as Guyton graduated and Thompson transferred to Stanford. The cabinet is far from bare though as Gonzales, Webster, and Schmidt all return with experience. Gonzales has shown promise since his freshman season and finished the 2024 season with 14 tackles and 2 interceptions. Webster improved greatly throughout the season and had two crucial interceptions against Brown. With the defensive backfield limited due to injuries in the Harvard contest, Schmidt made an immediate impact with 3 tackles and a forced fumble against the Crimson. One could argue that Schmidt was more impressive in run support than Thompson was over their freshman campaigns. Kamara, Daniyan and Tarver all return at the safety position which should be the strongest unit on the squad. Kamara had a whopping 84 tackles, 2 interceptions and a sack in 2024 on his way to a 1^st Team All-Ivy and Honorable Mention All-American season. Daniyan had a down year in 2024 after a Freshman All-American nomination in 2023 but is expected to bounce back with a strong 2025 showing. Tarver made incredible strides to improve his skillset from 2023 and 2024, outperforming Daniyan by a slim margin last season. Whether the answer is implementing 3-3-5 defensive schemes or moving a safety to linebacker, all three of these safeties deserve to be on the field. Eastep has strong developmental potential, although he was likely thrown into live fire too early in his career with costly mistakes at Cornell. Banks, Barkley-Smith, Ingram-Eiser, Rickenbacker, and Kemp have all seen playing time and should expand their roles in 2025 on defense or special teams.