Advertisement
football Edit

OLB Alex Aukerman and adaptability are synonymous

Junior Alex Aukerman is once again holding down the No. 1 spot at the Sam LB position
Junior Alex Aukerman is once again holding down the No. 1 spot at the Sam LB position


CHANGE:

As a verb, change is defined as: take or use another instead of. “she decided to change her name”

For junior Sam linebacker Alex Aukerman, change has been synonymous with his Army football career and the product of Center Grove (IN) hasn’t blinked an eye or missed a beat throughout.

Change No.1

Even prior to his arrival on campus as part of the Black Knights’ 2014 recruiting class, the Rivals 2-star 205 pound safety was caught in the middle of former Army head coach Rich Ellerson’s firing.

Back on 12/17/13, Aukerman made it clear in his conversation with GBK that West Point and Ellerson parting ways would have no bearing on his pledge to the program.

“My commitment is still solid and I'm 100% Army," confirmed Aukerman, who is a direct admit to the academy. "I actually just had my in-home visit from Coach Waugh [Tucker] tonight and it went great. He just showed me the path the academy is going and some of the changes that may be made."

Change No. 2

Another change that Aukerman didn’t see coming happened under then new head coach Jeff Monken. It would be the change of positions, as he would eventually move from safety to the Sam LB spot.

It is safe to say that he has taken the junior awhile to adjust and to his credit he came on strong at the latter part of the 2015 season, where he appeared to display more athleticism around the ball, especially in passing situations.

After Tuesday’s practice, he spoke with GoBlackKnights.com about his maturation as a player during the latter part of the 2015 campaign and he optimistic that he has been able to carry his development over into spring ball.

“Oh, absolutely,” Aukerman said, when discussing having to adjust as a ball player. “Just the speed of the game. You can try to replicate it in practice and we’re pretty close to it. But, when you go out in a game and it’s just full contact and just sprinting every time ... it’s an extra gear. Just getting the snaps, just feeling it out and you just get adjusted to it. So, that definitely helped me, because my freshman year it was just special teams, although I played all the special teams, that’s just a few plays and you don’t get the same look compared to when you are in there every single play.”

When asked to rank his performance so far this spring, on a scale of 1-10 ... he shared where he thought he was and why.

“I would probably give myself about a 7 or 8,” explained the 6-foot-1, 239 pounder, who entered the academy on R-Day at 203 pounds. “Definitely room for improvement and I’m still learning the plays. I’ll be able to play faster once I really master it all. I’m trying to get better every day and I definitely got a bigger in the weight room and that has definitely helped on the field.”

“The chemistry on the defense is really starting to pick up, I can tell. A lot of guys have played a lot of snaps. So, it’s definitely very promising on the defensive end for sure this upcoming season.”

The linebacker is not the only one who is recognizing his improved play and the value that he adds to Army’s 3-4 defense.

“He's doing great,” defensive coordinator Jay Bateman told GBK after Tuesday’s practice. “He's playing Sam, but we are moving him around to get some looks at other spots. He is playing all over ... he's really important to he flexibility of the defense and I’m really excited about him.”

Aukerman is presently holding down the No. 1 spot at the Sam, but Gibby Gibson is also playing a lot this spring.

Change No. 3

After working under the tutelage of OLB coach Jovan Dewitt, who departing this summer to take his talents to UCF and to be closer to family in Florida, Monken brought in Daryl Dixon to fill the void.

“He’s a great coach and he teaches a lot,” said Aukerman, when discussing Dixon’s style of coaching. “Like when we are doing the drills and if don’t do it right, we won’t just go onto the next drill. He will spend the time with every single one of the players and make sure that they really understand what’s going on. That’s definitely help me and even the little things like stepping with the right foot or hand placement. Those are minor details but, I have definitely seen when we have gone full and live against the offense ... it’s really paid off.”

Change No. 4

Perhaps one area of change that really has Aukerman excited and smiling is watching some of his younger counterparts develop as ball players. He noted that at least two performers from corp of outside linebackers have caught his attention and impressed this spring.

“I would say James Nachtigal, he’s a Rush (DE) right now,” stated Aukerman. “I can tell that he’s playing a lot faster, he’s a lot more confident in knowing what he’s doing. Also, his coverage is a lot better and he’s probably one the best coverage guys in the OLB room for sure. I don’t think that was the case last year, but he’s definitely improved upon that.”

Kenneth Brinson too. He’s gotten a lot stronger and he’s been able to make some more plays that he probably couldn’t have last year.”

“There’s definitely a lot of improvement that I can see in the OLB room by just watching film,” added Aukerman, who ended the conversation by discussing his goals for the upcoming 2016 football season.

“I don’t many individual goals, but there a lot of team goals that I’ve set,” he explained. “A bowl game is definitely there and beating both Air Force and Navy. I think about that every single day before I go to the weight room and go out to practice. Making sure that I’m doing everything that I can to help the team achieve that.”

NOTABLES: Just in case you missed any of our GBK Army Football Spring Practice coverage, then CLICK HERE for the archives of non-premium & premium daily articles and analysis.

**To chat with other Army fans about what is unfolding with Army spring football, join in on the thread 'GBK: Army Spring Football Central'**

Not a subscriber to GBK? There’s no better time than now, as we continue our 2016 Spring coverage of Army football

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE!

Advertisement