The Cardinal Countdown: 58 Days Until Kickoff

#58 Jonathan Greenard

Class: RS Sophomore

Ht/Wt: 6-4/245

Position: Linebacker

Hometown: Hiram, GA

Twitter: jongreenard58

Thoughts: Ice cream, cookouts, hanging out at the pool, trips to the lake, what gets you excited during the summer? Me? Oh, nothing too out of the ordinary. Just like everyone else, I enjoy writing posts about linebackers, like Jonathan Greenard.

I tried to limit my excitement over Greenard last year as I knew he was still a freshman in terms of eligibility, and the players stacked in front of him would limit his playing time, but now I feel like I can go full throttle. Greenard, who fought his way into 11 games last season finished the year with 22 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 3 QB hurries, 2 broken up passes, and 1 interception against NC State that he took back for 42 yards….all with playing time equivalent to that of a second teamer. We have an animal on our hands just waiting to be unleashed.

My enthusiasm for Greenard is similar to what I felt about Stacy Thomas a couple years ago, a big athletic linebacker who seems to do nothing but make plays over and over again when given the opportunity. We all know that as long as Hearns stays healthy he is rightfully the go-to at that spot this year, but don’t be shocked to see Greenard work his way onto the field somehow even if Hearns is still controlling his spot, Greenard is that talented. Standing at 6-4 and weighing a shade at over 220lb upon arriving to campus Greenard has already added 20lb in the weight room in under two years. The only thing I think holding Greenard back from playing the “star” position occupied by Harvey-Clemons the last couple years would be his mobility and speed, something I’m sure the coaches are looking to improve as well this fall. Greenard was out due to injury in the Spring so it was tough to evaluate where he fits amongst everyone currently, but all signs point to him being at full strength when fall camp starts back up. Even though his position on the official depth chart may not change this year I have to think he sees the field every game and is a key player in the defensive system this season as he looks to position himself as a fulltime starter in 2018.

If you offered me eleven Jonathan Greenards to play on defense….I would politely decline, as he would be a sure fire liability at cornerback or inside lineman…but if you give me one, I’ll take him in a heartbeat. I pegged Greenard and Amonte Caban last year as “the next big things” at linebacker and I feel pretty good about that statement a year later. Both have shown me so far that they have what it takes to make plays, and I’m excited to watch them get even better. If you didn’t notice Greenard last year, I think he’ll do a pretty good job of introducing himself to the fan base in 2017.

Sweet Tweet:

State trash talk, I love it. I did this last year and thought it was a pretty fun analysis, so let’s give it a go again. I’m putting together a 7-on-7 squad for each state that have enough guys on the roster as of today, to field a squad. Once again this year, that will line up the states of Georgia, Florida, and Kentucky all against each other…

State of Kentucky

State of Georgia

State of Florida