Ricky Heimuli, dominant.
John Hunt has the story at oregonlive.com, including an interview with defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti:
"You hate to put too much pressure on him,'' Aliotti said Monday of sophomore defensive tackle Ricky Heimuli, after the Ducks completed their fourth spring practice. "But he could be the closest thing to Haloti we've had in a long time.''
If the 6-4, 321 Heimuli truly blossoms into a formidable presence inside, (offensive lineman Carson York compares his play this spring to UCLA All-American Brian Price) Oregon's fly-to-the-football defense has a dimension of toughness to dominate games. It means the Ducks can take away the run without overcommitting to the box. Here's York:
"He comes off about as hard as Brian and he's big like Brian and moves like him - way better than he should,'' York said. "He ran one of the fastest shuttles of any offensive or defensive linemen, and he's 320 pounds. Give him a couple years, and he should be right there at that level.''
Great work by Hunt, and a promising leap forward by the Webfoots' youthful strongman.
Video interview with Heimuli and Aliotti, from Molly Blue of oregonlive.com:
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