BOULDER — Using a “hybrid” has become the biggest craze in golf. The same could be said for college football.
Colorado has joined the movement, converting 6-foot-1, 230-pound senior Josh Hartigan from a conventional defensive end to a hybrid linebacker/defensive end. Colorado coaches call the combo position the “Jack” outside linebacker.
“You’ve got to be a Jack-of- all-trades, and Josh certainly can do that,” CU defensive line coach Kanavis McGhee said.
Colorado’s new coaching staff has switched from a 4-3 base defense to the 3-4, with three conventional linemen and four linebackers. The idea behind the 3-4 is to confuse the offensive line by disguising where the fourth pass rusher (one of the four linebackers) will come from. Employing a hybrid defensive end-linebacker provides even more options. Hartigan can be used to blitz or drop into pass coverage. He might stand up like a linebacker or get down in a three-point stance like a defensive end.
Jack linebackers are often positioned on the weak side — the side opposite from where the opponent’s tight end lines up. But don’t be surprised to see Hartigan float to different spots.
“It seems like the days of just lining up in one thing and staying put, those are kind of gone,” CU defensive coordinator Greg Brown said this week.
Teams may call the hybrid DE/LB different names and line the combo player in various formations. But the philosophy and concepts are similar. Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Texas A&M are among the programs utilizing a hybrid player.
Back in Boulder after a year’s hiatus as co-defensive coordinator at Arizona, Brown has never hid his fondness for the disguise. On certain snaps the Jack linebacker might trade responsibilities with a safety, allowing the defensive back to blitz while the Jack linebacker backpedals into the secondary.
“We have some guys on this squad that have some versatility about them,” Brown said, when asked about the Jack linebacker. “They can rush the passer. They can cover (the pass). They’re smart and they can think on their feet.”
Although Hartigan led the Buffaloes in quarterback sacks (seven) in 2010 as a conventional defensive end, he willingly made the move to Jack.
“Coach Brown was the one who recruited me, and it was great that he came back to CU,” Hartigan said after a recent practice. “I know his defense. I know when to do things, when to check out of things.”
Jack linebacker requires a player with strength, quickness and burst, as well as smarts and savvy. Hartigan was an easy choice for the role because he has played both linebacker and defensive end for the Buffs.
And there might be some helpful genes at work. Hartigan’s father, Sterling Palmer, played linebacker and defensive end for Florida State before three NFL seasons with the Washington Redskins.
“Josh is a pretty good ballplayer; the new coaches could see that on tape,” McGhee said. “The fact that he’s a fifth-year senior . . . the adjustment has been very smooth for him. He’s working really hard at it. He’s doing better than we expected.
“With him being a wily veteran, he took the challenge on and is adjusting really well. He’s one of those guys that we’re looking for to make things happen.”
During his time at Colorado, Hartigan said, his sequence of positions has been inside linebacker to outside linebacker to inside linebacker to defensive end and now to Jack.
“I think we have guys that can line up in whatever and just play ball. It doesn’t really matter what formation we line up in,” Hartigan said, careful to not give away any secrets.
After all, it’s all about the disguise.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
