Corey Flagg Jr. has been studying.
The veteran Miami Hurricanes linebacker has been watching a lot of film in the offseason, looking to improve under new inside linebackers coach Derek Nicholson as Flagg enters his fourth season with the team.
“I’m a film junkie. I like watching film,” Flagg said. “So, once I know what to do defensively, what the defensive scheme of coach [Lance] Guidry wants to do, once I really get that down pat and really get comfortable with Coach D-Nich coaching me, I think I really can do good this year. I’m excited.”
Flagg was a consistent presence at linebacker for Miami last season, starting 10 of UM’s 11 games before an injury kept him out for the season finale against Pittsburgh. Flagg excelled at stopping the run, making 56 tackles and tying for the team lead with 10.5 tackles for loss.
“He’s very instinctive and a true run-stopper,” Nicholson said.
Flagg did rack up 12 missed tackles last season and struggled at times in pass coverage, but he said he is working on using his eyes to direct opposing quarterbacks into errors.
“I know the plays, I know what they’re doing,” Flagg said. “I just have to trust myself, trust my instincts, trust my eyes and what I see.”
Flagg is also trying to shed weight so he can be quicker. He said he weighed 235 pounds last year but has slimmed down to about 225 pounds now.
“I’m confident I can be effective at any weight,” Flagg said. “But I feel like I could have been more effective and more efficient for the team at 225. It’s crazy because Coach D-Nich told me the same thing before I even told him where I wanted to be at. So I knew I had to be there and get the ball moving.”
Flagg’s spot in Guidry’s new defense is yet to be determined. Guidry’s defense primarily runs two-linebacker sets, and Flagg has been working at both middle linebacker and weakside linebacker.
“I believe in cross-training because in college football, they’re not going to just line up and stay there,” Nicholson said. “They’re going to move post-snap, pre-snap, they’re going to motion, they’re going to shift, they’re going to get in different formations. If you sit in one spot all the time and don’t know how to play other spots, they can scheme and they can do things to attack you.”
Miami also signed several linebackers who could compete for playing time quickly. Francisco Mauigoa transferred from Washington State, and the Hurricanes signed touted high school prospects: Raul Aguirre, Malik Bryant and Bobby Washington. Bryant and Washington have already enrolled at UM.
“Depth has been a really good thing in our room,” Flagg said. “Now, it’s moreso getting them to understand what to do on the field and also what to do off the field and getting them mature. Bobby is supposed to be in high school right now. He’s doing a very good job. He’s very mature, very good kid. Malik is as well. Malik works hard. And I’m just excited to see those kids grow and develop.”
But Flagg brings more than just ability to the field. Nicholson said the veteran has “certain intangibles” when it comes to leading the linebacker corps.
“Corey’s done a good job of showing leadership,” Nicholson said. “We’ve moved him around. He’s a smart, cerebral football player, so we have moved him around a little bit, cross-training him to see what he can and what he cannot do.
“He can really help us. He’s done a really, really good job.”
