Penn State has long been synonymous with outstanding linebackers. With names like Jack Ham, Shane Conlon, LaVar Arrington, Paul Posluszny and Dan Connor, it should come as no surprise that the “Linebacker U” moniker has stuck through the decades. Senior linebacker Mike Hull is making sure that tradition continues.
As a co-captain this year, he is a dynamic force that is leading one of the nation’s best defensive lines; Penn State currently holds top 10 rankings in three categories: third in rushing (83.7 yards per game), seventh in total (284.7 yards per game) and ninth in scoring (17.4 points per game).
With 11.6 total tackles per game, Hull leads the Big Ten and is sixth in the country. For someone on an unranked team (Penn State is 4-3 on the season so far), these are excellent numbers, and as the season goes on, Hull is only improving.
In last week’s primetime game against Ohio State, Hull arguably had his best game yet with a career-high 19 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for a loss and an interception that he returned for 12 yards to setup the touchdown scoring drive that would bring the Nittany Lions to within three points of the Buckeyes.
In light of his outstanding effort in the last game, he was named the Reese’s Senior Bowl Player of the Week, but Hull doesn’t solely perform in the big games. His numbers for the year are just as excellent.
Hull also leads the Big Ten and is ninth in the nation for solo tackles, averaging 6.7 per game. This year alone he has 83 takedowns, two sacks, two pass break-ups, one interception and one forced fumble. He leads the Nittany Lions in tackles for all seven games – he’s had more than 10 tackles in five games this season – and has started for the last 14 outings.
Head coach James Franklin praised Hull during his October 29 press conference.
“I don’t know if I could find something that I would say in terms of his preparation and his demeanor that I would want more from. It’s how he is in meetings or how he is out at practice, his focus, his attention to detail, his work-ethic, how coachable he is. From day one, he’s embraced everything we’ve asked him to do as a teammate, as a leader, in the defensive scheme, in the defensive techniques,” said Franklin.
His stats are wonderful, earning him a place on the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, which honors the defensive Player of the Year. If he receives this award, he will join other Penn State greats like Arrington, Posluszny and Connor, three of the celebrated “Linebacker U” graduates. The semifinalists for this award will be named on November 3 before the three finalists are announced on November 24. The winner will be announced on December 11 at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show.
However, despite this recent (and well-earned) nod, most of the buzz surrounding Hull right now is the snub he received from the Dick Butkus semifinalist committee. There is a lot of criticism, both peer and professional, of the decision to leave Hull off of the list, as several of the other candidates’ stats are not as impressive as Hull’s. For example, Alabama’s Reggie Ragland, Georgia’s Ramik Wilson and UCLA’s Myles Jack all didn’t make the midseason all-conference teams for their respective leagues, but Hull did make the Big Ten’s. None of these three have as many total tackles or sacks as Hull does, leaving many bloggers and sports writers puzzled.
Franklin’s praise for Hull continued, stating, “I think he should be on every award list.” He would later go on to say, “Mike Hull is as good as I’ve ever been around with coaches, fans, NFL scouts, with selection committees for awards and things like that, we all get way too caught up in the eyeball test,” he said before joking about how “little” Hull is, noting that he’s only about 235 pounds and six feet tall, numbers that aren’t as typical for linebackers.
Despite his size, Hull is proving that he belongs where he is – on award watch lists and sitting pretty at the top of the statistics lists. He is looking to continue his upward trend at Penn State’s next game against Maryland at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
