Once upon a time, projecting big safeties in high school with the potential to grow into linebackers was a difficult task — is the program getting a DeShon Elliott who stays at safety and excels or a linebacker like Edwin Freeman who was never able to become a consistent contributor?
Since Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator Todd Orlando created the Lightning package after stealing the scheme from the Iowa State Cyclones following last season’s Big 12 opener, that question is no longer relevant. The answer to the question of whether a prospect is a linebacker or a safety is both.