Donavan Mutin led the way for the UH linebacking core with 77 tackles during the 2021 season. | James Schillinger/The Cougar
Having moved on to the defensive side of the ball for the 2021 season position grades, we now take a look at the second group of the unit. The linebackers.
Donavan Mutin’s strong season
Heading into the season, many eyes pointed towards the defense and more specifically, those who would return from the 2020 season.
Among those returning was junior linebacker Donavan Mutin, who had lost his partner and former linebacker Grant Stuard to the NFL draft.
Mutin put up big numbers for the UH football team in 2021, as he recorded 77 total tackles in 13 games including 6.5 tackles-for-loss, two sacks and three forced fumbles.
Mutin was the glue for the defense, holding it down for the defensive line all the way up to the secondary coverage.
His leadership was crucial to the success of the UH defense as his play embodied the attitude and hard work that the entire unit showed throughout the season.
Anderson assisting Mutin
Senior linebacker Deontay Anderson was not far behind Mutin, posting 62 tackles in 14 games while also recording four tackles-for-loss, a half-sack and one fumble recovery.
Anderson’s production shined on its own during plenty of games this season, as his numbers consistently kept him high on the UH football defensive statistic sheets.
While the linebacker’s group play this season fell slightly under the radar thanks to the defensive line’s introduction of “Sack Avenue” after the outstanding season, Anderson supplied plenty of great plays to help round out a successful year on the other side of the ball.
Anderson’s numbers level or float around Mutin’s and are impressive nonetheless, as this duo did wonders for UH this season.
Supporting cast
As far as the rest of the linebacking core, junior linebacker Malik Robinson finished with the ninth most tackles on the team at 34, along with one sack and a fumble recovery.
Redshirt freshman Mannie Nunnery recorded 19 tackles on the year along with one sack, one forced fumble and three blocked kicks while senior linebacker JoVanni Stewart finished with 16 tackles and one fumble recovery on the season.
Junior linebackers Jordan Carmouche, Elijah Gooden and Amaud Willis-Dalton finished with a combined 25 tackles to round out the group.
Grade: B
