UND's Grant Tylutki showing versatility in first season of expanded role
· Yahoo Sports
Oct. 27—GRAND FORKS — UND's depth chart in the secondary this season has seen constant change amid injuries and the court status of three players taking legal action in order to seek a fifth season of eligibility.
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As the Fighting Hawks have experienced losses against the NCAA in the court room, Grant Tylutki's ability to train at both safety and nickel has made that depth chart juggling possible.
"We cross-train guys in the back row," UND head coach Eric Schmidt said. "That was something with him early on — just knowing where we're at with certain guys on our roster and how it could change daily, weekly. He was a guy we felt had the intelligence to be able to handle playing multiple positions out there."
Tylutki started the season backing up Jonnie Wiltshire at nickel. While Wiltshire had a temporary restraining order against the NCAA to play earlier this season, Schmidt felt he needed to move Tylutki to safety to maximize the young player's impact.
As Wiltshire has become ineligible the last two weeks, Tylutki has stepped back into a role as the starting nickel. He's sixth on the Hawks with 31 tackles and added a quarterback sack last Saturday in the overtime loss at South Dakota.
No. 9 UND makes its final regular-season road trip with an 11 a.m. Saturday matchup at No. 4 Youngstown State.
Schmidt says the knowledge of both positions is helpful for a defender.
"When you do those things now, you can see it through a different lens," Schmidt said. "You know what's going on. You know to the field, up on the line of scrimmage and to the boundary ... how all those pieces fit together. I think that's how we've really grown this year."
UND's defense this season has just started to hit its stride, partly due to a new mix of players understanding assignments.
"In this day and age of college football, you might have some older players but you don't necessarily have players in your system for three or four years," Schmidt said. "You go through a learning curve. Eventually, you get comfortable with your job and how guys fit around me. Grant has a really good grasp to what the strengths and weaknesses are when we make some of the calls we have. We're getting more guys to that point. It's just his football IQ. We call it FBI (Football Intelligence). His football intelligence is really high."
Tylutki, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound sophomore from Cold Spring, Minn., is enjoying his time at nickel — a position with play-making potential in Schmidt's 4-2-5 defensive scheme.
"Coming into the season, I knew all offseason Jonnie was going to be playing this year," Tylutki said. "We have a saying — work while you wait. That's my biggest thing. I knew my opportunity would come, so I've just been working. I've had great upperclassmen to give me help — Jy Martin, Tyler Erkman and Jonnie ... they've all been great.
"A big part of (playing nickel) I enjoy is we get to do a little of everything. Man coverage, zone, blitz ... some packages where we're on the defensive line. I enjoy the versatile role."
After UND's loss to South Dakota, Wiltshire was communicating with Tylutki to offer tips.
"He was texting me after the game, so he's still watching," Tylutki said. "Jy is a very smart player, too. He gives me keys on motions and shifts. We've grown as a defensive unit and trust each other, learning where our help is on certain plays. That's allowed us to play good football."