Junior embraces position change, full health entering spring camp

No one needs to emphasize the importance of offseason preparation to Julian Pinnix-Odrick.

After redshirting his freshman year and suffering a torn ACL during spring camp in 2013, Pinnix-Odrick did everything he could to get back on the field and play the game he loved.

When the 2014 season rolled around, the two-year hiatus ended. Pinnix-Odrick became a regular in the Rutgers football team’s defensive line rotation, recording 15 tackles and two sacks in 12 games.

Returning for his fourth year as a Scarlet Knight, the junior defensive lineman faces a new task: sliding over from defensive end to defensive tackle.

It’s the same move his current roommate, senior defensive tackle Darius Hamilton, made when he arrived at Rutgers.

“It’s definitely a change. Playing in the Big Ten, you’ve gotta be able to be firm inside, be assertive inside and be a tough guy, but I’m learning the position now,” Pinnix-Odrick said. “It’s definitely not an easy thing to do when you’re in there with all of those big guys and it’s a lot more technical, but standing behind and being best friends with someone like Darius Hamilton being my roommate and just learning from him and trying to learn as much as I can, it’s definitely a positive.”

The readiness delves deeper than just the on-field tactics. Entering this spring and measuring up at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, Pinnix-Odrick says he’s been focusing on tweaking his diet and revamping his training to bulk up 10-15 pounds by the end of the summer.

The Montclair, New Jersey, native still has a way to go before he reaches that goal, but says he’s never felt better heading into spring ball

“That’s exactly what it is. You’re happy because you’re on a new terrain — it’s like you’ve never been here,” he said. “We’ll, I’ve never been this healthy coming into spring ball before. I have, but then I got hurt, so it’s like you never know what’s gonna come next, so you keep it positive. … It’s a new thing everyday, but you just gotta keep improving.”

With six defensive linemen returning to the rotation from last year, head coach Kyle Flood said the move adds versatility for the Knights in the trenches.

“It’s really just a matter of building depth on the line, making sure we can get the right people in the game when we need them to,” Flood said. “(Pinnix-Odrick’s) got experience at defensive end, he can go out there when we want him to. … It gives us a little bit of experience there, so when Darius (Hamilton) is in there, we’re not going to a guy who’s immediately a freshman, we’re going to a guy who’s got some battle experience for us.”

Now in his fourth year and surrounded by four freshmen with him on the line, that experience at Rutgers places Pinnix-Odrick in a unique position.

As he continues to adjust and pick the brains of his coaches and teammates, he also makes an effort to lead.

“I’ve played a bit more than a lot of the young guys we have, so I try to give a little bit of insight, but at the same time, we let it be known that we’re all here together,” Pinnix-Odrick. “I’m not here to be anybody’s dad or anything like that, but also, our young guys especially on the defensive line do a good job of listening to direction and listening to the guys who have been there a little bit longer than they have and I think that’s why we’re having a good spring so far and we just gotta keep it up.”

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Perhaps the most underrated question mark going into the spring remains at starting center.

Betim Bujari and his 46 starts on the offensive line won’t be walking onto the field in the fall. Losing its former starting center from the past three years, Rutgers begins its search for Bujari’s replacement.

After the first day of spring practice last Monday, Flood said he would give multiple players looks on the line starting with center.

Four practices in, he admitted there has been a bit of a learning curve.

“We were doing well. Today we probably took a bit of a step back,” Flood said. “With third down going into today, some of the guys that didn’t have experience going in there didn’t operate as well as the first couple of days, but now they have a chance to look at it and come back on Monday a little bit better.”

While junior Derrick Nelson is listed as the starter on the spring depth chart, Flood mentioned others such as junior Chris Muller will receive serious consideration.

Despite playing in every game and boasting 25 starts at right guard in his first two years at Rutgers, Muller said he feels just as comfortable sliding over on the line.

“As of right now, (the rotation is) fine. We’re rotating every three plays,” Muller said. “You’re playing next to a different guy, so it’s a lot different from last year playing next to the same guy all season and it’s nice because you get to see everyone’s weaks and you get to see everyone’s strengths. And with the rotation, I’ll be fine. I’m just as comfortable at center as I am at guard.”

Nelson, on the other hand, has played in just four games — all of which came during last year.

But despite the lack of experience, the Capitol Heights, Maryland, native wants to continue the trend of leading the way the upperclassmen did for him in the past.

“I definitely try and work with the guys, especially like Tariq (Cole) and Jacquis (Webb), you know,” Nelson said, referring to the two redshirt-freshmen offensive linemen. “I try to help them out whenever they need me, but at the same time, I look forward to Lump, so it’s not just me taking a leadership role — it’s everybody taking a leadership role. The key word is accountability.”

For updates on the Rutgers football team, follow @GarrettStepien and @TargumSports on Twitter.