Washington Huskies 2012 Evaluations: LB John Timu

Oct 15, 2011, Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies linebacker John Timu (10) tackles Colorado Buffaloes running back Tony Jones (26) for a loss during the third quarter at Husky Stadium. Washington defeated Colorado 52-24. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Statistics: 80 total tackles, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions.

What He Did In 2012: Timu racked up a lot of tackles in 2011, but I don’t think anyone was completely sold on him. If my memory serves me right, he was even a bit of a question mark at the start of the year, as far as whether or not he was the middle ‘backer of the future. He answered those questions completely, leaving no doubt that he will start at middle linebacker until he graduates. Above all else, he plays the position with intelligence, and in combination with his terrific physical tools (remember that he committed out of high school as a 189 pound “Athlete” with a listed 4.5 fourty time), it makes him a great asset as the quarterback of the defense.

What I Expect Of Him In 2013: While I don’t expect as big of a leap forward in 2013 out of Timu as I do Feeney statistically, I think his game will be more refined. There are too many talented tacklers on the team for anyone, including Timu, to be racking up Mason Foster-style numbers, but even if he puts up an identical 80 tackles, expect them to be closer to the line of scrimmage. Expect him to excel even further in pass-coverage. And expect him to make more plays, whether that means forcing fumbles, picking off passes in the flat (which is how he got both his 2012 interceptions), or sacking the quarterback.