The spring schedule has been announced and fall practice is underway for the Coyotes, who have nine more practices from now until the end of October. In that span, we will catch up with position coaches to learn more about their units. We continue the series with inside linebackers coach Rob Aurich, who also serves as the Coyotes' special teams coordinator.
 
Returning Starters
Jack Cochrane, Sr., Mount Vernon, Iowa
Brock Mogensen, So., Farmington, Minn.
 
Returners
Sam Gerst, R-Jr., Waterloo, Iowa
Willie O'Hara, R-Jr., Des Moines, Iowa
Dakota Smith, So., Inglewood, Calif.
Stephen Hillis, So., Hartington, Neb.
Hunter Headlee, So., Sioux Falls, S.D.
 
Newcomers
Kadeem Trotter, Jr., Canton, Ohio (Syracuse)
Vincent Starling, Fr., Riviera Beach, Fla. (Palm Beach Lakes HS)
Cade Parker, Fr., Hiawatha, Iowa (Kennedy HS)
Joshua Crownover, Fr., Tyndall, S.D. (Bon Homme HS)
 
The pandemic has taken so much, but today we can write about something taken back.
 
Coach Rob Aurich, when talking about his unit's lone senior in terms of athletic eligibility, Jack Cochrane, mentioned the difficult decision Cochrane faced as a true freshman back in 2017.
 
South Dakota was 6-0 and ranked fourth in the country, but had sustained enough injuries to broach the idea of pulling Cochrane's redshirt. The four-game rule didn't apply then, so the moment Cochrane stepped on the field for the opening kickoff against Illinois State in week seven, a year of eligibility kicked in. He would go on to total seven games that year including two playoff games where he helped force a fumble on the goal line that preserved the Coyotes' 38-31 win at Nicholls.
 
Cochrane is a true senior and an all-Valley linebacker who led the league in tackles during the regular season in 2019. This year, the NCAA is not charging any fall sport athletes with a year of eligibility which means Cochrane, if he chooses, can compete this spring and again in the fall of 2020.
 
"I had an NFL scout ask me about adversity in regards to Jack the other day, and my answer was him making that choice as an 18-year old saying I'm going to sacrifice a half a year of eligibility in order to help my team pursue a championship and knowing full well that I'm never going to get that half year back," said Aurich. "That's a big choice for an 18-year old and these years are gold. That was a selfless decision and a sign of true leadership."
 
Next to Cochrane in the middle was redshirt freshman Brock Mogensen who started eight games before missing the final two due to injury last year and finished as the team's fifth-leading tackler.
 
"Brock is playing faster than anyone on our defense right now and that's saying something," said Aurich. "He is absolutely flying around to the football, and it comes from his deep understanding of the game. He processes the game just like a coach does.
 
"This group is interesting because everyone brings something a little bit different to the table, and we're using different players in different situations. We love what we are seeing from Kadeem Trotter through six practices, Stephen Hillis has probably made the biggest leap from last season and is really processing the game at a high clip right now. Vinnie (Vincent Starling) is just getting started, but he played in our scrimmage Saturday and… he can play some football. He's hungry for the ball and he's going to carry himself to that same standard that his brother does."
 
Aurich has been pleased with the group's physicality in the fall and the fact the unit is tackling at a higher clip. The coaches have put in a decent amount of schemes during the offseason, so having the new stuff become the old stuff by the end of the month is the top goal.