For two years now, Nevin Lawson has been on the verge of superstardom. His athleticism and skill as a cover corner are the best to come through the Utah State program in years, and he's shown flashes of putting that all together plenty of times thus far in his career.
The dark side of the though is that with the way football is officiated these days, playing defense on opposing receivers downfield practically seems disallowed. And nobody has been victimized by this more than Lawson. With an ability to stick all over opposing receivers, Lawson is often in a position to prevent big plays and create turnovers. He also often gets flagged for pass interference when sticking too closely on receivers, which is what he needs to avoid this season.
Lawson can undoubtedly be a true shutdown corner, to go along with being a great tackler and all-around defender, evidenced by finishing fourth on the team with 73 tackles last season. He needs to be able to operate and stick to receivers with just a bit of a cushion this year though to keep from getting flagged.
He also will be monumentally crucial when Utah State travels to play Louisiana Tech and preseason WAC Offensive Player of the Year, Quinton Patton. Shutting down the top receiving threat in the conference could mean a WAC championship for the Aggies. And Lawson, possibly more than any other player, can be the game-changer there when the WAC's top two teams meet.
If Lawson does find that balance of maintaining his crazy cover skills, while keeping a slight buffer on receivers and recognizing when to turn around to make a play on the ball, a handful of forced passes should end up in his hands this year. And while the offense should still be very good, weapons like Robert Turbin, Michael Smith and Stanley Morrison all have moved on, so any turnovers created by the defense are one more chance for the offense to rack up the points.
