When starting Sam linebacker Nate Hall announced on Dec. 21 that he would miss the Holiday Bowl after undergoing shoulder surgery, most Northwestern fans assumed that Chris Bergin would take his place.
Bergin, a walkon, started four games at the position when Hall was out with an injury earlier in the season and played well, averaging eight tackles per game and winning the defensive player of the week award after the win over Rutgers.
However, Bergin will not be the starting Sam linebacker on New Year’s Eve, according to the two-deep in Northwestern's Holiday Bowl guide. Instead, safety Jared McGee will make his first career start at linebacker, and Bergin will be his backup.
McGee, a fifth-year senior, certainly has a sizable advantage over Bergin in terms of experience, even if it is at a different position. McGee has nine starts this season and 41 games under his belt in his career, all at safety. He had 50 tackles, four TFL and one interception this season.
McGee started the first nine games of the 2018 season before going down with an injury against Notre Dame. He didn’t play against Iowa or Minnesota but returned to play in the second half against Illinois in the regular-season finale. He didn’t start but played in the Big Ten championship game loss to Ohio State on Dec. 1, making one tackle.
Moving a safety down to Sam linebacker is nothing new for Northwestern. Several Wildcats have made the switch at one point or another during their careers, including David Arnold and Nate Hall’s older brother, Jimmy Hall. The responsibilities aren’t all that different.
McGee, an extra-large safety at 6-foot-1 and 226 pounds, is bigger than Bergin, who measures 5-foot-11 and 213 pounds. So run support shouldn’t be much of an issue. McGee is certainly better than Bergin in pass coverage, which will be a factor against a Utah offense that loves to run RPOs, especially if quarterback Tyler Huntley is fully healthy.
Still, Hall leaves some large shoes for McGee to fill. Hall came off of offseason ACL surgery to record 51 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions, tied for most on the team, despite missing four games.
A contributing factor in McGee’s transition to linebacker is also the Wildcats’ depth at safety. Travis Whillock filled in well as the starter in McGee’s absence this season and turned into a playmaker for the Wildcats. He made 45 tackles over the last five games of the season, including 10 tackles against Notre Dame and 15 against Minnesota. He also had fumble recoveries against Iowa and Ohio State.
With McGee manning the linebacker spot, Whillock and J.R. Pace will make the start at safety, as they did for the final four games of the season. They will be backed up by Bryce Jackson and Joe Bergin, Chris’s older brother.
In addition to Hall, Northwestern will also be without defensive tackle Jordan Thompson on Monday night against the Utes. Thompson, a stalwart for four seasons for the Wildcats, had knee surgery. He recorded 30 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks this season.
Thompson will be replaced in the starting lineup by Alex Miller, a junior who will make his first career start against Utah. Miller appeared in 10 games this season as a rotational defensive tackle. He is coming off of a season-high three tackles in the Big Ten title game, including a sack.
