Everett replaces John Perry ’03 at the strong-side position and has worked hard in the off-season to be a major presence on the defense this year.
“Bobby Everett is incredibly fast and dedicated in the weight room. I’d say he’s the best athlete on the team,” senior guard Joe Traverso said. “He’s playing a position where he’d typically be undersized, but he’s made himself into one of the best linebackers in this league.”
Balestracci is similarly impressed with his teammate.
“Bobby is exactly what we need in that position,” Balestracci said. “He’s super athletic, can cover receivers, and he’s had a great preseason.”
Queen is a punishing hitter who racked up 28 tackles last season. He moves to linebacker while junior Brian Niemczak, who played linebacker last season, takes Queen’s old position in the defensive backfield.
Queen is blessed with natural athletic ability, possessing the squad’s highest vertical leap (36.5”). He showed his ability at Princeton last year, coming up with 11 tackles and his first career interception in Harvard’s 24-17 victory.
“This year’s unit has great athleticism and speed,” Butler said. “With game experience, and under the leadership of Dante, our younger LBs should gain confidence and contribute to the success of our defense and the team as a whole.”
The younger linebackers consist of juniors Ray Hill and Sean Tracy and sophomore Gary Garcia, who all should see playing time this season. Though Murphy admits that depth may be a problem if the injury bug hits, the back-ups hope to provide a spark if called upon.
“As a defense, we want to be known as one of the best defenses in Division I-AA,” Garcia says. “We want to be dominating. We want our defense to win games for us.”
But everything revolves around Balestracci, who leads both on and off the field.
“Dante continually gives helpful advice and encourages enthusiasm,” Garcia says. “On the field, his play speaks for itself. No one in this league is as good as he is. He studies the opponents’ offense harder than anyone else and knows the play before it happens. He is a great captain and a great leader.”
If Balestracci can stay healthy throughout the year, Harvard may have enough to earn its second Ivy League Championship in three seasons.
“We’ve got the talent and the scheme,” Balestracci says. “Now we just have to go out and do it.”
—Staff writer Alex M. Sherman can be reached at sherman@fas.harvard.edu.