Colleges 2006

Lawrence Timmons: Poised to break out

By Times Staff
Published September 1, 2006

LAWRENCE TIMMONS, LINEBACKER

THE WAITING IS OVER

Timmons was one of the nation's top prospects as a senior at Wilson High (Florence, S.C.); he was, in fact, the Palmetto State's top defensive player. Although he appeared in all 12 games as a freshman in 2004 and then all 13 last year, he has been a backup and special teams mainstay. "He's playing like he's been a starter for two years," linebackers coach Kevin Steele said.

HIT MACHINE

Steele likes to tell his players to go after the ball and ball carrier with a "bad frame of mind." Translation: aggressively and relentlessly. Last season, Timmons had 35 tackles (a career-high eight in the ACC Championship Game against Virginia Tech), forced two fumbles, recovered a fumble, had three bone-rattling quarterback sacks and blocked two punts.

AWARD OUTLOOK

Like other touted prospects, Timmons didn't expect to be a backup for two years. "I'm glad I did it. It was beneficial," he said, referring to the chance to watch and learn from Ernie Sims, who was a first-round NFL draft pick in April. As for winning awards, he picked up one from the FSU coaches, the Hinesman as the most dominant player overall in the spring. Street & Smith also pegged him as a preseason honorable mention All-America.

[Last modified August 29, 2006, 10:01:08]