2009 vs. 2010: The Superbacks

From Zimbio.com

Unless you a regular watcher of Northwestern football, you are probably asking, "What the heck is a superback?" And you are certainly justified in asking that because absolutely no one else has a position by that name. Basically, the term encompasses the fullback, tight end, and H-back positions.
Last Year: We basically had four superbacks last year: Mark Woodsum, Brendan Mitchell, Josh Rooks, and Drake Dunsmore. Because these people filled very different roles, I will break it down player-by-player.
Mark Woodsum was essentially a fullback. Because Northwestern runs a spread offense, they rarely use a fullback, except in occasional short-yardage situations. Because of this, Woodsum did not accumulate many stats and got most of his plays on special teams. That being said, he was responsible for one of the most exciting plays of the year when he caught a pass from Demos on a broken punt for a first down against Penn St. I also must mention that I once got to play tackle football against him in the annual Bonehead Bowl (a marching band tradition). Story time: I forced a fumble against him for a touchdown, (well, technically I just deflected a backwards lateral and dove on it in the endzone, but "forced fumble" sounds way more awesome) and we ended up winning. Anyways, thanks for playing, Mark. That was awesome.
Brendan Mitchell was a senior who played tight end primarily. He did not see a ton of playing time, but was on the receiving end of the game-tying, wide receiver reverse pass in the Outback Bowl.
Josh Rooks played the other tight end position as a junior. He did not do a whole lot statistically, but he did quite well as a blocker and on special teams.
Drake Dunsmore was the most exciting superback last year, as well as the youngest, a sophomore. His position is also the most difficult to describe. He is usually considered a tight end, but he also plays as a slot receiver. It's kind of a Dallas Clark-esque role. He played in all 13 games pulling in 47 receptions for 523 yards (second best amongst Big 10 tight ends) and 3 touchdowns. Furthermore, he was on the receiving end of probably the most exciting play of the year, a long run-after-catch for a touchdown in the Outback Bowl where he broke several seemingly easy tackles.
This Year: Woodsum and Mitchell both graduated, but Rooks and Dunsmore are returning and most likely reprising their respective roles. Dunsmore has received a great deal of national attention, being named one of the top 10 tight ends in the country by Rivals.com. He is definitely a player to watch. Woodsum's fullback role will be filled by Aaron Nagel, a junior transfer from Notre Dame who converted from linebacker. I have no idea whether anyone will fill Mitchell's spot, but if so, my best guess is that it will be filled by redshirt freshman John Plasencia.
Improvement?: I will say yes, simply because Dunsmore figures to play an expanded role in the offense, and, quite frankly, he is my favorite player on the team.