Our own Chris Level and Aaron Dickens had a chance to talk to Texas Tech defensive coordinator Keith Patterson about upcoming spring football and the latest in Texas Tech football.

AD: How excited are y’all to get underway (with spring football next week)?

KP: “We’re very excited. Obviously, our kids have an anticipation. They have an excitement about what we can become, not only as a team, but defensively and so… yeah man, they’ve been working hard and I think we got great chemistry within our unit. We’re excited about it.”

Level: Coach, I bet you’re just glad you get to have a spring because that’s very big. Last year it was taken from you guys.

KP: “No doubt about it. I mean, where we are from just a learning standpoint and everything that we’ve been able to this point. It wasn’t just the carryover that we had from the season. I just feel like we’re just continuing to build upon what we had last four or five games of the season. It just, it is. Ironically, I think it was a year ago today that we were getting ready to go have a scrimmage and came to a halt. So, it feels completely different.”

Level: Take us through how much fun that is for you (to be bringing a lot back, especially at linebacker) as a coach to have that much experience at linebacker.

KP: “Well, I think it’s going to be evident that, not just at linebacker but – we don’t lose a defensive lineman for two years. We still have every linemen that we got, and we just added three more young men with Isaac Smith and Charles Esters and Duda Banks, and then you got guys like Ty Wilson, Mbanasor, Tony Bradford, Jaylon Hutchings and Devin Drew, Philip Blidi, LB Moore, and Gilbert Ibeneme: all those guys are coming back, and what they had developed into in the weight room – and like you said linebackers we got Jeffers, Schooler, Merriweather, Morgenstern, Brandon Randle – who’s having a great offseason, and all of them. Tyrique Matthews, Derrick Lewis… it’s just where we are from a depth standpoint: that’s where the excitement comes from. We’re trying to create that same depth and competition in the back end as well.”

AD: With all the experience coming back, does that allow you to do more or go faster this spring than you would have if you have a bunch of new faces?

KP: “I think what allows us to more than necessarily do more or add more schemes is to take the scheme we have and plan with miles deep. I think just the attention to detail with techniques and adjustments and our kids have such a command of what we’re doing.

I mean, just at least in these early morning workouts we’ve been able to be a part of… just watch, you know, like the confidence and adjustments, the attention to detail in alignments and understanding run-fits and just distributing the pass. It’s just – I’m excited to see how that translates through 15 practices.”

Level: What was your previous knowledge on Sonny Cumbie before he got here?

KP: “It really just started out with mutual acquaintance. Obviously Chris Thomeson and I working together at Arizona State, he had always talked about Sonny Cumbie. Just kind of a lot of mutual friend. We seemed to have a lot in common. He’st small-town West, Texas: I’m small town eastern Oklahoma, and there was always just everybody just telling me, ‘you got to meet this guy,’ and I finally had the opportunity just from competing against him once I came back into the Big 12. It’s so good to have somebody back in Lubbock and on our staff, and I’m excited. Just the working relationship that we got going on right now: it’s exciting.”

Level: Take me through like a guy like Colin Schooler. How much different will he be having a full year (with spring ball and everything)?

KP: “I mean, I’m just going to tell you: when you see this guy, just looking at him, when you see him physically now compared to a year ago – he showed up, he probably had 20 percent body fat. He’s probably down to 10 percent body fat now – and he’s gained probably 15 pounds. I mean, the guy doesn’t even look like the same guy. But yes, still, he moves and is fluid and just very, very excited about Schooler coming back. Just the amount of playing experience that he has is just how smart of a player he is.

But yeah, he’s going to be different. I mean, it’s the same thing with Morgenstern and Brandon Randle. I mean, between the guys, they have right at 70 tackles between the two of them, and yet, they just showed up.

Randle was recovering from a shoulder surgery from the year before, and Morgenstern just shows up the summer time and has an incredible year. I’m excited to see them and Merriweather. Merriweather really just gets here, and he gets to go through spring ball.

So, we’re out there playing three or four guys that just showed up, and man, being able to have these guys and let them go through Scholz’s training, and then now we’re sitting here in meetings and at trainings in the morning workouts going into spring football. And then you through Jeffers into the mix along with some of the younger guys with Matthews and Derrick Lewis and you got Bryce Robinson and then Patrick Curley. There’s just so much more depth than what we’ve ever experienced here.”

Level: I know you’re not surprised, but Zech McPherson is getting a lot of praise in the NFL draft process, and that’ll be a tough one to replace back at corner.

KP: “Yeah, I feel good though. I mean, I’ll tell you what. We brought in the guy that’s probably the most transformed guy on our defense period in Demarcus Fields. I fully expect him to have an incredible season, and he has become our leader. Just the transformation from day-one to right now since we’ve been here is absolutely incredible. So, I’m so excited to watch him…

I feel good about the guys that we have brought in. Obviously, you got Rayshad Williams. That kid can be special. I mean, you’re talking about a six-foot-two corner that’s smooth as silk. You got Malik Dunlap, six-foot-three two hundred-fifteen-pound corner. Our guys that’re coming back you got Cam Watts, Adrian Frye, you got guys like Kobee Minor, Nate Floyd.

So again, we have potentially guys that we can think can be very deep, but they have to develop. I think the guys up front at D-line, the linebackers, they got just a little more experience. I think we have a potential to really – and Marquis Waters coming in at safety, Eric Monroe coming back, Dadrion Taylor, Seth Collins is having a great camp, and Cam White. I’m excited to see what these guys can become.

I mean there’s potentially we put five guys on the field that are over six-foot tall.”

Texas Tech begins spring football on Monday, March 15, with the spring scrimmage scheduled for Saturday, April 17.