It was a busy Wednesday morning at the football training facility, as Joey McGuire and the defensive staff addressed the media and previewed spring football. Following defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter and inside linebackers coach Josh Bookbinder, outside linebackers coach C.J. Ah You, defensive line coach Zarnell Fitch, and secondary coach Marcel Yates all stepped up to the podium.
Key Points:
-Ah You was up first, and outlined his process of taking the position at Tech, calling it a "no brainer", citing his previous relationship with Coach McGuire and the excitement being in the Big 12 brings. Ah You then mentions the nationwide recognition of the passionate fanbase and electric atmosphere that Lubbock possesses.
...A big part of this year's defensive strategy will entail setting hard edges, and "putting fear into the opposing team's quarterback."
-Next up, defensive line coach Zarnell Fitch listed some key contributors he expects to lead the Red Raiders up front this season, specifically Tony Bradford Jr. and Tyree Wilson. Citing their relentless work ethic and lockerroom leadership, "those are guys that we'll all really lean on to be a positive influence to those young guys."
...Fitch also mentions how easy it has been to recruit to Lubbock.
"The old mantra of you don't want to play in Lubbock...we're proving that that's different." Fitch said. "When you actually get around this town and get around the people here, they really fire you up."
-Fitch has been extremely impressed with Tyree's offseason, specifically his "no days off" mentality, work ethic, and willingness to learn in order to take this defense to the next level.
...On getting to the quarterback vs stopping the run, "you have got to stop the run...if you want that opportunity to pash rush, you have to make stopping the run important, and that's one of our goals, and that's what we are going to work on in spring ball."
-Secondary coach Marcel Yates ended the morning by addressing how much he has bonded with the guys he has been around and praising their growth both as men and football players this offseason.
-Yates sees a ton of similarities between his wildly successful Oregon secondary and this year's Texas Tech group, specifically in veteran presence and other keep attributes like weight room dedication and togetherness.
...Some of the key players that Yates has seen separate themselves from the others have been Marquis Waters, Reggie Pearson Jr., and Cameron Watts. "I can't think of a guy in my room that's not working hard", Yates said. "I would like to have to tell them woah rather than go, and right now they are going."
-Yates ended with a funny anecdote about his time at Boise State and the recruitment of former NFL player and Dallas Cowboy Orlando Scandrick. On his way down to L.A. to go see Scandrick, Yates had heard from many around the business that Scandrick had some "off the field issues". Yates wasn't sure if he was still going to pursue Orlando until his mom called and suggested that he tell the 3-star recruit that he needed to check his attitude. Yates met with Scandrick and told him he was "an a-hole", and "from that moment on, that was the one thing that drew him to me. No matter who recruited him at the point, it didn't matter."
