Spring Football Preview #5: Defensive Ends
STILLWATER -- At first, I planned to do the preview on the defensive line and not separate the ends and the tackles. Last season it was hard to do that as the numbers were few, the experience was less, and there were too many players that could and later did wind up lining up at both end and tackle.
"I have never gone into a season with that little experience and so many unknowns," defensive line coach Joe Bob Clements said last week when we were watching and admiring the defensive end and tackles and the in-betweeners work out and compete in the Competition Day. "What a difference a year makes?"
Clements said that last line with a big smile and his fellow defensive line coach Greg Richmond is smiling just as big. Clements and Richmond now have three defensive ends with starting experience, a couple of defensive tackles that played some at ends, and two really promising red-shirt freshmen that have major size and ability. That is a much better situation than they were looking at a season ago.
We always look at the knows first, as in the known quantities and I'm rock solid on Tyler Lacy, who started all nine games he played in last season missing three to injury. Lacy appears to have held his playing weight and at 276 pounds he is very athletic. Last season he finished with two tackles for loss and one sack, but he was the force man on a lot of the Cowboys other 26 sacks.
Brock Martin and Trace Ford split the starting duties at the "leo" end position that sometimes plays like a front seven rover or in some football verbiage as a "jack" linebacker. Everything from edge pass rush to drop coverage to second level linebacker work with some gap responsibility and some inside blitz assignment.
Ford is very athletic and he has put on some 15-20 pounds that will help him be more physical with blockers this upcoming season. He can try that added weight some this spring and make a decision where he will best be effective.
Martin is a battler that went to the wrestling room this off-season and likely improved himself by sparring with John Smith's heavyweights in Austin Harris and Cornelius Putnam. The three-time state champion in high school at Oologah, Martin has slimmed down some to pick up some quickness.
In other words, the two "leo" ends are sharpening each other by picking up some of each other's game.
The real fun this spring will be with two red-shirt freshman that have loads of ability but not much experience. Isreal Isuman-Hundley out of Colleyville (Heritage) in Texas is looking awesome as he has put on 20-pounds and is ripped from the weight room. He is listed at 6-5, 244-pounds. In off-season he has looked very athletic in Competition Day events.
Then there is Kody Walterscheid at 6-3, 270-pounds and, again, very athletic for his size. Walterscheid has good feet and the head start of following his brother to Oklahoma State, surely good for a few inside tips to advance him.
The newcomer is Northwest Mississippi Community College mid-year enrollee Tyren Irby and he has come in and taken to the program like a veteran. He will create some genuine competition in the spring.
Walk-ons Ben Kopenski out of Prosper High School in Texas, Vance Mullendore out of Tulsa Holland Hall and IMG Academy in Florida, and Jake Schultz out of Prague are all above average and help out
No worries here about defensive end. The excitement is having returning starters that are likely to feel competition in the spring and that should make the entire position and defense better.
