SAFETY IN NUMBERS

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Baylor's safeties have come a long way from just a few months ago, when Matt Powledge struggled just to find healthy bodies for the three spots in the secondary.
            "I feel like we have six guys right now that are competing, playing really fast, kind of being generals in the back end," Powledge said. "I think this is a little bit different than maybe where we were last year, from a depth standpoint. That's really exciting. . . . And then, we've got some other guys in the wings that I think, in the future, could have an impact."
            A trio of proven starters in Jalen Pitre, Christian Morgan and JT Woods, who combined for 160 tackles and eight of the team's 12 interceptions, are backed up by sixth-year senior Jairon McVea, sophomore Devin Neal and redshirt freshman Lorando Johnson.
            "Those three starters are a good three to bring back," Powledge said. "There was a lot of production out of those guys. But, you really dial in and get a magnifying glass out and look at some of those games, there probably could have been even more production. A lot of that boils down to maybe fundamentals, technique, knowing where my help is, things like that. I think what you're going to see is even more production out of those guys."
            Pitre earned All-Big 12 honors at the STAR position, finishing with team-high 60 tackles and 13.0 tackles for loss to go with two interceptions, while Morgan and Woods each had three picks.
            "Last year, they did a tremendous job just as far as alignment, assignment, doing their job," Powledge said. Areas of improvement include technique, footwork, "our eye progression. I think we're transitioning better, breaking better, we're seeing things early."
            Comparing him to Mark Vital off Baylor's national championship basketball team, Powledge calls McVea "our glue guy." A backup safety and key special teams performer, McVea finished seventh on the team last season with 39 tackles.
            "He played them all well, at some point in time was starting in all three positions, depending on the game, some of the COVID stuff, injuries and so on," Powledge said. "We've seen him develop this spring and just get better by focusing on one thing."
            Able to zero in on one spot, playing free safety, has been "pretty exciting," McVea said.
            "I played all three positions last year, which was a lot," he said, "but I'm here to help the team. So, anything they need me to do, I'll go to it and I'll do my best at it."
            The 5-11, 200-pound Johnson swapped places with former safety Al Walcott, moving over from cornerback, and "I think those moves have been good for both guys," Powledge said.
            "Both guys could play either position, but what are they best at?" he said. "We were trying to figure that out this spring, and it's really worked out well for us. It's been tremendous."
            McVea, who opted to come back for his sixth year to work on a master's in geology, said the chemistry on defense is "100% better" than it was last year.
            "(Defensive coordinator Ron Roberts) gets on me a lot. When he gets on me, I don't take it personal. I know he wants to see me be a good player," McVea said. "When Coach Powledge gets on me, he wants me to be a better player. So, no one takes any of that personal. I feel like that's the biggest improvement. We just want to win, so everyone's going in the same direction."
            The Bears will have one more workout on Thursday and wrap up spring football with the Green & Gold Game at 12 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium.
            Baylor kicks off the 2021 season Sept. 4 at Texas State and will host seven home games, including BYU, Texas and Oklahoma. For ticket information, go to the link at 2021 Baylor Football Tickets.

SAFETY IN NUMBERS

Players Mentioned

Lorando Johnson

Jairon McVea

Christian Morgan

Devin Neal

Jalen Pitre

Al Walcott

JT Woods

Footer