BAYLOR FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
8/16/2022 11:45:00 AM | Football
Filling Holes in a Secondary That Lost Key Starters
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
In a Baylor defense that returns its entire front, along with linebackers Dillon Doyle and Matt Jones, the secondary is really the one area that has holes to fill coming into the 2022 season.
Gone are All-American safety Jalen Pitre, the Big 12 Conference's leader in interceptions (JT Woods), the hero of the Big 12 Championship game (Jairon McVea) and cornerbacks Kalon Barnes and Raleigh Texada.
Fifth-year senior safety Christian Morgan, who made 10 starts last season at weak safety, said the two groups are "completely different."
"We have our strengths and weaknesses," Morgan said. "It really just depends on how much you work. Last year's group really came in and worked. I'm not going to say this group is going to be better. We've got to come in and work every day."
Sophomore cornerback AJ McCarty said what separates this year's secondary is "our energy with our coach, because Coach (Kevin) Curtis is a real high-energy dude and he always wants us to be high-energy, too."
"He expects nothing less, so he's always in there trying to motivate us," McCarty said. "I really think the positive energy in our group helps us take that to the field."
TRADING PLACES: Al Walcott and Lorando "Snaxx" Johnson were Sugar Bowl starters at cornerback and nickelback, respectively, but they've basically traded places.
Johnson replaced Pitre at the hybrid STAR position in the spring, but he's been moved to corner, with Walcott now at the STAR.
"Lorando just has such speed and athleticism," third-year head coach Dave Aranda said. "He was bringing physicality, for sure, from the start. But, there was this need for skill and speed on the perimeter, and he's doing well there."
Walcott, who made eight starts at corner last season and scored on a 96-yard interception return in the Sugar Bowl win over Ole Miss, "is a ballhawk and is always around it."
"I think there's a great amount of physicality with him," Aranda said of Walcott. "Last year as a corner, he was one of our better blitzers. We would bring the corner quite a bit. His transformation to the STAR position was an easy one."
Morgan said he sees "a lot of Pitre" in Walcott, "just a bigger version of him. He's really instinctive, fast, a playmaker with really good ball skills, a complete package."
'ROBBERS AND JACKERS': Since "Take Three" was implemented by first-year Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire when he was on the Baylor defensive staff, the Bears' new motto for creating turnovers is "robbers and jackers."
A year ago, Baylor ranked seventh nationally in turnovers gained with a Big 12-best 28 (19 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries).
"I think it's our own creativity and style, approach to it," said junior safety Devin Neal, the projected starter at weak safety. "Obviously, the 'Take 3' movement used to be a thing, but we're making something new of ourselves. . . . Forcing turnovers is really what gets everything going. We have a wonderful offense, and we'll do anything to get the ball back in their hands."
McCarty, who's rotating with Johnson and senior Mark Milton at the cornerback positions, said "Robbers and Jackers" has been a practice emphasis that "just makes us want to attack the ball eve n more and be more aggressive, so we can carry it over to the game."
FASTEST GPS TIME: Dating back to the 2014 season, McCarty recorded the fastest GPS time in program history with a 22.8 (mph) mark during Saturday's scrimmage at McLane Stadium.
McCarty, who won the 4A state championship in the triple jump at Brownwood High School in 2019 with a mark of 47-6, said he "ran pretty fast."
"I'm almost there," he said. "I know during the season, I'm reaching for 23 (mph). With the adrenaline and all that, hopefully I'll make it."
WELCOME TO THE HALL: Former All-American defensive lineman Santana Dotson was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame on Tuesday as part of a 2022 class that includes fellow football players Ben Cowins from Arkansas, Danny Davis from the University of Houston, Putt Choate from SMU, Greg Hill from Texas A&M and Maury Buford from Texas Tech, NCAA long jump champion Kareem Streete-Thompson from Rice, Olympic gold medalist swimmer Betsy Mitchell from Texas and basketball standout Carven Holcombe from TCU.
Named the SWC Newcomer of the Year in 1988, Dotson was a three-year starter for the Bears and finished with 193 tackles, 18 sacks, four forced fumbles and two blocked kicks. After Baylor, he had a 10-year NFL career with Tampa Bay and Green Bay, winning a Super Bowl title with the Packers.
PRACTICE SCHEDULE: Baylor will go through the second of six-straight days of workouts on Tuesday and wrap up its second full week with a scrimmage Saturday morning at McLane Stadium.
As a reminder, all practices are closed to the public.
Baylor's annual "Meet the Bears" event is scheduled for 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, with student-athletes and coaches from most of the 19 intercollegiate sports signing autographs on the main concourse of McLane Stadium.
Single-game tickets for the 2022 season are now available to the public. In the first of six home games, Baylor will kick it off against the University of Albany at 6 p.m. Sept. 3 at McLane Stadium.
Baylor Bear Insider
In a Baylor defense that returns its entire front, along with linebackers Dillon Doyle and Matt Jones, the secondary is really the one area that has holes to fill coming into the 2022 season.
Gone are All-American safety Jalen Pitre, the Big 12 Conference's leader in interceptions (JT Woods), the hero of the Big 12 Championship game (Jairon McVea) and cornerbacks Kalon Barnes and Raleigh Texada.
Fifth-year senior safety Christian Morgan, who made 10 starts last season at weak safety, said the two groups are "completely different."
"We have our strengths and weaknesses," Morgan said. "It really just depends on how much you work. Last year's group really came in and worked. I'm not going to say this group is going to be better. We've got to come in and work every day."
Sophomore cornerback AJ McCarty said what separates this year's secondary is "our energy with our coach, because Coach (Kevin) Curtis is a real high-energy dude and he always wants us to be high-energy, too."
"He expects nothing less, so he's always in there trying to motivate us," McCarty said. "I really think the positive energy in our group helps us take that to the field."
TRADING PLACES: Al Walcott and Lorando "Snaxx" Johnson were Sugar Bowl starters at cornerback and nickelback, respectively, but they've basically traded places.
Johnson replaced Pitre at the hybrid STAR position in the spring, but he's been moved to corner, with Walcott now at the STAR.
"Lorando just has such speed and athleticism," third-year head coach Dave Aranda said. "He was bringing physicality, for sure, from the start. But, there was this need for skill and speed on the perimeter, and he's doing well there."
Walcott, who made eight starts at corner last season and scored on a 96-yard interception return in the Sugar Bowl win over Ole Miss, "is a ballhawk and is always around it."
"I think there's a great amount of physicality with him," Aranda said of Walcott. "Last year as a corner, he was one of our better blitzers. We would bring the corner quite a bit. His transformation to the STAR position was an easy one."
Morgan said he sees "a lot of Pitre" in Walcott, "just a bigger version of him. He's really instinctive, fast, a playmaker with really good ball skills, a complete package."
'ROBBERS AND JACKERS': Since "Take Three" was implemented by first-year Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire when he was on the Baylor defensive staff, the Bears' new motto for creating turnovers is "robbers and jackers."
A year ago, Baylor ranked seventh nationally in turnovers gained with a Big 12-best 28 (19 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries).
"I think it's our own creativity and style, approach to it," said junior safety Devin Neal, the projected starter at weak safety. "Obviously, the 'Take 3' movement used to be a thing, but we're making something new of ourselves. . . . Forcing turnovers is really what gets everything going. We have a wonderful offense, and we'll do anything to get the ball back in their hands."
McCarty, who's rotating with Johnson and senior Mark Milton at the cornerback positions, said "Robbers and Jackers" has been a practice emphasis that "just makes us want to attack the ball eve n more and be more aggressive, so we can carry it over to the game."
FASTEST GPS TIME: Dating back to the 2014 season, McCarty recorded the fastest GPS time in program history with a 22.8 (mph) mark during Saturday's scrimmage at McLane Stadium.
McCarty, who won the 4A state championship in the triple jump at Brownwood High School in 2019 with a mark of 47-6, said he "ran pretty fast."
"I'm almost there," he said. "I know during the season, I'm reaching for 23 (mph). With the adrenaline and all that, hopefully I'll make it."
WELCOME TO THE HALL: Former All-American defensive lineman Santana Dotson was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame on Tuesday as part of a 2022 class that includes fellow football players Ben Cowins from Arkansas, Danny Davis from the University of Houston, Putt Choate from SMU, Greg Hill from Texas A&M and Maury Buford from Texas Tech, NCAA long jump champion Kareem Streete-Thompson from Rice, Olympic gold medalist swimmer Betsy Mitchell from Texas and basketball standout Carven Holcombe from TCU.
Named the SWC Newcomer of the Year in 1988, Dotson was a three-year starter for the Bears and finished with 193 tackles, 18 sacks, four forced fumbles and two blocked kicks. After Baylor, he had a 10-year NFL career with Tampa Bay and Green Bay, winning a Super Bowl title with the Packers.
PRACTICE SCHEDULE: Baylor will go through the second of six-straight days of workouts on Tuesday and wrap up its second full week with a scrimmage Saturday morning at McLane Stadium.
As a reminder, all practices are closed to the public.
Baylor's annual "Meet the Bears" event is scheduled for 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, with student-athletes and coaches from most of the 19 intercollegiate sports signing autographs on the main concourse of McLane Stadium.
Single-game tickets for the 2022 season are now available to the public. In the first of six home games, Baylor will kick it off against the University of Albany at 6 p.m. Sept. 3 at McLane Stadium.
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