Here are the highlights of Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando’s media availability on Saturday:
- Orlando said Texas’ offense defeated his defense Saturday’s scrimmage. He described it as a close contest and complemented the offense.
- So far, this year’s group of freshmen has been very impressive, according to Orlando. He does not believe there is a “bust” in the freshman class. Orlando expects to play at least three freshmen on defense this year, but declined share the names of those players.
- Orlando is definitely concerned about the injuries in his linebacker room: “Right now, we’re thin, but we have options for that. I’d rather not get specific because of Maryland, but we have a way to mix and match people to add some more depth to it. I think eventually we’ll get some of these guys back, too.”
- Demarco Boyd was suspended in late July due to an altercation with a motorist on July 4. Orlando does not view Boyd as a part of the team now until Tom Herman tells him otherwise.
- Some of the young players who stood out on Saturday were Ta’Quon Graham and Marquez Bimage, according to Orlando.
- Orlando on the evolution of cornerback Davante Davis: “To me, Jason Washington (cornerbacks coach) has done a great job with him mentally he’s a pro now. When we first got here, I think it was a collection of stuff that happened in the past. We were aware of what was going on. Jason reeled him in. Gave him some confidence. He’s got all the physical attributes you need out of a corner. Just polishing up his game. He’s done really, really good things for us. He has a personality now. He’s got some confidence to him. If he does get beat on a play, he can just wipe the play away and go to he next one, which I don’t think necessarily was the case when we first got here.”
- Orlando said Caden Sterns has big speed and range. The hardest position in Orlando’s system is safety, according to him. Orlando seemingly has a lot of confidence in Sterns’ ability to play safety.
- Since Orlando system runs though two inside linebackers, he wants linebacker Gary Johnson to be a star player this season. Orlando describes Johnson as a player who has grown a lot: “Last year, if there were land mines, he probably would have stepped on every one of them. Now, he’s able to dance around them and understand ‘Okay, this is the way this program is run.’ When he goes on the football field, there is no clutter in his brain. He can just play fast. He’s matured a lot. He’s a big voice in our locker room. He’s a great example of energy and juice to go along with athletic talent. Not only does he have to play big, he’s got to be one of those vocal leaders for us on defense.”
- Orlando intends to watch the film of Saturday’s scrimmage to determine how many players he can count on this season. He wants to find 17 to 18 players that can be relied on (nearly 22 including emergency players).
- Here are Orlando’s defensive concerns: “Just depth. It’s about depth. Once you get to 11 (starters), 12 through 19 is if you put any of those guys in the game, are the guys going to go ‘Oh no’ or “Oh yes”? That, to me, is what we have to figure out. That’s what camp is about. How we can find that 19, maybe 22 based on the new redshirt [rules].”
- Orlando said he will sit down with the defensive staff on Sunday and rank players. That ranking will determine which players see the field this season.
- Texas has speed at the safety and cornerback positions, according to Orlando. He thinks that amount of speed Texas has on defense should help limit explosive offensive plays.
- Orlando was asked if he ever considered leaving Texas for another job after last season and said most of the rumors about his potential departure were completely false.
- Orlando said Texas’ offense defeated his defense Saturday’s scrimmage. He described it as a close contest and complemented the offense.
- So far, this year’s group of freshmen has been very impressive, according to Orlando. He does not believe there is a “bust” in the freshman class. Orlando expects to play at least three freshmen on defense this year, but declined share the names of those players.
- Orlando is definitely concerned about the injuries in his linebacker room: “Right now, we’re thin, but we have options for that. I’d rather not get specific because of Maryland, but we have a way to mix and match people to add some more depth to it. I think eventually we’ll get some of these guys back, too.”
- Demarco Boyd was suspended in late July due to an altercation with a motorist on July 4. Orlando does not view Boyd as a part of the team now until Tom Herman tells him otherwise.
- Some of the young players who stood out on Saturday were Ta’Quon Graham and Marquez Bimage, according to Orlando.
- Orlando on the evolution of cornerback Davante Davis: “To me, Jason Washington (cornerbacks coach) has done a great job with him mentally he’s a pro now. When we first got here, I think it was a collection of stuff that happened in the past. We were aware of what was going on. Jason reeled him in. Gave him some confidence. He’s got all the physical attributes you need out of a corner. Just polishing up his game. He’s done really, really good things for us. He has a personality now. He’s got some confidence to him. If he does get beat on a play, he can just wipe the play away and go to he next one, which I don’t think necessarily was the case when we first got here.”
- Orlando said Caden Sterns has big speed and range. The hardest position in Orlando’s system is safety, according to him. Orlando seemingly has a lot of confidence in Sterns’ ability to play safety.
- Since Orlando system runs though two inside linebackers, he wants linebacker Gary Johnson to be a star player this season. Orlando describes Johnson as a player who has grown a lot: “Last year, if there were land mines, he probably would have stepped on every one of them. Now, he’s able to dance around them and understand ‘Okay, this is the way this program is run.’ When he goes on the football field, there is no clutter in his brain. He can just play fast. He’s matured a lot. He’s a big voice in our locker room. He’s a great example of energy and juice to go along with athletic talent. Not only does he have to play big, he’s got to be one of those vocal leaders for us on defense.”
- Orlando intends to watch the film of Saturday’s scrimmage to determine how many players he can count on this season. He wants to find 17 to 18 players that can be relied on (nearly 22 including emergency players).
- Here are Orlando’s defensive concerns: “Just depth. It’s about depth. Once you get to 11 (starters), 12 through 19 is if you put any of those guys in the game, are the guys going to go ‘Oh no’ or “Oh yes”? That, to me, is what we have to figure out. That’s what camp is about. How we can find that 19, maybe 22 based on the new redshirt [rules].”
- Orlando said he will sit down with the defensive staff on Sunday and rank players. That ranking will determine which players see the field this season.
- Texas has speed at the safety and cornerback positions, according to Orlando. He thinks that amount of speed Texas has on defense should help limit explosive offensive plays.
- Orlando was asked if he ever considered leaving Texas for another job after last season and said most of the rumors about his potential departure were completely false.
