Texas defensive coordinator Vance Bedford addressed the media on Wednesday. Here are some quick snippets from his press conference:
- Bedford said they don't have a lot of depth on the defensive line. Poona Ford is having a good spring. Chris Nelson is doing a good job. Paul Boyette is doing a good job, too.
- He also said the offensive tempo is fast like Baylor and TCU. He's stressing they need to have a sense of urgency during every practice in order to execute when it counts during the season.
- When Bedford was asked about linebacker Malik Jefferson, he said this is not the time for sophomore blues. He needs Jefferson to step up this year. So far, Jefferson is doing a great job of being a leader.
- Bedford said they have four or five cornerbaccks who can receive playing time this season, which is a good problem to have. After doing some research this offseason, he realized there are many teams who play several guys at the same position during the regular season. He wants to play a lot of guys on the back end for depth. In addition, he views all of them as starters. For example, even if Kris Boyd does not start, if he has a hot hand, he may end up with more reps than the starter.
- Linebackers Anthony Wheeler and Breckyn Hager have taken huge steps this offseason. Wheeler is in the right spots with pass drops, while Hager is one of their best blitzers, according to Bedford.
- When I asked Bedford if he is unhappy with facing an up-tempo offense in practice, he said it was not sure. Instead, Bedford said his biggest concern is having a sense of urgency on the defensive side of the ball.
- Bedford said safety Jason Hall's next step is understanding the game. He's had a good spring so far, and is taking steps in the right direction
- When asked about the struggles on last year's defense, Bedford said they battled through injuires. More importantly, they also had guys who did not make plays, plus his players missed too many tackles. They all need to be better in space this year.
- He said their defense cannot play 80 snaps during a game. They need to cut that number down to 60.
- Bedford told his defense on Saturday he was not sure how they would tackle D'Onta Foreman and Chris Warren. Both guys are extremely hard to tackle because of their size. He likes the direction of their offense, and loves the skill set on offense. He even compared receiver Collin Johnson's ability to grab passes out of the air to LeBron James.
- If safety DeShon Elliott wants to play, he needs to show Bedford during practice. If not, Elliott will have to fetch him grape Gatorade on game days, according to Bedford.
- Bedford said if they get the right players in here, develop and get them going, things will beging to head in the right direction at Texas
- He said the expectation at UT is to be dominant and win championships. The program is not there right now, but Bedford believes the Longhorns are heading in that direction.
- Bedford said recruiting is a slower process right now. Said you can make mistakes if you over a guy a scholarship as a sophomore. He said they can't pull a scholarship because they're UT
- Bedford's message to the incoming defensive lineman is to get ready to play. If you are 300 pounds, you will play this season. Texas has been forced to add weight to players. Instead, the Longhorns will have players coming into the program who already have the ideal weight. In fact, he expects at least three of them to have at least 20 snaps a game ... in the first quarter.
- Anthony Wheeler, P.J. Locke, Davante Davis, Poona Ford and Chris Nelson have taken major steps from a year ago, according to Bedford.
- Bedford said they don't have a lot of depth on the defensive line. Poona Ford is having a good spring. Chris Nelson is doing a good job. Paul Boyette is doing a good job, too.
- He also said the offensive tempo is fast like Baylor and TCU. He's stressing they need to have a sense of urgency during every practice in order to execute when it counts during the season.
- When Bedford was asked about linebacker Malik Jefferson, he said this is not the time for sophomore blues. He needs Jefferson to step up this year. So far, Jefferson is doing a great job of being a leader.
- Bedford said they have four or five cornerbaccks who can receive playing time this season, which is a good problem to have. After doing some research this offseason, he realized there are many teams who play several guys at the same position during the regular season. He wants to play a lot of guys on the back end for depth. In addition, he views all of them as starters. For example, even if Kris Boyd does not start, if he has a hot hand, he may end up with more reps than the starter.
- Linebackers Anthony Wheeler and Breckyn Hager have taken huge steps this offseason. Wheeler is in the right spots with pass drops, while Hager is one of their best blitzers, according to Bedford.
- When I asked Bedford if he is unhappy with facing an up-tempo offense in practice, he said it was not sure. Instead, Bedford said his biggest concern is having a sense of urgency on the defensive side of the ball.
- Bedford said safety Jason Hall's next step is understanding the game. He's had a good spring so far, and is taking steps in the right direction
- When asked about the struggles on last year's defense, Bedford said they battled through injuires. More importantly, they also had guys who did not make plays, plus his players missed too many tackles. They all need to be better in space this year.
- He said their defense cannot play 80 snaps during a game. They need to cut that number down to 60.
- Bedford told his defense on Saturday he was not sure how they would tackle D'Onta Foreman and Chris Warren. Both guys are extremely hard to tackle because of their size. He likes the direction of their offense, and loves the skill set on offense. He even compared receiver Collin Johnson's ability to grab passes out of the air to LeBron James.
- If safety DeShon Elliott wants to play, he needs to show Bedford during practice. If not, Elliott will have to fetch him grape Gatorade on game days, according to Bedford.
- Bedford said if they get the right players in here, develop and get them going, things will beging to head in the right direction at Texas
- He said the expectation at UT is to be dominant and win championships. The program is not there right now, but Bedford believes the Longhorns are heading in that direction.
- Bedford said recruiting is a slower process right now. Said you can make mistakes if you over a guy a scholarship as a sophomore. He said they can't pull a scholarship because they're UT
- Bedford's message to the incoming defensive lineman is to get ready to play. If you are 300 pounds, you will play this season. Texas has been forced to add weight to players. Instead, the Longhorns will have players coming into the program who already have the ideal weight. In fact, he expects at least three of them to have at least 20 snaps a game ... in the first quarter.
- Anthony Wheeler, P.J. Locke, Davante Davis, Poona Ford and Chris Nelson have taken major steps from a year ago, according to Bedford.
Last edited:
