A Sitdown With Defensive Coordinator Brandon Bailey
3/17/2024 5:30:00 PM | Football
Eagles begin spring ball Tuesday
STATESBORO - Georgia Southern football kicks off its spring session this week as the Eagles take to the field for the first of 15 practices on Tuesday morning. GSEagles.com had a chance to sit down with second-year defensive coordinator Brandon Bailey to get his thoughts on his side of the ball.
Q: What are the top goals for the defense this spring?
A: So when we sat down and evaluated ourselves after last season, the first thing we tried to do is identify the things we did really, really good and identify the things that we didn't do very good, and you take those things that you didn't do very good, whether it be schematic or technique-wise or where we have people located within the scheme, and we got to address those things. Technically, the thing that stands out the most was we've got to tackle the ball better. When you go back and watch our tape, even in games where it felt like we played well when you come out, there are still opportunities to end drives ... or at least give yourself a chance to get off the field if you make a tackle. So we've got to address that. We've got to take better angles to the ball and apply a better technique when we get to the ball. Schematically, we will try to turn it down a little bit. It'll mirror a little bit with what last spring looked like when we had just gotten here and did a little less. Looking back, I feel like I could have done better by putting less on the players down the stretch. It was a bit uneven when we looked at what we called in the games versus some of the volume that we practiced. So I think those will be the biggest things. We have to continue to pound home the culture with what we want our defense to look like and how we want to play, and we'll do that every single day.
Q: Who are some young guys on the team last year that probably didn't play a lot but you are excited to watch develop this spring?
A: There are a few that I'm really excited about. Ayden Jackson, he'll play defensive back for us as a combination of nickel and safety, primarily nickel. He's an uber-talented player who I think is maybe finally starting to figure out that he's got a chance to be really good if he'll apply himself in the right ways. And you know, he's no longer a big fish in a small pond. He's another big fish in a big pond. But I think he's got the chance to be a really special player for us. You look at guys like Jamari Whitehead, as a young kid just dripping with ability. He played in some special team situations last year, but he looks like you want him to look, and he can run. So I'm excited to see what he does. Another guy that I think you can see that's not necessarily a young kid but might have an increased role is Davon Gilmore. He's having a monster off-season in terms of what he's doing with his body and getting himself prepared to contribute. From a returner standpoint, Tracy Hill Jr. will have a chance to play a big role on our team at corner. He played meaningful reps for us last year and probably a little more than some other guys. He's got an elite skill set and size. Looking at the D-line, we're hoping Trevon Locke turns it loose. He plays a position where some guys in front of them have produced a ton in Justin Rhodes and Latrell Bullard, but hopefully, we can get some more production out of him. Elhadj Fall has played a ton, but you will continue to see him grow, as well.
Q: Who are some guys that transferred in that you're excited to see take the field next week?
A: We were very specific in who we took from a transfer standpoint. We felt really good about our nucleus of players and our philosophy here is that high school recruiting is priority one, but then you go address immediate needs in the Portal. I felt like the guys we got hit the nail on the head. If you look at the two kids from Kennesaw State in, Deontre Morris and Chance Gamble, I think those guys will impact our football team immediately. From a body type and ability standpoint, I think you can look for big things, such as how they've already embraced this place and the scheme and how we do things. You've got another defensive back in Dorian Smith, coming from Northeast Mississippi. He's a kid from the state of Georgia, which is important to us, and he's a corner who's got a chance to help us. Then you look at the linebacker position, where we brought in Davon Hicks. He's played a lot of football, so we're also excited about what he can bring to the table.
Q: Were there any position changes from within the defense of note?
A: We're experimenting with an extremely talented kid named MJ Stroud. He played a ton for us at defensive end last year, was very productive and was very reliable. This is not a change based on him not being productive at that position. This is an experiment. He looks exactly like what an NFL linebacker looks like. And he has that skill set. We have a lot of really good players in that defensive room, and the goal is to get your 11 best football players on the field. This is a situation where, if he goes through half a spring or all of spring, and maybe he's not as comfortable or doesn't click the same position as it did the other one, that's an easy transition back to something he's already done and taken a ton of reps up. But we may look up at the end of the spring ball and be like, 'Oh, man, we've got a really special player with a special body type that plays the position,' that's how some of the stories work at our level. If you look at successful position changes, look no further than our linebackers coach, Darius Eubanks. He came in as a linebacker and transitioned to safety in 2012, and then, our two safeties were Darius Eubanks and JJ Wilcox. Those are two NFL players. And so you never know how this might turn out. And you may go right back, but we'll see if we can make it work.
Q: Let's talk about the new coach on your side of the ball, former Eagle player and coach Darius Safford. What went into your choosing to bring him back, and what does he bring?
A: When you get the opportunity to be in a leadership position, you must always stay ready. Whether it is coaches leaving or changes that are made, you always have to have guys that you feel can come in and fit within the room of the people you have. Coach Safford is a guy who I identified a long time ago. I wanted to hire him in Buffalo, but that ended up not working out. When I got here, I was able to bring in one coach, and I brought Coach Eubanks in. Then, the opportunity arose to bring Coach Safford in this year. He's a guy who brings a ton of energy; he understands this place and the expectations of this program. He played his last season here. He was a graduate assistant here. He understands this place and this culture. He understands recruiting in the state of Georgia, and he drips energy. I'm excited to see him out on the field next week.
Q: Let's take a look at each position group. What are you looking for out of the defensive line in the spring?
A: That was one of our strongest groups last year. But the biggest word Coach Rip Rowan and I've talked about is consistency. Those guys have made a bunch of plays. And those guys have affected games. With some of the things we do, we probably put more on our defensive line than a typical scheme does. Those guys have to think a little bit. Those guys have to play blocks. It's not just get off the ball and go like in some defenses. Those guys have embraced that, but we must be more consistent. Some of our most productive players play that position up front for us. And like I said, to repeat the word, consistency will be the biggest thing, and we'll be all over that in the spring.
Q: What about the linebackers?
A: It will be a big-time spring for that group because there will be so many guys getting reps. There are a lot of guys who will have a chance to prove themselves. We've got to develop quality, quality depth in that room. And when I say quality, quality depth also comes with identifying the two guys. We think we need to run out there when we start a game that gives us the best chance to win. We know what we have in Marques Watson-Trent, but we've even challenged him to be the right kind of teammate and provide the example because nothing's given here. If you want to be that guy, you must be that guy. He will, and I know he'll embrace that, but I'm really excited to see who else emerges out of that room through spring ball.
Q: And finally, in the back end, the defensive backs.
A: Yeah, so we graduated 100% of our snaps at corner for the most part in terms of starters with losing Damel Hickman and Shemar Bartholomew. So we have to identify who will be the guys that step up and embrace those roles. We need to develop depth in those rooms, and luckily, we play against an offense every day that gives you the chance to identify those people who can cover. At safety, we have TJ Smith back, but we also want to give some opportunities to some guys to grow and create more depth in that room. I think that room is potentially one of our deepest rooms. But within that depth, we've got to get dramatically better and more consistent with our play.
Q: Went into the coaching position change with you and Coach Eubanks switching after year one?
A: I will call as I see it: I think he's a better position coach than I am, and the way we do it here, the way we structure it, the linebacker position is the most difficult position to coach in terms of the volume that those players have to be taught. And I don't feel like I did those kids justice in doing all the things I needed to do as the coordinator and then turning around and coaching them at their position. I felt like I was sometimes limited or didn't give them enough information, or whatever it may be. And maybe it wasn't as bad as I made myself feel about it. But there were times when I questioned that. And my natural position that I'm most comfortable coaching is the safeties. It's not necessarily an easy position to coach, but I am more comfortable with it. I've done it more than I've coached linebackers, and there's probably a little less volume to the coaching of that position, and Coach Eubanks is an unbelievably detailed coach. He played linebacker in the NFL. This move wasn't something we did impulsively. We probably went back and forth two or three times to figure out what we thought was best for the room and where we were most comfortable. But as we sit here now, I couldn't be more excited about it and happier with how it's been so far.
Q: Finish the sentence. Spring practice for the Eagle defense will be successful if:
A: If we approach the ball better and can get to the point where we make tackles. Obviously, there aren't a ton of tackling drills in the spring. If we don't give up a bunch of explosive plays, we talk a lot about keeping the ball inside and in front, and as everybody knows this. If we take things away from the offense and put as much pressure on them as possible to make poor choices that turn the ball over, that will turn into wins in the fall.
Q: What are the top goals for the defense this spring?
A: So when we sat down and evaluated ourselves after last season, the first thing we tried to do is identify the things we did really, really good and identify the things that we didn't do very good, and you take those things that you didn't do very good, whether it be schematic or technique-wise or where we have people located within the scheme, and we got to address those things. Technically, the thing that stands out the most was we've got to tackle the ball better. When you go back and watch our tape, even in games where it felt like we played well when you come out, there are still opportunities to end drives ... or at least give yourself a chance to get off the field if you make a tackle. So we've got to address that. We've got to take better angles to the ball and apply a better technique when we get to the ball. Schematically, we will try to turn it down a little bit. It'll mirror a little bit with what last spring looked like when we had just gotten here and did a little less. Looking back, I feel like I could have done better by putting less on the players down the stretch. It was a bit uneven when we looked at what we called in the games versus some of the volume that we practiced. So I think those will be the biggest things. We have to continue to pound home the culture with what we want our defense to look like and how we want to play, and we'll do that every single day.
Q: Who are some young guys on the team last year that probably didn't play a lot but you are excited to watch develop this spring?
A: There are a few that I'm really excited about. Ayden Jackson, he'll play defensive back for us as a combination of nickel and safety, primarily nickel. He's an uber-talented player who I think is maybe finally starting to figure out that he's got a chance to be really good if he'll apply himself in the right ways. And you know, he's no longer a big fish in a small pond. He's another big fish in a big pond. But I think he's got the chance to be a really special player for us. You look at guys like Jamari Whitehead, as a young kid just dripping with ability. He played in some special team situations last year, but he looks like you want him to look, and he can run. So I'm excited to see what he does. Another guy that I think you can see that's not necessarily a young kid but might have an increased role is Davon Gilmore. He's having a monster off-season in terms of what he's doing with his body and getting himself prepared to contribute. From a returner standpoint, Tracy Hill Jr. will have a chance to play a big role on our team at corner. He played meaningful reps for us last year and probably a little more than some other guys. He's got an elite skill set and size. Looking at the D-line, we're hoping Trevon Locke turns it loose. He plays a position where some guys in front of them have produced a ton in Justin Rhodes and Latrell Bullard, but hopefully, we can get some more production out of him. Elhadj Fall has played a ton, but you will continue to see him grow, as well.
Q: Who are some guys that transferred in that you're excited to see take the field next week?
A: We were very specific in who we took from a transfer standpoint. We felt really good about our nucleus of players and our philosophy here is that high school recruiting is priority one, but then you go address immediate needs in the Portal. I felt like the guys we got hit the nail on the head. If you look at the two kids from Kennesaw State in, Deontre Morris and Chance Gamble, I think those guys will impact our football team immediately. From a body type and ability standpoint, I think you can look for big things, such as how they've already embraced this place and the scheme and how we do things. You've got another defensive back in Dorian Smith, coming from Northeast Mississippi. He's a kid from the state of Georgia, which is important to us, and he's a corner who's got a chance to help us. Then you look at the linebacker position, where we brought in Davon Hicks. He's played a lot of football, so we're also excited about what he can bring to the table.
Q: Were there any position changes from within the defense of note?
A: We're experimenting with an extremely talented kid named MJ Stroud. He played a ton for us at defensive end last year, was very productive and was very reliable. This is not a change based on him not being productive at that position. This is an experiment. He looks exactly like what an NFL linebacker looks like. And he has that skill set. We have a lot of really good players in that defensive room, and the goal is to get your 11 best football players on the field. This is a situation where, if he goes through half a spring or all of spring, and maybe he's not as comfortable or doesn't click the same position as it did the other one, that's an easy transition back to something he's already done and taken a ton of reps up. But we may look up at the end of the spring ball and be like, 'Oh, man, we've got a really special player with a special body type that plays the position,' that's how some of the stories work at our level. If you look at successful position changes, look no further than our linebackers coach, Darius Eubanks. He came in as a linebacker and transitioned to safety in 2012, and then, our two safeties were Darius Eubanks and JJ Wilcox. Those are two NFL players. And so you never know how this might turn out. And you may go right back, but we'll see if we can make it work.
Q: Let's talk about the new coach on your side of the ball, former Eagle player and coach Darius Safford. What went into your choosing to bring him back, and what does he bring?
A: When you get the opportunity to be in a leadership position, you must always stay ready. Whether it is coaches leaving or changes that are made, you always have to have guys that you feel can come in and fit within the room of the people you have. Coach Safford is a guy who I identified a long time ago. I wanted to hire him in Buffalo, but that ended up not working out. When I got here, I was able to bring in one coach, and I brought Coach Eubanks in. Then, the opportunity arose to bring Coach Safford in this year. He's a guy who brings a ton of energy; he understands this place and the expectations of this program. He played his last season here. He was a graduate assistant here. He understands this place and this culture. He understands recruiting in the state of Georgia, and he drips energy. I'm excited to see him out on the field next week.
Q: Let's take a look at each position group. What are you looking for out of the defensive line in the spring?
A: That was one of our strongest groups last year. But the biggest word Coach Rip Rowan and I've talked about is consistency. Those guys have made a bunch of plays. And those guys have affected games. With some of the things we do, we probably put more on our defensive line than a typical scheme does. Those guys have to think a little bit. Those guys have to play blocks. It's not just get off the ball and go like in some defenses. Those guys have embraced that, but we must be more consistent. Some of our most productive players play that position up front for us. And like I said, to repeat the word, consistency will be the biggest thing, and we'll be all over that in the spring.
Q: What about the linebackers?
A: It will be a big-time spring for that group because there will be so many guys getting reps. There are a lot of guys who will have a chance to prove themselves. We've got to develop quality, quality depth in that room. And when I say quality, quality depth also comes with identifying the two guys. We think we need to run out there when we start a game that gives us the best chance to win. We know what we have in Marques Watson-Trent, but we've even challenged him to be the right kind of teammate and provide the example because nothing's given here. If you want to be that guy, you must be that guy. He will, and I know he'll embrace that, but I'm really excited to see who else emerges out of that room through spring ball.
Q: And finally, in the back end, the defensive backs.
A: Yeah, so we graduated 100% of our snaps at corner for the most part in terms of starters with losing Damel Hickman and Shemar Bartholomew. So we have to identify who will be the guys that step up and embrace those roles. We need to develop depth in those rooms, and luckily, we play against an offense every day that gives you the chance to identify those people who can cover. At safety, we have TJ Smith back, but we also want to give some opportunities to some guys to grow and create more depth in that room. I think that room is potentially one of our deepest rooms. But within that depth, we've got to get dramatically better and more consistent with our play.
Q: Went into the coaching position change with you and Coach Eubanks switching after year one?
A: I will call as I see it: I think he's a better position coach than I am, and the way we do it here, the way we structure it, the linebacker position is the most difficult position to coach in terms of the volume that those players have to be taught. And I don't feel like I did those kids justice in doing all the things I needed to do as the coordinator and then turning around and coaching them at their position. I felt like I was sometimes limited or didn't give them enough information, or whatever it may be. And maybe it wasn't as bad as I made myself feel about it. But there were times when I questioned that. And my natural position that I'm most comfortable coaching is the safeties. It's not necessarily an easy position to coach, but I am more comfortable with it. I've done it more than I've coached linebackers, and there's probably a little less volume to the coaching of that position, and Coach Eubanks is an unbelievably detailed coach. He played linebacker in the NFL. This move wasn't something we did impulsively. We probably went back and forth two or three times to figure out what we thought was best for the room and where we were most comfortable. But as we sit here now, I couldn't be more excited about it and happier with how it's been so far.
Q: Finish the sentence. Spring practice for the Eagle defense will be successful if:
A: If we approach the ball better and can get to the point where we make tackles. Obviously, there aren't a ton of tackling drills in the spring. If we don't give up a bunch of explosive plays, we talk a lot about keeping the ball inside and in front, and as everybody knows this. If we take things away from the offense and put as much pressure on them as possible to make poor choices that turn the ball over, that will turn into wins in the fall.
Players Mentioned
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DL
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DB
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DB
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DB
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DL
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DL
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LB
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LB
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