ST. CHARLES — Missouri's returning football players hit campus last week and have already begun their offseason conditioning program. After sitting down with head coach Barry Odom on Friday, we sat down with defensive coordinator Ryan Walters at a recruiting camp at Lindenwood University on Saturday. He spoke about the Tigers' defensive ends, secondary and recruiting strategy as he enters his first full season as the defensive coordinator.
Question: First of all, looking back at the spring, was there any one main takeaway for you?
Walters: “It was good to sort of build off of what we were doing toward the end of the year last year and really having a core group of nucleus guys coming back and already understanding defensively what we were doing, and so being able to build off that and play with some confidence and get some good work in and stay healthy, which was the most important thing coming out of spring, I think we’re leaps and bounds ahead of where we were last year at that time. But our schedule is also a lot tougher than it was last year. So we know what we have to do and what we have to get done to get there.”
Q: I read recently that you said the development of the true freshman defensive ends was going to be pivotal. Why is that going to be so important for the defense?
Walters: “Well, especially me being a secondary guy, I love when you’ve got defensive ends that are going to get after the quarterback. Makes those guys in the back end look a whole lot better. And obviously we’ve got Chris Turner and Tre Williams and Nate Anderson coming back, but if we get those guys, Daniel Parker and (Trajan) Jeffcoat and Jatorian Hansford, who are all long and athletic and explosive, if those guys can add depth to that group, especially on third downs, will be huge for our defense. Any time you can get after the quarterback with just four guys, it bodes well, and I believe that from a talent perspective they’ll be able to do that. Obviously as a freshman coming in you don’t know what you’ve really got until they get on campus, but I’m excited.”
Q: Safety is a position where you’re going to have some new starters. Were you encouraged by what you saw during the spring that these guys can produce?
Walters: “I told those guys, in the spring time I saw what we were capable of and also how far we have to go, just because in the secondary you’ve gotta be consistent and you can’t relax at any moment. You can’t take a play off. That one play can lead to a touchdown in a heartbeat. But obviously we’ve got Cam Hilton, who is an experienced guy. Hasn’t started yet but has played quality snaps. And then we’ve got three sophomores who are very talented kids in Tyree Gillespie, Josh Bledsoe and Jordan Ulmer. So really excited in the direction that they’re going. They’re working very hard, they’re all really tight, but they’re also competitive. They understand that there can only be two of them out there, and so I’m excited to get to work. This summer’s going to be huge for all of those guys, and they understand that and they’re putting in the work and being organized and getting stuff done.”
Q: What is the biggest thing that group needs to emphasize and improve upon during the summer?
Walters: “To me, it’s just the consistency piece of it. When they’re locked in, dialed in, and playing at 100 miles an hour, they play well. They’re capable guys. And that comes from being mentally tough and having a short memory and treating every play like it’s the most important play of the game, because it is.”
Q: Any areas besides defensive end where you feel it will be important for one of the newcomers to develop quickly?
Walters: “Obviously with Brandon Lee, Cale Garrett, Terez Hall, the linebacker crew, those starters are really good players for us, but we need to develp some depth behind those guys. Aubrey Miller I thought had a good spring, especially down the stretch, those last couple weeks, and so guys like Chad Bailey and (Cameron) Wilkins and (Nicholas) Bolton, those guys will all have an opportunity to compete for some playing time and be an asset for us on special teams as well.”
Q: When it comes to recruiting, you go to events like this and talk to players, what are some things besides just measurable that you look for?
Walters: “Does a guy, does he love football? There’s too much time and it’s too high pressure stakes to do this if you don’t love it. And do they love it for the right reasons? Do they love ball because they enjoy the camaraderie, they enjoy the competitiveness, they enjoy the physicality, they enjoy the process, the grind? Or do they love it because they got Twitter followers and people knowing who they are around town and getting interviewed with the media? Those are all things that we try to find out, and I think we’ve done a good job of that in the evaluation process, just getting football guys and so that way you’re not having to chase somebody to work out or making sure they show up to treatment on time or getting to class on time. Those guys are getting that done already because they understand that everything correlates and everything is just to the betterment of them as a person, as a man, and obviously that will translate to them playing better ball.”
Q: How do you figure out that someone has that trait?
Walters: “Well, you go to the schools and talk to the coaches. You talk to them, you talk to the parents, you talk to the security guard at the school, you talk to the guidance counselor. You talk to everybody trying to find out who they are, what kind of makeup they’ve got.”
Q: How important will a fast start to this season be for recruiting?
Walters: “I think it will be pivotal, not only for recruiting but just for our psyche as a team. Obviously that’s something that hurt us last year, just a slow start and I think it’s the kids’ jobs and our jobs to recognize, what were the reasons we started slower and what it’s going to take to have success. Like I said, our schedule is tougher than it was last year, but I’m also confident that we’re a whole lot better team than we were at this point last year.”
