The offseason additions of transfer safeties Kamar Wilcoxson from Florida and Tywan Francis from Colorado State have helped make the position one of the deepest on paper for the Owl's defense this spring.
Chemistry and trust have not been a problem, returning safeties Alex Odom and Elijah Deravil said, with the new additions.
“We have built that trust,” Deravil said Tuesday. “It also has to do with all the off-the-field stuff, too. We hang out as a group and everything. I feel like that is more like a brotherly relationship, it’s not just like ‘Oh, it’s another guy in the room that I got to compete with.’ He’s just my brother. We can work to get each other better.”
“So if anything ever happens,” Deravil added, “if one person goes down, the next guy is just as good to be able to come in and play that same role.”
The newcomers have already begun to catch the attention of the returning safeties, whether it's making plays or just playing comfortably with the system.
“They’ve definitely been learning fast,” Odom said. “They’ve been really into it and really motivated. They’re doing really good right now. They got here two months ago, but they seem like they’ve been here for years already like I’ve known them forever.
“They’re getting accustomed to the system, doing what they need to do, Working hard every day. They’re making plays in practice already, and they’re getting comfortable with playing faster so everything is going good right now.”
The mantra for the Owl's defense last season was their aggressive approach, with blitz packages, tackles for loss, and forcing turnovers, and the new safeties only add to that defensive approach.
The Owls finished with 88 tackles for loss and forced 12 turnovers in 2022, with four TFLs and two interceptions coming from Odom. Francis finished his 2022 campaign at Colorado State with 32 total tackles and two pass deflections.
While plenty of attention has been on the new additions like Wilcoxson and Francis, second-year head coach Stan Drayton has been impressed with all of the safeties’ play so far, as they have all shown flashes of that aggressive playstyle.
“I think all those guys are doing a really great job,” Drayton said. “It is a deep position. We’re just really doing some installing, seeing how much we could really put on their plate. Those guys are often the quarterback of the defense from the back end.”
“But I think all those guys are doing phenomenal,” Drayton added. “There is a defense that has an opportunity to put three of them on the field at the same time, from time to time, so I think the depth is fitting.”
Drayton said the coaching staff has yet to finalize the depth chart for the safeties at this juncture of spring ball, and that appears to have sparked some competition at the position.
“Man, it’s been talented so far,” Deravil said of the safety room. “Everybody in our group, we just have this type of chip on our shoulder, so we’re always competing with the offensive guys pretty much every day in the weight room, on the field, or in the classroom. So that has just been the biggest expense for us is being competitive.”