Coordinator Snyder talks USF defense

Posted Aug 16, 2011 by Adam Adkins

Updated Aug 16, 2011 at 01:30 PM

VERO BEACH Also got a chance to catch up with USF defensive coordinator Mark Snyder prior to Monday night’s workout at Holman Stadium, and he offered some insight into how things are shaping up on the Bulls defense.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: The Bulls are certainly comfortable with the depth at safety, where returning starters senior Jerrell Young and junior Jon Lejiste are backed sophomores JaQuez Jenkins and Mark Joyce. The same can be said with the starters at cornerback, senior Quenton Washington and junior Kayvon Webster, but the concern remains the options behind them.

Snyder said he’s still not comfortable there, though he conceded he’s at least more comfortable than he was coming out of spring practice – “I’d say that’s fair,” he said – but maintained those spots remain undecided and that “somebody’s got to step up.”

The Bulls finished Monday night without two of the five in the mix for those backup jobs off the field. Junior walk-on Ernie Tabuteau was out with a back injury suffered during the scrimmage, and junior George Baker also missed the final portion of practice after being shaken up. The others in the mix: sophomore Brandon Salinas, redshirt freshman Spencer Boyd and true freshman Kenneth Durden.

With both Washington (illness) and Tabuteau sidelined all of Monday and Baker also missing some time, Boyd was taking reps with the first-team unit, while Salinas and Durden were working with the second team. Snyder said Durden’s placement on the second team was by design, though, and not a product of players missing practice time because of injuries, indicating how much Durden has progressed in camp.

LINEBACKERS: USF coach Skip Holtz mentioned the decision to redshirt all of the freshman linebackers on Monday, and it’s easily understood with what coaches view as six solid options in front of them: juniors Sam Barrington, Mike Lanaris and Mike Jeune, sophomore DeDe Lattimore, redshirt freshman Reshard Cliett and senior Curtis Weatherspoon.

Lattimore will start at weakside, backed up by Jeune, and both Barrington and Lanaris are trusted options on the middle. Barrington has worked primarily with the first-team unit through camp, though Snyder switched things up Monday.

“Sam’s been getting quite a bit of reps with those guys, and Mike’s been getting quality reps going against the (No. 1) offense,” Snyder said. “So today we switched it up for Mike to get familiar (with the first team), and for Sam to get good reps against the ones.”

The only battle going on for a starting job is at strongside between Weatherspoon and Cliett. Weatherspoon has taken the bulk of the reps with the first-team unit through fall camp, but he hasn’t locked down the job yet.

“He did some good things, and he did some bad things,” Snyder said of Weatherspoon’s performance in the scrimmage. “Both of them did. Neither one of them good enough for us to win yet. But he did do some good things, and (bad) things that are correctable, which is great.”

DEFENSIVE LINE: Finding some more capable options behind the first three options at end – senior Patrick Hampton and sophomores Ryne Giddins and Julius Forte – was a priority.

Synder said junior Anthony Hill, a converted tackle, has continued to improve, and Hill has taken the bulk of the reps with the second-team line in camp. Perhaps the biggest surprise at the position, though, is true freshman Antoine Pozniak, an early enrollee who joined the program as a linebacker and played there in the spring before shifting to end at the start of fall camp.

Holtz on Monday listed Pozniak among the freshmen who were ahead of the curve and in line to contribute this fall, and Snyder also has liked what he’s seen.

“He’s done well. He made some plays out there Saturday. He showed up,” Snyder said of Pozniak. “I think it was a good move for that kid.”

The player who seems to be making the biggest push up the depth chart, though, is true freshman defensive tackle Elkino Watson, who had a strong showing in the team’s first scrimmage with five tackles for loss and two sacks.

“Elkino played well. He played really well. Well enough for us to move him up,” Snyder said of Watson, who was taking reps with the first-team defense in both practices Monday with tackles Cory Grissom (head) and Demi Thompson (back) sidelined with injuries. “He’s got a chance to help us. He’s the one guy that showed me some things I didn’t know he had. He’s the one that stood out the most (from the scrimmage).”

Grissom, a junior, and senior Keith McCaskill are the penciled in starters at tackle, while sophomores Thompson and Luke Sager were listed on the second team coming out of spring practice.