As we all know, the Aggie defense is totally revamped under venerable coordinator Larry Coyer. Coyer, who has a deep resume that includes stints in the NFL, is expected to turn around what was, by all accounts, a dreadful defense in 2013.
The Aggies return very little in terms of talent or depth in the front seven, but the hope is that Coyer can coach at his best and help the unit stop teams in 2014. NMSU signed six linebackers and four defensive linemen in February, so reinforcements are arriving soon.
Where the Aggies do have a mix of depth and young talent is in the secondary. At cornerback, NMSU has Tra Colwell and Winston Rose penciled in as starters. Rose got a medical redshirt in the offseason after hurting his shoulder in week three last year, while Colwell, of course, switches from the offensive side of the football.
Junior Lewis Hill (33 tackles and an interception in 2013) is currently out with a shoulder injury, but he’ll be back in the fall. Sophomore Thomas Warren made an impression late last season, when he recorded a dozen tackles in his first career start against Louisiana-Lafayette. Kedeem Thomas-Davis, a junior from El Paso, is a solid athlete, but is undersized (5’9″, 175).
The real star could end up being Jerrion Burton. He was in line to play last season as a true freshman, but hurt his foot in fall camp and redshirted. Still, he brings ample athleticism to the table and reminds me of a poor man’s Davon House, the former Aggie great who’s now with the Green Bay Packers.
Both House and Burton were lightly-recruited kids from southern California, and both were very raw on technique coming out of high school. But, as we all know, House developed into a four-year starter and was eventually drafted in the fourth round by the Packers. I believe that Burton has that potential, too.
Another bright spot: the Aggies have moved assistant coach Will Martin from linebackers back to the secondary, where he coached from 2010-2011. He helped develop and coach players like Davon House, Jonte Green, and Jeremy Harris – all of whom are now in the NFL. I’m excited to see Coach Will Martin revamp the secondary and develop more talent.
So as it stands right now, Coach Coyer has a huge rebuilding task in front of him. It could very well be an experimental season for the Aggies on defense, and the unit will mostly be very inexperienced. Still, Martin and Coyer are preaching speed and athleticism above all else. That might mean some growing pains in the fall, but they’re willing to take that risk.
Letters from Las Cruces 