Would Mark Stoops really go to a 4-2-5 defensive look

Mark Stoops is toying with ways to compensate for a lack of depth at linebacker. (SEC Twitter Photo)

SEC Media Days wrapped up last week and there always seems to be a few tidbits thrown out by coaches that help stoke the fires of discussion running up to the beginning of practice around the first of August. Kentucky’s Mark Stoops had a couple that were very interesting. The first one was when he was asked about his defense and how he could overcome some of the personnel losses that have occurred in the linebacker corps with the early departure of Jamin Davis to the NFL and the season-ending injury to D’Eryk Jackson.

Usually, coaches talk about the next man up or mention a transfer or two (Stoops did mention Ole Miss transfer Jacquez Jones earlier in the discussion) but in this case, Stoops mentioned something that made my ears perk up.

He said that in order to deal with the reduced number of bodies on the linebacker depth chart he and defensive coordinator Brad White have been experimenting with playing five defensive backs in a 4-2-5 look. That would be a departure from previous years when Stoops leaned more on a three-man front with an additional linebacker.

The great thing about this change is with the league moving to more uptempo passing offenses (adding Josh Heupel at Tennessee only increases the challenge to traditional defenses) it allows UK to be better in coverage without sacrificing too much at the line of scrimmage. Hybrid safety/linebacker/cornerback Vito Tisdale could be a key player in this 5 defensive back experiment. Stoops said they worked with this type of defensive set in the spring “a lot” and could be something we see in the Fall.

Stoops also mentioned quarterback Joey Gatewood as an offensive player that performed well in the spring. Stoops said he was especially pleased with Gatewood’s accuracy and ability to get the ball down the field in play-action situations.

It appears that “stirring the pot” was the theme of the 2021 SEC Media Days. Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher started the process back in May when he spoke to the Touchdown Club of Houston and made a comment about beating Alabama coach, and his mentor, Nick Saban’s “butt.”

When asked about the comment Fisher said, “I don’t have any regrets. That’s what we’re here for, isn’t it? Isn’t that why everybody’s here?” Fisher said. “That’s what makes this league this league. That’s what we expect to do at Texas A&M. In saying all that — Nick and I are friends. We’ve known each other a long time. We coached together. We’re from the same world, if that makes any sense.

“I have the utmost respect for what he’s done and what he’s accomplished. He’s the standard, and the standard is what you have to play to.”

It should be noted that Fisher has yet to beat Saban in a head-to-head contest.

Speaking of Nick Saban, there was a small brouhaha created by a non-SEC coach that ended up pulling Saban into the controversy. Deion Sanders, head coach of Jackson State in the Southwest Athletic Conference, walked out of the SWAC Media Days press conference because a reporter dared to refer to him as “Deion.” He remarked that no one would call Nick Saban “Nick” in a press conference and then got up and walked off the stage.

Of course, one of the questions Saban received at SEC Media Days was “what do you want to be called?”

In true Saban fashion, he said, “I respond to just about anything – and I’ve been called just about everything. It’s not something that’s really that significant to me.”

Brett McMurphy, reporter for CFB, said later that he counted, and Nick Saban was called “Nick” eight more times during his time on the stage.

Speaking of unhappy people it appears from some of new Auburn coach Brian Harsin’s comments that Auburn fans have been less than thrilled with his short tenure so far. When asked how recruiting was going Harsin said, “Right around December, that’s when you are going to be judged. There are a lot of guys we are recruiting and a lot of guys that are committed somewhere else we are still talking with. At the end of the day, the story of recruiting is how you finish. Right now, there are guys we’ve been talking to, things I know that not everybody knows,” Harsin said.

“I like the guys we have. I think they are going to be really good college football players. I think they are going to be guys we can develop into elite players. They fit the mentality we are looking for.”

Harsin’s current Auburn recruiting class has six commitments and ranks 78th in 247Sports Composite rankings.

Lastly, any discussion at Media Days would not be complete without some discussion about COVID19 and its future implications to the league. Commissioner Greg Sankey said six of the league’s fourteen teams have reached, or are above, the magical 80 percent vaccination level. That is significant because if teams get to the 80 percent mark they will not be required to test during the season.

Since the league does not plan to reschedule games this season, any team that has a COVID19 issue could be required to forfeit. That could be a significant competitive advantage for teams that hit the 80 percent vaccination level. Saban said his team is “pretty close” to the 90 percent mark and Georgia’s Kirby Smart said his team had crossed the 80 percent threshold.

Stoops said about his team’s vaccination rate: “We’re just going to continue to educate our players and try to reach that threshold. We have a ways to go, but I believe it’s attainable. We want them to make the right decision for themselves. I’ll let the experts come in and continue to educate them and talk to them about the benefits of it and possibly some of the negatives and let them make their — each one make their own decision.”

So there you have it. It looks like COVID19 could be just as disruptive this season as last — just in a different way- for teams that don’t make the vaccination threshold.

Overall SEC Media Days once again proved to be a great opportunity for fans and media alike to learn a few things they didn’t know about each team, find out something new about players or coaches that they aren’t that familiar with, and get everyone talking about football. How can you ask for more than that?