As defensive coordinator at Houston in 2015 and 2016, he oversaw a defense that finished 20th and 13th in the nation in yards allowed. Follow Antonio on Twitter @AntonioCMorales. perspective, he's found Orlando to be a gem of an assistant for a variety of reasons. "I feel like I need to take some time for my wife, kids and grandkids while also looking to see if I can help college football on a larger scale," Patterson told Horns247. Just the traditional tailback running game, if youre not doing good you have no chance of playing elite defense. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. Adam Grosbard covers USC athletics for the Orange County Register and Southern California News Group. Of course, the weight loss and new position might cause some in the fan base to wonder if Jackson is being utilized incorrectly if his production dips, but for now, his responsibilities dont seem much different than last year. I would have loved to be in a 4-3, Roach told Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth-Star Telegram. Gone were the experienced players in the secondary who could force the quarterback to hold the ball for an extra second or two. Orlando said he's already adjusted his scheme, which relies on mixed fronts and aggressive blitzing, to fit USC's personnel. After all, he fired Orlando and brought in Ash as an agent of change. And with depth limited at linebacker, Ralen Goforth and Kanai Mauga have emerged as top candidates to start alongside Palaie Gaoteote in roles theyve had to learn on the fly. Texas goal is to play fast on defense, forcing opposing QB to play slow. Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly theoretical. In this years (2018) THSCA Football Lecture, Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart attributed his use of the Tite Front and how he played the secondary behind it to his meeting with Texas own, Todd Orlando. His defensive coordinator would be Todd Orlando., hiring him from Florida International. Then, facing the ultra-explosive Oklahoma State offense, he made a big change to his defensive structure that probably revolutionized his own philosophy and perhaps changed prevailing best practices across the college game from here on out. I dont know how theyre going to play it, but thats going to be worth watching against a quarterback (Jayden Daniels) who is a veteran.. But players say Orlandos greatest strength is the ability to break down complicated concepts into digestible pieces. From this ultra-quick 3-2-6 package, the Longhorns then unleashed a small part of Orlando's third-down package with such tremendous force that they started calling it every play against Oklahoma State and then expanded it over the rest of the season into a new base defense. USC coach Clay Helton says hes noticed benefits from the Trojans unprecedented start to an unusual, pandemic-shortened season. No. The 2019 National Championship saw a battle of Spread teams that featured two of the most efficient offenses in the country (and two of the best QBs as well). Hes a guru, said Texas junior safetyBrandon Jones. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. So in addition to having a blitz package, Orlando teaches his rover how to disguise insert blitzes through the A and B gaps. The Tite Front works because it forces the offense to bounce everything outside. Some of the stuff he was about to say, I was already thinking. He served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Texas at Austin from 2017 to 2019 and the University of Southern California (USC) from 2020 to 2021. The Chargers based out of it for a whole game! Innovation comes from desperation, and in the offensive gauntlet that is the Big 12, it has created an evolutionary playground for defensive (and offensive) football. Odd-front defenses with nickel and dime packages on the back end are en vogue across college football. Against the more run-heavy approaches from USC, Oklahoma and Kansas State, Orlando utilized his traditional blend of nickel defense, moving quarters coverages and zone blitzes. If you allow that to happen and know its going to happen, thats a crime in my opinion. Tuli Tuipulotu, one of the stars of spring football, brings similar flexibility to the position. Cornerback is a different situation. The defense has numbers and is plus-one on the pulling guard. Be sure to follow us on Twitter at: @Owls247, @MarinelliShane, and @TheKevinFielder. Drake Jackson, who spent last season as more of a strict defensive. Will Alabama transfer Ishmael Sopsher be healthy enough to do so? As I wrote in early 2019 after Texas defeated Georgia, Orlando's defense uses hybrid players and different alignments to put pressure on offenses. After the Sun Devils started to have success on the ground midway through the second quarter, USC started employing a 4-3 front at times. Put together, bad luck and some poor choices cost Orlando his job, in no small part because the defensive line wasnt positioned for success. The Cowboys averaged more yards passing than any team in the country. How you practice around here is going to be how many reps you get, Orlando said. In turn, this could mean the end of the road for Orlando in Southern California regardless of who takes the job as head coach of the Trojans. Mason Rudolph, a third-round pick of the Steelers, failed to clear the 300-yard mark only twice in 2017. Its going to be real interesting to see how that unfolds in the Pac-12 with USC and everybody., Its a legitimate question in terms of how Orlando is going to play it early in the season, right? He beats the tackle clean, forces the throw fast and its an incomplete. As of Thursday morning, it has apparently filled out the rest of its coaching staffit has apparently filled out the rest of its This positionless style of play allows hybrid players, primarily at linebacker and defensive back, to play a larger role. What I think were all starting to learn defensively theres some four-down stuff thats really good but the number of people you can get off the ball based on how the offense is attacking can be advantageous to you.. The Tite Front was all the rage during the 2017 season. If the guard stays on the 4i (double team), both the Mike and Will are left free to flow with the play and what DC doesnt want is ILBs free-flowing to the ball? Are they going to be too complicated in the first game and have to scale things back, or are they going to keep it simple and then gradually add layers of intricacy? Defensive coach Todd Orlando of the Texas Longhorns reacts during play against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second . Roach believes that Orlandos odd front didnt let the defensive line showcase their abilities. Los Angeles. - Rudolphs Cowboys managed a season-low 13 points (All-American wide receiverJames Washingtonmanaged just 32 yards in the win). 9 Texas hosts No. Were not going to know the answer to that question until Nov. 7, but Todd Orlando seems very confident this defense will have everything straightforward and understood., Sign up for the Trojans Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. The Longhorns sessions reflect that. 1 overall pick), Rudolph (3rd-round pick),Will Grier(preseason All-American) andDrew Lock(projected first-round pick). In that game, the Longhorns consistently confused a seasoned and well-coached offensive line, garnering two sacks and seven tackles for loss (TFLs). It makes a QB think, said Texas senior defensive endCharles Omenihu. But Barry and USC opted not to continue their discussions, and Orlando became the leading candidate. Previously, he spent three years at the Clarion Ledger in Mississippi, where he covered Ole Miss for two seasons and Jackson State for another. In order to acclimate, the Longhorns flipped a script that usually prioritized stopping the run first 95 percent of the time. One question I am asking to college football experts is this: Should Todd Orlando emphasize complexity of scheme or simplicity of scheme against Jayden Daniels and the Sun Devils on Saturday? Owl fans had seen this defensive scheme recently when defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer coached FAU in 2019 as part of the 11-3 Conference USA and Boca Bowl championship season. Herman calls Orlando the best defensive coordinator in the country. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. But the concern with this unit is depth. Its going to be exciting.. The Longhorns are taking away a weapon (the QB), while also preventing running backs from getting behind them for big gains. A Michigan native and University of Michigan graduate, Kartje previously wrote for Fox Sports Wisconsin and the Bloomington (Ind.) It's only once that information is digested when a defender will hear how his role factors into the overall play call. With one of the pass-rushing outside linebackers replaced by a nickel DB, the defense is left with only a single edge rusher on the field (the B-backer in Orlando's defense). Arizona State just out-executed the Trojans defense in the run game. Simulated Pressures From a Positionless Defense (2019 Sugar Bowl), on Simulated Pressures From a Positionless Defense (2019 Sugar Bowl), View @matchquarterss profile on Instagram, Simulated Pressures From a Positionless Defense (2019 Sugar Bowl), article discussing how teams attack the Tite Front, Georgia and Texas used the front and similar coverage schemes as a base, BCfToys.coms top 10 in Defensive Efficiency, Using an EXIT stunt to combat a zone heavy offense. Texas also got produced seven sacks from the secondary because the experienced group on the back end was able to cover long enough for those deep blitzes to get home. Last year, Orlando helped the Longhorns shed more than 10 points per game allowed on defense despite working with 10 of the 11 starters from2016's porous unit. While the scheme is expected to adjust, the possibility of changes to USCs defensive staff is still up in the air. Because nobody will throw the ball on you, theyll just run it. Try a week on us. Hands-on coaching was limited to distanced learning. Orlando's favorite scheme against the run in his multiple 3-4. I said I understood why we were running what we ran.. that headline is click bate..but Ill learn how to word things differently so my words cant be mixed up. The Panthers defensive ranked 11th in scoring defense that season. Orlando's rover is typically one of the team leaders in sacks as a result of this strategy. Most offensive schemes in the Big 12 didn't have many built-in answers for a versatile safety floating in the middle of the field and thwarting their route combos or coming unblocked against the run game. But returning veterans on the roster like safety Isaiah Pola-Mao and defensive end Nick Figueroa have made a point of helping the young players come along and be ready to contribute in 2021. The Cyclones used the Dime look as their base defense for the entire season, leading to victories over high-powered offenses like Oklahoma (#1 in BCfToys Offensive Efficiency) and Memphis (#16). College football was temporarily revolutionized when hurry-up spread teams began to perfect the art of sending signals from the sideline to the field, allowing coordinators to make audibles and adjustments on behalf of their players. From Georgia in the SEC to the Longhorns and Cyclones in the Big 12, the new-age Double Eagle took flight as one of the top ways to contain high powered Spread offenses. Orlandos defensive turnaround in Austin stems back to that interview in Columbus. He was also inheriting a schedule that included Sam Darnold and USC, Jesse Ertz and Kansas State, Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma, Mason Rudolph and Oklahoma State, Kenny Hill and TCU, Will Grier and West Virginia and ultimately Drew Lock and Missouri -- essentially, some of the cream of the crop in terms of modern spread offense and spread quarterbacking. Practice your tail off and youre going to be playing on Saturdays. You would think its hard to learn, but he made it so simple.. Its OKto fail, man. The initial conversations went well. But after successfully rebuilding the Texas defense in his first season, the Longhorns experienced a sharp defensive downturn in 2019. Orlando will get his first chance to determine the impact of the tradeoff when the Trojans begin their truncated season . We understood the reason why we were running what we were running, Roach said. With Drake Jackson now listed as a linebacker and primarily playing in a standup role, USCs base is essentially a 3-3-5. We are excited to have Todd join our Trojan football program, USC coach Clay Helton said in a release. You look toward the tail end of the game, our intent was to bring enough guys we could go at least six (defenders) for six (blockers) on them and force them to throw the football.. While some players struggled to learn virtually, he said the extra time spent installing and discussing the defense led to an especially sharp first week. If that sounds like thinking, its because it is. Every week is a challenge. Thats in large part due to the variance of the offensive minds. Theyre the best in the country. The odd front (three defenders) gave Orlando flexibility. Yet, because of the way the Longhorns fly to the ball, it doesnt much matter that the numbers are pushed back. A clearer picture of USCs new defense should crystallize in the coming days, with contact no longer limited. A good run defense has been a calling card of. Herman brought Orlando along with him to Texas, where a brilliant Year 1 netted the Longhorns defensive coordinator a raise to $1.7 million per year through the 2021 season. When interim defensive coordinator Craig Naivar finally allowed Ossai to play that role, Ossai produced three of his five sacks in the Alamo Bowl. They handled the defending Mountain West champion San Jose State Spartans with ease. Apr 5, 2021. Though it did prove to be the origin of one of college footballs best coordinator-head coach relationships. Over the course of 2017, Orlando gained a full mastery of his own roster and unleashed it in a variety of fashions against a loaded slate of Big 12 opponents. Herald-Times. 16.2ASU19.6Washington21.8Oregon23.0Utah23.2OSU23.8Colorado24.8WSU26.5UCLA27.0Stanford27.3USC27.6Cal31.6Arizona, SportsPac12 (@SportsPac12) October 10, 2021. That style of play didnt transfer to the NFL and the NFL didnt understand what type of player this guy was. Orlando did present Arizona State with several different looks on Saturday. Continue reading Attacking the Tite Front. Aside from one spring practice, the intricacies of his scheme were installed only over Zoom. 3 overall pick),Baker Mayfield(No. It made it a lot easier for me to make that decision (to stay).. The Trojans defense shifted into different looks, sometimes showing two down linemen with Jackson and defensive end Nick Figueroa standing up. The Longhorns used lightning package variation the remainder of the season, allowing only 21 points per game the rest of the way. It was during his time at Utah that he learned to assemble the 3-4 pressure package that made him an attractive hire for Herman and then a successful coach at Houston. Orlando told his team, Its my fault. If that sounds like the start of a football romantic comedy, it isnt you wont find two more hard-nosed personalities than Orlando and Herman. Rigid positional structures are giving way to a more fluid style of play. Weve changed that.. Herman knew within 10 minutes of talking with Orlando hed found his defensive coordinator. If the guard decides to climb for the Mike (illustrated), the 4i can easily get penetration and maybe even block or negate the pull (I have a clip of this later vs TCUs 11p single-back Power). Its a combination that spurred a defensive transformation at Texas. The rotation should expand when Pili returns, but at the moment USCs defensive personnel is what it is. The only two Pac-12 schools behind them are Cal and winless Arizona. He dropped into coverage just twice against Arizona State, by The Athletics very unofficial count. Players retained more than he expected, and coaches got to know players better than they would have otherwise. Since then, the USC defense has been getting torched time and time again, with their worst performance arguably against Oregon State as the Beavers ran for over 300 yards to upset them in Los Angeles. The defense made the final stand to seal the victory, but it also gave up some big plays and surrendered 258 rushing yards to the Sun Devils. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament. I just feel like now that burden is on me, being the veteran.. The Longhorns were putrid in 2015 and 2016, allowing the third- and sixth-most rushing yards in school history. The arrangement wasnt ideal for anyone involved, least of all the new defensive coordinator tasked with toughening up a unit that, for seven months, was barred from standing next to each other, let alone colliding. Figueroa had a breakout 2020 season and since then has added 15 pounds of muscle to give himself the flexibility to line up at his natural defensive end position or slide inside to play tackle. His $1.7 million annual salary is the highest in Texas history for an assistant, and only two assistants nationally earned more in 2017, according to USA Today. We try to take the philosophy of trying to make people one-dimensional, run the football on you and control the clock, because, in my opinion, there are less mistakes made on you when you turn around and hand the ball off and they can get seven or eight yards.. It comes as no surprise that in a league that is at the forefront of the evolution of the Spread would feature unique defenses within the league to counter the offensive onslaught. Todd Orlando looks to bring more physicality to USC's defense this year. The Longhorns tried a few different alignments in the secondary, ultimately reverting back to their standard starting group while inserting tweener senior Jason Hall, a 6'2", 220-pounder with physicality and some coverage ability, into the dime role and then expanding that role beyond the robber alignment based off his particular skill set. In fact, Todd Orlandos defense is towards the bottom of the conference in points allowed per game, per SportsPac12s latest. So its difficult to judge just how good the defense truly is at this point. The 2015 and '16 Texas defenses had been defined by what could be called "youthful" linebacker play from former five-star recruit Malik Jefferson and former four-star Anthony Wheeler. Imagine if this actually happens. He was more of Well keep things simple, well do the same stuff. Orlando said that shift occured because of practice habits and strong relationships between the defensive staff and its players. LOS ANGELES Under normal circumstances, first-year USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando would have just finished the in-person evaluation portion of the recruiting calendar. Herman isnt shy about issuing compliments to his defensive lieutenant. The Spread offense has touched every corner of college football. 9 Texas 75-59 win No. A four-run fourth inning broke the game open for the Longhorns, but they gave it all back and dropped the series opener. As expected, USC hired Todd Orlando as its defensive coordinator on Friday. Gambling problem? I let you guys down. Johnson said Orlando repeated these words for two days straight. Through it all, Orlandos stayed on Hermans staff. That wasnt happening before Hermans arrival in Austin. He is the defensive coordinator at the University of South Florida . The Times first reported his hiring Monday. Want to keep up with all the latest FAU football and recruiting news? Two things generally forced USC to shift out of its base defense. He trains the defense to quickly show one look before audibling to another with merely a glance to the sideline just before the snap. Pac-12 reporter and columnist Jon Wilner, on the first episode of our USC Trojans: Wired Podcast, responded to those questions as follows: The two units that require the highest level of cohesiveness take quarterback out are the offensive line and the secondary. Texas blows lead against Cal State Fullerton in 6-5 loss. Bastrop Cedar Creek defensive end Alfred Collins said new defensive coordinator Chris Ashs even front as a reason why he signed earlier this month. Take a look at those QBs 2017 season, youd see their matchup with Texas as a low-end outlier amid exceptional overall campaigns. But mostly, Halls role was to stay in the middle of the field to aggressively close on the many quick-hitting passes the Cowboys employed and discourage the posts that defined the offense. USC's new defensive coordinator didn't waste time schooling Trojans on new scheme New USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando didn't let the COVID-19 shutdown stop him from familiarizing the Trojans to his defense. The former is built on repetitive contact. None of that stuff. But that moratorium on full-contact practice was lifted Wednesday, finally offering Orlando a long-awaited glimpse of what his USC defense is made of. Odds & lines subject to change. When we sat down and started to talk it was just so similar, Orlando told 247Sports. Stilleto Boy wins the Santa Anita Handicap for trainer Ed Moger Jr. Sierra Canyon girls basketball team is two wins away from perfect season, Practical Move gives trainer Tim Yakteen a win in the San Felipe Stakes, Sam Farmers crystal ball: NFL mock draft 2023 version 1.0, UCLAs freshmen living up to the hype, carry Bruins into Pac-12 title game. Jackson played with his hand in the ground a bit, just not as frequently as he did last season. Thinking about becoming a VIP subscriber to Owls247? Contact drills were reduced to virtual cues. What is the current state of play for one of the elite QB prospects on the board? The Aggies also ranked fourth in the country in sacks in 2014 with 50. Arizona, the Trojans opponent this weekend, had its first game canceled, so its difficult to predict what the offense will look like, but USC can probably expect a heavy dose of running back Gary Brightwell, who is stepping in to replace the departed J.J. Taylor. The SEC used to be one of the sole holdouts with only a few teams, namely Ole Miss and Texas A&M, embracing the shift. Their rotation would be a bit deeper, too. The rover is the tip of the spear for the Orlando defensive scheme, and he uses that position as a solution to the main problem for the 3-4 defense in the modern era: How to create a multi-pronged pass rush from a nickel package. Defensive Coordinator & Linebackers. But instead of sending four rushers, USC sent six (Figueroa, the four linebackers and Hufanga) on the final three plays, which forced Daniels, who rushed for 111 yards, to beat the Trojans with his arm. Some of the stuff I was about to say, he was already thinking. Orlando has always been multiple, but it seemed like in the end there was just too much going on which was evident by Head Coach Tom Hermans decision to go with Chris Ash as the DC who is known for a simpler style reflecting Ohio State (with more of a Quarters base). Theres no backside meetings. When you get players who can make throws and can run, you have to be mindful, Orlando told reporters on Wednesday morning. He finished with three tackles and one tackle for loss, which counts as a quiet night for the sophomore linebacker. And then Jamars just played that his whole life. That safety, last year played by the hard-hittingJason Hall, helped support the run defending on his read. After that hell usually return to the picture one last time before moving to the board to draw different concepts out of the same look. This might be the most talented position group on the USC roster, but there are still some concerns. In 2019, that all fell apart. To me, thats recruiting. Herman starts most practices with a variation of the circle drill (essentially a one-on-one meeting in a small space that Herman calls out one by one) to ramp up the energy. Orlando has 15 years of experience as a collegiate defensive coordinator in total, with previous stops at Florida International and Connecticut. From a core principle perspective thats not too far off. Orlando now becomes the seventh defensive coordinator in seven seasons for FAU. LOS ANGELES (AP) Todd Orlando has plenty of experience arriving at a new school and installing his defensive scheme for the first time. End Jacob Lichtenstein is expected to be a contributor this season, and freshman Korey Foreman will be ready on third down early in the season. Hes at his best when hes trying to get into the backfield, and thats what he was mainly asked to do on Saturday. It has been quick to the ball, aggressive in its pass rush situations, effective at creating interceptions and disruptive in clogging the line of scrimmage on run plays. Its really, really crazy to see., Asked to summarize Orlandos system, Texas senior cornerbackKris Boydsaid succinctly: Just run to the ball and hit.. Thats certainly a way to end the regular season and enter March Madness. The result was a hurried throw from Daniels, an incompletion on fourth down, and a victory for USC. Orlando, 48, spent the last three seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas, where he was one of the highest paid assistants in college football. Junior Chris Steele was an unquestioned returning starter, whereas it was an open competition for the second job, with Isaac Taylor-Stuart seeming like the leader entering game week. But full contact could always force further change. Orlando is a linebackers coach in a defense that asks the linebackers to be the primary playmakers on the team. Orlando was fired by head coach Tom Herman on Dec. 1 and Naivar the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Longhorns who has worked with Herman across four different stops (Sam. Herman clearly agrees. football@usc.edu. Most defensive coaches can recognize the usefulness of the front, but one thing is clear, Spread offenses will try and figure it out.