Stepping into the secondary with UTRGV defensive backs

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EDINBURG — As offenses continue to become more pass-centric, the roles, responsibilities and high-risk, high-reward nature at the defensive back position have become increasingly important.

One misstep or miscommunication and the offense is celebrating six in the end zone.

At the same time, lock down a receiver in man-to-man or zone coverage, force a stop or create a momentum-swinging turnover in the secondary, and it’s the defense doing the celebrating after successfully doing its job.

“(Defensive back) may be the most important (position) in the game nowadays,” UTRGV head coach Travis Bush said. “You’re going to watch the draft here in a couple of weeks and you’re going to see a lot of DBs and a lot of corners. That’s a crucial position because they gotta be able to play the run and they gotta be able to play the pass. When you’re a DB and you mess up, everybody in the stadium knows it because they just threw it over your head, so definitely gotta make sure we have some good insurance there.”

The UTRGV defense has shown multiple looks this spring with five defensive backs patrolling the secondary. Two outside cornerbacks, a pair of safeties and the star, also known as the nickel or slot corner, are tasked with stepping up in run support and dropping back in different coverages to shut down the pass.

“I understand that playing defensive back is unforgiving, but we gotta be cognizant and understand that it’s not for everybody,” said Davidson transfer Marcus Heard Jr. “It’s something our coach (Adrian McDonald) preaches, S.A.F.E. — stuff ain’t for everybody. It’s understanding you’re going to give up a bad ball, but it’s about what’s next.”

The first group over the last couple of weeks of spring ball has featured Cypress Bridgeland alumnus Oscar Nnanna, Manor alumnus Alijah Prosser and Round Rock Stony Point alumnus Shane Werner at cornerback, all of whom are freshmen.

“It’s just about growth. You come in and we’re learning from the coaches — learning new techniques, new play calls —you just got to really trust your coaches,” Werner said. “Coming from August, we’ve grown a lot. There’s a lot of new installs every week or so, so it’s about playing your technique, and when you play true and consistent, it will all work out. Consistency is key.”

The regulars at safeties have been the junior Heard and redshirt sophomore Independence Community College transfer TJ Neal. They’re the most experienced in the secondary room with five years of college ball between them.

The Bryan native and Rudder High School product Heard recorded 35 tackles and forced a fumble in 11 starts as a sophomore at Davidson in 2023.

“I’ve done this before — I’ve had two other springs in college, so I understand what it takes mentally and the mental focus you need. Now, it’s getting to that nitty-gritty time with the spring game around the corner,” Heard said. “Playing in the secondary, it’s kind of like coach A-Mac calls it, finding a parking spot on Black Friday. You gotta have your head on a swivel trying to find that spot and you gotta have that mentality every play and every snap. A drive may be five plays, it may be 15 plays, but you just gotta stay alert on all fronts.”

Neal, a Wichita, Kansas native who joined the program in January, had a pass break up during Saturday’s 7-on-7 session and an interception during 11-on-11 work Thursday. He posted 57 tackles and three interceptions during the 2024 season at Independence CC.

“It started off slow getting here and not knowing anybody, but as I’ve gotten to know the players more and more, I’m just enjoying it,” Neal said. “You got a lot of guys that are hungry, that are going to hold you accountable, and you got a great, stacked coaching staff that knows what they’re talking about that wants you to get better. Probably the biggest struggle was getting acclimated to the heat. I’m a Midwest guy, so the first week of practice was a little hot, but for the most part, it’s been good and I’m enjoying it.”

The Vaqueros have one full practice remaining on Monday and a light walk-through on Wednesday before playing in the first spring game in program history at 6 p.m. Thursday at Brownsville Veterans Memorial High School in Brownsville.

Tickets are free and available at UTRGVTickets.com.

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