Bobcat defense finishes camp, ready for Spring Game

The maroon and gold went through their last practice of spring camp on Thursday, preparing for Saturday’s Spring Game. 

A year ago, a COVID-19 outbreak caused the team to take an extended break from camp just eight practices in. When Texas State took Jim Wacker Field for the 2021 Spring Game, over 30 players were still ruled out.

The Bobcats have gotten all five weeks of practice in this year, though. Defensive coordinator Zac Spavital said it’s helped the team find some consistency.

“We’ve been able to get into a routine, that’s for sure,” Spavital said. “You know, we’ve been able to spread the practices out. So, you know, you practice really hard, you focus on that on that day, and then the next day, you’re able to correct it, recover and build back up for that following practice. So the routine has been huge. And they’ve handled it very, very well.”

Texas State’s defense graduated a few seniors this offseason — longtime stalwarts of the program like linebacker Markeveon “Binky” Coleman and defensive lineman Caeveon Patton, as well as important starters who had transferred in last season like safety Troy Lefeged Jr. and defensive lineman Nick McCann. But the team still brings back a lot of experience, retaining underclassmen with a good amount of snaps under their belts and bringing in newcomers who’ve seen the field as well.

One of the ways Spavital plans to fill in some of the holes is by moving some of his more seasoned players into new positions — for instance, junior Jordan Revels, who’s mostly lined up as a defensive end during his first three seasons in San Marcos, has been transitioning to outside linebacker. London Harris, who’s played at outside linebacker throughout his five-year career, has made the move to inside linebacker.

“When you go through position change, you want to make sure that they’re comfortable and if both sides are comfortable and it’s the best thing for the team then, you know, it’s a really good solution,” Spavital said. “But throughout the season, they kind of played some of those spots throughout games, so they’re kind of familiar with it. So it’s not a huge transition for them. But the details and the intricacies of each position, they’re just getting from different rooms.

“Obviously, missing Caeveon and Binky, there’s always a step backwards. But as far as the feel of replacing some of those positions with guys that have already played a lot of football, you know, you don’t feel that drop off as much.”

Veteran, high-impact players can still be found at every level of the defense, from senior defensive linemen Nico Ezidore and Samuel Obiang to senior linebacker Sione Topou to defensive backs Zion Childress, DeJordan Mask and Tory Spears.

It’s one of the reasons Spavital’s called this year’s team the most mature since he moved to San Marcos.

“Individually, they all have the right approach, the right mindset,” Spavital said. “You know, they’re coming to practice to improve on what they need to improve on.”

The one change Texas State made on its defensive staff came in the form of new DBs coach Clay Jennings — someone who Spavital’s coached both with and against. Spavital said that when the coaching position came open, he knew he wanted to bring in someone who could help him with the day-to-day responsibilities on defense be a mentor to the team’s young players. Jennings so far has fit the bill.

For Jennings, who coached at UNLV in 2021, joining the Bobcats was a chance to be closer to family and work with both Zac and head coach Jake Spavital.

“I’ve always thought (Texas State) was a hidden gem,” Jennings said. “I played in the old Southland Conference, I played at University of North Texas. So I mean, there have been great players that have come through San Marcos over the years … I think Jake really has this going in the right direction. You know, we’ve got good kids, tough, you know, they work hard. And that’s just up to all of those coaches and support staff and kids included. They have an opportunity to take this thing to the next level and get it to where it needs to be.”

The 2022 Spring Game takes place on Saturday inside Bobcat Stadium at 11:30 a.m. Jake Spavital said Tuesday that while the format of the scrimmage hadn’t yet been finalized, he didn’t want to put his team through a full, 100-play exhibition. Instead, the head coach said he’s leaning toward more of a controlled setting at the start before steadily increasing the competition level with situational live-ball settings.

It’ll mean less tackling for Zac Spavital’s defense, but he’s still looking forward to seeing what the unit’s picked up over the course of spring camp.

“I’d really like to look up after the practice and feel like we got the most out of every practice this spring,” the defensive coordinator said. “You know, we’ve done a great job up to this point and I think that if you come off the field with another competitive day — because that’s what, to me, is really glaring, is it’s a competitive offense versus a competitive defense out there day-to-day — and if we can come off the field with that type of finish, then we’ll be really pleased.”