By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
Dave Aranda’s defense is far from conventional.
The hybrid 3-3-5 defensive scheme utilizes players in unorthodox ways, most notably with the “STAR” position, a safety/linebacker hybrid spot most famously manned by Jalen Pitre. Outside linebackers play the “JACK” position, where they primarily rush the passer but are also expected to drop back into coverage.
The Bears’ top two JACKs from a year ago — Garmon Randolph and Steve Linton — are gone, leaving a void atop the depth chart for a jack-of-all-trades. Newly-hired outside linebacker coach Carson Hall, who joined the program in January from Western Kentucky, noted the “growth mindset” of a position group that added two transfers and two freshmen this offseason.
“It’s cool, the dynamic of the room, just because you have a good mix of new guys and guys that have been here,” said Hall, a former Georgia defensive lineman named to the 247Sports 30 Under 30 List in 2024. “They’re focused on getting better every single day, which is key.”
Oregon transfer Emar’rion Winston played under Baylor defensive coordinator Matt Powledge in Eugene. Winston said Hall has a defensive philosophy similar to Dan Lanning, the Ducks’ head coach, who comes from the same Kirby Smart coaching tree.
“Me and him come from a similar tree of coaches,” Winston said. “The way he teaches defense and talks football is the exact same as me, so it’s perfect.”
Hall highlighted Winston’s high-end potential. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound redshirt junior was an opening-day starter for the Ducks in 2023 before slotting into a rotational role in the nation’s No. 16-ranked scoring defense.
“I tell him every day, his ceiling is the roof,” Hall said. “Emar’rion is definitely one of those guys. He’s got that capability to be a guy. His work every day is a true testament to that. He comes to work every single day to get better, and when he’s making plays, it’s because he’s doing work to get better.”
Hall mentioned Winston as one of many players with the possibility to “bust through” the ceiling. Multiple players could see time in the JACK rotation, including Winston, Tulane transfer Matthew Fobbs-White and returners Kyler Jordan and Corey Kelly.
“That’s how every single guy in the room is, in my opinion,” Hall said. “They’re all guys that have an incredible potential. They can climb as high as they want to go as long as they go do it.”
Fobbs-White racked up 7.5 tackles for loss last season as Tulane’s highest-graded pass rusher. He credited Aranda’s defensive mind with helping him take another developmental step forward.
“He’s just a brilliant mind on the defensive side,” Fobbs-White said. “He’s definitely more technical with his defenses, he likes to call them up.”
The Bears took a big step forward last season, capping off the regular season with a six-game win streak. The water level of expectations has risen in Waco — and it’s a challenge Hall says he’s ready for.
“You can definitely feel the momentum walking around the building,” Hall said. “[But] you have to prove it again. And I’ll go back to something I’ve been hearing since I was in college: ‘Pressure is a privilege.’ So if you are in a situation where you are under pressure to perform and excel, it is because you’ve done good things in the past … So, just trying to build off that.”
