By Dylan Fink | Sports Writer
As Baylor football winds down its spring ball schedule, the sound of colliding pads across the Brazos can be heard taking a more aggressive tone. Throughout spring development, the defensive end room is reinventing itself under new defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman.
For a unit tasked with setting the edge and wreaking havoc in the backfield, the transition to Klanderman’s “attacking” philosophy has been less of a chore and more of a homecoming.
“That’s the reason I came here,” said redshirt senior JACK Garrick Ponder, a Southern Miss transfer. “I was a part of an attacking defense [previously]. If you know anything about an attacking defense, the edges are the main key of it. As long as you get off the rock and have some pass rush moves, you love this defense.”
Defensive ends coach Carson Hall, now in his second year with the program, noted that the aggressive mindset of the new scheme has energized his players.
Hall described Klanderman as a front-line guy. He praised Klanderman’s coaching roots near the line of scrimmage, which he said have created a natural shorthand between the coordinator and the defensive line.
“It’s been a lot of fun this spring,” Hall said. “He’s a front guy, so it’s fun to coach with a front guy. The calls change, but the technique is the same. It’s just a different philosophy in some spots.”
The room is a blend of veteran continuity and high-impact transfers. Among the most influential additions is redshirt junior JACK Ryan Davis, who followed Klanderman from Kansas State to Waco. Davis’s familiarity with the playbook has made him somewhat of a second coach on the field as the staff leans upon him to step up as a leader.
“He kind of knows the standard of how things are supposed to be,” Hall said. “He’s been a bell cow in that aspect of being a leader on the field and bringing guys along. It makes it a whole heck of a lot easier when you can throw an install on in the meeting and it might be him on the tape.”
While Davis is already familiar with Klanderman’s defensive approach, senior Kyler Jordan remains “Mr. Consistency“ for the position group. Having played significant snaps for the Bears last season, Jordan serves as the cultural bridge between the old and new regimes.
“Kyler is that rock-solid piece,” Ponder said. “If you need anything, you call Kyler at 3 a.m. He might not be up if you call him once, but he’s Mr. Consistency. He’s going to do whatever you need.”
The defense is host to numerous new faces this season repping the green and gold. Yet Davis and Ponder are taking charge of creating chemistry among the whole of the defense.
“I think we all had our own story and we all ended up here together,” Davis said. “We’re all here for the same mission. We’re here to win. I knew from when we started winter workouts that we were going to be a tight group because we’re all like-minded.”
The depth of the room is being tested by the emergence of younger players like redshirt junior Trent Thomas. After seeing little action last year, Thomas has been challenged by the staff to “gain an inch” every day.
“In high school, I was more outside, so this is what I was used to,” Thomas said. “I put on a lot of weight playing interior, and I’m ready to play whatever they want, but this just feels comfortable. I can use my length and speed.”
As the Bears prepare for the final stretch of spring ball, the defensive ends and JACKs are focused on “stacking days.” For Davis, the goal is simpler than a specific sack count or win total.
“I’m just focused on one day at a time,” Davis said. “I can control my effort and my attitude every single day. Those little goals are going to help me have long-term success.”
The Bears will show off their spring work at Baylor’s Fan Fest event on April 25 at McLane Stadium.
