The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Coaches' corner: Carl Reese
08.10.2003 | Football
Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Carl Reese, who is entering his sixth year at UT, is arguably the nation's premier defensive architect. After inheriting a defense that ranked 104th nationally in rushing defense (241.5 ypg) and 85th nationally in total defense (399.2 ypg) in 1997, Reese installed an innovative and aggressive attacking scheme that has catapulted Texas into a unit that has produced four consecutive national Top 16 total defense finishes. One of six finalists for the 2001 Frank Boyles Award, which honors the nation's top assistant coach, Reese recently took time to talk about his favorite part of coaching and how the UT defense was shaping up for the 2003 season.
"It's always good to get back to football. When we're not in season, there is always stuff for a coach to do, but it's never as fun as coaching the athletes. I love to be out on the field and watching the young guys improve. The main satisfaction in my job comes from working with young athletes and watching them develop into college football players. I'm even more excited because all the players reported to camp in fantastic shape. They obviously showed a lot of dedication to improving and to helping this team. When you're a coach, that means a lot because it shows they are ready to work and willing to listen to what you tell them in order to improve.
This year has been a little different than in the past because the freshmen reported at the same time as the varsity. That doesn't allow the coaches as much time to spend with them individually, but in a lot of ways, I think it helps. It used to be that the freshmen would report and work out for several days and they were tired before the varsity even got here. Not only were they nervous about playing with the older guys, but they also weren't at full speed and that can hurt a young guy's confidence. I also think the freshmen will progress quicker because they are immediately a part of the squad and are able to learn from the older players.
We have a lot of veterans on this team as well, and they will be able to help the freshmen. On the defensive line, I'm thrilled to see that Kalen Thornton and Marcus Tubbs are in great shape. We really need to get them through this year healthy because both of them are impact players. Kalen and Marcus were both banged up last year, but they look great, and I'm counting on them to anchor that defensive line. We also have some young guys that will contribute a lot up front. Rodrique Wright had a great freshmen year and Bryan Pickryl made some plays last year and is a guy who needs to come through this season.
There are also a lot of leaders out of the linebackers and the secondary. Reed Boyd is a guy that is in his fifth year and is like a coach on the field. Derrick Johnson is also really coming on strong and the younger linebackers look up to him an awful lot. In the secondary, Dakarai Pearson and Nathan Vasher are guys that lead by example. There isn't one position on the defense that I worry about leadership from the guys we have on our team.
The weather has been hot, but that's great. The hotter the better. All the guys are in shape and like I said, I'm thrilled to be back out on the field getting ready for the season to start."
