He knows everything thats going to happen. But for now Orlando is sticking around in Austin to work with Herman. Orlando is a linebackers coach in a defense that asks the linebackers to be the primary playmakers on the team. I think hes in line to have a terrific year and have one of those elite years, head coach Clay Helton said of Taylor-Stuart. Previously, he spent three years at the Clarion Ledger in Mississippi, where he covered Ole Miss for two seasons and Jackson State for another. The Iowa St. Cyclones rose from #103 in 2016 to a respectable #32in BCfToys efficiency rankings in 2017. Mason Rudolph, a third-round pick of the Steelers, failed to clear the 300-yard mark only twice in 2017. DeForest left last month to coach at North Carolina State. That establishment between Orlando and his team started in earnest following the Longhorns worst defensive effort of the season, a 51-41 loss to Maryland in Week 1. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). He was more of Well keep things simple, well do the same stuff. Its the reason one of the worst defenses in program history in 2016 transformed into one of the best with the same players in college football's most potent offensive conference. Most recently, Orlando coached at USC for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The following offseason after Houstons Peach Bowl victory over FSU, Orlandos alma mater, Wisconsin, offered him its defensive coordinator role when Aranda left for LSU. This article appeared in Athlon Sports' 2018 Big 12 Regional Football Preview Editions. That style of play didnt transfer to the NFL and the NFL didnt understand what type of player this guy was. In fact, Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler combined for 10.5 sacks, nearly a third of the teams total. Behind them, USC has transfers like Xavion Alford and Chris Thompson, not to mention a slew of freshmen. Boca Raton will not be the first time Orlando coaches in South Florida. For a coach to sit there and put it on himself instead of the guys that were out there not executing the game plan, it shows he cares.. Except Hermans questions were constantly put on pause so that he, still serving as Ohio States offensive coordinator, could run out of the room to take care of some crisis or another as the Buckeyes prepared for the 2014 College Football Playoff final against Oregon. The odd front (three defenders) gave Orlando flexibility. This offseason, there were more than a few reports potentially linking Orlando to head coach jobs. Email. This positionless style of play allows hybrid players, primarily at linebacker and defensive back, to play a larger role. No. On Arizona States final possession, Orlando went back to the 1-4-6 look for the entire drive. A good run defense has been a calling card of. Orlandos defensive turnaround in Austin stems back to that interview in Columbus. Not all of its issues were alignment-related though. Orlando is known run the 3-3-5 defense, which has grown in popularity in college football with the evolution of the spread offense. Written by Ian Boyd (@Ian_A_Boyd)for Athlon Sports. This allows the B backer to be a free player and essentially go get the football! The Longhorns base with a true Nickel as well, and align him opposite the Jack, primarily with the passing strength. If that sounds like thinking, its because it is. Boca Raton, Fla. - Just over 24 hours after FootballScoop.com first reported that FAU defensive coordinator Mike Stoops was heading to Kentucky to coach with his brother Mark Stoops, the Owls have quickly found his replacement in former Southern California defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Todd Orlando, per Bruce Feldman. Gone were the experienced players in the secondary who could force the quarterback to hold the ball for an extra second or two. USCs defense got two hits on Daniels and forced three incompletions on those three plays. And now former defensive end Malcolm Roach, as he prepares for the NFL Combine, reflected on how much he would have liked to play in Ashs scheme and how much he thinks it will benefit the 2020 Longhorns. And sometimes they went with a 3-4 look with its normal defensive line (Figueroa, Marlon Tuipulotu and Caleb Tremblay) and Jackson and Hunter Echols as outside linebackers. Hands-on coaching was limited to distanced learning. If the guard decides to climb for the Mike (illustrated), the 4i can easily get penetration and maybe even block or negate the pull (I have a clip of this later vs TCUs 11p single-back Power). Fail big.. One of the areas in which Orlando has excelled as a teacher is in the art of disguising pressures and dictating to opponents with stop calls. Todd Orlando, defensive coordinator, Houston. Yet, because of the way the Longhorns fly to the ball, it doesnt much matter that the numbers are pushed back. Orlando said that shift occured because of practice habits and strong relationships between the defensive staff and its players. (213) 740-4204. Against the more run-heavy approaches from USC, Oklahoma and Kansas State, Orlando utilized his traditional blend of nickel defense, moving quarters coverages and zone blitzes. If you practice soft, youre going to play soft, Orlando said. The Longhorns created four total sacks (averaged 2.33 a game). CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. You hear about soggy eggs and burnt toast. You hear about soggy eggs and burnt toast, but its the pad popping thats the real story of these daily efforts. Hermans old college buddy,Dave Aranda, recommended Orlando highly Orlando took over as DC at Utah State when Aranda, now at LSU, went to Wisconsin. We understood the reason why we were running what we were running, Roach said. You have to use those guys. Examine Texas schedule last season, and youll see a murders row of quarterbacks:Sam Darnold(No. So in addition to having a blitz package, Orlando teaches his rover how to disguise insert blitzes through the A and B gaps. Its going to be real interesting to see how that unfolds in the Pac-12 with USC and everybody., Its a legitimate question in terms of how Orlando is going to play it early in the season, right? Phone. Orlando's rover is typically one of the team leaders in sacks as a result of this strategy. Weve changed that.. As I wrote in early 2019 after Texas defeated Georgia, Orlando's defense uses hybrid players and different alignments to put pressure on offenses. Though Iowa State and their base Broken Stack that features a three-safety Dime Robber scheme has become the most popular scheme within the league, in truth, it is Todd Orlando at Texas that has made his mark around the country behind his use of a positionless defense and defending the wide-open schemes found in the league. Some offense will come out and run the triple-option, which is really different and as a defense really strains us, Orlando said. And with depth limited at linebacker, Ralen Goforth and Kanai Mauga have emerged as top candidates to start alongside Palaie Gaoteote in roles theyve had to learn on the fly. 16.2ASU19.6Washington21.8Oregon23.0Utah23.2OSU23.8Colorado24.8WSU26.5UCLA27.0Stanford27.3USC27.6Cal31.6Arizona, SportsPac12 (@SportsPac12) October 10, 2021. If you go out there and you dont know what youre doing after meeting with someone for seven months, that pretty much explains how much you care, Orlando said. Odds & lines subject to change. Two things generally forced USC to shift out of its base defense. That safety, last year played by the hard-hittingJason Hall, helped support the run defending on his read. I let you guys down. Johnson said Orlando repeated these words for two days straight. The reason for this is the design of Orlando's defense, which favors speed over size at the middle linebacker position. Every week is a challenge. Thats in large part due to the variance of the offensive minds. With Drake Jackson now listed as a linebacker and primarily playing in a standup role, USCs base is essentially a 3-3-5. If you dont, its going to be limited. The image above shows the Longhorns base look against the ever prevalent Y-Off 20 pers. Theyre the best in the country. A Michigan native and University of Michigan graduate, Kartje previously wrote for Fox Sports Wisconsin and the Bloomington (Ind.) What is the current state of play for one of the elite QB prospects on the board? Herman knew within 10 minutes of talking with Orlando hed found his defensive coordinator. He has a system that allows his talented players to play freely, said Baylor head coachMatt Rhule. Because nobody will throw the ball on you, theyll just run it. Its very unique, added Texas senior safetyP.J. FAU's defense ranked 50th in the country in 2019.In 2021 FAU's defense had its up and downs, ranking 99th against the pass, 75th against the run, and 86th overall, but was in the top 50 in scoring defense. The two DEs (4is) in the B gaps close off the lifeline for every Spread team, the conflict gaps. In reality, Texas players say their responsibilities change little from week to week. Here is where USCs struggles against the run and its short rotation, particularly on the defensive line, tie together. Todd Orlando (born March 24, 1971) is an American football coach. The Trojans defense held the Spartans to only seven points on the game, and things seemed to be going well in Southern California. The Longhorns are taking away a weapon (the QB), while also preventing running backs from getting behind them for big gains. Gone were the inside linebackers who were so effective as blitzers. Some of the stuff he was about to say, I was already thinking. I do think that is the gambit this season with the defense: You have to risk the fact that while there may be some miscommunications, and maybe its getting a little too complicated, also that complication is what could give this defense a leg up from past defenses USC has fielded. He is the defensive coordinator at the University of South Florida . After Utah State, Orlando made his way to Houston for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, where the Cougars were top 30 in scoring defense and sacks both seasons he was there. Todd Orlando, who has 16 years of experience as a collegiate defensive coordinator, was named USC's defensive coordinator in January of 2020. At the same time, it causes a lot of controversy for the guys on offense.. Tuli Tuipulotu, one of the stars of spring football, brings similar flexibility to the position. Imagine if this actually happens. This is where the separation begins.. The Trojans didnt do it for every third-and-7 and longer, but in most of those obvious pass situations, Orlando employed a 1-4-6 look. Thats not to say those seven months were for naught. Since Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman dismissed defensive coordinator Todd Orlando two and a half months ago and even before, to some extent it's become clear just how much. Its a pretty substantial change in terms of what theyre doing on defense. Gone was Omenihu, who proved himself capable of producing in Orlandos scheme. Coach Orlando is a real guy, Johnson said. They were delayed for two months from when they would normally have a camp. Herman said Orlando would be the first assistant in his foxhole. Youre in this area and theres some really good high school players in this area, the top guys. The result was a hurried throw from Daniels, an incompletion on fourth down, and a victory for USC. But when asked what separates Orlando from other defensive coaches, Herman pointed out a single aspect of Orlandos repertoire: Its just his creativity, his adaptability.. But that moratorium on full-contact practice was lifted Wednesday, finally offering Orlando a long-awaited glimpse of what his USC defense is made of. At Utah State, where he worked in 2013 and 2014, Orlandos defenses also finished in the nations top 20 in fewest points allowed. Playing defensive end Marqez Bimage in a similar role produced better results for Texas late in the season. Thinking about becoming a VIP subscriber to Owls247? I think its a smart move. Get your first month for $1. Then, facing the ultra-explosive Oklahoma State offense, he made a big change to his defensive structure that probably revolutionized his own philosophy and perhaps changed prevailing best practices across the college game from here on out. Overall, the rotation was much shorter than what was utilized last year. As spread offenses became a prevalent force in the college game, Orlando knew he needed to adapt.