Some of the stuff he was about to say, I was already thinking. So what did game No. Todd Orlando Leaving Texas Tech After Less Than 2 Weeks Orlando said that shift occured because of practice habits and strong relationships between the defensive staff and its players. We continue to progress in the pass, Orlando said of the group. One it has practiced against every day for months. Lets start with the base defense. From this ultra-quick 3-2-6 package, the Longhorns then unleashed a small part of Orlando's third-down package with such tremendous force that they started calling it every play against Oklahoma State and then expanded it over the rest of the season into a new base defense. LOS ANGELES Under normal circumstances, first-year USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando would have just finished the in-person evaluation portion of the recruiting calendar. Gone were the inside linebackers who were so effective as blitzers. While some players struggled to learn virtually, he said the extra time spent installing and discussing the defense led to an especially sharp first week. Todd Orlando (born March 24, 1971) is an American football coach. Find out which 3 #USC players go to the Bears in an NBC Sports Chicago mock draft. This positionless style of play allows hybrid players, primarily at linebacker and defensive back, to play a larger role. By closing both B gaps, the offense has to either plug it up the A gap (which most Spread teams wont do) or run it outside. You have pass rushers out there, TaQuon Graham, Marqez Bimage, Joe Ossai guys that can get after the quarterback. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Winter storms ease drought conditions in California, report shows, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, David Lindley, guitarist best known for work with Jackson Browne, dies at 78. Orlando will get his first chance to determine the impact of the tradeoff when the Trojans begin their truncated season . Then the injuries and attrition reduced depth at linebacker while inexperienced players tried to fill in, resulting in Orlando moving his best natural pass rusher, B-backer Joseph Ossai, to multiple positions around the field that kept him from attacking downhill. Feb 18, 2023 . The initial conversations went well. Even for much of spring camp. Defenses that base out of the Tite Front dont mind the bounce because their speedy (and usually free)LBs can now chase down the RB while its overhangs box everything back inside (think of them like the Double Eagles wide-9s). In order to acclimate, the Longhorns flipped a script that usually prioritized stopping the run first 95 percent of the time. Herald-Times. Gone was Omenihu, who proved himself capable of producing in Orlandos scheme. Orlandos players have a different term for that distinction. The name of the game for Orlando is attacking opponents where they are always weakest -- in their ability to handle pressure and confusion with little reaction time. From a core principle perspective thats not too far off. Texas finished 7-5 and Orlando was fired as part of a staff overhaul. In an effort to get more speed and versatility on the field, Orlando moved Jefferson to mac linebacker, inserted Johnson, a sprinter, at rover and replaced senior B-backer Naashon Hughes with a sixth defensive back. Eventual Florida defensive end signee Princely Umanmielen cited the three-man front as one of the reasons why he decommitted from Texas back in October. 1 overall pick), Rudolph (3rd-round pick),Will Grier(preseason All-American) andDrew Lock(projected first-round pick). Arizona State just out-executed the Trojans defense in the run game. If you allow that to happen and know its going to happen, thats a crime in my opinion. The Longhorns are taking away a weapon (the QB), while also preventing running backs from getting behind them for big gains. Once I left, I thought we were one and the same.. The Trojans defense held the Spartans to only seven points on the game, and things seemed to be going well in Southern California. This offseason, there were more than a few reports potentially linking Orlando to head coach jobs. One of his favorite ways to do this is with his overload blitzes off the edges. Thinking about becoming a VIP subscriber to Owls247? The diagram below illustrates the fronts usefulness versus a popular Spread play, the Power Read. USC needs more size, speed and athleticism at every level of its defense. Its a testament to what a normal offseason has done for second-year coordinator Todd Orlando and his ability to install the defense and instill the mentality he wants from his players. I dont know how theyre going to play it, but thats going to be worth watching against a quarterback (Jayden Daniels) who is a veteran.. Odds & lines subject to change. Herman wanted a coordinator capable of calling a multiple defense, and Orlando fit that bill. USC defense has different feel in camp after full offseason Due to the pandemic, USC was unable to implement new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando's scheme in person before the 2020 season, so players were learning on the fly as they prepared for the delayed season. Gambling problem? Todd Orlando Tries To Remake USC's Defense - Trojan Daily Blog In the NFL, the increasing use of 11 pers. New USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, shown during his tenure at Texas, didnt let the COVID-19 shutdown stop him from familiarizing the Trojans to his defense. His defensive coordinator would be Todd Orlando., hiring him from Florida International. In fact, Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler combined for 10.5 sacks, nearly a third of the teams total. Preparing for his first season as defensive coordinator at No. Hands-on coaching was limited to distanced learning. Echols was the extra linebacker who came onto the field in those scenarios. USC depth chart: Breaking down the Trojan defensive line roster A look at how Texas defenders fit in Todd Orlando's scheme Overall, the rotation was much shorter than what was utilized last year. The Cyclones and Longhorns most notably did it while using a 3-safety Dime package for parts of the season. The goal of Orlandos defense is twofold: 1. But it can look that way. If you dont, its going to be limited. Todd Orlando looks to bring more physicality to USC's defense this year. Schematically, Orlando excels because hes aggressive and prepared. USC had problems getting aligned on Saturday, and one of its alignment busts led to an Arizona State touchdown in the second quarter. The image above shows the Longhorns base look against the ever prevalent Y-Off 20 pers. Locke. Are Dejon Benton and Kobe Pepe ready to play? - Rudolphs Cowboys managed a season-low 13 points (All-American wide receiverJames Washingtonmanaged just 32 yards in the win). CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Want to keep up with all the latest FAU football and recruiting news? The Times first reported his hiring Monday. Todd Orlando - Wikipedia Once at Texas, though, Orlando was inheriting a defense with great athletes but disparate pieces that hadn't been put together into a cohesive unit. Even former Big 12 Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury got a head coaching job with the Cardinals on nothing more than his offensive acumen. If the Trojans are going to take a step forward as a program this season, its going to need its defense to make some serious progress. The defensive line lost more bodies in the offseason when Jacob Lichtenstein opted out of the season, and it was announced that Trevor Trouts season (and possibly his career) would be over with a back injury. The Trojans defense shifted into different looks, sometimes showing two down linemen with Jackson and defensive end Nick Figueroa standing up. Its three starters (Marlon Tuipulotu, Tremblay and Figueroa) and two backups (Tuli Tuipulotu and Stanley Taufoou) were the only ones who saw action. Safeties coach Craig Naivar, whos been working with Orlando since 2015, described the defense with that exact word a few weeks ago. Preparing for his first season as defensive coordinator at No. But Orlando paid Herman, a former QB coach, an even higher compliment than that. He said on the first day of practice that it was clear these guys knew more than they would have coming into a fall camp in a normal year, which is quite a statement when you consider they didnt have a spring. The SEC used to be one of the sole holdouts with only a few teams, namely Ole Miss and Texas A&M, embracing the shift. - Grier hurt himself early in the contest against Texas, but Locks 52.9 completion rate in the Texas Bowl was one of his worst of the year. The 404 alignment does several things for the box: 1) the offensive line cant climb because of the 4is, and 2) it frees up at least one of the inside linebackers (if not both). The loss of Jay Tufele, who opted out to focus on the NFL draft, has already thrust senior defensive tackle Brandon Pili into the starting lineup. How Todd Orlando's scheme will unleash the Texas LBs Contact drills were reduced to virtual cues. When Orlando walked out of the room he thought, This is my guy. I mean, there was no question in my mind, Orlando said. The defense has numbers and is plus-one on the pulling guard. Here is where USCs struggles against the run and its short rotation, particularly on the defensive line, tie together. A Michigan native and University of Michigan graduate, Kartje previously wrote for Fox Sports Wisconsin and the Bloomington (Ind.) Todd Orlando was announced as USCs defensive coordinator Friday, ending a lengthy search for Clancy Pendergasts replacement that had dragged into its fourth week. Texas vs Oklahoma: Can DC Todd Orlando slow Jalen Hurts? - Sports Theyre the best in the country. He beats the tackle clean, forces the throw fast and its an incomplete. When interim defensive coordinator Craig Naivar finally allowed Ossai to play that role, Ossai produced three of his five sacks in the Alamo Bowl. With Gary Anderson and Dave Aranda's exit to Wisconsin in 2012, the door opened for then Offensive Coordinator Matt Wells to ascend to the Head Coaching position. Hes a guru, said Texas junior safetyBrandon Jones. 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. As expected, USC hired Todd Orlando as its defensive coordinator on Friday. USC coach Clay Helton says hes noticed benefits from the Trojans unprecedented start to an unusual, pandemic-shortened season. USC played just five defensive linemen against Arizona State. Orlando has also recently had stops at Texas (2017-2019), Houston(2015-2016), and Utah State (2013-2014). 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. Once the guard pulls (the 4is key), he can chase and climb to the mesh. Herman said Orlando would be the first assistant in his foxhole. LSU's Dave Aranda calls Texas' Todd Orlando a 'defensive guru;' see Figueroa had a breakout 2020 season and since then has added 15 pounds of muscle to give himself the flexibility to line up at his natural defensive end position or slide inside to play tackle. Orlando turned down that job, too. Ryan Kartje is the USC beat writer at the Los Angeles Times. Todd Orlando's defense has been getting exposed all year long It wasnt all about the front either, the use of Match 3 (Rip/Liz) and the rebirth/redesign of the (Dime) Tampa 2, was a big contributor to how teams attacked the Longhorns, Cyclones, and Bulldogs. Orlando told his team, Its my fault. No. The modern spread offense is defined largely by quick-hitting pass plays, run/pass options and finally play-action shots that often feature six- or seven-man protections. Their camp D was a 3-4, but once the season hit, the packages started to proliferate. Theyve been physical in the run game but they all kind of complement each other.. Drake Jackson will man the hybrid outside backer position again this season. But while Herman's motives started from a simple "What gave me fits as an offensive coach?" At Utah State, where he worked in 2013 and 2014, Orlandos defenses also finished in the nations top 20 in fewest points allowed. You know, he was a linebacker previously, and hes really strong, so being able to move in this system is really a high priority, defensive line coach Vic Sooto said. Orlando, who last coached defense at Texas, called the virtual install time a blessing in disguise. Even if it might only take his new defense so far. Though it did prove to be the origin of one of college footballs best coordinator-head coach relationships. If you bring four and they have six back in there to block, its not good numbers for you especially if youre covering the heck out of everybody. When we sat down and started to talk it was just so similar, Orlando told 247Sports. A fourth linebacker released off the line can more easily pursue the football on outside runs and defend quick passes on the edge. Since L.T. One question I am asking to college football experts is this: Should Todd Orlando emphasize complexity of scheme or simplicity of scheme against Jayden Daniels and the Sun Devils on Saturday? Orlando has previously doubled as linebackers coach, a position that USC split last season between Johnny Nansen, who coached inside linebackers, and Joe DeForest, who coached outside linebackers. Follow Antonio on Twitter @AntonioCMorales. A look at how Texas defenders fit in Todd Orlando's scheme The Longhorns have plenty of returning talent for the prospective defensive coordinator to utilize. 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. Orlando, 48, spent the last three seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas, where he was one of the highest paid assistants in college football. So no matter the look, USCs run defense needs to get better. FAU's defense . At the same time, it causes a lot of controversy for the guys on offense.. Try a week on us. Former Texas DE Malcolm Roach criticizes Todd Orlando's scheme On the back end, Orlando typically employs a quarters coverage that allows his defensive backs to break aggressively to the football while preventing big plays. 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. The "mac" or middle linebacker helps call the defense and serves as the "first responder" for the defense against the run, looking to plug gaps and spill blocks to the outside linebackers (or nickel and dime defenders as the case may be) and his partner the "rover" linebacker. groupings are being countered by many defenses basing out of a Nickel defense. Injuries limited the two best blitzers in the secondary safeties BJ Foster and DeMarvion Overshown while the inexperienced cornerbacks also struggled with injuries and the baptism by fire in the pass-heavy conference. Most recently, Orlando coached at USC for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Antonio Morales covers USC football for The Athletic. The two DEs (4is) in the B gaps close off the lifeline for every Spread team, the conflict gaps. Todd Orlando's USC Defense (Origins, History, and Film Study - YouTube But we understood why we were running it. The guy could be a linebacker coach. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. Thats what practice is about. Texas Football: Todd Orlando Is a Cutting-Edge Defensive Coordinator If youre thinking in football, youre playing slow.. USC Mailbag: How much will new faces change the outlook for the Trojans His $1.7 million annual salary is the highest in Texas history for an assistant, and only two assistants nationally earned more in 2017, according to USA Today. Todd Orlandoremembers feeling bad forTom Herman. 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. (Roger Steinman / AP) Ryan Kartje (LA Times) -- Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly . On several occasions, the Trojans walked a safety up into the box, mainly Talanoa Hufanga, in order to have seven players near the line of scrimmage for run support. Orlando is a linebackers coach in a defense that asks the linebackers to be the primary playmakers on the team. Innovation comes from desperation, and in the offensive gauntlet that is the Big 12, it has created an evolutionary playground for defensive (and offensive) football. It has been an awful showing for USCs defense, and the coaching has to be the sole reason for the blame. The Trojans results against Arizona State were mixed. Defensive Coordinator & Linebackers. USC's new defensive coordinator didn't waste time schooling Trojans on new scheme New USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando didn't let the COVID-19 shutdown stop him from familiarizing the Trojans to his defense. Pac-12 reporter and columnist Jon Wilner, on the first episode of our USC Trojans: Wired Podcast, responded to those questions as follows: The two units that require the highest level of cohesiveness take quarterback out are the offensive line and the secondary. As I wrote in early 2019 after Texas defeated Georgia, Orlandos defense uses hybrid players and different alignments to put pressure on offenses. We try to take the philosophy of trying to make people one-dimensional, run the football on you and control the clock, because, in my opinion, there are less mistakes made on you when you turn around and hand the ball off and they can get seven or eight yards.. He was more of Well keep things simple, well do the same stuff. 3 overall pick),Baker Mayfield(No. Since Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman dismissed defensive coordinator Todd Orlando two and a half months ago and even before, to some extent its become clear just how much defensive line recruits and players disliked the front used by Orlando in his 3-3-5 defense. Herman brought Orlando along with him to Texas, where a brilliant Year 1 netted the Longhorns defensive coordinator a raise to $1.7 million per year through the 2021 season. The beauty within Orlandos use of interchangeable players allows him to stay within packages, but get different pre-snap looks. Two things generally forced USC to shift out of its base defense. Orlando sorts film breakdown by position. Todd Orlando sees USC defense as work in progress Twitter: @tcpfootballIn this video, we learn about the origins of USC Football's Defensive Coordinator Todd Orlando's defense.