Third story in a series looking ahead to the 2021 ODU football season.
By Harry Minium
The question wasn't asked directly of Old Dominion University defensive coordinator Blake Seiler, but likely, his ears were burning.
"Every year, your defense is non-existent. It's been an issue since we were in FCS and your predecessor was unable to solve that problem. What can you do to solve that?"
First-year ODU head coach Ricky Rahne answered the question hurled at him at the Norfolk Sports Club directly and forthrightly.
"I feel like I was able to hire the best defensive coordinator in our conference," he said of Seiler. "He was the defensive coordinator at Kansas State and last year was the special teams coordinator at West Virginia.
"Blake is an engineer by trade. He's a very meticulous, detailed guy. I think the focus on fundamentals we're doing now will make us much, much better."
To be fair to ODU's previous coaching staffs, coordinator David Blackwell did a pretty good job in 2019, as the defense played well until late in the season, when injuries thinned out depth.
But prior to 2019, ODU's defense was a major issue in almost every season, such as 2018, when the Monarchs allowed 35.9 points and 470.8 yards per game and finished 4-8.
Seiler is aware of the history but said he hasn't focused on it.
"We haven't made a point of talking a lot about the past," he said. "Instead, we're focused on sending our seniors out the right way."
To do that, he said, ODU needs speed, which wasn't in abundance when the new staff took over earlier this year.
"The cupboard wasn't bare here by any means, but were are not as fast as we need to be," he said. "We need to be able to cover and rush the quarterback. That's the name of the game. We've got to get faster to do that."
Seiler has a far deeper resume than any defensive coordinator in ODU history. He coached ten seasons at Kansas State, a Power 5 school, where his team was third in Big 12 scoring defense in 2018.
He is indeed an engineer by trade and designed parts for corporate planes before shelving a lucrative career to go into college coaching.
Assistant defensive coordinator Remington Rebstock, who coached briefly with Seiler at Kansas State, comes after spending the last two seasons at UTEP and the three seasons before that at Oklahoma state.
Defensive line coach Andrew Jackson (no, he's not related to the former President of the same name), comes to ODU from James Madison and Mississippi State, and like a lot of ODU coaches, spent a couple of years at Penn State.
Cornerbacks coach Leon Wright, a Duke graduate, has spent time at LSU, Mercer, Princeton and the NFL's Jacksonsville Jaguars. Special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach Kevin Smith spent the last three seasons at Penn State.
"I love our defensive coaching staff," Rahne said.
What's not to love?
But the task they face will be difficult. ODU clearly has some big defensive holes to fill because of personnel losses.
"We did lose some key pieces of the puzzle," Seiler said. "That's part of a new staff coming in. It's part of attrition. But I really like the guys we have now.
"We're a work in process, but we made a lot of progress this fall."
Because of the pandemic, ODU practiced and did not play this fall in order to keep players and coaches safe. Seiler said that helped he and his assistant coaches teach the players more fundamentals than they would have had the chance to do otherwise.
ODU will play the same defense Seiler coached at Kansas State, although there will be wrinkles thrown in to accommodate personnel.
Basically, ODU will play with four down linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs, which in a pass-happy, up-tempo league like Conference USA is almost standard operating procedure.
Rahne said the defense will be unpredictable, that at Kansas State, it was difficult to anticipate when the defense was blitzing for falling back into pass protection.
"We always want to keep four rushers up front, but we need to have enough people to cover as well," Seiler said. "In the past, ODU played with more length. They had bigger guys but they did not necessarily run well enough to stop the spread offense.
"We'll definitely take speed over size."
Jeremy Meiser, Seiler said, will anchor the defensive line, and the 6-3, 280-pound senior from Cincinnati Ohio has benefitted more than many others from the year away from playing. Meiser played sparingly as a freshman, but it was enough to cost him a redshirt season, which players use to get stronger and faster.
"Jeremy has been a stalwart up front," Seiler said. "I really like the progress he's made and how hard he's worked."
Tyre Bibby, a 6-3, 260, redshirt junior from Miami, has looked good at nose back, and Marcus Haynes (6-4, 220), a junior from Bowie, Maryland "has been a disruptive player up front," Seiler said.
ODU's thin group of linebackers was bolstered by the move of quarterback Steven Williams Jr. to outside linebacker. A 6-4, 230, he has the good size, speed and quickness. And as a former quarterback he knows how to read an offense.
"He's an athlete and he's got great instincts," Seiler said. "I love converting those guys who have played quarterback to linebacker. They know the game. They're way ahead of the curve. I think it's been a good move."
Jordan Young, also a converted quarterback – he called plays from behind center at Coatesville, Pennsylvania High School – is the top returning tackler for the Monarchs. At 6-3, 230, Young had 86 tackles last season, and also intercepted a pass.
Junior college transfer Ryan Henry (6-2, 220) from Miami, Florida, is a good blitzer and has been moved to the MIKE position.
ODU has good depth at cornerback. Geronda Hall, the junior from Atlanta, had 69 tackles last season, "and he's a going who's going to make big plays for us," Rahne said. He likely will be the nickel back.
Kaleb Ford-Dement, the junior college transfer from Texas, was tied for tenth in FBS last season with 13 pass breakups and had two interceptions.
Cornerback Lance Boykin made a lot of progress this spring as did LaMareon James, a member of Rahne's first recruiting class and an Indian River High graduate who is among the top-rated players to sign with ODU.
Safeties, Damion Charity, a 6-1 sophomore from Phoebus High, and Larry Hawkins III, a 6-3 junior college transfer who was also part of Rahne's first recruiting class, also impressed during the fall.
"We made a lot of strides this fall," Seiler said. "It was so valuable for us to have the time where we actually put pads on in practice."
Seiler said it's likely that newcomers will also receive playing time. Perhaps a lot of time.
"We've got good players," he said. "We just need more of them.
"I think some new guys are going to have to play just out of need. We're going to need some guys on the edge.
"We're not opposed to playing anyone who shows they're ready."
As for turning ODU's defense from a perceived liability into an asset, Seiler said: "There's no doubt that we came here to change that. I'm used to playing way, way better defense than that."
Contact Minium: hminium@odu.edu
Coming Sunday: A look at ODU's special teams.
Coming Monday: A look at ODU's 2021 schedule.
Minium: Blake Seiler Aims to End ODU Football's Long-Time Struggle With Playing Good Defense
