It’s always a good thing to hear from the members of the Texas Tech football staff, today defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter was featured on the Big 12 This Morning radio show. Our very own @C. Level was able to get a recording of DeRuyter’s interview so now… here are the takeaways:
On what brought him to Tech in the first place:
“Well, it goes back to my time at Texas A&M. My family loved the state of Texas. I love where football is culturally in this state and this part of the country. It just means more, it really does. California is beautiful and we’ve got family out there. But there's so many other things going on that it tends to get drowned out a lot, here it's a big time proposition. No matter how small the town you're from, everybody on Friday nights is the high school football game. On Saturday you go to the college game and then on Sunday you go to church and then watch the pros. That's just the culture it is out here. But the bigger reason, it’s not just liking the area and the culture of where football is in Texas, it was our personal relationships and my personal relationship with coach McGuire. He was a guy that I met through recruiting at A&M and we just kept a personal relationship. Even when I went to the West Coast and whenever I could get out here and recruit out here I always saw him. He mentioned to me that at some point in his career he wanted to get in to college. When I was at Fresno I said ‘Hey, if it works out.’, but I needed some guys from California. And it’s one thing for him to come to me out at Fresno but I needed local guys, which he understood. But he called me as soon as coach (Mario) Crisotbal decided to go to Miami, he called and said ‘You don’t want to go to Miami, do you?’ 24 hours later he put the hardcore press on and I said giddy up, let’s go.”
On importance of spring practice now compared to the past:
“Well, I think it’s changed a ton. 25, 30 years ago I think a lot of coaches just tried to get it over with. As multiple as teams are now, and back in those days you’d run it twice and throw if you had to on third down. Now, with as multiple as teams are, the personnel groupings, the tempo, with all the things our offense and other Big 12 offenses are trying to do, and what we’re trying to do multiplicity wise on defense, you’ve got to take time to teach these guys all the different concepts or you’ve got no chance. You know, we try to be a multiple defense, and there’s so many different looks offenses give you nowadays, this time of the year is just invaluable for teaching.”
On difficulty coaching against the Big 12 teams (specifically Texas and Oklahoma):
“Well, you hit the nail on the head. There’s such a variety of schemes and thoughts on offense and there’s so many really good coaches that are so sound and how they teach it and how hard they get their guys to play. You didn’t even mention Baylor with their outside zone stretch and play action passing game. Kansas State with their quarterback run and physical power downhill running. You’ve got all that and then you’ve got the spread template teams like us and West Virginia. It’s a challenge every week for us to be able to switch gears. That’s why I think you have to be multiple to be able to match up and get your best guys on the field and put them in a position to best have a chance. But you’ve gotta have some curveballs in there so the offense just doesn’t line you up like you did in practice all week.”
Owned and operated by Red Raiders, Sideline Provisions offers one of a kind items you can’t find anywhere else in the world. They are the original creator of the Guns Up logo and are the only place to get Dirk West original pieces.
Sideline Provisions
On what brought him to Tech in the first place:
“Well, it goes back to my time at Texas A&M. My family loved the state of Texas. I love where football is culturally in this state and this part of the country. It just means more, it really does. California is beautiful and we’ve got family out there. But there's so many other things going on that it tends to get drowned out a lot, here it's a big time proposition. No matter how small the town you're from, everybody on Friday nights is the high school football game. On Saturday you go to the college game and then on Sunday you go to church and then watch the pros. That's just the culture it is out here. But the bigger reason, it’s not just liking the area and the culture of where football is in Texas, it was our personal relationships and my personal relationship with coach McGuire. He was a guy that I met through recruiting at A&M and we just kept a personal relationship. Even when I went to the West Coast and whenever I could get out here and recruit out here I always saw him. He mentioned to me that at some point in his career he wanted to get in to college. When I was at Fresno I said ‘Hey, if it works out.’, but I needed some guys from California. And it’s one thing for him to come to me out at Fresno but I needed local guys, which he understood. But he called me as soon as coach (Mario) Crisotbal decided to go to Miami, he called and said ‘You don’t want to go to Miami, do you?’ 24 hours later he put the hardcore press on and I said giddy up, let’s go.”
On importance of spring practice now compared to the past:
“Well, I think it’s changed a ton. 25, 30 years ago I think a lot of coaches just tried to get it over with. As multiple as teams are now, and back in those days you’d run it twice and throw if you had to on third down. Now, with as multiple as teams are, the personnel groupings, the tempo, with all the things our offense and other Big 12 offenses are trying to do, and what we’re trying to do multiplicity wise on defense, you’ve got to take time to teach these guys all the different concepts or you’ve got no chance. You know, we try to be a multiple defense, and there’s so many different looks offenses give you nowadays, this time of the year is just invaluable for teaching.”
On difficulty coaching against the Big 12 teams (specifically Texas and Oklahoma):
“Well, you hit the nail on the head. There’s such a variety of schemes and thoughts on offense and there’s so many really good coaches that are so sound and how they teach it and how hard they get their guys to play. You didn’t even mention Baylor with their outside zone stretch and play action passing game. Kansas State with their quarterback run and physical power downhill running. You’ve got all that and then you’ve got the spread template teams like us and West Virginia. It’s a challenge every week for us to be able to switch gears. That’s why I think you have to be multiple to be able to match up and get your best guys on the field and put them in a position to best have a chance. But you’ve gotta have some curveballs in there so the offense just doesn’t line you up like you did in practice all week.”
Owned and operated by Red Raiders, Sideline Provisions offers one of a kind items you can’t find anywhere else in the world. They are the original creator of the Guns Up logo and are the only place to get Dirk West original pieces.
Sideline Provisions
