Texas Tech may be getting some important pieces back on defense, and Shiel Wood made that much clear Monday as the Red Raiders prepare for Friday’s Big 12 meeting with Houston.
Wood, Texas Tech’s defensive coordinator, met with the media ahead of No. 13 Texas Tech’s matchup with No.
22 Houston. The game is set for 7 p.m.
Friday at Galaxy Stadium in Lubbock, TX, and it will be televised on FOX.
Asked about Brenden Jordan, Wood didn’t leave much room for doubt.
“Yes.”
Wood also offered a detailed look at what Trey White could mean for the defense once he’s back in the mix. He said White was “doing great in camp,” had been a starter, and brings maturity along with a well-rounded skill set.
“Trey was doing great in camp. He was a starter for us, and I think he's just a very mature player.
He's a very smart player and he's got a really nice skillset, run defense and pass rush. He's got a lot of power, a lot of balance, I think a really good feel for rush lane integrity.
So, he was really rushing the passer well for us. Not having him in practice and in these first couple games has, I mean, that's hurt us a little bit.
So, I'm excited to get him back whenever that is, whether it's this week or not remains to be seen, but at some point in the near future he'll be back on the field for us, and we got to get him back up to speed in terms of getting the reps in practice so he can get back to playing at the level he was prior to the injury.”
Wood also touched on Jayden Cofield’s role and said he expects that to grow as the season moves forward. Cofield is coming off a serious injury from last year, but Wood said he’s already ahead of schedule and performing well.
“I anticipate that as the year builds you'll see him playing more and more in games. He's doing a really nice job.
I mean, again, he is ahead of schedule. To be honest with ya, I think as a defensive coaching staff, mentally, we were kind of saying, "okay, we don't want to count on him," because of the (injury) timeline.
To have him back, and playing at all right now, and playing the way that he is, I think is a feather in our cap so to speak. And, I think he'll just continue to progress more as we go."
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