Colorado University Athletics
Summers Aims For 'Attacking' Defense With Buffs
December 16, 2018 | Football
BOULDER — New Colorado defensive coordinator Tyson Summers cut his defensive coaching teeth on a 4-3 scheme.
He coached a 4-3 at Central Florida under George O'Leary for three seasons, including a year as defensive coordinator, on teams that compiled a 31-9 record and appeared in three bowl games. He also coached a 4-3 for a year as Colorado State's defensive coordinator in 2015, and as Georgia Southern's head coach in 2016-17.
But during that time, he also paid close attention as college football offenses continued to evolve with more spread formations and more run-pass option attacks geared around athletic quarterbacks — and as a result, 3-4 schemes are becoming more prevalent.
Thus, when Summers had the chance to join Kirby Smart's staff at Georgia prior to the 2018 season, he jumped at the opportunity, especially because it also involved working with then-Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker.
"I wanted to learn the 3-4 and be in that Mel Tucker-Kirby Smart-Nick Saban system that has had the success it has had," said Summers, who earlier this week was named Colorado's defensive coordinator on Tucker's first staff in Boulder. "It's been really successful for them, and for me, it was a great way to get into the 3-4 world. We're going to be very similar here to what Georgia has been the last three years with Coach Tucker."
Smart, a former defensive coordinator for Saban at Alabama, and Tucker built a standout defense over the last two years in Georgia. As a defensive quality control coordinator, Summers had the opportunity to work closely with the defense and learn the intricacies of the 3-4 scheme.
"Offenses no doubt go faster today," Summers said. "But as offenses are evolving, we are evolving as well. There was a period of time where Xs and Os stayed very similar. But as offenses have evolved, particularly with the RPOs and people being more and more spread and stretching you the entire width and length of the field, it continues to force us to do the same things."
The challenge, Summers said, is making sure offensive coordinators don't achieve their goal of getting playmakers in space on the perimeter in one-on-one situations.
"The best defenses are those where there are two or three people at the point on the tackle," Summers said. "That's what you saw a lot of 10 years ago, but now people get caught up in scheme and overdoing it, so you end up shortchanging your fundamentals."
Summers wants to make sure that devotion and dedication to sound technique and fundamentals are a staple of Colorado's defense.
"No matter what kind of defense you run, it starts with being fundamentally sound," Summers said. "When you have great fundamentals and great technique, then you can always be attacking. We're going to be a team that is always attacking and one that is known for the effort we play with. When you do that, you create big plays. We want to create takeaways and not give up explosive plays."
As CSU's defensive coordinator in 2015 under head coach Mike Bobo, Summers came out on the short end of a 27-24 Colorado win in overtime. The thing he remembers most from that game, he said, is that "we hit that quarterback (CU's Sefo Liufau) all night long and he kept getting up and making big plays on us."
Now, he'll be coaching and recruiting against his former boss. He knows the Buffs have some solid returning players and he is anxious to watch film and then see them in person.
"Ultimately, every coach is looking for a football team and a group of young men that love the game of football, that love to compete and love all the hard situations that are involved with the game," Summers said. "We're looking for those qualities in players and I think those guys are all over the country. As a coach, you just try to find the right one to fit your team."
Summers worked with Tucker for just a year at Georgia, but quickly jumped at the chance to join him in Boulder when the offer was extended — and it was more than just Tucker's knowledge of the game that made the job attractive.
"One of Coach Tucker's greatest qualities is being a relationship coach," Summers said. "I think both of us see the relationship side of coaching as a must with today's players. I certainly think we are both people who really want to be great teachers, and I think we want to be around people that we trust. I think the staff here is going to be a really good mesh."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
He coached a 4-3 at Central Florida under George O'Leary for three seasons, including a year as defensive coordinator, on teams that compiled a 31-9 record and appeared in three bowl games. He also coached a 4-3 for a year as Colorado State's defensive coordinator in 2015, and as Georgia Southern's head coach in 2016-17.
But during that time, he also paid close attention as college football offenses continued to evolve with more spread formations and more run-pass option attacks geared around athletic quarterbacks — and as a result, 3-4 schemes are becoming more prevalent.
Thus, when Summers had the chance to join Kirby Smart's staff at Georgia prior to the 2018 season, he jumped at the opportunity, especially because it also involved working with then-Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker.
"I wanted to learn the 3-4 and be in that Mel Tucker-Kirby Smart-Nick Saban system that has had the success it has had," said Summers, who earlier this week was named Colorado's defensive coordinator on Tucker's first staff in Boulder. "It's been really successful for them, and for me, it was a great way to get into the 3-4 world. We're going to be very similar here to what Georgia has been the last three years with Coach Tucker."
Smart, a former defensive coordinator for Saban at Alabama, and Tucker built a standout defense over the last two years in Georgia. As a defensive quality control coordinator, Summers had the opportunity to work closely with the defense and learn the intricacies of the 3-4 scheme.
"Offenses no doubt go faster today," Summers said. "But as offenses are evolving, we are evolving as well. There was a period of time where Xs and Os stayed very similar. But as offenses have evolved, particularly with the RPOs and people being more and more spread and stretching you the entire width and length of the field, it continues to force us to do the same things."
The challenge, Summers said, is making sure offensive coordinators don't achieve their goal of getting playmakers in space on the perimeter in one-on-one situations.
"The best defenses are those where there are two or three people at the point on the tackle," Summers said. "That's what you saw a lot of 10 years ago, but now people get caught up in scheme and overdoing it, so you end up shortchanging your fundamentals."
Summers wants to make sure that devotion and dedication to sound technique and fundamentals are a staple of Colorado's defense.
"No matter what kind of defense you run, it starts with being fundamentally sound," Summers said. "When you have great fundamentals and great technique, then you can always be attacking. We're going to be a team that is always attacking and one that is known for the effort we play with. When you do that, you create big plays. We want to create takeaways and not give up explosive plays."
As CSU's defensive coordinator in 2015 under head coach Mike Bobo, Summers came out on the short end of a 27-24 Colorado win in overtime. The thing he remembers most from that game, he said, is that "we hit that quarterback (CU's Sefo Liufau) all night long and he kept getting up and making big plays on us."
Now, he'll be coaching and recruiting against his former boss. He knows the Buffs have some solid returning players and he is anxious to watch film and then see them in person.
"Ultimately, every coach is looking for a football team and a group of young men that love the game of football, that love to compete and love all the hard situations that are involved with the game," Summers said. "We're looking for those qualities in players and I think those guys are all over the country. As a coach, you just try to find the right one to fit your team."
Summers worked with Tucker for just a year at Georgia, but quickly jumped at the chance to join him in Boulder when the offer was extended — and it was more than just Tucker's knowledge of the game that made the job attractive.
"One of Coach Tucker's greatest qualities is being a relationship coach," Summers said. "I think both of us see the relationship side of coaching as a must with today's players. I certainly think we are both people who really want to be great teachers, and I think we want to be around people that we trust. I think the staff here is going to be a really good mesh."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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