Q&A With Defensive Coordinator D.J. Eliot

BOULDER – Colorado defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot is nearly one month on the job with the Buffaloes and has had an opportunity to study film and game plan with head coach Mike MacIntyre and his fellow defensive assistant coaches.

Colorado's defense is losing eight starters from its 2016 unit that ranked in the top 20 in total defense, but it does return 22 lettterwinners on that side of the ball. Among those letterwinners returning are starters Afolabi Laguda, Rick Gamboa and Ryan Moeller, who was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection. Also returning is cornerback Isaiah Oliver, who Pro Football Focus recently ranked as one of the top 10 players returning in the Pac-12 this season.

With CU a week away from starting spring football - the first practice coming up on Wednesday, Feb. 22 - Eliot has mapped out his defensive syllabus for his first spring with the Buffs.

CUBuffs.com sat down with Eliot Monday afternoon to get his insight on the upcoming spring practices, player development, his defensive philosophies and a whole lot more with this Q&A session.

CUBuffs.com: Since you have had some time to settle in and learn the personnel returning, how do you gauge where the defense is at entering spring football?
D.J. Eliot: "We definitely lost some veteran players from last year, but I'm excited about our young players that we have. I think that they have talent, have the right mindset and attitude and I think that we have a lot to build off of with what these guys have and what they've done."

CUBuffs.com: What is the progression that you would like to see from the defense this spring?
D.J. Eliot: "We need to make sure that we are fundamentally sound and that we're executing. We are going to emphasize the basics of football this spring and making sure that we are playing with effort, that we're playing fundamentally sound and that we're executing every call."

CUBuffs.com: Does that become easier seeing that you do return a number of players that have some experience under their belts?
D.J. Eliot: "Definitely, we have some guys that got in a lot of games last year so they have been in the fire and that is going to help us moving forward."

CUBuffs.com: Coaching the linebacking corps, how do you plan on going about coaching that group?
D.J. Eliot: "Well in every position we try to make sure they got a toolbox of skills that they need to be successful at their position. Then we are going to push them to play with effort and enthusiasm at practice so that they'll do it in the game."

CUBuffs.com: At inside linebacker you have Rick Gamboa and Addison Gillam returning, who have played an awful lot. Behind them you have a couple young players like Drew Lewis and Akil Jones who have flashed, what do you see in of those guys?
D.J. Eliot: "Drew and Akil I think have a lot of athletic ability, which is good. They're fast, they're able to make plays in space, so I'm excited about working with them and helping them develop into better linebackers."

CUBuffs.com: You have had success throughout your career coaching all-conference players and ones who have gone on to the NFL. What is your theory behind developing players?
D.J. Eliot: "I think that you have to have a plan on how you are going to develop that player 365 days a year. For every skill that player has, you need to define it and then you have to have a drill that fits that skill. Then you need to have the time allotted throughout the year to drill it. So the player development plan is one that fits each position or each type of player within that position specifically and then there is a plan to execute it and develop that guy."

CUBuffs.com: Having worked at big programs in the past like Florida State under Jimbo Fisher in the ACC and in the SEC at Kentucky with Mark Stoops, to come to a top 20 program in the Pac-12, how will those experiences help you here?
D.J. Eliot: "Fortunately I was able to work at Florida State and we took a 6-6 team and went 11-2 and I was the interim defensive coordinator at the Orange Bowl and in the ACC Championship game, which we won both of those games. At Kentucky, we took a team that was 2-10 and four years later we were 7-5, so we've been a part of two turnarounds in the last seven years. I'm very excited, having coached in the ACC, SEC and now in the Pac-12, it's different challenges everywhere you work, but it's big-time football at all Power Five programs and it's great atmospheres, great players, it's great coaches and it is something that I am excited about doing here in the Pac-12."

CUBuffs.com: Your 3-4 defense, being multiple and disguising where blitzes may be coming from, can we be expecting a defense that has many sacks and takeaways?
D.J. Eliot: "It can be. The philosophy behind it is that it is multiple, but simple for the players. So it is multiple for an offense because there is anybody that can be the fourth rusher and we can get into a lot of different coverages and they look the same before the snap, but we are trying to be simple for the players to where they don't have to learn a lot and can play fast. With that, you can create turnovers, you can create tackles for a loss and we just need to emphasize on that in practice that we're trying to create turnovers, we're trying to create tackles for a loss, we're trying to create sacks, and that we need to make sure we demand it in practice so we'll execute in the game."

CUBuffs.com: What is the role going to be Ryan Moller this year? Last year with his versatility, he was able to play all over the field and he made a number of plays. Where will he fit in with your defense?
D.J. Eliot: "It would be the same, he's going to be a safety in some calls and he's going to be a nickel slash outside linebacker in some calls."

CUBuffs.com: What do you see in Ryan Moeller that you have liked on film?
D.J. Eliot: "I see a guy that is athletic enough to play in space and be a good nickel and I see a guy that's physical enough to hold up the run game, which is what we are going to need from him."

CUBuffs.com: You lose three guys in the secondary that will probably be in the NFL, but you also have a lot of talent returning. Do you like the skill set on the backend?
D.J. Eliot: "I do. (Afolabi Laguda) is back as a starter, Isaiah Oliver has started a lot for us, Nick Fisher's played in some games for us, so there's a group of guys who have a good skill set and have played for us."

CUBuffs.com: How has your first month at CU gone? Have you been running around with your hair on fire?
D.J. Eliot: "It's been great. I have, but that is part of the job. That is actually one thing that I love about it is the fact that it is football all day every day."

Colorado University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Nick Fisher

Rick Gamboa

Akil Jones

Afolabi Laguda

Drew Lewis

Ryan Moeller

Isaiah Oliver

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