Projecting a Much Different Look

Coaches are creatures of habits, the ones exhibited by their rosters. Game film, past performance, practice effort all become constants in their minds. And when they look at their roster, they tend to project all of that information into what can be built.

Tyson Summers is no different, but the visions in his head were far from clear the past 12 months. They were murky, at best. By the end of the 2025 season, Colorado State's defensive coordinator was forced to use nearly 30 different starters on his units in 12 games. Every area was hit, the hardest being the defensive line where nine players logged starts along a three-man front.

Defensive game plans were based mostly on who was available week to week.

In the spring, working under new coach Jim Mora, some of the issues still existed. Based on projections, about five players tagged as probable starters missed time, a few of them the entirety of spring camp.

Flash forward to fall camp, his vision is closer to 20/20.

"We've got some guys who were out through spring that had some long-term injuries in the fall, and we've got a lot of those guys back. And it certainly gives us a chance to kind of hone in and kind of define who we're gonna be and what we feel like we can make sure we can focus on," Summers said. "I think anytime you've got a healthy roster, I think that that gives you a chance to do that. And we're really excited about being able to kind of focus down on the things that we've got in front of us."

The teaching remains the same no matter who is available, and the silver lining in both circumstances was the staff was able to get a better read on some players getting more reps than usual. Stacking days is a benefit for those new to a team, a system and the multiple concepts Summers will employ during a game, let alone throughout a season.

The base attitude must be delivered, regardless of the alignment and who is on the field, and that too has become prevalent in camp. Summers demands a level of aggression.

"As long as we keep on coming, come out here on the field and compete, that's all we've got to do is follow our playbooks, execute it what coach is saying, what coach is trying to teach us," Kenyon Agurs said. "It's different terminology now, but it's really the same old from the spring.

"What gives me confidence is really our violence. As long as we're out there, no matter what play, first down, second down, what quarter, the violence ... All we need is confidence. That's going to give us confidence, that's going to give us those third-down stops and then lead on to special teams."

Summers isn't a coach who is stuck on one or two ways. He is a collector of ideas and talents. Colorado State inherited not only a new wave of proficiency through recruiting, but also a rush of coaches who carry their own concepts. Those started to blend in January, and the discussions continued through the spring. New information came via those 15 practices and the conversations started anew.

After the first week of fall camp, he's pleased with where the team is mentally, meaning their comprehension of what is being taught and how they are executing the plan. The players feel they have found a comfort level on the field, one which must constantly grow.

"I think we're close, but we just gotta apply the details with more intent and just use the details and technique every play. Some plays people take it off, but we've got a lot of younger guys, we gotta bring them up, teach them technique," linebacker Jaseim Mitchell said. "A lot of our guys are smart. Pretty much everyone's smart here. Now we've just gotta apply it on the field."

Where nine months ago there was a hodgepodge of players, there is a sense of depth. Additionally, versatility. That's vital in the way Summers likes to operate.

No matter the system or the front being used as a base, it all starts with stopping the run, and that task is handled by the front seven.

"I think the biggest jump that you see obviously is at the line of scrimmage. I think that's where we just had nothing but injuries there a year ago," Summers said. "Now when you take a look at where we're at and our line of scrimmage is, I think it's a totally different looking group all the way around.

"We do have a lot of depth there. I think Kenny (McClendon, co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach) and Mickey (Grace, assistant defensive line coach) and Zay (Isiah Lee, assistant defensive line) have done a great job with the defensive line. Same thing. Kyle (Krantz, jacks coach) and Jackson (Mitchell, assistant jacks) with the outside backers. And I think that'll be a real strength for us."

Agurs was a prime example of all the switching taking place last year. A young player – he didn't start the sport until late in high school – the original plan for him was to develop as an outside backer. When the injury bug swept through the unit, Agurs moved all over.

Not the intended plan, but again, the unplanned silver lining was his understanding of an overall defense and how it functions grew exponentially. When Mitchell was injured at the start of the campaign, his return provided a burst to the second level.

Both of them expect to be used in different ways. It's a big part of why they love the system.

Definitely the mental approach.

"He's gonna apply our strengths and then get rid of our weaknesses so we can all play with our strengths. And have fun. And play better as a defense," Mitchell said. "It's a strong bond, and it's a mindset you gotta put in your head as soon as you wake up. You can't act tired; you can't act weak. You've just gotta be violent no matter what.

"We do that every day, for sure, but we've gotta be more violent. It's 1% (better) every day."

Summers is encouraged by the mixing and matching of veterans of his style with the infusion of experience from other programs. Agurs, Jaseim along with A.J. Noland and Jace Bellah are leaders who can help advance information. Adding a player like Oumar Diomande only advances what the defensive staff can project in terms of performance.

Summers hadn't experienced a season like 2025 in the entirety of his career, and he certainly hopes it remains the outlier as he moves forward. Moving forward is what has piqued his interest in camp.

The coaches who joined him and their experiences. The new players who add their talent along with those who developed under fire the season prior. It has all been built into a defense he likes, one which will take full advantage of the more that is on hand.

"We were able to take a lot of guys in the spring, like I said, because of injuries, and get looks at them, and guys that weren't on our radar at all," Summers said. "From the season prior or maybe the first five days of spring, they really were able to come out in some of the scrimmages that we had in the spring and really do well, give them an opportunity to run with one of the first two groups and see what they can do. So I think we've built a lot of depth and been able to add a bunch of players who were on our roster who maybe we hadn't done a good enough job, or I hadn't done a good enough job evaluating. I think what you see is building depth, and you can build it a lot of different ways, and I think that's certainly one of them."

As he steps onto the practice field daily, he can now project what he sees through a clear lens of what the future can hold.

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