Defensive Backs: 2021 Position Preview
Who's In
Augustine arrives in San Marcos after being a two-year starter at Atascocita High School in Houston, Texas. As a senior, the 6-foot-0, 180-pound defensive back was named to the All-District 21-6A First Team as a safety. He also played wide receiver as a sophomore and junior.
Cooper, a 5-foot-11, 16
5-pound defensive back, was named a Class 5A All-State Honorable Mention selection by the Texas Sports Writers Association (TSWA) during his time at College Station High School in College Station, Texas. He also picked up All-District 8-5A honors and served as team caption as a senior.
Hamrick comes to San Marcos from Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga. The 6-foot-0, 195-pound freshman played cornerback, safety and wide receiver at Parkview and was credited with 48 tackles, three interceptions and one forced fumble as a senior. He also competed in track and field in high school by running in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races in addition to being a member of the 4x100- and 4x200-meter relay teams.
Johnson spent two seasons at Mary Hardin Baylor, where he appeared in 17 games and totaled five interceptions and 41 tackles. In just five games in the 2020 season, he picked off two passes and was credited with 16 total tackles, including 12 unassisted stops. He also blocked a punt while working with the special teams unit.
Lefeged, Jr., comes to Texas State after a two-year career at Utah State following a stop at Fullerton (Calif.) Community College. As a Aggie, he led the team with 104 tackles as a junior, which led him to being selected as a preseason All-Mountain West Third Team selection heading into 2020 before an injury cut his season short. Prior to the injury, Lefeged, Jr., had collected 13 tackles against San Diego State and Nevada.
LoVett, a 6-foot-0, 188-pound cornerback, had a two-year playing career at New Mexico before joining the Texas State program. He played in 17 games as a Lobo and was credited with 22 tackles. He served as the team's primary kickoff returner in 2019, averaging 24.3 yards a return.
Mills appeared in eight total games during his two-year career at Missouri, where he totaled five tackles. Rated as a three-star cornerback prospect out of Judson High School, Mills helped lead his team to a second-round playoff appearance as a senior. In his final two prep seasons, Mills totaled 94 tackles, 11 pass breakups and four interceptions. He also participated on the school's 4x100- and 4x400-meter relay teams.
Sutton transferred to Texas State from SMU, where he sat out the 2020 season and redshirted the last eight games of the 2019 campaign after suffering a season-ending injury. In the first four games of the 2019 season, he had seven tackles and one pass breakup. He appeared in 37 games throughout his career with the Mustangs and tallied 38 tackles.
Williams, a standout defensive back while attending St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) High School, enrolled at Vanderbilt after stops at Independence (Kan.) Community College and Wisconsin. He played in 10 career games at Vanderbilt and was credited with a career-best five tackles against Georgia. He was the No. 4-ranked JUCO recruit as a sophomore after appearing in 14 games, including five starts, as a freshman in Madison.
Who's Back
After arriving to San Marcos as a three-star recruit out of New Caney High School in Houston Texas, Childress appeared in all 12 games of the 2020 season as true freshman. His 61 total tackles were tied for the fifth most on the team. He broke up four passes and recovered a fumble in the Bobcats' season-opening game against SMU. He was credited with a career-high nine tackles at then-No. 11 ranked BYU.
Spears played in eight games, making seven starts, in his first season as a Bobcat after transferring from Iowa State. He recorded 48 tackles, including 28 solo stops, and registed 0.5 tackles for loss. He was credited with a season-high 10 tackles, including eight unassisted ones, at Boston College. He also logged nine tackles against Louisiana and eight at South Alabama.
In his first year at Texas State after transferring from Navarro, Hockley appeared in six games and recorded eight tackles. His lone pass breakup on the season came on the Bobcats' trip to Boston College. Hockley was credited with a season-high three tackles at South Alabama.
Tuggle, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound safety, appeared in all 12 games of the 2020 season after sitting out the previous season after transferring from Trinity. He returned a punt at ULM for one yard.
Mask enters the 2021 season being named to Phil Steele's Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Fourth Team a season after playing in 10 games and tallying 49 tackles and five pass breakups. He was credited with a season-high 12 tackles and two pass breakups in the Bobcats' road game at Troy. He also had six tackles in games against then-No. 14 ranked Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern.
Anderson started 12 games at safety for
Zac Spavital's defense in 2020. He finished the year tied for fifth on the team with 61 tackles. He also recovered a fumble against Louisiana and recorded pass breakups against Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina. Anderson was credited with a season-high nine tackles against the Chanticleers.
Deason played in 11 games throughout the 2020 campaign. He was credited with 17 tackles, including 12 solo stops, while splitting team on special teams and in the secondary. Deason forced a fumble against Louisiana and had a season-high five tackles against Appalachian State and Louisiana. He also recorded four tackles against then-No. 11 ranked BYU.
Johnson played in five games and registered one tackle against Appalachian State in the 2020 season.
Following his standout season, Morris was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team by the Sun Belt Coaches, Media and
Phil Steele. A year after leading the Bobcats with 69 tackles and four interceptions, Morris was selected to the 2021 Dave Campbell's Texas Football All-Texas Team and 2021
Athlon's Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team. His 100-yard interception return for a touchdown at ULM last season tied a program and conference record for the longest interception return in a game.
Rodgers, a 5-foot-11, 165-pound cornerback, played in seven games, including six games, last season. He totaled 30 tackles, including being credited with eight tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against then-No. 16 ranked Coastal Carolina. Rodgers had a 31-yard interception return in the Bobcats' season-opening game against SMU as well as an 18-yard fumble return at ULM.
What To Watch For
Much like the defensive line, the defensive back group has that perfect blend of newcomers and experience. As a result, defensive backs coach
Brett Dewhurst will likely be up all night trying to figure out which student-athletes to send out on the field for game action.
Morris returns the statistical experience after being among the conference leaders in passes defended last season, while Mask brings the versatility to play any secondary position. Another year in the defensive system will only help Childress and Hockley, who saw game action as true freshmen in 2020. Incoming guys like Williams, Sutton, Mills, Lefeged, Jr., and others will be looking to leave their impact during training camp and practice to earn valuable game experience as well.
Preseason Information
The Bobcats are currently in their final week of preseason preparation for their season-opening game next Saturday, Sept. 4. Coverage of Texas State's preseason camp can be seen at @TXSTATEFOOTBALL on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Post-practice media availability videos can be viewed at txstatebobcats.com.
Statistically Speaking
Opposing quarterbacks kept testing Morris out wide last season and contentiously failed the exam. By season's end, Morris was third in the Sun Belt Conference in total passes defended with 15. His four interceptions were tied for the third most, while his 1.25 passes defended per game average was the second-highest mark in the conference. Morris was one of just five defensive players in the league with double-digit pass breakups on the 2020 season. No defensive student-athlete in the Sun Belt Conference has more interception return yards than Morris.
Across the country, Morris' four interceptions were the eighth most in FBS football, while his 1.25 pass defended per game mark was the 13th-highest average.
2021 Texas State football ticket information
Tickets for the 2021 season are now available with different options for fans to purchase:
Season Tickets
- $95 in general admission section; $155 West Reserved, Priority $155 with a required Bobcat Club donation
Two half-season packages
- Package A: Baylor, two additional games - $60 for general admission, $100 for priority sections.
- Package B- Any three games other than Baylor- $50 for general admission, $80 for priority sections.
Single-Game tickets
- As low as $35 in general admission section; go up to $70 in priority seating sections. (Baylor)
- As low as $15 in general admission section; go up to $45 for priority seating sections
A Bobcat Club donation is required to access priority seats. Each seat donation goes toward Bobcat Club donations for the 2021 year and can lead to membership benefits such as parking and pre-game hospitality to round out your game day experience.
Visit
www.txstatebobcats.com/tickets
Call the Bobcat Ticket Office (512-245-2272) or visit the Texas State Athletic Ticket Office, located in the North End Zone Complex of Bobcat Stadium, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
