Advanced 3-5-3 Techniques Against the Run

Taylor Burks instituted the 3-5-3 defense at Georgia Military College, where he had the Bulldogs ranked among the top junior college defenses in the country year after year. In this session, the first of his three-part series, he takes the 3-5-3 past alignment and into run defense: when the front slants and when it whips, how the linebackers fill to daylight, and the specific answer for each run an offense brings.

What you'll learn

• His overall philosophy and strategy for the 3-5-3 defense
• Why every defender has to know where every other player lines up and what his responsibility is
• Defensive line technique, including when to slant and when to whip
• The critical element of linebackers filling to daylight
• Responsibilities of the outside linebackers and defensive backs, the Dogs
• How to stop the iso play
• Techniques to stop the toss sweep and defeat the inside zone play
• Recognizing the right keys when attacking the power play
• Stopping the counter with specific slants and stunts, and why scraping defeats the option

Who it's for

Defensive coordinators, defensive line and linebacker coaches at the high school, junior college and college levels who run the 3-5-3 or another odd stack front and need run fits that hold up week to week.

About the coach

Taylor Burks instituted the 3-5-3 defense while coaching at Georgia Military College, spending nearly a decade there with the Bulldogs ranked among the nation's top junior college defenses, and he was the defensive coordinator at Hillwood High School in Nashville.

Part one of Coach Burks' three-part series on the 3-5-3. Runtime: about 33 minutes.