Utah State's Defensive Back Drills

Jeff Copp shares the defensive back drills Utah State uses to teach the basics of secondary play. The progression runs from footwork, tempo and backpedal drills into man-to-man work (stem and punch) and zone drops with keys for reading the quarterback, and it finishes with block and blitz drills. Many of the drills are built around changing direction properly and eliminating wasted movement as a defensive back transitions from backpedal to forward, which is where most coverage technique breaks down.

What you'll learn

• The most important drills to teach defensive backs.
• Footwork, tempo and backpedal progression drills.
• Man-to-man drills, including stem and punch.
• Zone drops with keys to reading the quarterback.
• Block and blitz drills for defensive backs.
• Change-of-direction technique that eliminates wasted movement going from backward to forward.

Who it's for

High school and college defensive backs coaches and defensive coordinators who want a proven drill progression for individual periods, from the first day of fundamentals through coverage-specific man and zone work.

About the coach

Jeff Copp coached safeties at Utah State University after coaching at Arizona State and Idaho State; he was an All-Conference player at Boise State.

Part of Coach Copp's four-part Utah State series, with extensive use of game film. Runtime: about 30 minutes.