Baylor's Defensive Line Aims to Create More Havoc Under New Coach

The Bears' new defensive line coach Jacori Greer is focused on improving the unit's ability to disrupt the offense.

Apr. 4, 2026 at 12:50am

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting the chaotic action of a college football defensive line, with sharp, overlapping planes of color representing the players' movements and collisions.Baylor's defensive line looks to disrupt the offense with a more aggressive, versatile approach under new position coach Jacori Greer.Waco Today

Baylor's football team has brought in a new defensive line coach, Jacori Greer, who is tasked with improving the unit's ability to create havoc plays and stop the run after a down year in 2025. Greer is emphasizing techniques like getting off the ball quickly and playing with their hands to disrupt the offense, rather than just being gap-fillers. The defensive line group has a lot of new faces, but veterans like Jackson Blackwell, Devonte Tezino, and Kyler Jordan are expected to show their versatility in the new system.

Why it matters

Baylor's defensive line struggled to contain the run game last season, so improving that area will be crucial for the team's overall defensive performance in 2026. The new coaching staff is focused on creating more negative plays and disrupting the opposing offense, which should help the Bears become a tougher unit to game plan against.

The details

New defensive line coach Jacori Greer comes to Baylor after spending 2025 at Coastal Carolina, where his unit finished fourth in the conference in third down defense. Greer, a former defensive lineman at New Mexico, is still getting to know his players, many of whom are new faces from last season. But the main goal he and new defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman have emphasized is creating more 'havoc' - whether that's sacks, tackles for loss, or just forcing the quarterback to get off his spot. Greer wants his defensive linemen to play with more aggression and use their hands better to disrupt the offense.

  • Greer joined the Baylor coaching staff ahead of the 2026 season.

The players

Jacori Greer

Baylor's new defensive line coach, who previously coached at Coastal Carolina.

Joe Klanderman

Baylor's new defensive coordinator, who is working with Greer to improve the defensive line's ability to create havoc.

Jackson Blackwell

A Baylor defensive lineman who is expected to show more versatility in the new system after being more of a gap-filler in the past.

Devonte Tezino

A Baylor defensive lineman who is expected to show more versatility in the new system after being more of a gap-filler in the past.

Kyler Jordan

A Baylor defensive lineman who is expected to show more versatility in the new system after being more of a gap-filler in the past.

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What they’re saying

“We better. No, we better. I think every day they're getting a little bit better. And honestly, our foundation, what Coach Aranda has said, is 1-0 every day. And so, if we continue to take the steps that we're taking, I really feel good about our group come the first game. And so, every single day it's havoc. We talk about it a lot. We talk about knockback and playing with our hands. But it's just doing those little things consistently over and over again.”

— Jacori Greer, Baylor Defensive Line Coach

“You got to ask them. I think they like it. You know, most D-linemen love when you tell them, hey, man, just get off the ball and go vertical. It's how you do it. And so, I think it's been a little bit of a transition just as far as the techniques. But I think they love what we do. And so, the Jackson Blackwells, the Tez, like these guys, man, that you may think is, man, he's a plugger. Now he's getting an opportunity to show that he's versatile. And so, it's been really fun.”

— Jacori Greer, Baylor Defensive Line Coach

The takeaway

Baylor's defensive line struggled to stop the run last season, so the new coaching staff is focused on improving the unit's ability to create disruption and havoc plays. By emphasizing techniques like getting off the ball quickly and using their hands better, the Bears hope to transform their defensive line from a group of gap-fillers into a more versatile and aggressive unit that can make life difficult for opposing offenses.