Bobcat Football: Secondary Players To Watch This Fall

If there is one player on the Texas State football team who will be asked to lead the Bobcat defense, it is David Mims II. The senior will be asked to cover every team’s No. 1 receiver all season, and the Sun Belt Conference is confident he can fulfill his duties. The conference awarded Mims with a spot on the preseason All-Sun Belt first team. Mims is the only defensive player on the Bobcats to accomplish this. Mims has proven he can cover and make big plays for the team as he led Texas State in interceptions last season. Mims was able to take one his five interceptions in for a touchdown against Georgia State in the season finale. Expectations are high for Mims and he is fully capable of being one of the best players on the field this season.

Dila Rosemond will have a unique role on defense this season. The sophomore will be playing in a rover position, which means he will play strong safety and outside linebacker in certain formations. Rosemond is a good tackler but has the size of a safety, so the team will utilize his skills by putting him close to the line of scrimmage to come in and make tackles. The sophomore did not play much to begin the 2014 season but found himself starting three games down the stretch. His first start came against South Alabama and he recorded nine tackles and a fumble recovery. Rosemond is locked in his spot as the rover after his success in his first start and he will look to keep improving this year.

Texas State has plenty of seniors in the secondary and Aaron Shaw is one of them. Shaw will be the last line of defense for the Bobcats this season as he mans free safety just like he did last year. The senior is a previous transfer from Navarro College and found playing time right away for the Bobcats. Shaw played in every game last year and started in seven while recording 44 tackles and one forced fumble. Shaw will be asked to do a lot in the blitz-heavy Bobcat defense in 2015. If Shaw can bail out corners and cover the middle of the field, the team will have no problem getting to the quarterback this season.

Any team would love to have two seniors playing safety for their defense, which is a luxury the Bobcats have this year. Demetrius Woodard will play strong safety this season for Texas State, a position different from what he’s played in years past. Last season he made four starts at free safety and played in the rover position as well. Woodard has good size at 6-foot-2, which will come in handy when he is asked to cover big tight ends and make tackles behind the linebackers. This season will be Woodard’s best chance to make a name for himself, as well as the first time he will be starting in the first game of the season.

Brandon McDowell will be asked to start this season on the opposite side of Mims as the second cornerback. The sophomore has an opportunity to solidify his spot in the Texas State secondary this year, with the potential of moving to the top cornerback position as soon as next season. He will also see some opportunities returning kicks for the special teams. How McDowell plays this season could be an indication of what the Bobcats secondary will look like for the next two years.

Damani Alexcee will start the season as a backup safety, but will provide depth for the team in the secondary. Alexcee should join other upperclassmen as leaders this season even though he is coming off of the bench. The safety started one game a year ago and recorded 25 tackles including a season-high seven against New Mexico State.

Clarence Guidry is another piece for the future of the Texas State secondary. He will start this season as the third cornerback, but he needs to get ready for a bigger role in his junior and senior season. Guidry played in 11 games as a freshman last season and made one tackle while playing cornerback and appearing with the special teams unit. His role will continue to grow as the season goes on.