Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Sports Xtra: Bothroyd Ready to be Leader in Defensive Line Room
5/11/2021 12:27:00 PM | Football, Les Johns
“I’m really excited with his success. He needs to continue developing, and he’s on a great path to be a very good player in the ACC.” - Dave Cohen
The Wake Forest defense has been anchored the last five seasons by a fearsome pass-rushing defensive end, starting in 2016 with two seasons of excellence from Duke Ejiofor that was followed up by fantastic work by Carlos "Boogie" Basham the last three years. Ejiofor was selected by the Houston Texans in the 2018 NFL Draft, and Basham was selected with the 61st overall selection by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2021 Draft.
But who is slated to fill that roll for the 2021 Demon Deacons and defensive line coach Dave Cohen.
Redshirt sophomore Rondell Bothroyd very well could be the next guy up, impressing during the Duke's Mayo Bowl and following that up with an impressive spring camp.
"I'm working at it," Bothroyd said. "I've been watching a lot of Boogie's film, watching just a bunch of film to get ready and try to not skip a beat in the fall, and just keep the same tempo up and do what he did.
"The first thing that comes to mind is definitely that he just went hard every play. Even if he didn't win a rep or anything he just went hard every play and it was cool to see because he's obviously talented but then you just go hard and you can just end up making a play or just anything. That's probably the biggest thing that sticks out to me playing next to him or watching him on film."
Bothroyd battled back from an ACL injury to play in six games in 2020, earning four starts. He finished the year with 11 tackles and one tackle for loss.
"The time spent at home quarantining, yeah, it was a little setback, because obviously the trainers here are better than what we have at home," Bothroyd said about being away from Wake Forest last spring and summer while trying to rehab. "But yeah, I think it slowed it down a little bit. But when I got back we worked really hard to get that."
Getting back up to full speed was the biggest hurdle Bothroyd faced in his recovery.
"I lost a few pounds, definitely got my feet back under me so I'm faster, so it's starting to feel better than a three-technique just because I'm not as heavy, and it feels more natural, I guess," he said. "You don't really have that twitch that you used to have, and it hurts you mentally because you think you're slow, but you start to get it back and then you're like, yeah, it definitely hurt a lot to overcome.
"The first two spring practices I felt comfortable, I felt fast. And people noticed it, too. It's crazy because you never thought you were going to get back to where you were, and you see it and it's pretty fun."
The Wake Forest defense returns nine starters from a season ago, and have five super-seniors who are taking advantage of the NCAA rule allowing an extra season of eligibility. There's great optimism that defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill will have his unit show a ton of improvement in 2021, and a lot of that starts with what should be a deep and talented defensive line.
"Everyone has taken a big step," Bothroyd said. "But, Justin Williams has really improved. He's moving all around the field. JD is having a really good spring (Jasheen Davis). I think me and Jacorey (Johns) have taken steps from where we were last year and the years before. I really think everyone has just taken a huge step, and moving around and feeling more comfortable.
"Yeah it's fun to see because with the twos we're not going to skip a beat. We can just sub whenever. We can throw dudes here on the left and on the right. People are learning two positions - it's pretty fun to see."
Cohen wants to see greater pressure from his unit and an increased amount of production.
"We've had glimpses and our production has not been where we wanted it this past season with those guys," he said. "I'm still not completely satisfied, but we're working in a very good direction. Rondell Bothroyd has dropped weight and become half a step quicker and lighter on his feet.
Though Bothroyd had an impressive spring campaign, Cohen isn't too quick to place massive expectations on the redshirt sophomore defensive end.
"We're kind of waiting for the proof in the pudding, and that's what Truist Field is for," Cohen said. "We've got to document that stuff on game day. So, I'm really excited with his success. He needs to continue developing, and he's on a great path to be a very good player in the ACC.
"He's had a very productive spring. He's had a very good spring. He's done a great job with his body. It's like the old money tree your parents used to mock you when you wanted gas money, you know, we do not have a tree of draftable defensive linemen. But I think we're trending in a great direction, and I think probably mid-season or after the first third of the fall we'd have a much better feel for things."
But who is slated to fill that roll for the 2021 Demon Deacons and defensive line coach Dave Cohen.
Redshirt sophomore Rondell Bothroyd very well could be the next guy up, impressing during the Duke's Mayo Bowl and following that up with an impressive spring camp.
"I'm working at it," Bothroyd said. "I've been watching a lot of Boogie's film, watching just a bunch of film to get ready and try to not skip a beat in the fall, and just keep the same tempo up and do what he did.
"The first thing that comes to mind is definitely that he just went hard every play. Even if he didn't win a rep or anything he just went hard every play and it was cool to see because he's obviously talented but then you just go hard and you can just end up making a play or just anything. That's probably the biggest thing that sticks out to me playing next to him or watching him on film."
Bothroyd battled back from an ACL injury to play in six games in 2020, earning four starts. He finished the year with 11 tackles and one tackle for loss.
"The time spent at home quarantining, yeah, it was a little setback, because obviously the trainers here are better than what we have at home," Bothroyd said about being away from Wake Forest last spring and summer while trying to rehab. "But yeah, I think it slowed it down a little bit. But when I got back we worked really hard to get that."
Getting back up to full speed was the biggest hurdle Bothroyd faced in his recovery.
"I lost a few pounds, definitely got my feet back under me so I'm faster, so it's starting to feel better than a three-technique just because I'm not as heavy, and it feels more natural, I guess," he said. "You don't really have that twitch that you used to have, and it hurts you mentally because you think you're slow, but you start to get it back and then you're like, yeah, it definitely hurt a lot to overcome.
"The first two spring practices I felt comfortable, I felt fast. And people noticed it, too. It's crazy because you never thought you were going to get back to where you were, and you see it and it's pretty fun."
The Wake Forest defense returns nine starters from a season ago, and have five super-seniors who are taking advantage of the NCAA rule allowing an extra season of eligibility. There's great optimism that defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill will have his unit show a ton of improvement in 2021, and a lot of that starts with what should be a deep and talented defensive line.
"Everyone has taken a big step," Bothroyd said. "But, Justin Williams has really improved. He's moving all around the field. JD is having a really good spring (Jasheen Davis). I think me and Jacorey (Johns) have taken steps from where we were last year and the years before. I really think everyone has just taken a huge step, and moving around and feeling more comfortable.
"Yeah it's fun to see because with the twos we're not going to skip a beat. We can just sub whenever. We can throw dudes here on the left and on the right. People are learning two positions - it's pretty fun to see."
Cohen wants to see greater pressure from his unit and an increased amount of production.
"We've had glimpses and our production has not been where we wanted it this past season with those guys," he said. "I'm still not completely satisfied, but we're working in a very good direction. Rondell Bothroyd has dropped weight and become half a step quicker and lighter on his feet.
Though Bothroyd had an impressive spring campaign, Cohen isn't too quick to place massive expectations on the redshirt sophomore defensive end.
"We're kind of waiting for the proof in the pudding, and that's what Truist Field is for," Cohen said. "We've got to document that stuff on game day. So, I'm really excited with his success. He needs to continue developing, and he's on a great path to be a very good player in the ACC.
"He's had a very productive spring. He's had a very good spring. He's done a great job with his body. It's like the old money tree your parents used to mock you when you wanted gas money, you know, we do not have a tree of draftable defensive linemen. But I think we're trending in a great direction, and I think probably mid-season or after the first third of the fall we'd have a much better feel for things."
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