Replacing safety McKinley Whitfield will be a priority for the Golden Hurricane. Whitfield was clearly the leader of the defensive backfield, and his big play ability, which included two inceptions, two fumble recoveries and seven passes broken up in 2018, will certainly be missed.
A possible big story would be if Cristian Williams comes back. The 6-0, 176-pound Williams was just coming into his own when a neck injury against Texas last year derailed his redshirt junior season and caused him to retire.
"Cristian Williams may be coming back," Montgomery said in late May. "We’ll see how all of that plays itself out. We’d love to have him back. It’s still up in the air, but I feel good about it, so we’ll see how his training goes."
Williams had 12 tackles, including one for a loss, while starting one of his first two games of the 2018 season. He had 57 tackles during his first two seasons at TU while playing in every game.
On June 19, Williams said on Twitter that he was feeling better than ever.
Tulsa's top returning safety, and certainly the most experienced, is 6-1, 201-pound senior Manny Bunch, who started all 12 games last season and was third in tackles for TU with 80, including 1.5 tackles for losses. He also broke up five passes.
Bunch started all six of his games in 2017 before being lost to a knee injury.
"Manny, last year at this time, was coming off the knee injury. I thought he had a tremendous year," Montgomery said. "Right now, he looks better than he’s ever looked, he’s moving with a lot of confidence. He’s a guy that does a lot of the communicational things back there for us.
"He’s kind of stepped into McKinley’s shoes back there from that standpoint, and has done a magnificent job of that. I think Manny has a chance to have a great year. We need him to have a great year. I'm really excited about Manny and what he can do."
Brandon Johnson is expected to take Whitfield's spot in the starting lineup. The 6-0, 186-pounder played in all 12 games in somewhat limited action after transferring from Tyler Junior College. Originally from Dallas Skyline, Johnson had nine tackles in 2018.
"B.J. really is a kid that the training, he really bought into," said Montgomery of Johnson's progress this spring. "I thought he did a really good job schematically as far as just carrying things in coverage, coming up and forcing, being a good tackler.
"He’s a kid who kind of sees that light right now. I think B.J. has got a chance to really fill in for McKinley and do a tremendous job there."
Bryson Powers was solid while starting seven of his 12 games as the nickel safety last season as a redshirt freshman. The 6-1, 204-pounder from Spring, Texas, was fifth for TU in tackles with 63. He broke up four passes, had one fumble recovery and forced a fumble.
"In the nickel, Bryson started when Cristian went down last year, and Bryson did a tremendous job for us," Montgomery said. "He's really a sure tackler. Very intelligent.
"We do a lot of different things with that nickel and put a lot on him from an adjustment standpoint, and Bryson handled that with flying colors. So I’m really excited about Bryson and what he’s going to be able to do."
TieNeal Martin will be backing up Powers. The 6-1, 207-pound senior started four of his 12 games last year after transferring from Yuba College. He had 28 tackles while TU fans got a glimpse of his ability.
"TieNeal, physically, is a really gifted kid," Montgomery explained. "He can do everything you want him to do. Kind of figuring out where he fits within our defense. I feel good about both TieNeal and Bryson."
Contending for playing time among backup safeties are Kendarin Ray (6-4, 203, RS-freshman), Marcus Mays (6-2, 193, RS-sophomore), Mike Garrett (6-1, 180, junior), Daiquain Jackson (5-11, 212, RS-sophomore) and walk-on Jett Hendrix (6-0, 184, RS-freshman).
Of those players, Ray looked the most impressive in the spring, especially in the spring game where he broke up passes when he got the opportunity.
"Kendarin Ray is long, he's rangy, he’s smart. Made some plays," Montgomery said. “He’s one of those who really had a great spring. He kind of showed up. He’s built a lot like McKinley. He’s one of those kids who grew so fast, and now his muscles are starting to catch up. Looked really fluid.
"Jett Hendrix played extremely well in the spring. He’s a walk-on kid that can really run. Marcus broke his collarbone so he missed half of the spring. He was showing some good things when he broke his collarbone. He needs to continue that.
"Daiquain is one of those kids who is all about the team. He’s talented, he’s explosive, he’s extremely strong. Does everything right. I thought he had a productive spring at the nickel spot. Might be a guy who can slide down and play a little closer to the ball at some point. We’re excited about what Daiquain’s done."
Lamar Mullins (6-3, 205, junior) is a transfer from Butler Community College who is expected to play. Incoming freshman Jaise Oliver (6-2, 190, Fairfield, Tx.) could also compete for playing time.
Montgomery is counting on his secondary to be improved, especially from a forced turnover standpoint. The Golden Hurricane secondary only forced 20 turnovers - nine interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries. All four interceptions by the defensive backs were by departed seniors, Whitfield and cornerback Keanu Hill, and Powers had the only fumble recovery by a defensive back.
"The interception, the takeaway side of it, I think our secondary has got a chance to have some big games from that standpoint of it," Montgomery said. "We’re going to put a lot of pressure on them to do that. I think those guys can get it done."
If that happens, Tulsa's defense will be even more improved than during last season's turnaround year.
