Texas Tech football: Adrian Frye happy to be back at corner

One of the biggest moves of the Texas Tech football offseason is the move of Adrian Frye from safety back to corner and it appears that the junior is more than happy to be back at his original position.

There’s no question that the 2019 Texas Tech football team’s secondary was a disaster last year. After all, the Red Raiders gave up an average of 288 yards per game through the air, third most-in the FBS.

To try to remedy that problem, the Red Raiders have moved junior Adrian Frye from safety, where he started every game last year, back to corner where he earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2018. While Red Raider fans are likely to be happy with that decision given how much Frye struggled at safety last year, it appears that Frye is also happy to be back at his original position.

"“I’m always excited to play corner,” he said when speaking to the media on August 15. “It’s just something about being on that island that gets me going. There’s nothing better than being out there, by yourself, knowing it’s one-on-one and having that confidence that nobody that’s lining up in front of you is going to beat you.”"

As a redshirt freshman two years ago, Frye led the Big 12 with five interceptions while playing corner. But last year at safety, he had just one pick. What’s more, he looked tentative and uncertain at his new position. Perhaps a move back to his original position is what will bring back his swagger.

"“I wanted to move him back to get his confidence back,” Matt Wells said Monday. “I think he’s a little bit more natural at corner. He’s a talented athlete that can play multiple spots, there’s no question, back there.”"

While it might seem like corner and safety are similar positions, there are actually a number of nuanced differences that make the two spots far from interchangeable. Frye shed some light on one that most fans may not be aware of.

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"“The one thing I can say is that your vision changes,” Frye said. “Because going from the island [at corner] …to the box [at safety], it’s completely different. When you’re at safety, you’ve got to keep your head on a swivel and see the whole field. Peripheral vision is a big thing. But when you are at corner, you don’t have to see as much because you are the widest guy on the field.”"

He also explained that the footwork is different given that corners often play press coverage while safeties have to play off of the receivers they cover. That appeared to be a huge struggle for Frye as he often seemed unprepared to pick up receivers that were coming through the secondary, something that is essential for a safety to do.

But Frye wasn’t the only scapegoat on last year’s defense. The blame for Tech’s struggles against the pass was widespread and was not just confined to the defensive backs. But when asked why he and his secondary mates struggled so mightily, he pointed to the mental aspect of the game.

"“Simple football IQ, that guys were just overlooking, including myself,” Frye said. “The amount of focus wasn’t always there across the board. It was guys having missed assignments and stuff. I can say that was the most disappointing thing. Knowing guys shouldn’t have done things that they did.”"

Hopefully, the second year in DC Keith Patterson’s defense will yield better results being as we can expect the players to be more comfortable in their understanding of the scheme. Also, Frye’s move back to corner should be a significant development this fall. And if he can regain his All-Big 12 form, we will all be overjoyed at seeing him back at the position on the field where he should have been all along.