Baylor’s Defensive Line Overhaul Fueled by Greer’s Havoc-First Mentality

Following Baylor football’s disappointing 2025 campaign, which saw the Bears go 5-7 and miss a bowl game, head coach Dave Aranda’s staff saw multiple position coach changes. Among them was the exit of defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield, who was later replaced in the same role by Jacori Greer.

Greer, 35, spent the 2025 season at Coastal Carolina as the defensive run-game coordinator and defensive line coach. Throughout his relatively young coaching career, the Texas native has extensive experience working with defensive fronts across the South, including stops at Louisiana Tech, Texas State and Abilene Christian. Now, at his first Power Four program, Greer is hard at work trying to do his part in reshaping a defense that was toward the bottom of the Big 12 last season.

“It’s been a mad dash, let me tell you,” Greer said in a recent post-practice press conference. “It’s a lot of fun right now. We’re learning each other. They’re learning my coaching style, and I’m learning how they work and what makes them tick. But it’s been really good — really positive. I’m proud of them so far and the work they’ve done in learning the different techniques. We’re taking a step in the right direction.”

While Greer looks to find his bearings in his first year in Waco, his unit also includes a bunch of newcomers, as the Bears completely reworked their defensive line in the portal via the transfer portal, adding six impact players, such as Hosea Wheeler (Indiana), Jamaal Whyce (Marshall), Kamren Washington (Texas State), Jordan Mack (Coastal Carolina), Daemian Wimberly (UTSA) and Zavion Hardy (South Carolina).

“Honestly, that’s the new day in college football,” Greer said of working with the transfers. “It’s always going to be new. It’s always going to be four or five new guys every year, and it’s our job to build a relationship fast, make them trust you and get the job done. It’s been crazy, but at the same time, we’ve built a really good relationship and a strong foundation.”

The influx of change hasn’t been limited to the defensive line room, as the roster is full of roughly 40-plus new faces. With all that newness within the program, Aranda has prioritized team-building this offseason to get everyone on the same page, according to redshirt senior Devonte Tezino.

“I feel like this team is going to be way closer than last year’s team, just from what Aranda set out for us,” Tezino said. “Last year, we could just grab a to-go box and leave the BANC. But this year, he changed it so we have to sit down with the team and actually eat at the BANC and have conversations with everybody.”

On the field, with Greer coming into the fold, along with first-year defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman, Baylor’s defensive line will prioritize creating chaos and havoc rather than holding gaps, which has been the style under Aranda to date.

“We talk about creating negative plays, and it may not be a sack — it may be getting the quarterback off the spot,” Greer said. “It’s about being disruptive every single play we’re out there. If we can consistently do that against a good O-line, like we have, I feel really good about playing other teams in the [Big] 12.”

Greer later noted, “Most D-linemen love when you tell them, ‘Hey man, just get off the ball and go vertical.’ 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 Tezinos and guys that you may think, ‘Man, he’s a plugger.’ Now they’re getting an opportunity to show their versatility, and so it’s been really fun.”

Unsurprisingly, the players are big proponents of a style that emphasizes stuffing the stat sheet rather than holding blocks for second-level defenders to come steal the shine.

“I like it better than last year,” Tezino said. “We don’t have to just sit in there and hold gaps. We’re just getting off the ball and trying to create as much havoc as we can. I think it’s going to be beneficial to the defense.”

Texas State redshirt senior transfer Kamren Washington added, “That was one of the main reasons I came here — to play in a havoc defense. I came from a havoc defense, so just getting back to that and doing a little bit more was a big thing for me.”

Speaking of Washington, he’s expected to be a key piece this fall, as he totaled 15 tackles, one sack and 14 quarterback hurries this past season with the Bobcats and was briefly coached by Greer in 2022 before he accepted a job on Coastal Carolina’s staff.

“It’s been great with Coach Greer,” Washington said. “I love him. He’s a hard-working coach. He’s going to be on you day in and day out. He just expects the best out of all of us. He has a different relationship with everyone in the room. I like that about a coach — you have to have a different relationship with everyone, because everyone’s not the same.”

Jordan Mack, the senior Coastal Carolina transfer, is also trying to play a role as the mediator in the defensive line room, as a first-year coach tries to implement his style to a bunch of new players. Greer wants that open connection with his players and says his top priority is being the same person every day, so his players know what to expect.

“I know how Coach Greer coaches, so I can explain to them what he means by certain things and the terminology he uses,” Mack said. “I can explain to them what he means by that, and they might ask me questions like, ‘When we first got here, how does he coach? Is he a good coach? What’s he going to have us doing?’ And I’m like, ‘Don’t worry, he’s a great coach. Y’all are going to be fine. He’s going to have us working the technique and all that.’ I bring a voice they can also listen to, other than Coach Greer. They can trust him, they can trust me.”

To the returners, such as Tezino, Greer’s desire to build a bond in the defensive line room has been a welcome change so far this spring, compared to previous seasons.

“He’s a cool dude,” Tezino said of Greer. “He’s different from my old coach. He really tries to build connections with his players. We’re trying to get together as a D-line. Last year, we didn’t really do that. It’s about really getting to know each other personally, so on the field, we can play for each other and play for the coach who is coaching us.”

On a closing note, as the Bears wrap up spring practices in the next week or so, there’s still no word from the NCAA on the eligibility of Indiana transfer defensive lineman Hosea Wheeler, who totaled 31 tackles, four for loss, 11 quarterback pressures and two fumble recoveries for the Hoosiers. Despite so much being up in the air, Wheeler is making the most of his opportunities throughout spring practices and has emerged as one of the top leaders and playmakers on the team.

“I think he can be terrific; he’s got a really good skill set,” Greer said of Wheeler. “He’s more than what you’ve seen on tape, which is a lot of good stuff. He played 35 snaps in the National Championship, so you know he’s a talented kid with a lot of room left in the tank to grow. We’re hoping for the best with this waiver and that deal. We’re just controlling what we can control, which is every day grinding and working, and so he’s been really, really good for us.”