Brett Davis: USA TODAY Sports
In the weeks leading up to the 2013 season, Rant Sports is previewing key members of the 2013 Texas Longhorns football team. Today we take a look at defensive back, Carrington Byndom.
The Longhorns have long been known for sending standout defensive backs to the NFL and senior cornerback Carrington Byndom is looking to continue the trend; yet he, like other members of the Texas defense, know there is a lot of work to be done after last season’s defensive disaster.
Last year, the Longhorns fielded their worst defense in school history; this season they look to get back on track and Byndom will play a huge role in helping them get back on top in a pass-happy Big 12 Conference.
The 6’0″, 180-pound cornerback was recently named to this year’s Jim Thorpe Award watch list. In his time on the Forty Acres, he has seen the field in 38 games with 26 straight starts.
As a sophomore in 2011, Byndom had his best collegiate season, garnering 1st-team All-Big 12 honors and making a name for himself. Though he struggled a bit last year, as did most of the defense, he’s ready to help get them back on track. Byndom told the media earlier this week that he, along with his defensive teammates, are no doubt up for the task:
It’s time to start striving for greatness and stop settling for being mediocre. We all have that feeling of, “Let’s get it done.”
The attitude of the defense has changed. We took it upon ourselves to get some things corrected and become the defense that we wanted to be. We want to be a dominating defense. In these first two days, we’ve done that. We’ve come out and tried to prove a point.
In his career at Texas, Byndom has recorded 113 tackles (eleven for a loss), one sack, three forced fumbles, and five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns making him just one of eight players in UT history to record at least two pick-sixes. Byndom has also stood out on the special teams unit with three blocked kicks in his college career.
This season, with key players back from injury, more experience, a new attitude, and the feeling that they have something to prove combined with lots of inexperience at quarterback position around the Big 12, look for the Texas defense to come back strong. If Byndom can be the player he was two years ago, the Longhorn secondary should reclaim their spot as one of the best in the country. Carrington Byndom is definitely one of the key players that would help them get there.
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