Fisher’s ‘hidden gem’ Buford finds spotlight in part because of his desire to master defense | Football

Marques Buford tackles the task of learning two positions in the secondary with the sort of zeal any coach would appreciate.

In fact, the second-year Nebraska defender doesn’t stop with learning only two positions.

“I’m not even focused on learning just safety and corner, I’m trying to learn the gaps the D-line has, what the nickel has (to do), what the linebackers got,” Buford said earlier this week as his team pushed through the early stages of spring practice. 

“It’s just keeping my head in the playbook, really, and trying to figure out as much as the defense as I possibly can before we get to fall camp.”

Seems like a wise approach considering Buford, listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, has emerged fairly quickly as a legitimate threat to capture a starting position for Nebraska in 2022. Although he’s learning both safety and cornerback, he said, he worked only at safety during the Huskers’ first four practices of spring.

Nebraska loses a pair of 2021 starting senior safeties in Marquel Dismuke and Deontai Williams. They both received ample praise from coaches for their knowledge of defensive coordinator Erik Chinander’s system and ability to apply it without having to be coached much at all. 

It sounds as if Buford is trying to follow suit. He attacks the process of learning the defense — which can be a ponderous exercise — with the enthusiasm of a player who expects to play a key role come autumn. 

“I kind of go formation by formation,” he said. “I’ll sub in each defense we run at each formation, and then I’ll look at what the safety call will have to be. Then I’ll think about what the linebacker gap will be, and I’ll even go a step further. I’ll try to see if this (offensive player) motions across, what are we going to check to? Different stuff like that. 

“I’m just trying to put myself on the field even when I’m not on the field as much as I can by just looking at my playbook.”

A native of DeSoto, Texas, Buford put himself on the field every game last season as a true freshman largely through his willingness to contribute on special teams. After seeing action on special teams as one of two Husker true freshmen to play in the season opener, he made his defensive debut against Fordham in the second game, and he also saw action in the secondary against Buffalo in the third game. 

Buford made his first career tackle on punt coverage at No. 3 Oklahoma. He also had a tackle on punt coverage against No. 9 Michigan that resulted in a loss of 5 yards on the return. He added another tackle on punt coverage against Purdue.

He apparently doesn’t lack for want-to, or toughness. 

“He’s a dog, man,” Nebraska secondary coach Travis Fisher said. “He’s not scared of anything. He shows up every day. Can put him at multiple positions. When I put Marques at safety (this spring), he didn’t know it was coming. I did it right before practice, maybe during practice. I said, ‘Go to safety,’ and (snaps fingers), poof, he went right to safety.

“Whether he knew exactly what he was doing or not, the first thing I noticed is his speed. It doesn’t matter if he knew what he was doing or not, the first thing I noticed was him getting to the rock, whether he was right or wrong. Players like that are dogs. That’s the mentality.” 

Fisher oversees a secondary group where there are position battles aplenty. Only one 2021 starter in the group — corner Quinton Newsome — returns, although safety Myles Farmer played in every game last season and started the final four after Williams went down with a knee injury against Minnesota.

Much of the buzz in Nebraska’s spring camp is about 16 scholarship newcomers vying for prominent roles, including five in the secondary. DeShon Singleton, a junior college transfer, will get a long look as a possibility at safety. The 6-3, 210-pound Singleton already has drawn heavy praise from Fisher. Among returning players, fourth-year sophomore Noa Pola-Gates is a leading candidate to land a starting role at safety. 

As for Buford, Fisher refers to him as “my hidden gem.” Well, he’s hidden no longer. There Buford was Monday, standing in front of several media members, poised as can be as he discussed his willingness to learn, and to compete. 

“One thing I can say about Coach Fish is nobody has a spot secured,” Buford said. “Every day is a competition. He wants his guys to be the most competitive guys on the field. Honestly, at the DB position, that’s how it has to be. You have to be the most competitive-edge-heavy guy on the team. I feel like bringing in those new guys is what happens. That’s what normally happens. 

“We can look at it as, ‘Oh, Fish is trying to replace us.’ But we took it as, ‘Yep, we’ve got some more dudes in here, we’ve got some newer faces in here. Let’s get to it. We’re going compete with them the same exact way we competed with each other last year.'”