When former TCU head coach Gary Patterson made his return to college football by accepting a job as USC’s defensive coordinator, it only made sense that Baylor cornerbacks coach Paul Gonzales would pack his bags and join his mentor in Los Angeles.
The only problem was that it left Baylor without a cornerbacks coach, and it wasn’t during the conventional coaching hiring window. Instead, it was in late January/early February, sandwiched between the transfer portal period and the start of spring practices for the Bears.
Head coach Dave Aranda and first-year defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman pivoted, bringing in Rice cornerbacks coach and Marlin native Jeremy Modkins to replace Gonzales.
Modkins himself had spent plenty of time working under Patterson, beginning his coaching career with the Horned Frogs as a defensive analyst from 2014-17 before moving on to coach cornerbacks from 2018-21. After Patterson was fired, Modkins left Fort Worth and spent the 2022 season as a defensive analyst in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings before returning to the college game as Rice’s cornerbacks coach.
Although his path to Waco came together somewhat unexpectedly, Modkins has quickly developed a strong rapport with his cornerback room, and it starts with him trying to earn their buy-in by running alongside them during drills.
“We talk about tactical clues a lot,” Modkins told the media on Monday following practice. “Pre-snap, what am I seeing? Formation. Personnel. Where’s the split set? We talk about that stuff a lot, and I also feel like, if I’m in the mud with them, if I’m running the routes with them, I’m out there with them. That’s a little bit more buy-in, too. There’s a lot more connectivity there, as opposed to me just saying something and not even demonstrating or showing it to them. We’re all one.”
Fifth-year senior cornerback Reggie Bush II spoke about Modkins being a welcome addition, noting, “Coach Mod is great. He’s someone I can trust. After every play, if I do something wrong, we’ll communicate about what happened. He holds me to a standard that he knows I’m capable of. He wants to see me be great, wants to see the whole room be great, and I really appreciate that. It’s something that I just enjoy, being held accountable.”
Above all, Modkins wants his cornerback room to develop a culture of connectivity while focusing on the task at hand rather than looking ahead.
“They’re all connected, and all want to be good,” Modkins said. “I ask these guys to come out and just go to work every day and plant seeds. So far, that’s what we’ve been doing. That’s the expectation every day, not to worry about tomorrow. Let’s worry about now. We got this practice off. Let’s worry about the walkthrough. Let’s make it the best walkthrough we can, then stack it. Then we’ll get to tomorrow, and we’ll see what that day looks like.”
Personnel-wise, Oklahoma transfer Devon Jordan has emerged as an early leader in the cornerbacks room and will wear No. 7 this fall, a number he believes comes with a responsibility to live up to that high standard.
“Yeah, I’ve been taking that [leadership] role,” Jordan said. “It’s pretty hot out here. It’s that Texas weather. When guys start getting tired, on the sideline, trying to keep them locked in, keep them going, having that fourth-quarter mentality, just helping the younger guys.”
Jordan, a former four-star prospect, played in all 13 games last season for the Sooners as a reserve cornerback, totaling 16 tackles. Since transferring to Baylor, Modkins praised Jordan’s high football IQ, and other players highlighted his work ethic.
“He’s been very impactful,” Bush II said when asked about Jordan. “He’s someone who’s always hardworking. He’s always getting extra work in. He’s a great corner. Clearly, it’s exciting to see someone like him, to see the hard work he puts in. It helps bring the whole group up. It brings the whole defense up because everyone sees it. Everyone sees the work he puts in.”
With all the buzz Jordan has been getting throughout the offseason and fall camp, he’s expected to start across from returning senior LeVar Thornton. Thornton came into his own last year, posting 30 tackles, an interception and seven pass breakups across 11 starts.
The duo of Jordan, 5-foot-11, 183 pounds, and Thornton, 6-foot-3, 182 pounds, gives the Bears a lot of versatility on the back-end. Modkins, however, didn’t want to get ahead of himself, saying, “The way we set the defense, we just got to be ready to go play and make plays, no matter where you are, no matter who you lined up on. The expectation is to make plays.”
Another key piece in Baylor’s cornerback room is New Mexico State transfer Stilton McKelvey, who chose the Bears after receiving interest from several SEC programs. Last fall, McKelvey totaled 18 tackles and five breakups. In 2024, at New Mexico Military Institute, he led the NJCAA with seven interceptions and earned Second-Team All-American honors.
The Houston native has enjoyed the challenge of making the leap to the Power Four level, saying, “I’ve taken steps, and Coach [Mod] tells us that almost every other meeting. Like, ‘Y’all remember how Stilton was at the beginning?’ I could just tell I’m getting better, too. I just have to keep going and keep studying my playbook.”
Modkins added, “Stilton’s been really good. Student of the game, very athletic dude, and he cares a lot about what he does, which means a lot to all the rest of the coaches and me and, of course, his teammates too.”
Beyond the group’s growing connectivity, the Bears also believe the variety of skill sets and body types within the cornerback room will create healthy competition throughout the fall.
“We got every position, like every size,” McKelvey said. “We got long guys and short guys. The competition is always going to be up and ready, and you never know what could happen.”
