Some people take on qualities and become leaders, while others are born leaders as they inherently just know what to do in order to get others to follow them naturally. For University of South Alabama defensive lineman Zach Befort, the latter applies. That — along with an internal desire to make sure he did things right out on the field — would ultimately help the Wichita, Kan., native become one of the main leaders for the Jaguar defense.
Befort started playing football in second grade for the Westside Bears, one of the local pee wee teams that his dad coached. During these early years, playing football provided a chance for Befort and his father to spend time together. As he became older and began high school, Befort became more serious about the sport and saw it as an avenue to get to the next step of his life.
"I had wanted to play Division I football and talking with my dad one day after practice during my seventh or eighth grade season, he told me that if I was going to do this that it was time to start getting serious and focusing on reaching those goals," Befort said. "He pushed me harder to put in extra work after practices."
While focusing on becoming a better player so he could reach that next level, Befort began to gain a deep affection for the sport; it would also help his leadership traits come out.
Over his final two seasons at Bishop Carroll Catholic High, Befort recorded 121 total tackles, 56 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 10 sacks, while leading the Golden Eagles to a state 5A championship as a senior. That core group on the Golden Eagle squad had been together for a number of years, so there was a distinct familiarity with the group which helped them accomplish one of their goals their final prep season.
"There were only two teams — St. Francis and St. Elizabeth — that were really feeder schools to Bishop Carroll where I played high school. I had either played with or against those guys pretty much the whole time," Befort said. "We wanted to win a state championship really bad and we worked harder than anyone, but it was all fun at the same time. Everything involved with it, the working up to it, all the practices; everything just felt so easy and it was fun. My time in high school solidified that I wanted to go play football at the next level."
Befort would begin his collegiate journey at one of the main home-state institutions, Kansas State.
"When I graduated high school, I had quite a few Division II offers. The only Division I offer I had was as a preferred walk-on at Kansas State," Befort said. "I had DI dreams and to play at Kansas State is like royalty in the state."
In his first season with the Wildcats, Befort battled it out with another walk-on for playing time but it became a struggle to get on the field and he would sit out as a redshirt. Following the year, Befort felt that it was time for a change of scenery.
"I've never been much for being a super fan that was just happy to be on the team; I wanted to play," Befort said. "I had a meeting with my position coach and it sounded like I wouldn't play until my redshirt-junior year. I didn't want to do that and I had built up a pretty good relationship with one of the assistant coaches — the defensive line coach Steve Braet — at Butler Community College. I called him one day and asked if he had any spots open and he said he did and to come on down there."
The choice to move on would prove to be the right one for Befort as he earned second-team all-Jayhawk Conference honors in 2015 after recording 50 total tackles including 8½ behind the line of scrimmage, while also being credited with three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a pass break up and a blocked kick. The Grizzlies won nine of their 11 games and finished fifth in the final National Junior College Athletic Association poll. In his seven games as a freshman at Butler, Befort had been just as solid posting 49 stops with 11½ behind the line — which ranked second on the squad — and four sacks, while leading the Grizzlies with three recovered fumbles.
"Still to this day, I think that was the best decision of my football career," Befort said of making the move to BCC. "I had a blast there and the family atmosphere of that place is just insane. I played my best football there and it was good enough for South to see it."
During his time at Butler, the Grizzlies used an attack-type, 3-4 defensive scheme, which Befort took to easy.
"Our motto at Butler was to tackle the ball carrier on your way to the quarterback," Befort said. "We ran a 3-4 defense my first year there. I was a defensive end, so I was a pass rusher and got to go after the quarterback a lot. It was an up-field, high-tempo type of defense that was really fun to play. The next season it was still an attack defense, but we ran four-man front. I played on the end a little bit, but mostly in a three-technique. We were pretty dominant in our league in pass rush and penetration, and that's what it was all about."
The way Befort plays and his work ethic jumped out to other college coaches recruiting at Butler and still remains today.
"Zach is a hard-working, blue-collar guy, but he's also a good athlete," South Alabama head coach Joey Jones said. "He really moves around extremely well and plays the game hard and smart. He is just what you want in a football player. We felt like he would be that kind of guy coming out of junior college and he's been as good or better than we anticipated."
Some familiar faces as well as location would also help the Jaguars land Befort on national signing day.
"I had a couple of other friends coming to South Alabama, one of which was [current Jag tight end] Andrew Reinkemeyer, so I wanted to play somewhere with players I knew and somewhere I felt I could come in and make an impact," Befort said. "Playing at a school right next to the beach was also a cool proposition for a kid coming from the Midwest."
While he was looking at making an impact, things didn't start off the right way for Befort as he was adjusting to a defensive scheme and position that he wasn't entirely familiar with upon his arrival in Mobile.
"Coming here, I was switched to nose guard in a four-man front, so it was a lot more of read-and-react, instead of just attacking," Befort said. "That was the biggest hurdle I had to overcome."
Befort even notes that the adjustment process wasn't easy during that first spring.
"You can ask coach [Brian] Turner, my first spring here was terrible. I couldn't figure it out. I kept getting washed or I was out of my gap just because I had no idea how to play that style of defense," Befort said. "I think I was also kind of stubborn to learn it, because I had liked just running up the field better."
All Befort had to do to gain the motivation to make the adjustment was to remember that he preferred to be on the field rather than the sidelines. Just prior to the start of fall camp of his junior season though, things finally started to click.
"I finally started to figure out to hold a gap instead of just trying to run through it," Befort stated. "If I hadn't figured that out I wouldn't have been playing, that's for sure."
The light finally coming on was spurred on by a couple of things. When thinking about the first reason it was simply two words for Befort.
"Coach Turner. He just told me that I wasn't going to play unless I got it right. I had to or it was going to be bad news for me," Befort said.
Coincidentally, the light coming on for the 6-foot-2, 285-pound defensive lineman also seemed to happen at a most appropriate time as the Jags were hit by a rash of injuries along the defensive front, losing three projected starters just prior to and another in the opening week of fall camp.
"When Tre [Alford] when down, I knew I had to step up," Befort said. "I was the person they had brought in to be that guy. I had to scrap any of my previous feelings and just do what the coaches said."
Now faced with having to suddenly step in and take over a starting role on the South defense sooner than he might have expected, Befort knew what he had to do. The new opportunity came with some mixed emotions but as any true leader, he was ready for the challenge.
"I was happy that I could play right away, but I definitely wasn't happy because of the circumstances that took place to get me there," Befort said.
As a junior, Befort played in 11 of the Jags' 13 games, only missing two because of injury. In those outings, Befort was credited with 25 total tackles including two tackles for loss.
While he did put up good numbers in his first season as a Jag, Befort really didn't have any real expectations of himself other than one.
"I just didn't want to mess up; that was my main focus," he said.
While he may not of have expectations of himself all that high, South Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack definitely feels that Befort stepped in and did fine.
"I think it's so hard for junior college players to come into your program and contribute immediately," Wommack said. "Befort is one of the exceptions to the rule because he gives such great effort and cares so much about what he's doing. He did some really good things for us a year ago when we asked him to do a lot after we had those guys go down with injury."
As the season progressed tough, Befort did manage to gain a comfort level in the new defensive scheme.
"I definitely got more comfortable in the system as the season went on," Befort said. "The playing style had clicked in fall camp so I really only had three good weeks before I was thrown into my first Division I game. By week eight or nine, there was a noticeable difference in the way I saw blocks. I could see them faster and I could react faster because of all of the reps I had gotten during the season in practice and games. I played a whole lot looser because I could see it faster."
The growth in the new system didn't go unnoticed by members of the Jaguar defensive coaching staff.
"Zach came from a different system defensively and that made it a heavy learning curve when he started out here," Wommack said. "His dedication to the game and to his technique helped him change the way he played with his hands and feet. You don't ever see him get cut out of gaps anymore; he's always going to be in the place that he needs to be in. The violence that he plays with on game day is extremely exciting to watch."
"Zach has a great work ethic," Jaguar defensive line coach Brian Turner said. "He bought into what I was trying to teach him and he was able to learn something completely different from what he had known at Kansas State and Butler. When he first got here, he didn't understand what I was trying to teach him, but he worked his tail off to get better over the summer and in the fall camp, and it showed up last fall when he got out on the field."
One game in particular that stands out to Befort is an Oct. 1 affair with No. 19 San Diego State. The Aztecs entered the game against the Jaguars with an offense that was averaging 39.3 points and 442.7 yards per contest, including rushing for more than 260 per game. The main component of that rushing attack was Donnell Pumphrey who was, at the time, leading the country in rushing yards (599) and rushing yards per game (199.7).
"The earliest flash for me that I was starting to get it was against San Diego State," Befort said. "They were a heavy run team and had Pumphrey who had all of the hype in their run game, but our defense was able to shut them down. I felt like that was my best game last season. I don't think I ever got out of my gap. I felt good since I had done well against a good team."
That night, Befort helped the Jaguar defense hold SDSU 159 yards below its total offense average coming into play and led South to the program's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent with a 42-24 win.
Entering his final collegiate season, Befort wants to make more of an impact and help the Jaguars be better at defending the run.
"I want to be in more plays," Befort said. "Last year, I had the idea that I didn't want to be the guy to make the play. I just wanted to be in my gap and make the other player run away from me. This year, I want to be in more plays. You generally have two types of people — ones who do their job great and ones who are playmakers. I want to do my job great, but at the same time, I want to be a playmaker as well."
Befort also has lofty goals for the defensive line as a unit.
"I want us to dominate the run game; that's been our mantra from spring until now," Befort added. "We felt that we didn't do a very good job of that last season, so this year our whole deal is to stop the run. I feel like we've done pretty good with that goal so far. We've got a lot of great players up front and I feel like we're only going to get better."
While the South defense did rank as the fifth-most improved unit at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring defense allowing just over 10 points fewer per outing under Wommack, one area the Jags did struggle in was in defending the run allowing 215.2 yards per game, which was eighth in the Sun Belt.
Like any good leader, Befort takes ownership and responsibility for those short-comings.
"Last year my biggest focus was just not messing up and I feel like that made me play tight and make a few more mistakes than I should have," Befort said. "We didn't have a very good run defense last season and that definitely could be on me."
Through the first three games of the season, the South run defense has been improved as it ranks third in the Sun Belt and 33rd nationally in the category allowing 112.3 yards per game. In their last outing, the Jaguars allowed just 72 net rushing yards and held Alabama A&M to 2.8 yards per carry in a 45-0 win.
Befort attributes the increased play of both himself and his teammates to another year of seasoning in Wommack's system.
"I feel real comfortable in it now; I'm not afraid of messing up because I trust myself so much more and I have trust in everyone around me;" Befort noted of being in the second year of the system. "That makes it easy. Just lock your spot or your gap down and trust the other guys around you to make the play."
The improved play of the Jag defense in the run game can also be attributed Befort's leadership of the group.
"Zach's not a big-time vocal leader but he is certainly a leader by example," Jones said. "His eyes are always in game mode, even in practice, and that's what you have to have in order to be a great football player. His desire and passion rubs off on our other players."
While there are hopes of playing professionally in either the National Football League or in the Canadian Football League, or even hosting his own sports/political discussion podcast, Befort also sees himself continuing to be a leader as he would also like to possibly become a defensive line coach once his playing days are done.
"To be able to play in the NFL [National Football League] would be awesome. The CFL [Canadian Football League] is also interesting to me," Befort said. "If I could get a shot at either one of those things it would be awesome. If I can't do that, I want to get into coaching maybe."
If coaching is the route that Befort chooses to go, he will look back at the two men who have shaped him over his last four years.
"I would say both my position coaches [Braet and Turner] have had a big effect on me," Befort said. "I've been around coaches that like to be a defensive line coach. They like the personal connection with one group and I like that. I don't want to be an overseer or someone who isn't really connected with the guys that they're coaching. I'm a relationship guy and I guess that's why I would prefer to just be a defensive line coach.
Befort also believes the experience of the two different systems will also be beneficial to him should he enter the coaching profession.
"I feel that coming to South was kind of meant for me because I do want to go into coaching," Befort said. "Before I came here, I knew how to do the attacking style of play, but when I got here I had no idea about how to do the read-style. If you look at most Division I programs now, most of them use the read-style defense. In order for me to one day become a coach, I think I had to come here and be able to learn that style. Coach Turner has taught me everything I know about reading an offensive front and everything else I learned was from coach Braet, so I feel like I know both sides of how to play defensive line. I like the game and I like the people in the game."
Turner definitely believes Befort has what it takes to become a great coach one day.
"He's such a technician and such a student of the game. I can see him becoming a great coach, I just hope he doesn't act like me [on the field]," Turner said.
Should he become a coach one day, Befort believes he already has shown the correct type of leadership.
"I feel like I have a really good connection with my teammates and that I've been around a lot of well-disciplined teams, which has helped me be a leader when those responsibilities are put upon me," Befort said. "I'm not the type of guy just to take a leadership role because I feel that no one likes a guy who wasn't asked to be their leader. If I feel like most of the team wants to follow me or wants my leadership, then I like being in that role because I like to push people to be better."
His leadership continues to still be noticed by others who know him, including someone from his previous stop. When it was announced prior to kickoff of the season opener at Ole Miss that Befort was one of the four team captains for the Jags, his former junior college coach Tim Schaffner re-tweeted the message and added one of his own.
"Leaders are leaders, wherever they go.
#bucoproud"
Before his time is up in Mobile though, Befort and the Jaguars have unfinished business. Despite the slow start against two quality opponents in the first two games of the season, one of the main goals is still in sight for the Jaguars and Befort wants to be the one to lead the program to its first Sun Belt Conference championship. That journey starts this Saturday with South's conference opener against Idaho.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Jaguar Athletic Fund (JAF) Priority Fund, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to the Priority Fund directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/sports/2013/3/13/Gridiron%20Club.aspx?id=22
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