Safety first just dandy for Tejchman
Rebels junior making most of position switch
The fact that Drew Tejchman made a big impact in his first game at safety late last season wasn’t surprising.
Most schools recruited him at that position, but UNLV promised Tejchman he would play wide receiver, his preferred spot.
He signed with the Rebels in 2017, and true to the coaches’ word, he played receiver the past two seasons. Then came the 11th game last year at Hawaii, and Tejchman played on both sides of the ball. In his defensive debut, he intercepted a pass and broke up another.
Now safety is his only position, and Tejchman is committed to playing it. He constantly asks questions in position meetings, and then will seek further one-on-one instruction from defensive coordinator Tim Skipper or safeties coach Al Simmons.
“He wants to know what everybody else is doing,” Simmons said after Thursday’s practice at Rebel Park. “He’s not buying into just his position. He’s trying to pick it all up. He’s working his tail off.”
Tejchman (5 feet 11 inches, 195 pounds) heads into his junior season as the projected starter at free safety. UNLV opens Aug. 31 against Southern Utah at Sam Boyd Stadium.
He was a Rivals three-star prospect when he signed with the Rebels out of North Cobb High School near Atlanta. He received an array of scholarship offers, including from North Carolina State and Purdue.
After joining UNLV, he made an impact right away by playing in 11 games as a freshman and catching seven passes for 138 yards. He played in all 12 games last season and started three, finishing with 11 receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
Though a capable receiver, Tejchman was needed more in the secondary because of a series of injuries there.
“It wasn’t too hard,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m here for the team. So when they asked me to go to safety, the position was needed, so I was all for it.”
It was clear early in the game at Hawaii that safety was the position for him.
“I’ve learned a lot, just the different ways to play,” Tejchman said. “I was a little rusty coming back just jumping into the defense. But since I’ve been playing it — playing it in spring, playing it during the summer — I’ve learned a whole lot.”
If Tejchman could play so well before gaining a true understanding of the defensive system and the techniques required to play safety, how much better will he be with that training behind him?
“He’s got some instincts,” Simmons said. “He can run and he can hit.
He’s got some little fundamentals (to improve) and stuff like that. He’s got some abilities.”
No doubt Tejchman is all in on trying to be the best safety he can be, but not long ago he wondered if there was a little bit of hope regarding his old position.
“He came in early this summer and asked if he could go both ways, and I said, ‘Absolutely not,’” coach Tony Sanchez said laughing. “But he’s just a competitor, right? I think now that he knows he’s a safety, that’s his spot and he’s owning it.”
Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal. com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.