One year ago, Zyair Velasquez was a tackling menace for Kansas Wesleyan's defense.
By season's end he had recorded 84 stops, 50 of them solo and 15 for losses in nine games. The total far outpaced the runner-up in tackles, fellow linebacker Justin Sullivan (SR/Salina, Kan.) with 51.
The Coyotes finished the 2020-21 split season with an 8-2 record but failed to qualify for the NAIA playoffs for the first time in three years.
Like many other athletes nationwide Velasquez was granted an additional year of eligibility by the NAIA after last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which he readily accepted.
But his numbers this fall aren't the same and frankly aren't close. Nine games in, Velasquez is fourth on Wesleyan's tackle chart with 34, 20 solo, and two for losses while seeing an equal amount of playing time.
And he couldn't be happier.
"If you look at the stats no one has a large number of tackles," he said. "It's spread out and I feel like that's a good thing. That shows the transition this team has had."
The transition has, indeed, been impressive. The No. 6-ranked and Coyotes (9-0) are allowing just 13.8 points and 263 total yards per game and have posted two shutouts.
Velasquez credits the defense's improved depth, talent and willingness to share the workload.
"Of course, you're going to have your guys that stand out and make the big plays but I don't have to sit there and consistently make 15 big plays in one game, every game, and I'm OK with that," he said.
"I can say right now I feel better than I did last year at this time. I'm not as sore, I'm not as beat up. We don't have a lot injuries and that's because we rotate guys and everyone's making plays. I feel like it takes stress off of everyone if we can continue to do that."
The transition has required Velasquez and his teammates to adopt a team-first approach, an all-for-one-and-one-for-all mentality.
For Velasquez specifically that meant a different alignment at linebacker where he starts along with Devonta Brooks (SR/Cleveland, Ohio) and DeVante' Gabriel.
"We moved some guys around, they moved me," he said. "I've never been a backside player; I've always been either in the middle or on the front side. For me I had to put my pride aside and just say 'this is what we've got to do.'
"I think that's the big thing with this defense and it's helping us continue with our success. Everyone's putting their pride aside and doing what they need to do to keep our success."
Coach Myers Hendrickson concurs.
"We've been playing great team defense this year," he said. "You look at the way we get to the football and the way we can play so many different people and the depth that we have. It's just outstanding team defense and 'Z' really embodies that. He doesn't care about the amount of tackles because we're playing good defense and we've really matured as a defense. He's helped lead that."
Velasquez has a special appreciation for just being able to continue to his career after dealing a heart issue in 2020.
"Around this time in the fall my heart speeds up, it's a common thing for me," he said. "I wasn't really scared; I knew it would be alright eventually. But I am grateful to be able to play because that could have been it for me."
Velasquez's passion to succeed is also based on his awareness and appreciation of what previous KWU defenses accomplished.
"When I came here there was a tradition of winning and I felt like I let that tradition down," he said. "I felt like we needed to restore that tradition again this year and continue on for the guys who were here before us and make sure we play for them. It's what they did that got us where we are now."
That includes future Coyote defenders as well.
"We've got to continue that legacy," he said. "I've got to leave something for them to go off of so that they want to continue the tradition that we set for them."