Defensive end Zelt Minor said that since arriving at SMU, he has realized his work ethic needs to match his natural talent (photo by PonyFans.com).

The 2013 season was an eye-opening one for SMU defensive end Zelt Minor.

The true freshman from Houston’s Lamar High School arrived at SMU with as much hype as anyone in his recruiting class. After piling up an absurd 28.5 sacks in his senior season with the Redskins, Minor drew comparisons to just about every elite defensive end there is: Jared Allen, Julius Peppers, J.J. Watt, DeMarcus Ware.

Such comparisons, of course, are unfair — to everyone involved. In his first season, Minor played in six games as a backup for starting left defensive end Beau Barnes, collecting 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a half a sack. At times, he showed breathtaking quickness and explosiveness, only adding to the expectations and anticipation surrounding Minor.

Minor admitted that he doesn’t like being a part-time player, but understands that in order to get more playing time, he has to earn it. Part of that process included an overhaul of his physique. In high school, Minor was so much bigger or stronger or faster than his opponents that he rarely had to do more than line up and overpower or run right past the blockers in front of him on his way to the quarterback. In college, he discovered, blockers are bigger and faster and more talented, and often have arms long enough to hold many pass rushers at bay. Since he arrived in Dallas last summer, Minor has added 13 pounds of muscle, to get to his current 273 pounds.

“I wanted to get bigger, but I wanted to add good weight — I wanted to get faster, leaner,” Minor said. “I saw (fellow defensive end) Elie (Nabushosi), and how he takes care of himself. He’s so smart about what he eats, how he works out, and it obviously works. Look how much stronger he is.”

Like many high school athletes, Minor has a high-revving metabolism. In high school, he said, he was not very selective about his food choices.

“The coaches said they want me to get to about 280 pounds by two-a-days, but I think that’s a little too big. I have to keep my quickness.

“So I knew I had to change my diet. The biggest change was breakfast — now I eat a lot of fruit in the morning — and at dinner, I’m eating salad, chicken, tilapia. I watched Elie eat, and I started doing the same thing, and it worked. It makes a huge difference. I get much more amped up in practice, because I have more energy.”

Reshaping his body and creating more energy are useful, but Minor also realized he needed to enhance his technique in order to play a bigger role on the Mustangs’ defensive line.

“In high school, I didn’t have that many moves,” Minor said. “I had a swim move, and I liked to bull-rush, and that was about all I needed. But once I got here, I realized it’s all about technique. (Defensive line) Coach (Bert) Hill teaches everything. He knows so many different ways to get past someone, and he’s a great teacher — very detailed.

“He’s teaching us new moves, and teaching us how to make the ones we know better. On a bull rush, we work a lot on hand placement, so you can drive a guy better. He showed me a rip move that I’m getting better at. He always sees something — he’s always teaching.”

Zelt Minor has spent the offseason eating healthier food and getting stronger in preparation for the 2014 season (photo by PonyFans.com).

Minor said he also has learned to study Barnes and fellow starter Zach Wood more, and try to take things from them that he can apply to his own game.

“I hate watching — I always want to be on the field,” he said. “But when they’re on the field, I’m doing mental reps. If Beau does something that works, I’m going to try to do it, too. I watch (Barnes and Wood) all the time and try to learn from what they’re doing.”

Coming off the bench as a freshman was a bit of a wake-up call for Minor, who was used to being the best player on the field.

“I came in expecting to play right away,” he said. “I had to learn that it’s not all about talent. You have to be consistent, you have to be responsible and do all of your assignments. You have to show the coaches that they can trust you. I had to realize that, and once I got that, it got better.

“One of the reasons I came to SMU was because this team is on the rise. Coming off the bench last year, not having (a starting job) handed to me was good for me. I didn’t like it — it was frustrating — but it was reality. It’s not about me or about any one player. I have to do my job, just like everyone else does, but it’s the team effect that is going to make us better.”

While Minor continues to put in the work he needs to in order to make himself a better player, he said the defensive line, and the defense in general, should be improved in 2014.

“We really have some good athletes on the line,” he said, “and we’re deep. We can go three-deep, maybe four-deep, if we have to. What I really like is how hungry everyone is. We’re working hard every day. We have so many players who can play, we know nobody is promised anything, so if you want to play, you have to work.

“We know the book on us. We know there are people saying, ‘y’all aren’t going to do anything this year.’ But we’re ready to prove those people wrong.”