Mark Ingram won the Heisman Trophy last season, because Heismans go to players at positions such as running back. Was he the best player on his Alabama team, though?

Maybe Rolando McClain, the first-team All-America linebacker, deserves that distinction. Maybe the Crimson Tide’s top guy was defensive tackle Terrence Cody, who’s no more easily budged than a service-station gas pump.

Alabama allowed fewer than 250 yards and 12 points per game last season. That you could even have such a debate tells me the self-confidence on the Crimson Tide defense was equivalent to Chris Rock strutting across a stage.

James Willis, who coached linebackers for Alabama’s national champions, inherited a different culture when he took over the Texas Tech defense three months ago. Here, it’s offense that moves the needle. Under Ruffin McNeill, Tech defensive players were closing the gap, but still knew where they stood.

Willis said “changing the way we think’’ was his biggest achievement in his first spring practice in Lubbock.

Texas Tech's Jarvis Phillips tackles Garrick McCray as he tries to pull in a pass during Tech's annual spring game at Jones AT&T Stadium. This year's game ended in a tie between the white and black teams with a score of 24-24. (John A. Bowersmith/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

“I think we’ve been, in the past, kind of thinking we were second-rate citizens or something like that,’’ he said. “But I think now they understand that on defense we’re special, too. We’re part of this team, and we’re very important to this team. We became more aggressive and more physical.’’

Spring games tend to mean little, the one Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium being no exception. Not wanting to reveal much for fall opponents, Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said the Red Raiders ran “about 40 percent of what we normally run’’ during the 24-24 tie.

Willis was hamstrung by the lack of not just detailed scheme, but the absences of defensive tackles Colby Whitlock, Myles Wade and Chris Perry. Remember, this was a defensive front without Brandon Sharpe, Daniel Howard, Ra’Jon Henley and Richard Jones from the get-go. If there was a position group that needed 15 practices uninterrupted by injury, the defensive line was it, but the group wasn’t that lucky.

In the Saturday scrimmage the week before, Tech receivers took advantage of Willis’ young cornerbacks.

So there are reasons for concern. But Willis wants Year One of his Tech defense to be way better than “Year One,’’ the awful Jack Black movie. Hey, he comes from the SEC, so there are expectations that he’ll make the Raiders SEC quality on that side of the ball. Those are expectations that Willis doesn’t mind.

“We want to be the best,’’ he said. “We don’t want to come here and say, ‘It’s a work in progress.’ We want to come here and actually do it.’’

For the last month, Willis has been more concerned about putting players in the right positions and making evaluations. Some things he likes. He said Saturday he’s not sure how much he’ll have to blitz because the Raiders have been getting some pass rush without it. He made several position switches designed to improve team speed, though it’s still not top end.

Willis rates his defense’s speed, on a scale of one to 10, “probably about a six.’’

The good news is, yes, he thinks that can go up, even with the same personnel, in a matter of months. How?

“Things we do in the weight room, our approach to playing,’’ he said. “There’s a difference between running a 4.4 40 and having football speed. You may have a guy who runs a 4.6, but on the football field he runs a 4.4. That all comes with understanding the game.

“Once you get guys understanding the game, understanding their job and their position, they play much faster. That’s our total focus is get guys playing fast.’’

If he can accomplish that, his guys might soon elevate from second-class citizen status.

“It’s like that on every team anyway,’’ Willis said, “but more than ever here because our offense is so good. We do have a very good offense. I’m proud to be a part of that. Now let’s see if we can add some defense to the deal and see if we can push this thing to the limit.’’