Southern football coach Terrence Graves likes team's spirit after a week of spring drills
Southern football coach Terrence Graves likes what he has seen early in spring practice, hoping the high spirits of the first week translate into a high win total in the Southern football coach Terrence Graves has expressed optimism about the team's performance in spring practice, hoping it will translate into a high win total in the fall. The team has had seven practices so far and is moving towards the April 13 spring game at A.W. Mumford Stadium. Graves, who is taking over his first full-time head coaching assignment, sees the energy and effort of the team, learning from offensive coordinator Mark Frederick and three quarterbacks competing for the starting job. Other notable players watching from the sidelines include junior defensive end Ckelby Givens, senior linebacker Derrick Williams and senior running back CJ Russell. The leading rusher from last season, Kendric Rhymes, is recovering from a hernia but Graves is optimistic about his return.
Opublikowany : 4 tygodnie temu za pomocą Jim Kleinpeter w Sports
Southern football coach Terrence Graves likes what he has seen early in spring practice, hoping the high spirits of the first week translate into a high win total in the fall. The Jaguars have seven practices in the books as they move through the four weeks toward the April 13 spring game set for 3 p.m. in A.W. Mumford Stadium. “I like the energy of the guys, bouncing around, running around, really having fun,” Graves said prior to Wednesday’s workout. “They’re working hard to carry out the assignments and learning the new offense from (offensive coordinator) coach (Mark) Frederick. The defense is retaining (defensive coordinator) coach (Henry) Miller’s defense and some of the new stuff he’s put in.” While most of the team returns from last year, Graves is taking over his first full-time head coaching assignment, and the coaching staff has three new faces not counting strength and conditioning coach Randal Moore.
Frederick will bring a run-first mentality to set up the passing game and three quarterbacks competing for the starting job. “He has his own scheme, the Gumbo O; his spice, his flavor,” Graves said of Frederick. “There are going to be some slow moments putting in a new scheme, but those guys have done a good job picking it up.” Junior quarterback Noah Bodden started the Bayou Classic victory and as the upperclassman with the most experience is the first in line for the position. But Graves said the race is wide open with redshirt freshmen Jalen Brown and Czavian Teasett also competing. Teasett sat out Wednesday’s practice but is expected to return Thursday. “Those guys have to work — nobody has the job — so they are competing,” Graves said. “Some days they rotate and get an opportunity to go with the two groups. It’s going to be interesting to see how it goes.”
Bodden has five college starts after transferring from Grambling where he played as a freshman. “It’s going smooth right now,” Bodden said. “I like the direction we’re headed in. We’ve got a whole lot of weapons. The offense is looking great right now. I can imagine where we will be come September.” Other Jaguars who watched from the sidelines include junior defensive end Ckelby Givens, senior linebacker Derrick Williams and senior running back CJ Russell. Givens is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, and Williams is rehabbing an injured knee from last season. The leading rusher from last season Kendric Rhymes also has been out with a hernia, but Graves is optimistic about his return. “We got a real good report from his follow-up yesterday,” Graves said. “It’s possible we’ll see him before the spring game. With the guys sitting out, it gives other guys a chance to play and get experience so we can evaluate where we are. You always want everybody out there, but we know what those (missing) guys can do.
“Our goal is when we come out of this everybody understands what we’re doing on offense, defense and special teams. We want them to be able to execute what we’re doing at a high level with a high level of success.”
Tematy: Football