raginram
March 5th, 2008, 09:32 PM
Rams Football Returns To Action Tuesday Evening With First Spring Practice
WSSU kicks off the spring with a pair of practices under the lights
March 4, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Ides of March are nearly upon us and the NCAA men's basketball tournament is looming on the horizon, yet for WSSU head football coach Kermit Blount and his staff all thoughts are squarely on the gridiron as the Rams prepare for their first spring practice Tuesday night at 9:00 pm at Bowman Gray Stadium.
For the first time in Blount's 16 years at WSSU, the Rams will be practicing at night at Bowman Gray Stadium. Because so many of his players have afternoon classes Blount has moved several of the 14 scheduled practices from 9 to 11 p.m., including the first one which is tonight.
The Rams will begin the spring season with a completely intact coaching staff, one that is fresh off of a successful recruiting effort that helped to net WSSU 14 prized recruits in a talented, and deep, 2008 recruiting class.
Blount and his staff are comfortably settled into their brand new 20,992 square foot athletic fieldhouse at Bowman Gray Stadium and both he and his coaches are ready to tackle the business at hand, which according to Blount, is getting back on the field.
"We are excited. My staff is excited and our young men are excited. We are really doing something special here and we are all looking forward to getting back on the field. It was a long off-season of conditioning and weight lifting and my staff and I hit the recruiting trail hard and we brought in a class full of talent and promise. The only thing left to do now is to get back to playing football" Blount said on Monday.
The Rams return a wealth of talent as approximately 73 players will be active in Monday's first practice. There are many questions headed into the spring, most prominently the question of which is who will be at quarterback, where five players will compete for the job.
Monte Purvis, a three-year starter and one of the most productive quarterbacks in school history, exhausted his eligibility after last season's team went 6-5.
Among the contenders in the wide-open race is junior Jarrett Dunston, who was Purvis' backup last season. Dunston, who is 6-3 and 220 pounds and transferred to WSSU from Temple before last season, is built like a linebacker and has the strongest arm among the contenders. Last season he played in four games behind the durable Purvis.
Brian Wynn, a sophomore from Greensboro, is 6-6 and 200 pounds, but has no game experience, while junior Justin Sherrod and sophomore Omar Kizzie, played last season at wide receiver. Blount said that Sherrod and Kizzie will each likely play both quarterback and wide receiver during spring practices.
One player to watch is Tienne Jefferson, a 6-1, 208-pound freshman. Jefferson, who redshirted last season and spent most of every game right next to offensive coordinator Nick Calcutta on the sidelines, could be the perfect fit for the Rams' spread offense.
Blount said that he won't settle on a starter even if somebody emerges by the end of spring practice.
"No, there's not a No. 1 at this point," Blount said. "We are going to line those guys up and figure it out, but really, we may not have a No. 1 guy even when spring ball is over. It really won't matter right now who is No. 1, but it will matter when we get into camp in August."
The Rams lost nine starters from last season, including running back Jed Bines and offensive lineman Lonnie Teasley. On defense the biggest loss was defensive end William Hayes, who led them in sacks last season and has a good shot at getting drafted in April by an NFL team.
Another place that has plenty of question marks is the defensive line. Michael Moore also exhausted his eligibility and Keith Newton's eligibility is being reviewed by the NCAA.
Blount said he hopes that Newton will be back for the fall but said that Newton would not compete during spring practice.
Another player who will likely sit out practice is running back Brandon McRae, who suffered a broken wrist and missed most of last season. Blount said he knows what McRae can do and that he doesn't want to risk further injury to the elusive running back.
Blount hopes that Julian Gray, an offensive tackle, who missed last season because of an injury, can make an impact this spring.
With Newton's status in doubt, only Quentin Jones, who has plenty of experience, will be back.
"Guys like Corey Land and Travis Taylor will have to step up," Blount said.
For the most part Blount has been lucky with injuries during spring practices. He doesn't believe in much hitting or scrimmaging because he would rather have his team healthy for the fall.
"I think this spring ball is going to be a little different," Blount said. "I think we are still a year away from really having the kind of depth that we really, really need and want. It's a slow process, and it's a process that I've learned over the years to be patient with."
While it's important to build that depth at key positions, Blount said that spring practices are a way to teach plenty of fundamentals.
"As we normally do it's about technique and teaching in spring ball," Blount said. "We are trying to make sure our young kids who redshirted last year are getting enough reps to understand what we are doing on both sides of the ball."
The Rams begin spring practice tonight, March 4, at 9:00 p.m. at Bowman Gray Stadium and will follow the same 9 p.m.-11 p.m. schedule for Wednesday evening before moving practice back to campus on Friday afternoon 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
For additional practice times and a complete 2008 WSSU spring football practice schedule, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at WSSURams.com.
WSSU kicks off the spring with a pair of practices under the lights
March 4, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Ides of March are nearly upon us and the NCAA men's basketball tournament is looming on the horizon, yet for WSSU head football coach Kermit Blount and his staff all thoughts are squarely on the gridiron as the Rams prepare for their first spring practice Tuesday night at 9:00 pm at Bowman Gray Stadium.
For the first time in Blount's 16 years at WSSU, the Rams will be practicing at night at Bowman Gray Stadium. Because so many of his players have afternoon classes Blount has moved several of the 14 scheduled practices from 9 to 11 p.m., including the first one which is tonight.
The Rams will begin the spring season with a completely intact coaching staff, one that is fresh off of a successful recruiting effort that helped to net WSSU 14 prized recruits in a talented, and deep, 2008 recruiting class.
Blount and his staff are comfortably settled into their brand new 20,992 square foot athletic fieldhouse at Bowman Gray Stadium and both he and his coaches are ready to tackle the business at hand, which according to Blount, is getting back on the field.
"We are excited. My staff is excited and our young men are excited. We are really doing something special here and we are all looking forward to getting back on the field. It was a long off-season of conditioning and weight lifting and my staff and I hit the recruiting trail hard and we brought in a class full of talent and promise. The only thing left to do now is to get back to playing football" Blount said on Monday.
The Rams return a wealth of talent as approximately 73 players will be active in Monday's first practice. There are many questions headed into the spring, most prominently the question of which is who will be at quarterback, where five players will compete for the job.
Monte Purvis, a three-year starter and one of the most productive quarterbacks in school history, exhausted his eligibility after last season's team went 6-5.
Among the contenders in the wide-open race is junior Jarrett Dunston, who was Purvis' backup last season. Dunston, who is 6-3 and 220 pounds and transferred to WSSU from Temple before last season, is built like a linebacker and has the strongest arm among the contenders. Last season he played in four games behind the durable Purvis.
Brian Wynn, a sophomore from Greensboro, is 6-6 and 200 pounds, but has no game experience, while junior Justin Sherrod and sophomore Omar Kizzie, played last season at wide receiver. Blount said that Sherrod and Kizzie will each likely play both quarterback and wide receiver during spring practices.
One player to watch is Tienne Jefferson, a 6-1, 208-pound freshman. Jefferson, who redshirted last season and spent most of every game right next to offensive coordinator Nick Calcutta on the sidelines, could be the perfect fit for the Rams' spread offense.
Blount said that he won't settle on a starter even if somebody emerges by the end of spring practice.
"No, there's not a No. 1 at this point," Blount said. "We are going to line those guys up and figure it out, but really, we may not have a No. 1 guy even when spring ball is over. It really won't matter right now who is No. 1, but it will matter when we get into camp in August."
The Rams lost nine starters from last season, including running back Jed Bines and offensive lineman Lonnie Teasley. On defense the biggest loss was defensive end William Hayes, who led them in sacks last season and has a good shot at getting drafted in April by an NFL team.
Another place that has plenty of question marks is the defensive line. Michael Moore also exhausted his eligibility and Keith Newton's eligibility is being reviewed by the NCAA.
Blount said he hopes that Newton will be back for the fall but said that Newton would not compete during spring practice.
Another player who will likely sit out practice is running back Brandon McRae, who suffered a broken wrist and missed most of last season. Blount said he knows what McRae can do and that he doesn't want to risk further injury to the elusive running back.
Blount hopes that Julian Gray, an offensive tackle, who missed last season because of an injury, can make an impact this spring.
With Newton's status in doubt, only Quentin Jones, who has plenty of experience, will be back.
"Guys like Corey Land and Travis Taylor will have to step up," Blount said.
For the most part Blount has been lucky with injuries during spring practices. He doesn't believe in much hitting or scrimmaging because he would rather have his team healthy for the fall.
"I think this spring ball is going to be a little different," Blount said. "I think we are still a year away from really having the kind of depth that we really, really need and want. It's a slow process, and it's a process that I've learned over the years to be patient with."
While it's important to build that depth at key positions, Blount said that spring practices are a way to teach plenty of fundamentals.
"As we normally do it's about technique and teaching in spring ball," Blount said. "We are trying to make sure our young kids who redshirted last year are getting enough reps to understand what we are doing on both sides of the ball."
The Rams begin spring practice tonight, March 4, at 9:00 p.m. at Bowman Gray Stadium and will follow the same 9 p.m.-11 p.m. schedule for Wednesday evening before moving practice back to campus on Friday afternoon 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
For additional practice times and a complete 2008 WSSU spring football practice schedule, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at WSSURams.com.