Week one of spring practice has come to an end, and very few questions have been answered. Gevani McCoy will be under center, Anthony Woods will be next to him and Hayden Hatten will line up with Jermaine Jackson as the main wide receivers. Outside of the offensive and defensive lines, defensive backs and tide ends are all unknown.
Day one of practice was also pro day, and it was outside. Mathias Bertram got the battle axe, Jack Layne was named offensive MVP, Tommy McCormick got defensive MVP and Jake Kindel landed special teams MVP.
“For spring ball, I’m looking to take more of a leadership role,” Bertram said. “I’m playing outside linebacker right now, a new position group, (so I’m) still figuring that out.”
After months without football, players could’ve had issues getting the rust off, but it returning players didn’t miss a step.
“Everybody played well,” head coach Jason Eck said. “It was great to see the defense get some turnovers. Mathias had a nice interception, so did Tommy McCormick.”
Thankfully, the facilities crew was able to get the field ready so that day two of practice could be inside. McCoy received the battle axe this time around, and it was well deserved as he only threw one questionable pass. Michael Graves, who is trying to land a spot as the third wide receiver, earned offensive MVP. Tylen Coleman, who transferred from Western New Mexico University stood out as defensive MVP. Jackson showed his versatility as a wide receiver and returner as he was named special teams MVP.
After two days of practice, it was decided that pads were going on. Players seemed to reach new heights with the addition of pads. Murvin Kenion III had a great swat while Hayden Hatten leaped in the air for a deep catch. Eck was pleased with how the team did during this practice and has seen a lot of improvement.
“I think we’re ahead of last year,” Eck said. “Guys probably stayed on their feet better. We still wanted to stay up today, we didn’t want to be on the ground, and I thought guys did a better job of that.”
Although there are still a lot of practices to go, position groups are starting to get figured out. The only well-known starters coming into day one of spring ball were on offense as the defense graduated a lot of players and moved others around.
“It’s a work in progress, but I see some guys stepping up,” Eck said. “Malikai Williams caught my eye today, he won the ax, he did a great job at defensive end. Jahkari (Larmond) has been doing a good job at D tackle. Sam Brown has been doing a good job at D end.”
Another position that many Vandal fans are looking at is the offensive line. It was a position that caused fans concern last year, and it’s under a microscope once again.
“On the O line, Terrian Rainey getting some good reps, our centers have had a few good days and Eli Sanchez (has played well),” Eck said. “We have to keep getting better. Sometimes the D line is a little ahead of the O line, so we just gotta keep working on those different combinations and find the right chemistry.”
The Vandals have a few weeks left of practice before their annual spring game on April 28 at 7 p.m.
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jamesaldrich25