Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Wildcats Begin Spring Practice
3/11/2014 5:05:00 PM | Football
Coach's Show
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Preparations for the 2014 football season began in earnest Tuesday, as the Wildcats begin their 14-session spring practice schedule.
Davidson is returning 38 letterwinners and 15 starters (7 offense, 8 defense) from last year's team. The Wildcats began their 14-session Tuesday, March 11 at 4:45 p.m., and will practice every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until the spring game. The weekday practices will begin at 4:45 and the Saturday sessions will begin in the morning.
With the bulk of the coaching staff beginning its second year together, the Wildcats can focus entirely on improvement as opposed to installing new schemes. Fundamentals and special teams will be big points of emphasis.
Read on to learn about what to expect this spring.
Offense
Many key position battles will take place on the offensive side of the ball, especially with new offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan and new offensive line and tight ends coach Derham Cato not having any previous favorites.
Quarterback
The departure of all-time passing leader and four-year starter Jonathan Carkhuff will give the Red and Black a different look on Saturdays. Rising-senior J.P. Douglas and rising-sophomore John Cook are the main contenders for time under center, but it remains to be seen if one will win the job outright or if a platoon will be utilized.
Both saw action in different packages last season. Douglas, who joined the Wildcats last season after transferring from Southern University, completed 27-of-42 passing attempts for 246 yards and three touchdowns, but was intercepted four times. He also ran for 80 yards on 22 attempts. Cook was primarily used as a read-option quarterback last season, gaining 111 yards on the ground on 27 attempts, and completing 6-of-13 passes for 40 yards.
Running Backs
Davidson will look to continue its progress on the ground in 2014. Last season, the Wildcats rushed for 27.5 yards more per game than the year prior, and for the most yards since 2009. Rising-senior Robert Klein led the ground attack with 439 yards on 113 carries in his first season as a running back, as he served as a defensive back as an underclassman. Rising-junior David Rogers missed the first half of the 2013 season due to an injury, but averaged 5.7 yards per carry on 66 attempts and scored a position-best three touchdowns. Rookies Dustin Atchley and Patrick O'Connor will also look to impress in their first spring workouts.
Tight Ends
Rising-senior Trey Huelskamp and rising-junior Scott Holzwarth are the only two tight ends on the roster this spring. Huelskamp has been a starter in two out of his three seasons with the Wildcats, and will look to take on an even larger role now that senior Reese Williams will be graduating. Huelskamp caught 17 passes for 182 yards last season.
Wide Receivers
Of the eight receivers on Davidson's roster, five will be upper classmen, making it one of the more experienced positions on the 'Cats' roster.
Rising-junior William Morris is expected to lead the group again after placing his name amongst Davidson's all-time greats with 67 catches for 1,090 yards last season. He is on pace to become Davidson's all-time leading receiver.
Rising-seniors Tim Hines and Garrett Diehl will also be looking to grab major roles. Hines is a dynamic option that has been plagued by injuries the past two seasons. As a freshman, Hines led the team with 16.5 yards per catch and was second with five receiving touchdowns. Diehl caught 30 passes for 274 yards last season and was also a kick return threat.
Rising-junior Se'Vaughn Carter has seen limited action in his first two seasons and, especially with the void left by graduation senior Jeff McDaniels, is a player that the coaching staff is counting on to step up to a larger role this season.
Offensive Line
Davidson's young offensive line gained valuable experience last season and will look to continue improve as a veteran group. Rising-senior Nelson White and rising-juniors Josh Daryoush and Caleb Krause (eight) boast the most experience, while rising-junior Brian Johnson and rising-sophomore Travis Stubblefield are not strangers to the starting lineup either. The group is nine players deep this spring.
Defense
Eight defensive starters return in 2014, including senior linebacker Matt Casey, so the unit will look to have its experience pay dividends this coming season.
Defensive Line
The defensive line two-deep this spring with eight returners. Rising-junior Chris Woods is a dynamic pass rusher who will look to continue to improve after his first season after moving up from linebacker. Classmate Will Flood will look to fight for a starting role, while rising-sophomores Alex Behrend, Grant Polofsky, Eric Haas and Nick Ragsdale will be demonstrating all they learned from their first collegiate football seasons this past spring. Nichols cites Polofsky and Haas in particular as two that have had strong off-seasons so far.
Classmate Craig Stevens II is also moving up to the defensive line from the linebacker position to provide depth for Woods at the end positon.
Linebackers
The group loses stalwart Ben Prater, but leading tackler Matt Casey returns. The "STAR" position is one of great depth as starter Dan Casey is followed by his younger brother Nate and Ben Kase, both rising-sophomores. Rising-junior Theo Jones will look to return from injury, and rising-sophomore James Gessner was a big contributor as a freshman in 2013.
Defensive Backs
All of the starting defensive backs return, led by rising-senior safety Bryant Bednarek. Rising junior Myles Atkins is also back, as are corners Ryan Leak, who started as a freshman last season, and rising-senior Colin Merrill. Rising junior William Curran saw significan time last year, as did many other freshmen. Landry Taylor is a talented young option who was injured early last season, and could make a big impact this spring.
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Preparations for the 2014 football season began in earnest Tuesday, as the Wildcats begin their 14-session spring practice schedule.
Davidson is returning 38 letterwinners and 15 starters (7 offense, 8 defense) from last year's team. The Wildcats began their 14-session Tuesday, March 11 at 4:45 p.m., and will practice every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until the spring game. The weekday practices will begin at 4:45 and the Saturday sessions will begin in the morning.
With the bulk of the coaching staff beginning its second year together, the Wildcats can focus entirely on improvement as opposed to installing new schemes. Fundamentals and special teams will be big points of emphasis.
Read on to learn about what to expect this spring.
Offense
Many key position battles will take place on the offensive side of the ball, especially with new offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan and new offensive line and tight ends coach Derham Cato not having any previous favorites.
Quarterback
The departure of all-time passing leader and four-year starter Jonathan Carkhuff will give the Red and Black a different look on Saturdays. Rising-senior J.P. Douglas and rising-sophomore John Cook are the main contenders for time under center, but it remains to be seen if one will win the job outright or if a platoon will be utilized.
Both saw action in different packages last season. Douglas, who joined the Wildcats last season after transferring from Southern University, completed 27-of-42 passing attempts for 246 yards and three touchdowns, but was intercepted four times. He also ran for 80 yards on 22 attempts. Cook was primarily used as a read-option quarterback last season, gaining 111 yards on the ground on 27 attempts, and completing 6-of-13 passes for 40 yards.
Running Backs
Davidson will look to continue its progress on the ground in 2014. Last season, the Wildcats rushed for 27.5 yards more per game than the year prior, and for the most yards since 2009. Rising-senior Robert Klein led the ground attack with 439 yards on 113 carries in his first season as a running back, as he served as a defensive back as an underclassman. Rising-junior David Rogers missed the first half of the 2013 season due to an injury, but averaged 5.7 yards per carry on 66 attempts and scored a position-best three touchdowns. Rookies Dustin Atchley and Patrick O'Connor will also look to impress in their first spring workouts.
Tight Ends
Rising-senior Trey Huelskamp and rising-junior Scott Holzwarth are the only two tight ends on the roster this spring. Huelskamp has been a starter in two out of his three seasons with the Wildcats, and will look to take on an even larger role now that senior Reese Williams will be graduating. Huelskamp caught 17 passes for 182 yards last season.
Wide Receivers
Of the eight receivers on Davidson's roster, five will be upper classmen, making it one of the more experienced positions on the 'Cats' roster.
Rising-junior William Morris is expected to lead the group again after placing his name amongst Davidson's all-time greats with 67 catches for 1,090 yards last season. He is on pace to become Davidson's all-time leading receiver.
Rising-seniors Tim Hines and Garrett Diehl will also be looking to grab major roles. Hines is a dynamic option that has been plagued by injuries the past two seasons. As a freshman, Hines led the team with 16.5 yards per catch and was second with five receiving touchdowns. Diehl caught 30 passes for 274 yards last season and was also a kick return threat.
Rising-junior Se'Vaughn Carter has seen limited action in his first two seasons and, especially with the void left by graduation senior Jeff McDaniels, is a player that the coaching staff is counting on to step up to a larger role this season.
Offensive Line
Davidson's young offensive line gained valuable experience last season and will look to continue improve as a veteran group. Rising-senior Nelson White and rising-juniors Josh Daryoush and Caleb Krause (eight) boast the most experience, while rising-junior Brian Johnson and rising-sophomore Travis Stubblefield are not strangers to the starting lineup either. The group is nine players deep this spring.
Defense
Eight defensive starters return in 2014, including senior linebacker Matt Casey, so the unit will look to have its experience pay dividends this coming season.
Defensive Line
The defensive line two-deep this spring with eight returners. Rising-junior Chris Woods is a dynamic pass rusher who will look to continue to improve after his first season after moving up from linebacker. Classmate Will Flood will look to fight for a starting role, while rising-sophomores Alex Behrend, Grant Polofsky, Eric Haas and Nick Ragsdale will be demonstrating all they learned from their first collegiate football seasons this past spring. Nichols cites Polofsky and Haas in particular as two that have had strong off-seasons so far.
Classmate Craig Stevens II is also moving up to the defensive line from the linebacker position to provide depth for Woods at the end positon.
Linebackers
The group loses stalwart Ben Prater, but leading tackler Matt Casey returns. The "STAR" position is one of great depth as starter Dan Casey is followed by his younger brother Nate and Ben Kase, both rising-sophomores. Rising-junior Theo Jones will look to return from injury, and rising-sophomore James Gessner was a big contributor as a freshman in 2013.
Defensive Backs
All of the starting defensive backs return, led by rising-senior safety Bryant Bednarek. Rising junior Myles Atkins is also back, as are corners Ryan Leak, who started as a freshman last season, and rising-senior Colin Merrill. Rising junior William Curran saw significan time last year, as did many other freshmen. Landry Taylor is a talented young option who was injured early last season, and could make a big impact this spring.
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