Georgia Southern’s offensive line is coming along quickly, an encouraging sign for a team under its third head coach in three years. Anchored by four returning starters —seniors Russell Orr, Marcelo Estrada and Brad Williams and sophomore Ricory Green — first-year Eagle coach Chris Hatcher considers the group one of the strongest parts of the team right now.
“We’ve got a bunch of guys that fight,” Hatcher said after practice Friday. “They are very seasoned veterans, which is always good to have. If you’ve got a good line, you can do a lot of things. They are having fun out there, and it’s good to see. They are performing pretty well.”
Offensive line coach Shawn Bostick has been equally impressed, particularly with the speed in which the guys are learning the new scheme.
“I’ve never had a group pick this up so quickly,” he said. “They seem to be buying into the system, and it’s working well for them right now. They are a real tight-knit group, which is what you’ve always got to have with an offensive line. They act like a family, do everything together, work hard together.”
For the first time in five years, Georgia Southern will be looking for a starting center, a role previously filled by the always-reliable Lance Wayne. Wayne, a four-year starter who never missed a practice or game in his career, exhausted his eligibility after the 2006 season. His void will be filled by either senior Jesse Suarez, Wayne’s backup last year, or Green, who started every game at left guard as a redshirt freshman in 2006. GSU’s new staff opted to move Green to center — a position he’s never played before — and the 6-foot-3, 285-pound sophomore is excited about the switch.
“I’m up for the challenge,” Green said. “It’s a new position for me. There are a lot of things I’ve got to learn because the center is the heart of the offensive line. It’s a big responsibility.”
Learning the plays, making calls and recognizing different defensive fronts have been the most difficult part of the adjustment so far, Green said, adding that the group has responded to the changes better than he expected it would.
“Everything we learned last year got thrown out,” Green said. “Nothing is the same, everything is new.”
As for the position change, Bostick, a former offensive lineman at Valdosta State, can empathize with Green. Two weeks before the start of camp one year, Blazer coaches informed Bostick, a tackle, he was the starting center.
“I know exactly what it’s like,” Bostick said. “It just takes a little getting used to. It’s a fun position, and Ricory is having fun with it. Everything starts and stops with you. You carry the responsibility, you embrace it and you go with it.”
Green is one of nine of returners from last year’s two-deep depth chart. Which guys have stood out so far?
“Whew, there’s a bunch of them,” Bostick said. “Russell Orr, Marcelo Estrada, Dio Herrera, Brad Williams, Cole Fountain — the list goes on. Ricory Green, Lewis Brooks — really, I can name the whole offensive line. They’ve done an outstanding job. They have picked it up fantastically.”
Plenty of aggression
Tempers flared at Beautiful Eagle Creek late Friday afternoon when a couple of scuffles broke out near the end of practice. Hatcher was glad to see the aggression.
“I liked to see the guys flying around a little bit today,” Hatcher said. “We kind of put it all together today. We put three or four days of work on them at one time, so we had a lot of busts. But our aggression and intensity were good.”
First Scrimmage today
The Eagles will hold a controlled scrimmage — their first of the spring — this morning around 10 a.m. at the practice fields. The first-team offense will go against the first-team defense and so on. Three different groups will get about 25-30 plays apiece, and the Eagles will also work on special teams.
“We’ve got a very limited package in right now on both sides of the ball, but we want to see who can play at full speed with full pads on,” Hatcher said.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
“We’ve got a bunch of guys that fight,” Hatcher said after practice Friday. “They are very seasoned veterans, which is always good to have. If you’ve got a good line, you can do a lot of things. They are having fun out there, and it’s good to see. They are performing pretty well.”
Offensive line coach Shawn Bostick has been equally impressed, particularly with the speed in which the guys are learning the new scheme.
“I’ve never had a group pick this up so quickly,” he said. “They seem to be buying into the system, and it’s working well for them right now. They are a real tight-knit group, which is what you’ve always got to have with an offensive line. They act like a family, do everything together, work hard together.”
For the first time in five years, Georgia Southern will be looking for a starting center, a role previously filled by the always-reliable Lance Wayne. Wayne, a four-year starter who never missed a practice or game in his career, exhausted his eligibility after the 2006 season. His void will be filled by either senior Jesse Suarez, Wayne’s backup last year, or Green, who started every game at left guard as a redshirt freshman in 2006. GSU’s new staff opted to move Green to center — a position he’s never played before — and the 6-foot-3, 285-pound sophomore is excited about the switch.
“I’m up for the challenge,” Green said. “It’s a new position for me. There are a lot of things I’ve got to learn because the center is the heart of the offensive line. It’s a big responsibility.”
Learning the plays, making calls and recognizing different defensive fronts have been the most difficult part of the adjustment so far, Green said, adding that the group has responded to the changes better than he expected it would.
“Everything we learned last year got thrown out,” Green said. “Nothing is the same, everything is new.”
As for the position change, Bostick, a former offensive lineman at Valdosta State, can empathize with Green. Two weeks before the start of camp one year, Blazer coaches informed Bostick, a tackle, he was the starting center.
“I know exactly what it’s like,” Bostick said. “It just takes a little getting used to. It’s a fun position, and Ricory is having fun with it. Everything starts and stops with you. You carry the responsibility, you embrace it and you go with it.”
Green is one of nine of returners from last year’s two-deep depth chart. Which guys have stood out so far?
“Whew, there’s a bunch of them,” Bostick said. “Russell Orr, Marcelo Estrada, Dio Herrera, Brad Williams, Cole Fountain — the list goes on. Ricory Green, Lewis Brooks — really, I can name the whole offensive line. They’ve done an outstanding job. They have picked it up fantastically.”
Plenty of aggression
Tempers flared at Beautiful Eagle Creek late Friday afternoon when a couple of scuffles broke out near the end of practice. Hatcher was glad to see the aggression.
“I liked to see the guys flying around a little bit today,” Hatcher said. “We kind of put it all together today. We put three or four days of work on them at one time, so we had a lot of busts. But our aggression and intensity were good.”
First Scrimmage today
The Eagles will hold a controlled scrimmage — their first of the spring — this morning around 10 a.m. at the practice fields. The first-team offense will go against the first-team defense and so on. Three different groups will get about 25-30 plays apiece, and the Eagles will also work on special teams.
“We’ve got a very limited package in right now on both sides of the ball, but we want to see who can play at full speed with full pads on,” Hatcher said.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
