Excitement and hope filled the air Friday afternoon at Beautiful Eagle Creek where a new era of Georgia Southern football officially commenced will the start of spring practice.
The team’s two-and-a-half hour workout was its first under new coach Chris Hatcher, who became GSU’s third coach in three years when he took over in mid-January. Georgia Southern coaches and players — who wore their shirts inside-out and had tape covering the logos on their hats — said they were glad to get back on the gridiron and begin washing away lingering memories of last year’s 3-8 campaign, the worst in school history.
“Everybody wanted to get out here and take the first step in shaking off last year, which was definitely a disappointment,” said junior Chris Covington, last year’s leading rusher who has moved to defensive back. “Everybody’s excited to get a new one going.”
Hatcher, who opted to begin drills immediately instead of spending a lot of time talking to the team, called the Eagles’ effort “outstanding” despite the some typical first-day confusion.
“We didn’t know where to go all the time and when to get there,” Hatcher said. “We wasted a little time and were rough around the edges, but we threw a lot on them real quickly. We told them to play fast. I expect tomorrow to be a lot better than today. The real positive I saw is the guys want to learn, they are interested in learning and they are starting to come together as a football team. That’s what you like to see, especially with a new coaching staff.”
The Eagles took their first steps towards learning an entirely new offense and transforming last year’s pro-style set into the Hatch Attack, Hatcher’s wide-open, high-voltage offense. The quarterback job will be under a microscope during the next few weeks as the Eagles search for the best player to run the offense. Last year’s starter, junior Travis Clark, maybe the frontrunner and will be challenged by sophomore Chris Griffin and redshirt freshmen Jeremiah Enloe and Kyle Collins.
“I thought Travis Clark had a pretty good command of the offense,” Hatcher said. “Other than that we were a little shaky at times. Again it’s the first day, and you’ve got to realize these guys have to line everyone up, know the protections, get the signals from the sideline and everything is brand new. For the first day, I thought Clark had a pretty good day.”
Clark thought the practice was “a little rough” but went well for the most part.
“We did some good things, and we did some bad things,” he said. “But as a team we’re are all coming together and working together.”
Senior open-field threat Jayson Foster, who will vie for time at running back and receiver, was encouraged by what he saw Friday.
“I think we came out with a lot of intensity and a lot of excitement,” Foster said. “We played very fast today and didn’t have too many mistakes. I think we can build on it.”
As for the inside-out jerseys and concealed hats, Hatcher said positions and numbers will have to be earned.
“The coaches have to prove themselves, and the players have to prove themselves to us — that’s basically where we are at,” he said. “This field has produced six national champions, and we’ve got to earn the right to wear the blue and white.”
Hatcher took a hands-on approach during the workout, jumping in for a few demonstrations.
“It’s hard to talk about what you are going to do, sometimes you just have to go out there and show them,” Hatcher said. “I think they got the idea of what we are trying to get across to them. Once they know where to go and the pace we want them to get there, then we can really start coaching.”
Spring practice resumes this morning around 9:20 and will culminate with the annual Blue-White game April 21 at 1 p.m. Georgia Southern opens its season Sept. 8, hosting West Georgia for a 6 p.m. game.
“We’ve got a long ways to go until Sept. 8,” Hatcher said.
Thomas checks out practice
Former Eagle cornerback and current Buffalo Bill Kilwaukee Thomas and several dozen fans were on hand to watch Georgia Southern’s first practice.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
The team’s two-and-a-half hour workout was its first under new coach Chris Hatcher, who became GSU’s third coach in three years when he took over in mid-January. Georgia Southern coaches and players — who wore their shirts inside-out and had tape covering the logos on their hats — said they were glad to get back on the gridiron and begin washing away lingering memories of last year’s 3-8 campaign, the worst in school history.
“Everybody wanted to get out here and take the first step in shaking off last year, which was definitely a disappointment,” said junior Chris Covington, last year’s leading rusher who has moved to defensive back. “Everybody’s excited to get a new one going.”
Hatcher, who opted to begin drills immediately instead of spending a lot of time talking to the team, called the Eagles’ effort “outstanding” despite the some typical first-day confusion.
“We didn’t know where to go all the time and when to get there,” Hatcher said. “We wasted a little time and were rough around the edges, but we threw a lot on them real quickly. We told them to play fast. I expect tomorrow to be a lot better than today. The real positive I saw is the guys want to learn, they are interested in learning and they are starting to come together as a football team. That’s what you like to see, especially with a new coaching staff.”
The Eagles took their first steps towards learning an entirely new offense and transforming last year’s pro-style set into the Hatch Attack, Hatcher’s wide-open, high-voltage offense. The quarterback job will be under a microscope during the next few weeks as the Eagles search for the best player to run the offense. Last year’s starter, junior Travis Clark, maybe the frontrunner and will be challenged by sophomore Chris Griffin and redshirt freshmen Jeremiah Enloe and Kyle Collins.
“I thought Travis Clark had a pretty good command of the offense,” Hatcher said. “Other than that we were a little shaky at times. Again it’s the first day, and you’ve got to realize these guys have to line everyone up, know the protections, get the signals from the sideline and everything is brand new. For the first day, I thought Clark had a pretty good day.”
Clark thought the practice was “a little rough” but went well for the most part.
“We did some good things, and we did some bad things,” he said. “But as a team we’re are all coming together and working together.”
Senior open-field threat Jayson Foster, who will vie for time at running back and receiver, was encouraged by what he saw Friday.
“I think we came out with a lot of intensity and a lot of excitement,” Foster said. “We played very fast today and didn’t have too many mistakes. I think we can build on it.”
As for the inside-out jerseys and concealed hats, Hatcher said positions and numbers will have to be earned.
“The coaches have to prove themselves, and the players have to prove themselves to us — that’s basically where we are at,” he said. “This field has produced six national champions, and we’ve got to earn the right to wear the blue and white.”
Hatcher took a hands-on approach during the workout, jumping in for a few demonstrations.
“It’s hard to talk about what you are going to do, sometimes you just have to go out there and show them,” Hatcher said. “I think they got the idea of what we are trying to get across to them. Once they know where to go and the pace we want them to get there, then we can really start coaching.”
Spring practice resumes this morning around 9:20 and will culminate with the annual Blue-White game April 21 at 1 p.m. Georgia Southern opens its season Sept. 8, hosting West Georgia for a 6 p.m. game.
“We’ve got a long ways to go until Sept. 8,” Hatcher said.
Thomas checks out practice
Former Eagle cornerback and current Buffalo Bill Kilwaukee Thomas and several dozen fans were on hand to watch Georgia Southern’s first practice.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
