Spring Practice for Georgia Southern Football Starts in Two Weeks

STATESBORO, Ga. – The lights at Allen E. Paulson Stadium have illuminated the early morning sky as mat drills signaled the start of team workouts for the Georgia Southern Football team. Two weeks from today, the Eagles will be back on the banks of “Beautiful Eagle Creek” for the first spring practice of 2013. The Eagles’ schedule begins with two practices on Wednesday, March 13th and Thursday, March 14th, prior to the start of spring break, with the remaining 13 dates afterward.

After returning from the nine-day break, Georgia Southern has three straight weeks of Tuesday-Thursday-Friday practices with a single Monday date on April 1st. Scrimmages are set for each of the two Saturdays leading up to the annual Blue-White Spring Game at 1 p.m. April 13th at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. A ceremonial ground breaking for the mid-deck seating expansion and new Football Operations Center is planned for Eagle fans prior to kickoff of the Blue-White game and additional details for the ceremony and other events surrounding the weekend will be announced at a later date.

Practices begin after a stretching period at 3:45 p.m. Dates, times and locations are subject to change and may be impacted by weather conditions. Practices are open to the public, but any filming, recording or photography is limited to members of the media only.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics, and its "Eagles GATA" mobile app for Android and iOS.

2013 SPRING PRACTICE DATES
Wednesday, March 13
Thursday, March 14
Tuesday, March 26
Thursday, March 28
Friday, March 29
Saturday, March 30 (scrimmage at Paulson Stadium)
Monday, April 1
Tuesday, April 2
Thursday, April 4
Friday, April 5
Saturday, April 6 (scrimmage at Paulson Stadium)
Tuesday, April 9
Thursday, April 11
Friday, April 12

Saturday, April 13, 1 p.m.
Blue-White Spring Game
Allen E. Paulson Stadium

JOB INTERVIEW FOR J.J.
Georgia Southern’s J.J. Wilcox made the most of his job interview as the defensive backs wrapped up the fourth and final day of the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine Tuesday in Indianapolis. Wilcox recorded 17 reps in the 225-lb. bench press, a 35 inch vertical and 10’4” foot broad jump during measurements and drills. The former slotback who moved to safety for his senior season, Wilcox was slightly over seven seconds on the three-cone drill, but earned a star for a top performance in the 20-yard shuttle drill. His official 40 time was listed as 4.57. Next up for Wilcox is Georgia Southern’s March 15th Pro Day at Paulson Stadium.

EAGLES TO PARTICIPATE IN “REAL MEN READ” DAY
Georgia Southern Football coaches and student-athletes will participate in the “Real Men Read” program in cooperation with the Bulloch County Board of Education again this year. Members of the Eagle Football squad are scheduled to read at Langston Chapel Elementary School Friday, March 1st between 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. as part of the national initiative which invites male mentors to help promote literacy and the value of education.

EAGLES’ 2012 SCHEDULE WAS TOUGHEST IN FCS, 7TH IN FBS & FCS COMBINED
The NCAA made available its rankings of the most difficult schedules of the 2012 season and Georgia Southern was on top of that list for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Eagle opponents won a combined 63.49 percent of their games last year with 92 wins against 53 losses. Sam Houston State (60.13) and North Dakota (59.22) finished second and third behind Georgia Southern with Holy Cross (59.09) and Missouri State (58.82) rounding out the top five toughest schedules.

In the combined ranking of toughest schedules in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and FCS, Georgia Southern checked in at seventh. Florida ranked number one with an opponents’ composite record of 109-44 for a winning percentage of 71.24. Southeastern Conference schools Missouri (68.53), Texas A&M (65.78), Auburn (64.53), Kentucky (64.28) and Arkansas (64.08) occupy spots two through six with the Eagles ranked ahead of Notre Dame (63.22), LSU (62.91) and Kansas (62.75). The next FCS team in the combined list was 22nd.

U COACHES CLINIC WEEKEND SET FOR APRIL 5-6
The Georgia Southern Football Coaching Staff will hold its annual Option U Coaches Clinic Friday-Saturday, April 5-6, with coaching sessions, chalk talks and practice observation. The Option U Coaches Clinic starts Friday afternoon at the Parrish Football Center and ends Saturday morning following the Eagles’ scrimmage at Paulson Stadium.

The Option U Coaches Clinic is $30 for advance registration or $40 for day-of registration.
The Option U Coaches Clinic brochure and the full schedule of events are available on the official camps and clinics website at GeorgiaSouthernFootballCamps.com with convenient online advance registration. For more information, contact Vic Cabral at (912) 478-5522, by fax at (912) 478-5059 or e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

ROSTER TRANSACTIONS
Former Savannah Calvary Day and Pittsburgh safety Steve Williams enrolled in classes in January and is eligible to participate in spring workouts with the Eagles. Redshirt sophomore Ezayi “Izzy” Youyoute will play both quarterback and safety. Freshman Matt Dobson, who played quarterback and special teams last fall, has moved to safety.

THE BLACK AND BLUE
A few Georgia Southern Eagles will miss part or all of 2013 spring practice as they recover from injuries or continue rehabilitation: juniors Lavelle Westbrooks (CB), Jerick McKinnon (QB), Javon Mention (DL); sophomores Dominique Swope (RB) and Logan Daves (OL), and freshman Diego Rodriguez (OL).

EFAA AUCTION & REVERSE RAFFLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets are on sale now for the sixth-annual Eagle Football Alumni Association (EFAA) Reverse Raffle and Auction to be held the night of the Blue-White Spring Game, April 13th, at the Gene Bishop Field House.  Tickets must be presented at the door between 6-7 p.m. to be eligible for the $10,000 reverse raffle and each ticket admits two people for the evening’s hors d’ oeuvres buffet and beverages.

A silent auction with one-of-kind Georgia Southern and other football items precedes a live auction featuring exclusive experiences and memorabilia. Tickets may be purchased at the Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation located in the Cowart Building Monday-Friday, or by phone at 912-478-5520 during regular 8 a.m.-5 p.m. business hours.

Category: Football

Published on Sunday, 31 December 1899 19:00