Statement from Head Coach Chris Hatcher Regarding Incoming Football Transfers
6/23/2008 4:26:00 AM | Football
This afternoon head football coach Chris Hatcher commented on the team's incoming transfers.
“Today Antonio Henton enrolled in school. We're excited about the possibility of him coming in and competing for our starting job next season. He'll finish up his classes today, get acclimated to the orientation process and tomorrow he'll start working out with our team for the first time.”
On the other transfers enrolled in classes...
“Well we got Trey Dunmon from Georgia Tech. He started today, (an) offensive lineman that we are real excited about from Hawkinsville. Another local guy named Dylan Douglas from Jacksonville, he was a redshirt freshman at South Florida last season, (and) played a lot of special teams for them. And he's coming in today as well. So those are three guys that we hope can come in and have a chance to contribute to help our young Eagles out as we prepare for the upcoming season.”
On the process bringing Henton to Georgia Southern...
“Well he was looking for a place to go. And what better place to come to than Georgia Southern. He is very familiar with our staff having Coach (Rance) Gillespie as his high school coach. He is from middle Georgia, so he knows all the traditions and the lore about Georgia Southern. And I think it's going to be a good fit for him and us.”
On where Henton will be on the depth chart...
“He's just like any other guy. He's coming in and having to compete for the starting job. He'll start out at the bottom of the depth chart just like any freshman that comes in and he'll have to work himself up the ladder if we wants to play in that opener versus the University of Georgia. He understands that. If you're a competitor, if you're a football player, that's what you expect to happen whenever you go to a new place. We tell our team each and every year before we go recruit that we are always going after better players than what we've got. And next year we'll do the same thing. We feel like we got some good quarterbacks, it ought to be a good battle right there. And he's excited about a new start. We're excited to have him. We'll just have to wait and see if he can beat Lee Chapple out and Kyle Collins. We felt like it was a good time for him to come. Billy Lowe, you know, there's going to be some question whether he can play next season due to the back surgery that he had. So we're sitting there, we got the freshman (Leander) Barney coming in. We don't have a lot of experience at that position, so we felt like we needed more depth there. But we'll wait and see what happens. And he's just like Fabian Walker, Dusty Bonner, QBs I've had transfer before, they came in, I remember Bonner was the fifth team QB, and he led the SEC in passing, he started out at Valdosta state fifth, the first three passes he threw in practice were interceptions, and then the guy goes on to win the Harlon Hill (Trophy) two times in a row. Can Antonio come in and unseat Lee and beat out Kyle? That's yet to be determined. But we are excited that he's here, he's excited that he's here, and we feel like we've got a good fit on our football team having Antonio Henton suit up for Georgia Southern.”
On Henton's style and what he brings to the team...
“He's very similar to the quarterbacks we've got. I mean, he's a pretty good runner, and a really good passer. He's got some experience having been at Ohio State and having played a couple games. But just like I told him this morning: I haven't seen him play at Georgia Southern. And I base all my evaluations on what you do for me, while you're here. But again, we're excited, anytime you get sign good football players, the competition will be fierce. I told both of our quarterbacks last week that we were going to bring Antonio in and they took it as a challenge as, hey, I've got to go out and compete like I had to before, there's just another horse in the race now. So again, we'll wait to see what happens.”
On why he thought Henton chose Georgia Southern...
“You'd have to ask him, I don't know. He was looking for a place to play, he wasn't getting as many reps up there as he wanted to get. And if you are going to go down a level, why not come to Georgia Southern. He's a Georgia boy, he's 2 ½ hours away from Statesboro, he knows all about our traditions. To me, it's a no brainer. If you are going to move down a level and you are from this area, then why not come to Georgia Southern?”
On what getting a player of Henton's caliber means for Georgia Southern...
“He's just like anybody else. We'll wait and see how he plays when he puts on the Blue and White. I haven't seen him play since high school. He got very limited reps at Ohio State. We aren't putting any pressure (on him), we're not saying this is the savior of the football team. I mean, this is just a high profile signee that chose to come to Georgia Southern. And hopefully he will work out very well for us. But this fall camp will determine that.”
On Henton being able to pick up the system over the summer and fall camp...
“Well that's a concern. He doesn't have spring practice under his belt. But our system is very similar to what he ran at Peach County (High School). Coach Gillespie and I, we've been friends for a long time. We've traded plans and traded schemes and whatnot. So, he is familiar with that but it's going to be new terminology, and depending on how quickly he can learn that and pick that up will determine how well he does during camp, and that is where the battle is going to be won. It's just like any player that I sign I tell them, hey, we are going to give you the opportunity to compete for a starting position. If I ever promised a guy he's going to be a starter, that'd be unfair to the guys that are already on the team. And I tell them you wouldn't want me to do that the following year. So, he has been given the promise that every player that I have has gotten, that he'll have a fair and honest opportunity to compete for the starting job, then it's up to him to win it. And then we let the chips fall where they may.”
