Eagles Open Fall Camp
8/1/2008 4:10:00 AM | Football
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Second-year head coach Chris Hatcher officially opened fall camp as the Georgia Southern Eagles hit the practice fields Friday (Aug 1.).
Per NCAA rules, the team is allowed to bring in 90 players to fall camp. Those players who did not start practice Friday will join the team following the start of classes (Monday, August 18).
During the first three days of fall camp the team will hold split practices as the squad is broken up into two groups. One group (consisting of mainly newcomers) practiced in the morning session while the other group lifts weights. In the afternoon the two groups switch.
Coach Hatcher said splitting the squad in two gives the coaching staff a better opportunity to take a closer look at the players and what they can do.
“The morning group will be mostly new players and we will have some new players sprinkled into the afternoon group to give us depth at certain positions. This afternoon will be a lot sharper practice, but never the less, we threw a lot at them and they hustled around the field. The most important thing is that they are all very excited and eager to learn and be at Georgia Southern. That is probably the biggest positive so far,” stated Hatcher.
Saturday's practice is scheduled for 8-10 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Sunday will mark the final day of the split squad practice, going 12-2 and 3:25-5:15 p.m. Tuesday is the first scheduled practice in full pads.
CHECK YOUR ROSTER: Georgia Southern welcomed numerous new faces to fall camp. Of the 90 that was brought to camp, 33 made their first appearance in a Georgia Southern uniform, and five more signed with the team just prior to spring drills. In fact nearly half of the roster consists of freshmen (28 true-freshmen, 11 redshirt-freshmen).
“If we put an F, for freshman, on everybody's shirt that was a freshman I think there may have been five of the twenty five or so guys out here that have been here more than a year so we have got a lot of new faces. Our effort was great but our execution wasn't very good, it left a lot to be desired but we expected that coming out here. All the guys were eager to learn and I was real pleased with their overall effort.”
PLAYERS CHANGING POSITIONS: Junior Jonathan Loving (Fayetteville/Fayette County) moved from the defensive line back to the offensive line. Loving, who is trying to help fill one of the holes left by five starting seniors last year, began his Georgia Southern career as an O-Lineman... Incoming freshman Leander Barney (Irmo, S.C./Irmo) has moved to running back after playing quarterback in high school.
NUMBER CHANGES: Sophomore quarterback Antonio Henton (Fort Valley/Peach County/Ohio State) moved from #17 to #7... junior wide receiver Chris Ashkouti (Atlanta/Marist) went from #84 to #13... freshman A.J. McCray (St. Marys/Camden County) switched to #2.... Dylan Douglas (Jacksonville, FL/Jackson/South Florida) moved to #11... Demarcus Watts (Atlanta/Grady) moved to #84 while sophomore kicker Sean Mayo (Warner Robins/Northside) went to #95.
HATCHER ADDS WALK-ONS: Head coach Chris Hatcher added several walk-ons to the program and brought them in at the start of fall camp. They include: DL Josh Aiken-Phillips (Lawrenceville/Central Gwinnett), RB Lamar Brown (Lousiville/Jefferson County), WR Jonathan Bryant (Cairo/Cairo), long snapper Michael Churchhill (Winder/Winder-Barrow), OL Blake DeBartola (Fayetteville/Starr's Mill), OL Matthew Ivester (Alpharetta/Alpharetta), DL Mike Williams (LaGrange/LaGrange), RB Jarrell Crawford (Hinesville/Bradwell Institute/GMC) and OL Sterling Young (Jesup/Wayne County).
SUMMER TRANSFERS EXPERIENCE EAGLE CREEK: Summer transfers Antonio Henton, Dylan Douglas and Trey Dunmon (Lily/Hawkinsville/Georgia Tech) joined the program this summer and went through their first practice at Eagle Creek. Henton was a quarterback for the Buckeyes and played high school football for the Eagles' offensive coordinator Rance Gillespie. Douglas played on special teams last year for the Bulls. Dunmon saw action his redshirt-freshman year then played in 10 games for the Yellow Jackets last season as a reserve on the offensive line.
TOP RANKING FOR SEASON-OPENING OPPONENT: In the preseason USA Today coaches' Top 25 poll, the University of Georgia received the top ranking. It would not be the first time Georgia Southern has played a ?Top 5' team from the Football Bowl Subdivision, but it is the first playing the number one team in the country (three times against the #3 team and once against #4).
According to coach Hatcher, “We're not really worried about Georgia right now, we're worried about Georgia Southern. That's pretty much how we go about it each and every week leading up to the season. Then when we get to that week (the week prior to the August 30th opener) we'll start focusing on the schemes and things Georgia does. But we are worried about making ourselves the best we can be right now.”
