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Spring ‘16 - Offensive Breakdown
3/22/2016 12:00:00 PM | Football
A look at each of the offensive position groups heading into spring practice
STATESBORO - The Georgia Southern Eagles will hit the field Thursday for the first of 15 spring practices under new head coach Tyson Summers. With the session upon us, GSEagles.com caught up with the head Eagle to get his breakdown of each position group. Today, we'll preview the offense, Wednesday will be the defense/special teams and Thursday we'll have a Q&A with Summers.
QuarterbacksWho's back? Both of the Eagles' top two signal callers in Kevin Ellison and Favian Upshaw are back. The two combined for 1,404 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground and all 824 passing yards last year. In the finale, Upshaw ran went for 199 rushing yards and four scores to earn bowl MVP honors while Ellison started the final 11 games and threw a key touchdown pass in that bowl win.
Who's Gone? Vegas Harley, who dabbled on defense last year, makes the move to the other side of the ball full time for his final season.
Fresh Faces: Four players who redshirted last year - Hampton McConnell, Monteo Garrett, LaBaron Anthony and Shane Young - will jockey for a spot on the depth chart
What to expect: With two seniors back, Summers has to feel good about this position. Upshaw and Ellison are two dynamic playmakers who make the offense run. We know these two can run the ball, but the staff would like to be able to open up the passing game a little more, so that will be a heavy emphasis this spring.
Running Backs
Who's back? In short, everyone. The top four running backs (plus quarterbacks) from the nation's leading offense return to give the Eagles a ton of depth. Matt Breida rushed for 1,608 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, but will miss spring ball after having off-season surgery. That leaves Wesley Fields (682 yds., 7 TDs) and L.A. Ramsby (816 yds., 13 TDs) at the top of the depth chart while Chaz Thornton, Demarcus Godfrey and Noah Hickey also compete for playing time. Ryan Brown is awaiting word on his petition for a sixth year of eligibility.
Who's Gone? No one!
Fresh Faces: Eric Montgomery, a young player from Marietta, redshirted last year and Troy Stewart moves from wide receiver to running back.
What to expect: When you lead the nation in rushing and everyone returns the next year, it's hard not to feel good about this position. While the scheme will remain largely the same, there's still new terminology, techniques and plays to learn. Regardless, all but 22 yards are back from last year's squad that ran for 4,719 yards and a national-best 54 touchdowns.
Wide Receivers
Who's back? Veterans BJ Johnson III, Montay Crockett, Keigan Williams, Myles Campbell and Malik Henry are all back. The five combined to catch 29 passes for 506 yards a year ago. Williams had off-season surgery and will be out for the session.
Who's Gone? The Eagles lost dual-threat Derek Keaton, who did most of his damage as a return man, and Ryan Longoria to graduation.
Fresh Faces: There are a slew of young Eagles looking to make their mark this spring, including Obe Fortune, Tyrell Moorer, Raymond Cochran III, George Johnson, Jr., Colby Ransom, Eric Ritland and Quan Howard.
What to expect: Coach Summers has made it clear the Eagles need to be able to pass more and this deep group will give them a chance to be successful. A good spring for any of these 12 players will go a long way in determining who is on the two-deep come August.
Tight Ends
Who's back? Converted defensive end Isaiah Seise is the lone returner. He played in 11 games last season, mostly as a wing blocker on the PAT and field goal teams on special teams. He did see action on 38 offensive snaps, a lot coming in goal-line packages.
Who's Gone? This is the one spot on offense the Eagles will be starting from near scratch as they lost Jeff Ward, James Dean and Cody Rediger. A mostly unheralded group, these three were as instrumental as anyone else in helping the Eagles lead the nation in rushing yards and touchdowns with their tenacious blocking.
Fresh Faces: Kevin Ackerman and J.L. Banks are a pair of big bodies who redshirted last season and are anxious to get on the field.
What to expect: Position coach Chad Lunsford will work with an athletic group, but one with hardly any collegiate experience. GS tight ends have to be able to block in the run game as well as help out in the passing game, so getting this group ready to roll for the fall will be a top priority for the staff.
Offensive Line
Who's back? Georgia Southern returns three starters along the line from 2015, but five players taking the field for the spring have started at least one college game: Andy Kwon (13), Tommy Boynton (13), Jeremiah Culbreth (11), Ryan Northrup (4) and Max Magaña (2). Curtis Rainey played in eight games last year as a true freshman and will battle for a starting spot at guard. Christian Taylor also saw limited action last season.
Who's Gone? The Eagles lost both starting guards in Roscoe Byrd and all-conference selection Darien Foreman.
Fresh Faces: Jeremiah Theus is a promising youngster who played early on, but suffered a shoulder injury and had to take a medical hardship. He'll lead a group of linemen that includes John Freeman, Jakob Cooper, Parker Williams, Drake Grall, Christian Williams, Jackson Morris, Tristan Hill and Heath Warren. Additionally, Sean Gaddy will move over from the defensive line to try and earn some playing time along the offensive front.
What to expect: With quite a bit of experience returning, the staff has some options in terms of moving players around to try and get the best five linemen on the field. This spring will be about learning the new terminology, building cohesion as a group and bringing the young players along to build depth for the fall.
Walk & Talk, Schenkel Style: Part 2
Thursday, March 12
Walk & Talk, Schenkel Style: Part I
Thursday, March 12
Georgia Southern Football Media Availability (3/3/26)
Tuesday, March 03
The GATA Zone - Women's Basketball Post Season
Tuesday, March 03
