STATESBORO - Spring practice is in the books and the Eagles now turn their attention to off-season workouts before reporting in early August for preseason camp. GSEagles.com caught up with each position coach to get a breakdown of their respective depth chart as well as their thoughts on their position group. Up fifth are the safeties with defensive coordinator Scot Sloan.

What were your overall thoughts on your group this spring?
I thought we had a good spring. The older guys like Justin Birdsong and Anthony Wilson were able to build upon their game and what they did last year when they played a significant amount of snaps for us. We want them to continue to sharpen their craft. Some young guys showed up. Sam Randolph had a really good spring. He was with us last year, but didn't see any action in the fall. He's a bigger, taller guy who we're trying to get to 210 by August. I look for him to be that striker type of safety. He's got great length and overlap ability on those deep balls.

What or who pleasantly surprised you this spring?
The fact that Anthony Wilson was able to play strong safety, free safety and our Star position, which is essentially our nickel. Ant was just a strong safety last fall for us as a freshman so it shows the growth he had in the offseason. He has a greater understanding of the defense, which gives us some flexibility. Sam Randolph showed up this spring. He earned the trust of his teammates and coaches and earned some snaps this fall. He needs to continue to build on that this offseason so he has a role for us this fall.

What needs to priority number on the first day of camp this August?
The biggest thing is we can't forget what our brand is in terms of who we are and what our identity is. We will always play extremely fast and chase the football but we'll play violently and we'll play with an edge to us. We'll never lose sight that at the end of the day, the ball is what we want. We take a lot of pride in creating turnovers and the mentality we've created the past three years. That is a Day One staple. We should be able to install everything we put in this spring extremely fast, which will allow us to build into some things we didn't get into this spring early. We need to hit Training Camp fast and aggressively with our install.

What young player stepped up this spring?
We brought in two mid-year guys in Myzel Williams and Tyrell Davis. Both had solid springs and proved that their mental capacity is where it needs to be. The technicality part of the position is where they need to close the gap. Both are good signees and we're excited they came mid-year. Chandler Dial-Watson and Chase Dial-Watson are both hard-working, physical guys. Chalon Howard is still trying to find his niche and change his body to be able to handle the college game.

Who are the leaders of your group?
Secondary-wise, the two most vocal guys are Birdsong at safety and Darrell Baker Jr., who can play corner and safety for us. Ant Wilson is a presence  back there. All of the guys respect him. He may be the smallest guy from a physical stature standpoint, but I swear to you, he will fight anybody on that team and most people would stay away from fighting him. He's got an Alpha Dog mentality. Canteen is a guy who has earned the respect after what he did last year. It's a good group. Those four guys played a lot of football together last season, so I look forward to seeing how they progress into a higher level this fall.

Depth Chart
FS: 18, Justin Birdsong (5-11, 180, Sr.)
29, Sam Randolph (6-1, 195, r-Fr.)
17, Myzel Williams (6-0, 190, Fr.)

SS: 12, Anthony Wilson (5-10, 190, r-So.)
25, Tyrell Davis (6-1, 185, Fr.)

SCHEDULE OF POSITION BREAKDOWNS
May 11: Inside Linebackers
May 13: Offensive Line
May 18: Cornerbacks
May 20: Wide Receivers
May 25: Safeties
May 27: Specialists
June 1: Tight Ends
June 3: Defensive Line
June 8: Running Backs
June 10: Outside Linebackers
June 15: Quarterbacks