Blake Anderson has plenty to decipher as he begins his second spring practice as Arkansas State's football coach today in Jonesboro.
For a good portion of the 15 practices, Anderson's focus will be devoted to six players who arrived two months ago to help shore up some of his team's greatest needs.
Anderson signed six junior college transfers in December, all of whom arrived on campus in time for offseason conditioning. They begin auditioning today to see just how much they can help the Red Wolves next season.
Anderson said this week that all those players will begin spring practice among the two-deep at their respective positions, and their performances over the next month will determine if they stay there.
"They've all proven physically to be guys that we feel good about," Anderson said. "Now it's about how quickly they know what they need to do to where they can get out and play fast."
The six play at positions of ASU's greatest needs. Joseph Bacchus from Itawamba (Miss.) Community College is an offensive tackle, and Brandon Berg from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M is a center. Jake Swalley from Highland (Kan.) Community College and Waylon Roberson, a 340-pounder from New Mexico Military Institution, will help shore up a defensive front that took the brunt of the poundings toward the end of last season.
Defensive backs Cody Brown from Independence (Kan.) Community College and Allen Sentimore from East Mississippi Community College will rotate at both safety spots and at nickel, Anderson said.
Berg will try to fill the center spot left open when Tyler Greve exhausted his eligibility. Bacchus could create a three-tackle rotation with returning starters Jemar Clark and Colton Jackson. Anderson said Jackson also could move to guard, which has a hole after right guard Alan Wright exhausted his eligibility last season, if Bacchus proves capable at tackle.
Brown and Sentimore will be joined by Humes to decide who will play nickel back, although returning starter Charleston Girley returns, or at one of the safety spots. Humes missed the last 11 games with a biceps injury last year, and starting free safety Sterling Young ran out of eligibility.
"Their learning curve or how fast or how short that learning curve is for them is really going to determine how may reps they're getting," Anderson said. "We're trying to create competition everywhere it needs to be. We've got established starters, but we even want those guys to feel a little bit uncomfortable at times so they know they need to work."
Anderson hopes an infusion of junior-college talent will add depth and make ASU a more physical team.
Anderson said he and his coaches will try as often as they can to tackle in practice, an effort to reverse a late-season trend that saw ASU struggle to stop the run. The Red Wolves allowed 365 yards rushing to Toledo in a 63-44 loss in the GoDaddy Bowl, 370 yards to Texas State and 418 yards to Louisiana-Lafayette.
" We can't just go out and pound on each other all day, but we are going to make an effort in the confines of what we can do to have a more physical spring than we had a year ago," Anderson said. "We are going to hit, we are going to tackle. Tackling is going to be involved every day."
Anderson said safety Money Hunter (shoulder), cornerback Blaise Taylor (shoulder), offensive lineman Austin Moreton (knee), defensive end Ja'Von Jones (elbow) and running backs Terrence Hollingsworth (knee) and Daryl Rollins-Davis (knee) will miss spring practice while recovering from injuries.
Offensive lineman Kyle Harris (shoulder) and defensive end Jonah Hill (knee) could return during spring.
Sports on 03/13/2015