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Spring Ball 2024


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  • 3 weeks later...

Here’s what I’ve gathered from our MAC opponents during the spring. So much will change in the coming months due to portal activity, so take it for what’s it’s worth.

 

BGSU:

Redshirt freshman Lucian Anderson (2023 HS signee) is taking most of the first team reps at quarterback due to last year’s starters being sidelined with injuries during the spring. Senior safety Trent Sims (2020 HS signee) has been moved to linebacker. Scot Loeffler expects some of the freshmen running backs to see significant playing time this year.

 

BUFFALO:

Bulls will be playing a spread offense and attempt to move quickly. No mention of who leads at quarterback, but there have been several clips of redshirt junior Gunnar Gray (2023 JUCO).

 

EMU:

Junior defensive end Jeff Adam (2024 transfer from Iowa State), junior safety Bryce Llewellyn (2024 transfer from Charleston Southern), junior defensive back Dramarion McNulty (2024 JUCO) are new comers that have been singled out for leading and making plays. On offense, this is supposedly EMU’s most talented QB room since Chris Creighton’s arrival.

 

KENT:

Junior Tommy Ulatowski (2022 HS signee) and redshirt freshman JD Sherrod (2024 transfer from Troy) are competing for the starting quarterback job. Kenni Burns believes the offensive and defensive lines will be the strength of the team in 2024. 5 true freshmen played on the OL at different points during the 2023 season and all 5 return.

 

NIU:

The quarterback competition is currently between redshirt junior Ethan Hampton (2021 HS signee) and redshirt junior Jalen Macon (2024 transfer from Arkansas PB).

 

OHIO:

Defensive leaders are junior safety Adonis Williams (2022 transfer from Navy), redshirt junior defensive end Bradley Weaver (2021 HS signee), and redshirt junior MIKE linebacker Shay Taylor (2021 HS signee).

 

TOLEDO:

Mostly just pictures and a few clips. Hard to tell much of anything.

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Why?  If the Zips care so little about their fans 2/3 through spring ball that they don't put out any information, why should I care?  Closed practices?  Who is going to spy on them?  If you looked at your future schedule and saw a team with 5 wins in 5 years, would you even send your "water boy" to check out their spring practice?  The best way to keep the Info seats empty in the fall is to keep the team a secret.

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1 hour ago, Ham said:

Why?  If the Zips care so little about their fans 2/3 through spring ball that they don't put out any information, why should I care?  Closed practices?  Who is going to spy on them?  If you looked at your future schedule and saw a team with 5 wins in 5 years, would you even send your "water boy" to check out their spring practice?  The best way to keep the Info seats empty in the fall is to keep the team a secret.

Agree with this, it's frustrating.  You'd think at the minimum they could partner with their radio and television school or campus television to let the students produce some content. 

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2 hours ago, Ham said:

Why?  If the Zips care so little about their fans 2/3 through spring ball that they don't put out any information, why should I care?  Closed practices?  Who is going to spy on them?  If you looked at your future schedule and saw a team with 5 wins in 5 years, would you even send your "water boy" to check out their spring practice?  The best way to keep the Info seats empty in the fall is to keep the team a secret.

Closed practices will help them get ready for the game day experience.

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14 hours ago, LZIp said:

Since all we get are still pictures, anyone have any insight on who is looking good or the team in general for spring ball? I plan to be at the game as long as weather is good!

I've heard from multiple people that Ben Finley is looking very good. My goal is to attend the Saturday morning practice. If it works out I'll take some notes and pictures.

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4 hours ago, Zipsfan10 said:

So tough to tell anything by practices anyway. Ready for the spring game. 

A lot could be learned.  Who are the leaders emerging?  Captain is hearing that Finley is looking good..  Looking?  Is he completing nice passes?  Short throws?  Long throws?  Is he executing nice reads on the option plays?  Are there surprises showing up?  Sometimes effort is telling.  Like who may be headed to the portal.  If you keep the team a secret until September, it will remain a secret!  Maybe Captain will be our SI Saturday.

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If anybody thinks Jomo is interested I giving anybody a scouting report on this team you are sadly mistaken. With the TP and NIL looming he is going to be tight lipped. I'm sure the spring game will be a bunch of vanilla formations and plays too. You guys will just have to wait until the season starts to see what the team looks like.

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14 hours ago, Hilltopper said:

If anybody thinks Jomo is interested I giving anybody a scouting report on this team you are sadly mistaken. With the TP and NIL looming he is going to be tight lipped. I'm sure the spring game will be a bunch of vanilla formations and plays too. You guys will just have to wait until the season starts to see what the team looks like.

It sucks, but good point. With today’s Wild West of college athletics, whose to say another school wouldn’t swoop in and “persuade” Finley to transfer if we released footage of him balling.

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Every spring game is full of vanilla formations and plays.  Now-a-days it's a Marketing event more than anything else. Lee Owens would run Ben Ruhlin 25 times in the spring game, and people would be expecting Ruhlin to be our star back in the fall...only to be disappointed when he got only a handful of mop-up carries the entire season. It kept Brandon Payne and Bobby Hendry healthy tho.

 

Finley's already enrolled. He'd need to sit if he transferred again. He's not going to go through the hassle of appealing sitting out another season just to transfer to Appalachian State or UAB. He's the odds-on favorite for the starting job here. 

 

There were some people, me included, 😀 who saw something special in Enrique Freeman even as a freshman. Soft hands, great footwork...relentless motor. I guess that's what I look for in a spring game...young guys that exhibit the tools to be a contributor one day. Breakaway speed, a WR that makes a circus grab or two.

 

Just getting a chance to see some of the new players in person and see how tall, cut, fast, strong-armed etc. they are is interesting and fun. 

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20 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

Every spring game is full of vanilla formations and plays.  Now-a-days it's a Marketing event more than anything else. Lee Owens would run Ben Ruhlin 25 times in the spring game, and people would be expecting Ruhlin to be our star back in the fall...only to be disappointed when he got only a handful of mop-up carries the entire season. It kept Brandon Payne and Bobby Hendry healthy tho.

 

Finley's already enrolled. He'd need to sit if he transferred again. He's not going to go through the hassle of appealing sitting out another season just to transfer to Appalachian State or UAB. He's the odds-on favorite for the starting job here. 

 

There were some people, me included, 😀 who saw something special in Enrique Freeman even as a freshman. Soft hands, great footwork...relentless motor. I guess that's what I look for in a spring game...young guys that exhibit the tools to be a contributor one day. Breakaway speed, a WR that makes a circus grab or two.

 

Just getting a chance to see some of the new players in person and see how tall, cut, fast, strong-armed etc. is interesting and fun. 

As disappointing as it is to fans, JoeMo is running spring like most P5s do, which is limited access. Although, this has got to be the least amount of published video clips since his arrival. I imagine that has more to do with the media department at the school though.

 

A number of G5 programs have gone away from the spring game and are doing something they call “spring show cases” where it’s individual drills followed by a glorified 7 on 7. Thankful that’s not yet the case here.

 

Unfortunately, players can transfer multiple times now. Even in the same year if they so desire. NCAA has had their legs cut out from underneath them. That being said, I’m with you. I don’t think Finley is going anywhere. Even if he rips up the MAC this coming season, I’m not sure if he’d leave. Unless something drastically changes, he’s one of the many that seem genuinely excited to be a part of this program.

 

 

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