The Colonels football team made steady improvements during preseason camp in order to make a run for the Southland Conference Championship this fall. Fall camp is a critical period for any football team, a time where players can become more familiar with the team’s offensive and defensive formations and coaches are able to analyze the depth chart and evaluate incoming freshmen.
The camp kicked off Aug. 3 as 90 players showed up for the Colonels media day where the new uniforms were unveiled to the public. Out of the 90 players, 20 are seniors, 19 are juniors, 25 are sophomores and 26 are freshmen.
The Colonels officially began practice Aug. 9 after having a five-day acclimation period. Due to the extremely hot weather conditions, head coach Jay Thomas scheduled practice at 8:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The first two-a-day practices were critical because questions remained regarding the depth chart at the linebacker position. Thomas said the linebacker position had been one of the key areas of focus during fall camp.
“The biggest thing for us is to create depth at a number of positions,” Thomas said. “We have a lot of new faces at the linebacker position, and it has become a very competitive battle. We have many guys stepping up and performing well at linebacker.”
The team graduated three senior linebackers last year and only returned one player who has started at linebacker in a collegiate game, senior Dominic Cooper. The roster features 15 players at the linebacker position: 10 returning players, four freshmen and one transfer, Adrian Kindred from Clemson University. Kindred is fighting for the position on the weak side.
The defensive linemen have made strides in fall camp and should be poised heading into the season. The defensive line returns three starters with junior Chris Noble, sophomore Matt Fairchild and Cooper, who also plays linebacker. Out of the 16 defensive linemen on the Colonels roster, 11 are returning players, three are transfers and two are true freshmen.
The players will also be under the direction of new defensive line coach Skylor McGee, who came to Nicholls from the University of South Carolina. McGee served as a graduate assistant at South Carolina and played on the defensive line for the University of Southern Mississippi.
Head coach Jay Thomas said the practices have yielded positive results, and the incoming freshmen are performing well with a relatively short learning curve.
“Every day I become more proud of the team’s performance. We have a lot of new players on the team, and they have been learning the new systems well,” Thomas said.
The start of the fall camp also marked the first time players played on the new artificial turf. Thomas said the players responded well and were very pleased with the surface; however, some players experienced minor health concerns, such as tendonitis, which is not uncommon for artificial turf.
The Colonels officially ended fall camp on Saturday with a scrimmage in Guidry Stadium, followed by a dog-tag ceremony. The team is now preparing for the season opener at Rice University in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 1. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
