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OGDEN — After a long summer, college football has finally returned to the Wasatch Front in all of its glory.
Media days are over; fans are purchasing season tickets; and players/coaches have reassembled for fall camp, with the hopes of improving upon their fortunes. Each team on the Wasatch Front has a subplot of improvement this season, with BYU trying to continue its independence momentum, Utah trying to make a bowl game, and Utah State trying to see what type of season it can have with a healthy Chuckie Keeton at quarterback.
Weber State football is no different in that it hopes its fortunes improve dramatically after the struggles the program has had over the last three seasons. Obviously, there is a new head coach, coaching staff and group of transfer players, but there are still many unknowns and storylines for fans to follow as fall camp gets underway.
In essence, here is a short list of the plotlines for Weber fans to watch for in fall camp:
Jay Hill effect
Weber State’s spring practice saw a markedly different tone than football practices during the 2013 season as new head coach Jay Hill preached intensity and quickness in his practice style. Hill, a self-confessed high-energy guy, went about changing the culture of how the Wildcats go about their business, and earned high praise from players for his passionate presence. However, the end of Hill’s honeymoon period is coming rapidly, as Weber is 24 days from its opener against Arizona State. As Weber fans well know, last year’s games against FBS opponents nearly decimated the Wildcats as back-to-back weeks of giving up 70 points to Utah and Utah State permanently damaged the team’s confidence.
To expect Weber to have much of a chance against Arizona State is far-fetched, but it is not out of the question for Hill to use his sports psychology graduate degree from Utah to mentally prepare the Wildcats for the tests that lie ahead early in the season. Fall camp will be the time to lay out the foundation for a team that is strong enough, mentally, to endure tough breaks on the road to improvement. Obviously, there is some mental conditioning that will need to be done, but if spring ball was an indicator, trust Jay Hill and his coaching staff to strengthen players.
#WSU
Quarterback battle
The biggest position battle in fall camp will center on the quarterback position as the top two quarterbacks on the depth chart last season have left the Weber program.
As of now, the battle is between BYU transfer Billy Green, returning backup Jadrian Clark, freshman Riley Bradshaw and returner Chad Leckington
At the Big Sky football kickoff, Hill indicated the job is wide open.
“Billy Green is in school, and he’s lifting with us right now, and they say he’s looking great in throwing,” he said. “I think it’s going to come down to (Green, Clark or Bradshaw), but you never know. We’ve got (former backup Chad Leckington), and he showed flashes in the spring of doing really good things. So, I don’t want to discount any of those four.”
Weber’s struggles in the passing game last year were well noted, as the Wildcats had the worst scoring offense in the conference, combined with the second-to-last passing offense in the conference. While nationally ranked Eastern Washington, led by bona fide FCS star Vernon Adams, had 5,247 yards of passing, Weber had only 1,908 passing yards.
Weber State had a number of players transfer in, including QB Billy Green (BYU), CB Tyron Morris (Utah), and DL Jake Gallegos (Utah State).
If the Wildcats are to be successful in the offense-happy Big Sky, they will need to find a competent quarterback who can handle a variety of situations differently. For fans, put the money on Green to be on top of the depth chart by the end of fall camp.
Where art thou, defense?
Weber State’s defense was decimated by injuries last season, which contributed to the Wildcats taking last place in total defense in the Big Sky. A new defensive scheme has been put in place with new defensive coordinator Justin Ena, but the plays haven’t been battle-tested with Weber yet.
There are some bright spots for the Wildcats defensively as cornerback Deon’tae Florence, a transfer last season from Boise State, was named to the All-Big Sky preseason honors list. Last season, Florence led the Big Sky in passes defended and was second in the conference with four interceptions on the season. Expect Florence to be matched up one-on-one with an opponent’s elite receiver for much of the season.
Also, returning team captain Connor Myers, a defensive tackle, should anchor the defensive front. After starting all 23 games over the past two seasons, expect Myers to be the on-field leader the Wildcats need to improve on a defense that had 475.8 yards a game last season.
How about those transfers?
The Wildcats have attracted a bevy of transfers from other in-state FBS programs, including Green, senior cornerback Tyron Morris (Utah), junior cornerback Ladale Jackson (Utah State), sophomore cornerback Dre Snowden (Utah State), sophomore defensive tackle Jake Gallegos (Utah State), sophomore defensive tackle McKay Murphy (Utah), and redshirt freshman wide receiver Hagen Andersen (Utah State). As is always the question with transfers, what type of role will they play with the team? Always believe that coaches respect players who can make an impact on the field, and transfers sometimes have a leg up in that respect. Still, there is some uncertainty as to whether or not they will mesh well with the team chemistry.
Fortunately for Weber, most of the transfers are on the defensive side of the ball, which should help the Wildcats quickly shore up that side of the football.
