Harding University’s football team is entering spring ball with high expectations after the 2012 season.
Last week the Bisons checked in for their first day of spring practice. Players new and old looked to knock the rust off and return to football form.
The Bisons graduated 12 starters from the 2012 season, creating questions about if the Bisons can make another playoff run. Coaches this spring will be looking for new faces to step up and become leaders on and off the field.
Sophomore Keenan Kellett is one those players, and will begin this season as a new leader and a starter. Kellett played back-up QB for the past two years and has now moved up in the depth chart to number one.
“My role has increased in that I’m expected to accept the role of being a leader on and off the field,” Kellett said.
Going into the spring as a new starter, Kellett said he will train like he always has, which is to be the starting quarterback for the Bisons.
Spring training also gives the coaches a chance to mix things up and put players in positions they think may be a better fit. Red shirt freshman Aric Stock, a former quarterback, was moved to a defensive safety position to better accommodate the Bisons’ needs.
“Having played quarterback has made it easier for me to make the transition; I understand the thought process and concepts of quarterbacks,” Stock said. “The hardest part for me will simply be the footwork and the technique.”
The Bisons’ defense also lost a number of starters this off-season.
“Despite losing a lot of talent and experience on defense, I feel confident in the guys stepping up and making a contribution,” senior linebacker Erik Ragsdale said. “We have a talented group of men, and I know they will do what is expected of them.”
Ragsdale is participating in his last spring training as a Bison.
“(It’s) hard to believe this is my last go around, but spring is one of my favorite times of the year,” Ragsdale said. “I want to take advantage of every practice and enjoy every minute that I have left with the brotherhood.”
