Furman Football: Spring Practice Overview

Furman spring drills underway, as the Paladins look hit the field for the first time in preparations for what head coach Bruce Fowler and staff hopes will be a turnaround season for the program

GREENVILLE, S.C.–Perhaps no team in the Southern Conference was hungrier to get back to the gridiron than the Furman Paladins. The Paladins, who posted just a 3-8 record in 2012, which was Bruce Fowler’s second season at the helm of the program, will see how his team responds to adversity after the Paladins produced a 6-5 season in Fowler’s first season at the helm in Greenville.  Much was made about the tough season the Paladins endured in 2012 from its loyal fanbase, which is not used to having to be patient for the tradition-rich program to find success.

The Paladins 3-8 mark and 2-6 league ledger can be a little bit deceiving at first glance. After all, the Paladins were in a majority of their SoCon games a year ago, losing by less than a TD to both top-10 foes Wofford (20-17) and Appalachian State (33-28) last season, while managing a 7-3 lead at halftime against Georgia Southern before eventually dropping a 38-17 contest to the Eagles.

The best news for Paladin football team in 2013 will be quarterback Reese Hannon (160-for-260, 1,896 yds, 7 TDs, 8 INTs), who put together an outstanding freshman campaign, returns under center for the Paladins in 2013.

With a season under his belt, it’s Hannon’s team now and the future is in the consistency of the sophomore under center in 2013. Hannon was hampered somewhat by not having a big-play threat at wide receiver last season, and one of the developments to watch during the spring will be to see who develops in that role in the spring.

The Paladins return good possession options at wideout, in Ryan Culbreath (34 rec., 415 yds, 2 TDs, 12.2 YPR), who will won’t be surronded in that role by tight end Colin Anderson or wideout Will King this fall, as both have both graduated. Culbreath, a senior, will be asked to shoulder the load as the Paladins’ go-to-receiver in clutch situations this fall, much in the same fashion that guys like Jody Wade (1994-97) and Zach Smerdzinski (1997-00) were asked to be in past seasons for the Paladins.

The real development to watch in the spring is which player steps in to fill the role left vacant by All-American tight end Anderson, who was a stalwart in the Furman offense in three seasons as a starter, and became a huge component of the Paladin offense in the first couple of seasons of the Fowler era.

One of those players expected to challenge for that very noticeable vacancy left from the record-breaking Anderson, who caught more TD passes than any other Paladin tight end in the history of the program with 11, will be senior Cameron Mason (5 rec, 37 yds, 7.4 YPR). Mason has shown the ability to make big plays in the passing game in the past for the Paladins, with the most notable catch of his career coming in a 20-10 win over Appalachian State in 2011, as he hauled in a career-long 54-yard catch on a 3rd-and-2 play at the Furman 9-yard line midway through the third quarter with the Paladins leading 20-7.

Furman Tight End Cameron Mason had one of his top career moments in a win over Appalachian State two years ago, with a 54-yard catch in the 20-10 win.

Competing to win the starting job with Mason this spring will be a pair of redshirt freshmen, in Kevin Mall and Colin Pitts, as well as a talented newcomer expected to make, in Gibson Klapthor.

Mall, a native of Melbourne, FL., was a standout player at Viera High School as a prep, where he the Orlando Sentinel as its No. 24 player in the Mideast Florida Regional Super60. Klapthor is also expected to be an impact player for the Paladins at tight end at some point, and that opportunity might come as soon as this season.

He was a standout during his time at Wilson Hall High School in Sumter, S.C., where he starred as a quarterback and a running back during his prep days, passing for 611 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 700 yards and 11 scores.

Furman has a nice compliment of receivers that could be ready to step into a role as a potential big-play threats this fall, including Gary Robinson (15 rec, 195 yds, 13.0 YPR), Jordan Snellings (19 rec, 210 yds, 3 TDs, 11.1 YPR) and Corey Miller. All three are athletic and young receivers, possessing good speed and route-running capabilities.

Snellings was one of the SoCon’s top freshman wideouts a year ago, and he has good size, at 6-2, 185 lbs, to go along with good speed. Snellings will likely find himself competing with Robinson for the starting responsibilities at flanker this fall.

One of Snellings’ three scoring receptions came on a 37-yard scoring catch in the 41-7 loss at No. 9 Clemson last season. Snellings probably reminds Furman fans most of a former Paladin great at the flanker position, in Isaac West (2001-04).

All West did was finish his Furman’s all-time leader in career receiving yards (2,338 yds). That yardage total currently ranks second all-time to only former Paladin wideout Adam Mims.

Robinson showed some signs to get behind opposing defenses as the 2013 season wound down last fall, and even hauled in a season-long 41-yard pass in Furman’s 31-17 win at Elon last season. The native of Hephzibah, GA, has yet to show the real breakout potential which he originally arrived at Furman with a couple of years ago.

Expect that to change this fall, as he should get more touches on the pigskin in 2013. Miller is a redshirt freshman from Charlotte, N.C., and is a player that the staff was high on coming in a couple of years ago, and is one of the Paladins’ most complete young wideouts. Miller, a 6-0, 190-pound receiver from Mallard Creek High School, chose Furman over Appalachian State as his college of choice a couple of years ago.

During his time at Mallard Creek High School, Miller caught 36 passes for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2011 while helping his squad to a 13-1 record and state semi-final finish. But the player positioned best to be a big-play performer for the Paladins in the passing game in 2013 might be redshirt freshman Andrej Suttles, who came to Furman out of Dallas, GA., and East Paulding High School. Suttles, who originally committed to Air Force, switched back to Furman, which fought hard for the services of Suttles before he initially committed to the Falcons. Suttles possessed big-play speed and elusiveness during his time at East Paulding High School, where he caught 59 passes for 1,011 yards and school record 20 touchdowns in 2011.

Suttles is a player that resembles former Paladin return man and wideout Adam Mims, and Suttles might find himself in both roles this fall with his ability to make people miss. Look for Suttles to be such an impact performer this spring that he will put himself in line to be a starter when fall camp roles around. As a senior, Suttles earned some pretty impressive recognition, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Georgia Sportswriters Association as a  first team all-state selection.

The biggest loss on the offensive side of the football was Jerodis Williams, and the player charted to shoulder the rushing load in spring drills as well as in the fall is senior Hank McCloud (103 rush att, 521 yds, 6 TDs, 5.1 YPC). McCloud will be asked to fill some pretty huge shoes in the fall, and that starts with replacing the school’s fifth all-time lead rusher,  in Williams this spring. The 5-8, 188-pound native of Tampa, FL, will look to continue in the line off successful seasons for Furman lead rushers, as he will look to make it 3-for-3 for 1,000-yard rushers for the Paladins in the Bruce Fowler tenure as head coach.

Furman Junior Running Back Hank McCloud has some huge shoes to fill, replacing Jerodis Williams, who graduated as the school’s fifth all-time leading rusher.

To this point in his Paladin career, McCloud has totaled 762 rushing yards and seven TDs on 162 rush attempts.  Prior to Williams rushing for 1,000 yards in 2011 and ’12, the Paladins hadn’t produced a 1,000-yard rusher since Hindley Brigham in 2003. McCloud is about 20-lbs lighter than his predecessor, but nearly as powerful and possibly just as fast.  He has also caught the ball well out of the backfield in his two seasons backing up McCloud, including hauling in nine passes for 78 yards last fall.

McCloud posted his breakout performance of his career in the 45-24 win over Western Carolina, rushing for 123 yards and a TD on 20 carries. He also had a three TD performance–all rushing–in a 31-21 win at Presbyterian last season.

A player that offensive coordinator Jimmy Kiser will confidently call upon this fall is fullback Ernie Cain (19 rush att, 108 yds, ), who will likely see his role in the Paladin offense exponentially increase in 2013, beginning with the reps he is expected to garner during the spring.

Cain, who originally walked on, has been a pleasant surprise, and he is a hard worker in similar fashion to such comparable Paladin running backs from yesteryear, in Mark Moore (1994-97) and Stuart Rentz (1996-99).

Like Cain, Moore and Rentz weren’t backs that arrived at Furman with all the fanfare, but both went on to become vital role players in the Furman offense, as utility options out of the backfield, with their ability to block, run and catch coming out of the Furman backfield, and were players who understood their respective roles perfectly.

Among the veterans returning and ready to provide depth in the backfield this fall is reserve fullback Tony Caldwell (2 rush att, 11 yds), while Richard Feacher moves from reserve linebacker to reserve running back this fall, giving the Paladins some added power to the position, and he could be an effective player in short-yardage situations, at 5-10, 206 lbs.

Another player that could be a significant contributor in the backfield for Furman in 2013 is Tanner Skogen (7 rush, 11 yds). Skogen is a quick, powerful back much in the same mold of Cain, and he could prove to be a valuable compliment to McCloud as the reserve tailback in 2013. Marcus Anderson, Kevin Rector and Kevin Jones are three redshirt freshmen running backs that are positioned to be major contributors this fall if called upon to do so.

Among the veterans returning and ready to provide depth in the backfield this fall is reserve fullback Tony Caldwell (2 rush att, 11 yds), while Richard Feacher moves from reserve linebacker to reserve running back this fall, giving the Paladins some added power to the position, and he could be an effective player in short-yardage situations, at 5-10, 206 lbs.

Another player that could be a significant contributor in the backfield for Furman in 2013 is Tanner Skogen (7 rush, 11 yds). Skogen is a quick, powerful back much in the same mold of Cain, and he could prove to be a valuable compliment to McCloud as the reserve tailback in 2013. Marcus Anderson, Kevin Rector and Kevin Jones are three redshirt freshmen running backs that are positioned to be major contributors this fall if called upon to do so.

Furman returns a veteran nucleus to its offensive line, and the Paladins might have the best individual offensive lineman in the Southern Conference on its roster returning for the 2013 season, in rising senior left tackle Dakota Dozier. Dozier will likely be considered the best offensive lineman in the Southern Conference entering the 2013 season, and some coaches have called him one of the best lineman to ever come through the program. Dozier has tremendous footwork and strength, to go along with excellent quickness.

Dozier isn’t the only starting returner up front for the Paladins this spring, as center Eric Thoni, left guard Joe Turner, right guard Ryan Storms and right tackle Charles Emert.

It’s a starting contingent that was surprisingly solid, despite being so young last season, certainly came in and surprised Furman folks last season and one of the reaasons there is so much optimism in the spring and heading into 2013.

Emert might be Furman’s most versatile offensive lineman, with the ability to play virtually any position along the front, and not only that, play any of those positions well. Emert, a 6-2, 260-pound product out of Statesboro, GA., enters his junior season with an opportunity to find himself on some all-conference scrolls by season’s end if he continues to improve from season-to-season like he has.

Turner was one of the bright, young stars along this Paladin offensive front, and is coming off a season which saw him garner SoCon All-Freshman recognition. The Roswell, GA, had a strong initial season for the Paladins, and the 6-2, 255-pound redshirt sophomore started eight games for the Paladins last fall at right guard, seeing action in 11 contests.

For the season, the Furman offensive front held its own against rugged, stout Southern Conference defenses, despite being one of the league’s youngest starting quintets in 2012.

The unit helped the Paladins rank sixth in the nine-team league in total offense (368.7 YPG), sixth in scoring offense (24.7 PPG), fifth in rushing offense (167.8 YPG) and fourth in the league in sacks allowed (16). The young unit has been one of the most physical offensive fronts in the SoCon in each of Fowler’s first two seasons at the helm. Perhaps the best job turned in by any assistant coach on the relatively new Paladin staff over the past two seasons has been that of Scott Smouse, who came aboard on the Furman staff from Jacksonville State a couple of years ago. All the unit has done the past couple of seasons has help former Furman running back Jerodis Williams to back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

The defensive side of the football has seen the most transition early on in the spring, with the biggest transitions taking place on the defensive line, with the biggest transition involving 2012 leading tackler Gary Wilkins (92 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 blkd kick, 1 TD), who moves from strongside linebacker to ‘BUCK’ defensive end.

Wilkins’ move to ‘BUCK’ defensive end is made in an effort to utilize his athleticism, quickness and power on the edge, and the defensive line has been one of the areas that most Paladin fans and coaches will be keeping an eye on in the spring, as well as when fall camp rolls around. The Paladins will lost two veteran starters, and four veterans that saw significant action, as (DE) Josh Lynn, (DE) Ricky Lang, (DT) Colton Keig and (DT) Neal Rogers have all departed, and depth is particularly a concern at both tackle and end.

The good news for Furman fans is joining Wilkins at defensive end this fall will be rising senior Shawn Boone (26 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 1 FF), who was a SoCon All-Freshman selection as a freshman in 2010, and is Furman’s career active leader in sacks (7.5 sacks) heading into his senior season, returns as the player pinned to be the Paladins’ top pass-rusher this fall.

Boone will move from the ‘BUCK’ defensive end position to ‘RUSH’ end, which was a position occupied by Josh Lynn the past three seasons. It will be a little bit of an adjustment for Boone. but in some ways, Furman might even be better at this position in 2013 despite losing the All-SoCon Lynn to graduation, as Boone might be a slightly better athlete than even his predecessor.

The spring has also seen some transition along the defensive interior for the Paladins, with the John Mackey (15 tackles, 2.5 TFL) moving from defensive tackle to nose tackle, while Ira McCune (26 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack) is slated to start for the first time along the Paladin defensive front.

Mackey saw plenty of playing time in the middle of the Furman defense towards the latter part of the 2012 season, and turned in an especially impressive performance in the Paladins’ loss to Georgia Southern, posting a pair of tackles and a tackle-f0r-loss, while recording three tackles and 0.5 TFL in a win at Elon a week later. Both McCune and Mackey bring solid athleticism to the table for the Paladins, and I think the tandem in the middle, though a little undersized, will compensate for that lack of size, with quickness, power and overall athleticism in the middle of that Paladin defensive front.

One real positive that the Paladins have seen out of their defensive line in the past couple of seasons, and something that hasn’t really been an element of Furman’s front four since Bryan Dailer (1994-97) was making mince meat of SoCon quarterbacks in the late 1990’s, has been the ability to get effective pressure on opposing quarterbacks with the front four each of Fowler’s first two seasons.

After defensive line coach Ricky Logo moved on to the University of Houston following Fowler’s first seas0n, he went out and hired one of the best in the FCS, in Jimmy Lindsey, stealing Lindsey away from his alma mater of Chattanooga where he helped the Mocs fashion one of the best defensive lines in the entire nation in 2011. The Paladins recorded 25 sacks last season, which ranked sixth in the league last season, and just six less than league-leader Georgia Southern, who played three more games.

Gary Wilkins is set to make the move from outside linebacker to ‘BUCK’ defensive end this spring.

Furman has maybe its most depth on the defensive side of the football at linebacker, as several young stars began to emerge last season in that Furman linebacking corps, including rising sophomores Corey Magwood (10 tackles, 1.0 TFL) and Carl Rider (18 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 FR, 1 TD) emerging as two potential game-changers for that Paladin linebacking corps.

The Paladins will basically have three new starters at linebacker in the fall, with Wilkins moving to one of the defensive end positions, while Matt Solomon and Mitch McGrath have both graduated. Furman fans at least got a glimpse of what the future holds in that Appalachian State game last season, with Rider’s performance being one that sticks out most in the minds of those who follow the program.

In that 33-28 loss at Appalachian State, Rider posted five tackles, a tackle-for-loss and a fumble recovery and subsequent 27-yard return down the far sideline for his first-career TD.

There is a slew of redshirt and incoming freshmen expected to make an immediate impact at linebacker this fall, including redshirt freshmen T.J. Warren and Preston Flurry, as well as true freshmen Brad Minter, Nic McBride and Byron Johnson. Don’t be surprised if big-hitting safety Jairus Hollman sees some situational action at linebacker this fall as well.

Overall, the linebacking corps is young, but a corps that will likely be one of the more underrated units in the SoCon heading into the 2013 season, due in large part to that aforementioned youth. However, these are young linebackers that come from highly successful prep programs, and most Paladin fans will be pleasantly surprised by McBride and Johnson, while Warren has all the tools to be an impact player at outside linebacker this fall. Minter and McBride are impressive athletes, and it will be hard to redshirt both talented true freshmen this fall.

Reggie Thomas showed plenty of potential as a true freshman last fall, which included garnering SoCon All-Freshman honors. Thomas registered his first interception in a 41-7 loss at No. 9 Clemson in 2012

If there was an area that really suffered as a result of lack of experience on the defensive side of the football for the Paladins last fall, it would have to be the secondary. Losing a player with the talent of a Ryan Steed at cornerback isn’t replaced over night, especially at the FCS level.

But hope springs eternal for the Paladins, and Furman might as be as athletic and as loaded at secondary as it has ever been. One element of this Furman secondary that has been evident from the outset of spring drills is the physicality of the unit.

Receivers crossing the middle against the unit might take a second or third glance this fall, and the indications are that this unit will not only provide a number of big hits for the highlight reels at the conclusion of the 2013 season, but it will also prove to be the most improved element of the defense next fall. In 2012, Furman struggled defending the pass, finishing dead last in the SoCon in pass defense (228.0 YPG).

With Bruce Fowler having once been a defensive back at Furman, and was considered one of the best defensive back coaches in the FCS during his previous tenure at Furman as a defensive assistant, he has made it a point to help ensure this unit gets back on track ASAP, and the Paladins have really hit the recruiting trail hard for defensive backs over the past couple seasons.

Safety Nathan Wade is the lone starter lost as a result of graduation from a year ago. The Paladins should have an embarrassment of talent and athleticism at both safety and cornerback heading into the 2013 season.

Positioned as the leaders of this Furman secondary heading into the spring will be the veteran safety tandem of senior Greg Worthy (77 tackles, 2.o TFL) and junior Marcus McMorris (30 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FR, 2 TDs) ready to anchor the the unit this fall.

Worthy, who picked off five passes as a sophomore and headed into the 2012 season as a preseason All-SoCon selection, will look to recapture that form this fall, and Worthy has great awareness and brings an attitude to this Furman defense, and he will be the player pegged by Fowler to set the tone for this unit, which will begin this fall.

Worthy will team with McMorris, who showed to be one of the top playmakers on the Paladin defense last fall. He returned a fumble 95 yards for a score in a win at Elon, while posting an INT return of 52 yards for a TD in a win over Western Carolina. McMorris also will hold a special place in the memory of Fowler, as it was McMorris’ first-career and game-clinching pick at The Citadel that helped Fowler notch his first-career win as a head coach in 2011.  McMorris is slated to assume Wade’s vacated free safety position in the spring.

Depth at safety will be provided in the form of  Rodney Anderson (6 tackles) and freshman and local product Thomas Brown.

The real position of intrigue this spring has been the cornerback, where Furman went from having to start a true freshman last season, to a position loaded with talent and depth this season. A quick perusal of the roster and having viewed some of the youtube clips of the cornerback classes over the past two seasons, it’s easy to see that the two elements the Furman coaching staff has been targeting are speed and a physical, aggressive nature, much in the same fashion of a Ryan Steed.

Reggie Thomas (23 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 2 INTs, 3 PBUs) was one of those targets out of Abbeville High School, and his talent on film was evident, and he proved to be too talented of a playmaker to keep off the field last season with a redshirt. Much the same can be said of the Paladins’ most-recent additions at corner, such as Donovan Franks and Richard Hayes III, who will come in this fall looking to compete for a spot on the two-deep.

Thomas is the kind of player that plays with an attitude and swagger, and he was far from being a timid freshman corner on the field for the Paladins in 2012, and I think Western Carolina wide receiver Kanorris Benson would agree, as Benson was on the wrong end of a bone-crushing hit in Furman’s 45-24 win over the Catamounts in 2012. Thomas would finish his first campaign in Greenville by garnering the recognition of the league’s coaches, as he was named a SoCon All-Freshman selection in 2012.

An interesting battle will ensue at the other cornerback position, as it appears the job might be up for grabs. Senior Austin Williams (24 tackles, 2 PBU, 1 FF) would likely be the favorite to attain the starting nod when fall camp rolls around, although you can’t count out players like Jairus Hollman (4 tackles) and Jamarri Miliken. Both Hollman and Milliken have turned some heads so far during spring drills, with Hollman dishing out some big hits, while the speedy Milliken with his ability to lock down some of the Paladins’ top weapons at wide receiver. Both should see plenty of the field in 2013, and it would not be shocking to see one of those two in a starting role this fall.

Senior Ray Early will handle the place-kicking and punting duties for the Paladins in 2013.

One of the areas Furman will be most comfortable with this spring is the kicking game, although one huge loss most be addressed in the special teams, with the departure of the nation’s leading kick return threat, in All-American Jerodis Williams. Look for players like Hollman, Milliken and Robinson to compete for the right to replace Williams this spring.

The element that went mostly unnoticed by most last season was the improvement of Ray Early (10-for-16 on FGs/32-of-33 on PATs), which unfortunately, is often the life for a place-kicker in college football. Kickers are often only under the spotlight for long periods of time when they are struggling, which was the case for Early in 2011.

To Early’s credit, however, he dedicated himself to overcoming the struggles that plagued him as a sophomore, and quietly reverted to the form he enjoyed as a freshman, which was acquitting himself as one of the best kickers in the Southern Conference.

Early will also likely handle the punting duties this fall, where he turned in another superb season in that department. Early averaged 42.1 yards-per-punt and had seven punts that were 50 yards or more in distance.

There will be some tough decisions to be made in the spring, but fans should keep an eye on the wide receivers, defensive line and defensive backs in the spring game coming up on April 6. Fans will see a noticeable difference in athleticism at all three positions, and that will eventually equate to some memorable moments in the very near future for a program that hasn’t made the FCS postseason since 2006 heading into the fall of 2013.