Ferrum Looking to Reload, not Rebuild

With March upon us, Spring practice is in full swing. This ritual gives coaches and players a chance to whet their appetite for the upcoming fall campaign. A chance for players to again familiarize themselves with the offensive and defensive strategies, and to start to think about what each of them will need to do to contribute to a successful year.

So how will the Panthers look this year? Without putting forth my conference predictions just yet, I will say that while Ferrum has some holes to fill, they were not devastated by graduation anywhere near to the extent as some conference schools were.

With a strong nucleus of returning starters, Ferrum has cause to feel good about 2009. The Panthers lose 10 to graduation, but not all of these were starters.

Look for the quarterback position to again be handled by both Matt Dobson, and Marcus Mayo. While I will admit skepticism last year of the shuttling quarterbacks approach, this duo complimented each other, each bringing their own specific skills to the offense. Ferrum will again be very solid under center.

In the backfield, Mike Vann will be one of the many running backs for the Panthers turning the ball up field. Vann enters his third season, having been the VASID Rookie of the year in '07. Look for Vann to be the work horse, but with complimentary excitement from Matt Lucas, Steven Harris, and Roy Banks. With two very mobile quarterbacks, Ferrum will field a deep and strong ground game again thie year. Gone is All Purpose Running Back LeBryan Patterson

Ferrum suffered its biggest offensive unit losses on the line. Gone are Adrian Baker, and Nic King. These will be two huge holes to fill. Baker (6'3"-316 lbs) was 2008 USA South All Conference Honorable Mention, and King (6'1-322 lbs) was a member of the USA South All Conference second team. Candidates to fill these spots include Justin Hunt, and Codie Fravel, along with several others. In addition to the interior linemen, wide receiver Winston Johnson will leave a vacancy. Look for Quinn Tibbs, and Makaya Jackson to be regular go to guys, with support form Andre' Harrison. Chris Duble could also see action at this spot.

Defensively, Ferrum will lose four key players. Stephano Blakely, Jeff Crews, Joey Stevens and Brandon Washington. All of these are big losses, and who will step up to fill these places is yet to be determined, but some of the likely candidates are: Dennis Hardy, Darwin Nichols, and Isaiah Sheppard in the defensive backfield, along with Devin Genchi as a possible replacement at defensive end. On the defensive line, look for the position vacated by Jeff Crews to have Corey Norris, and Fredrick Glenn competing for it, among others.

Special teams should again be a strong suit for the Panthers with All American punter T.J. Grzesikowski returning for his Junior year. Look for Place Kicker Clint Slappey to improve on his field goal percentage in this his final campaign as a Panther.

Overall, Ferrum returns a strong core from the 2008 season. They will have their challenges, but will as a team be solid. Statistacally, Ferrum's greatest opportunities are on defense, specifically in the secondary, and establishing a consistent pass rush. This aside, look for Ferrum to again be a top team in the USA South and a serious contender for the playoffs.