As the calendar turns to spring, the time has come for pads to start popping on the football practice fields at Stetson's Athletic Training Center.
 
The Hatters are scheduled to open five weeks of spring practice tonight, with the first session scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. The opening practice was pushed back one day by the severe weather that passed through yesterday.
 
The Hatters will practice most Tuesday nights, and on Friday and Saturday afternoons during the spring, culminating in the annual Green-White Spring Game on Saturday, April 21, at Spec Martin Stadium.
 
Head coach Roger Hughes goes into his sixth spring with some immediate challenges – primarily the loss of several staff members who have not yet been replaced. To compensate, duties during the spring will be spread among the returning staff members.
 
Hughes will work with the running backs along with student assistant coach Sean McKeon, tight ends coach Clay Mazza will take over duties with the full backs, defensive coordinator Brian Young will handle the defensive backs and new offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Stan Clayton is already on board.
 
"We are in the interview process for a couple of the open positions and are very pleased with the pool of candidates that we have," Hughes said.
 
Hughes said he expects to have an announcement with regard to a new quarterbacks coach in the coming days. 
 
On the field, Hughes has a number of priorities he wants to accomplish during spring practice. Chief among those on the offensive side of the ball is improving the running game and pass protection from the backs.
 
"We are modifying what we are going to do in those areas," Hughes said. "For the first time, we have offensive linemen coming back and, while we are really excited about the freshman group we have coming in, my hope is that we can redshirt those guys.
 
"We have to get our running backs synchronized with the offensive line to where they are pressing the line of scrimmage to get the linebackers where they need to be so that our pass protection can improve. We were very inconsistent with that last year."
 
While focusing on improving the ground game is a priority on offense, the Hatters also have the nice problem of having three talented quarterbacks who will have a chance to impress a new position coach and a new coordinator. The trio – senior Colin McGovern, redshirt junior Gaven DeFilippo and junior Cole Martin – will all be in the mix to earn the starting job in the fall.
 
McGovern held down that role last season, throwing for 2,331 yards and eight touchdowns against 13 interceptions. He also took the majority of the 30 sacks allowed last year. Martin, who has served as the backup the last two seasons, threw for 229 yards and one TD with one interception in limited duty last year.
 
DeFilippo sat out last year while recovering from knee and shoulder surgeries. He served as the starter during the first seven games in 2016, passing for 1,272 yards and nine TDs with eight interceptions.
 
"It is a good problem to have because we have three really good players there and the competition is going to make all three better," Hughes said. "Their new quarterbacks coach has been in the SEC for eight years, so I am really excited about that.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, the priority will be on the defensive line where there will be huge voids to fill from the graduation loss of Jeff Fallabel, Shayne White and Eddie Curry.
 
"That group should be anchored by Zane Smith and then we have two kids who redshirted last year in Fermon Reid and Greg Moore," Hughes said. "We need a pass rusher off the edge and are hoping that George Tsiouklas can be that guy and Regis Steighner is a guy who we expected great things from and hope he is ready to show us what we expected when we recruited him."
 
One member of the defensive line that will miss the spring is Shane Parton, who is recovering from knee surgery.
 
The Hatters will also be looking to replace their top two tacklers from the fall, All-PFL linebacker Jeb Boudreaux and safety Eric Martin. The duo combined to record 200 tackles in 2017.
 
"I like Colby Duncan to step into the role Jeb had and we get Jamieson Craske back after he missed last season and I like Dylan Galm at linebacker," Hughes said. "On the back end we have Max Hazard and DJ Tinsley stepping up to fill in. Tyler Mirabella is another linebacker who I think things are slowing down for."
 
Hughes said that the spring is actually the most fun time of the year in football for coaches because they spend the majority of their time teaching the game.
 
"It is more about making sure the players get better than just focusing on the next opponent," Hughes said. "We have some goals that we want to accomplish which includes producing more turnovers defensively and, offensively, we have to make sure we continue to improve in that area and cut those turnovers down.
 
"It is the time of year when the game begins to slow down for the younger players because they are more accustomed to the tempo and the work load. We have a chance to teach in the spring at a pace that the kids can learn better, especially the younger guys."
 
The Hatters are scheduled to practice on the following dates this spring: March 21, 8:30 p.m.; March 23, 3:30 p.m.; March 24, 2 p.m.; March 27, 8:30 p.m.; March 30, 10 a.m.; March 31, 10 a.m.; April 3, 8:30 p.m.; April 6, 3:30 p.m.; April 7, 2 p.m.; April 10; 8:30 p.m.; April 13, 3:30 p.m.; April 14, 2 p.m.; April 17, 4:30 p.m.; April 19, 8:30 p.m. and the spring game is April 21 at 4 p.m. All dates and times are subject to change.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.