For the last five weeks the 69 returning members of the Stetson football program, along with seven new players, have been grinding their way through spring practice on Watson Field at the ATC.
 
This Saturday night at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium, the Hatters will get to put their hard work on display in the annual spring game. The scrimmage is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start. Admission to the game is free.
 
The Hatters face numerous questions following last season's eight-win campaign – the first winning season for Stetson football since 1951 – that included victories over Jacksonville and Drake for the first time in program history.
 
Chief among the quests for the spring has been the race to replace graduated senior quarterback Colin McGovern, All-American tight end Donald Parham, and a pair of four-year starters on the offensive line. On defense, the quest has been focused on improving depth with 10 starters returning.
 
Hatters coach Roger Hughes said he has seen some things that he likes, but also said there are areas that need to improve.
 
"We have to get better in pass protection, especially at the running back position," Hughes said. "We have to get better at understanding how to switch things off and being able to adjust when the defense bluffs and then pulls back out. We can't let the defense take us out of what we want to do on the offensive side.
 
"We also need to get better with our punt coverage and punt block. We are already working on some of our opponents and will take some time working, on defense, against some of the things that Davidson did and, on offense, we will spend some time working against a four-man front because we will see a lot of four-down fronts in the fall, probably 10 of our 12 opponents, so we don't want to neglect that."
 
The group of 69 returning players has been limited somewhat this spring by the fact that several and either recovering from injuries suffered in the fall, or got nicked-up this spring. Experienced players such as lineman Nick Plunkett, receiver Jack Bowen, fullback Grant Hodges and running back Jareem Westcott have missed time this spring and will not play in the scrimmage.
 
The defense has not been immune to the injuries – with end Bryson Richards and linebacker Jamieson Craske still recovering.
 
For the offense, success will start up front where the holes left by the graduation of Jim McCammon and Andrew Rogalski are significant. Junior guards Alex Brown and Bradley Alexander serve as anchors, with redshirt junior Jacob Sullivan sharing time with redshirt sophomore Andrew Nadolski at left tackle, but redshirt freshmen Antonio Derry and Billy Corte have stepped up to fill the spaces left by McCammon and Rogalski.
 
The Blackmon twins – senior Bryce and redshirt junior Chase – have gotten most of the work in the backfield this spring with Westcott limited. With the Hatters' leading rusher out of action, redshirts Tony Latiff (So.) and Olu Wilson (Fr.) have also had more of a chance to display their talents.
 
The same story holds true at fullback where junior Seth Witt and redshirt freshman Connor Wilson have had the spotlight with Hodges sitting out.
 
Replacing an All-American is never an easy chore, but Hughes said that senior Tony Gilotti has stepped up his level of play this spring. He leads a group of five players that includes redshirt junior Kyle Godlweski, redshirt sophomore George Shively, sophomore newcomer D'Andre Lewis and redshirt freshman Omar Cinningham.
 
The Hatters return plenty of speed and experience at receiver with senior Steven Burdett and juniors Justin Jordan and Jeremiah Nails along with redshirt senior Austin Perlman and junior Bensley Bornelus. Others in the mix include redshirt sophomores Ervin Charles and Donnie Dawson and redshirt freshmen Justin Curtis and Cameron Brown.
 
At quarterback, the race is between redshirt senior Gaven DeFilippo and redshirt sophomore Alex Piccirili, with DeFilippo having a decided advantage in terms of experience.
 
"Gavin is so bright, and learns so quickly, he can make adaptations so fast, plus he has played a lot," Hughes said. "He is sneaky fast and he is fully healthy. He is trusting his rehab in that he has more and more confidence in both his knee and his shoulder (injured during the 2017 season).
 
"He had plenty of opportunities to take mental reps last year, and he took advantage of that. He assessed every situation that happened with Colin. The other thing was that he got to establish what a great leader he is. A lot of people would have been griping because they weren't playing very much, but he took the opportunity to make Colin better every chance he could and thereby make our team better. He is very much solidified in that leadership role on this team. The other players listen to him and follow him."
 
Piccirilli – who stands 6-foot-4 - doesn't have the experience of DeFilippo, but does have a size advantage.
 
On the defensive side the of the ball, it is all about getting better. The Hatters surrendered 421.5 yards and 29.6 points per game last fall. The experience returning to the unit should help drop those numbers, as long as injuries don't become an issue again.
 
Not only did Craske miss significant playing time last year at inside linebacker, Tarren Smith was slowed out the outside, forcing redshirt freshman Hunter Stephens, a defensive back, to play the position for much of the year. With Craske still recovering, Tyler Mirabella and Dylan Galm have been manning the inside between Smith and Stephens on one side and senior Colby Duncan – the leading tackler in 2018 – on the other.
 
Up front, redshirt sophomores Fermon Reid and Greg Moore return from solid rookie campaigns and, even with Richards out of action, they have plenty of help. Senior Shane Parton is healthy, redshirt junior George Tsiouklas got solid playing time last year as did redshirt junior Collintino Andrew and redshirt sophomore Jason Winston on the other side.
 
In the secondary, senior Jackie Johnson is gone, but the Hatters have returners who started returning at all five positions. Junior J.J. Henderson and senior Jalon Scott are at the corners with seniors Reggie Gantt and Peter Katz at the dawg safeties. Free safety Dwight Lawrence got experience last year behind Johnson and even started at corner.
 
All four specialists return win Colin Wray, who is third on the depth chart at quarterback, back to handle long snapping duties, along with junior punter Matias Gasc, who doubles as the holder, junior placekicker Jonny Messina and sophomore kickoff specialist Brady Lawrence.
 
The return game should also be in good hands with Burdette, Henderson and Jordan all returning.
 
Hughes said there has been a difference around spring practice this year after the team enjoyed success for the first time last year.
 
"I see more guys out there working on their own much more than I ever have," Hughes said. "You see guys out running on the sand volleyball courts or out here playing catch on days off, or pulling out the jugs machine and working with that. There is a sense of hunger and a sense of unfinished business because there are still things that we haven't achieved yet. There are still a lot of things to strive for and things that we are working very hard toward. The season we had last year gives them the sense that those things aren't out of reach if we work hard and do the things we are supposed to do."
 
The other thing that Hughes likes from his returning squad is the focus on leadership and team culture that has carried over, and even grown.
 
"We had 31 guys who signed up to go through the captains' leadership class and we still have 28 of them in the mix," Hughes said. "I am really excited about that. We are going to have some very tough decisions. That group has been exposed to a lot of things and that leadership class has set the tone for the culture of our team.
 
"For me, it is like 20 extra meetings where we are able to pound into them the vision, what we are supposed to do and how to do it and, most importantly, pounding into them that if you want to be a leader you have to hold everyone accountable. Team culture and leadership, you can never stop nurturing it and feeding it because it can change so quickly."
 
Hughes said he had several guest speakers come in to speak with the group this year, and he can tell it has had an impact because the players have been repeating the things they were told.
 
"The great thing about this class is that these guys understand they don't have to wear a C on their chest to be a leader," Hughes said. "Stan Van Gundy told them that coaches pick the captains, but the team picks the leaders. Even the guys who aren't chosen as captains, and we can't choose all of them, are going to know they are still important as leaders on this team."
 
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.