Photo by: SFA Athletics
SFA Football Fall Camp Report | Cornerbacks
8/14/2018 11:53:00 AM | Football
‘Jacks practice in full pads for just the third time of fall camp Tuesday morning
The 2018 Stephen F. Austin football season is just around the corner and the Lumberjacks have begun fall camp, beginning the countdown to the 92nd season of Lumberjack football in Nacogdoches. Throughout the preseason camp, SFAJacks.com will break down each position or area of the team, today highlighting the cornerbacks.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – For the third time of its 2018 fall camp, the Stephen F. Austin football team went live Tuesday morning as the Lumberjacks hosted a full-contact practice in complete pads. Taking to the two grass practice fields behind the athletics fieldhouse, SFA completed its 10th team workout of fall camp to mark the halfway point of the grueling preseason.
Under mostly sunny skies with a light breeze, the 'Jacks hosted a typical 20-period practice session and continued to refine their skills, while implementing SFA's playbooks. Beginning with its usual pre-practice positional drills and new team install, SFA went into its stretching and dynamic warmups before focusing on special teams. Kickoffs and kickoff returns were the emphasis of Tuesday's three special teams periods as the 'Jacks then returned to positional drills, followed by running backs and linebackers going one-on-one and the towel drill.
With the emphasis of the day on leadership, SFA honed in on the inside run with wide receivers and defensive backs taking part in one-on-one drills. From there, the Lumberjacks' skill position players ran 24 plays as the offensive and defensive lines took on one another in one-on-one drills. The team came together with the offense and defense each taking a sideline for pass blitz pickup and first, second, third and fourth-down plays, before the offense conducted three full drives.
The defense shone throughout the team plays as the secondary came up with multiple big plays, highlighted by a pair of interceptions. The morning's practice came to a close with a final period focused on ball security as each positional coach gave one final message to their group before the team huddle with interim head coach Jeff Byrd.
"The energy level of the guys, everyone is getting out there and playing hard and loving each other," cornerbacks coach Tony Gilbert commented Tuesday on how the first half of fall camp has gone. "That's a good thing, and I'm not saying it hasn't been that way, but the energy is at a higher level. The guys are feeling good about themselves, they are confident and they are working at it. That's huge."
"It's to keep getting better, keep getting better than the day before," assistant coach Gilbert said about the goals of the second half of fall camp. "If we can continue to do that, we're going to have a great football team. We're going to have a great football team but one of the things we have to continue to do is keep getting better each and every day. Every now and then somebody will have a lull here or there but you can't have that. You have to continue to get better each day. That's what we're looking for and of course, to stay healthy."
Cornerbacks
The 'Jacks will look to new and youthful talent this fall to fill the cornerback position as all three of SFA's starters from 2017 graduated (Trent Perriman, Aaron Foy, Tarrin Mitchell).
Senior Davelle Fox will join sophomores Eli Jones and Caleb Lawton as the lone returners at the position. All three are more than capable of filling that role after the trio combined for 26 game appearances and 15 tackles last fall. Fox registered nine total tackles in 2017, including making three solo stops, while Jones made five tackles with four unassisted stops and a tackle for loss. Lawton played in 10 games last season, primarily appearing on kickoff coverage.
To meet the needs of the position, SFA brought in three talented junior transfers. Aretavious Hendrix (Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C.), Jadarius Byrd (Butler C.C.) and Tyler Freeman (Mt. San Jacinto College) could all make an immediate impact for the 'Jacks after taking a plethora of reps during fall camp.
SFA will also have the services of senior Lumberjack track & field star Tedrick Hawkins, who joined the program this summer to close out his collegiate career. Hawkins is a three-time NCAA Division I Outdoor Preliminary qualifier and 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships qualifier in the 4x400 meter relay, not to mention a three-time Southland Conference champion.
Fall Camp Continues
SFA has 10 remaining practices of fall camp and returns to shells for an afternoon workout at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday. The 'Jacks will then go back to morning sessions both Thursday and Friday, practicing in shoulder pads and helmets once again Thursday but scaling back to just helmets, jerseys and shorts Friday.
With the exception of the Lumberjacks' three intra-squad scrimmages, all practices will take place on the two grass practice fields behind the SFA athletics fieldhouse.
The complete fall camp schedule can be found below.
2018 SFA Football Fall Camp Schedule
Practice #11 | Wednesday, Aug. 15 | 3:15 p.m. | Practice Fields | Shells
Practice #12 | Thursday, Aug. 16 | 8:15 a.m. | Practice Fields | Shells
Practice #13 | Friday, Aug. 17 | 8:15 a.m. | Practice Fields | Helmets
Scrimmage #2 | Saturday, Aug. 18 | 8:15 a.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium | Full Pads
Practice #15 | Sunday, Aug. 19 | 3:15 p.m. | Practice Fields | Shells
Practice #16 | Monday, Aug. 20 | 8:15 a.m. | Practice Fields | Shells
Practice #17 | Tuesday, Aug. 21 | 8:15 a.m. | Practice Fields | Full Pads
Practice #18 | Wednesday, Aug. 22 | 3:15 p.m. | Practice Fields | Shells
Practice #19 | Thursday, Aug. 23 | 8:15 a.m. | Practice Fields | Shells
Scrimmage #3 | Friday, Aug. 24 | 6:30 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium | Full Pads
Fans and supporters of SFA athletics will have the chance to meet the Lumberjack football team at the 38th annual Meet the 'Jacks held Tuesday, Aug. 21. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Fredonia Hotel and is sponsored by the Fredonia Rotary Club. The 2018 SFA football team will be introduced by position, followed by a first-hand look at this season's intro video. The 'Jacks will also be available for photos and will be signing autographs on SFA's posters.
Week One
The 'Jacks open up their 2018 season Saturday, Sept. 1 with a trip to Starkville, Mississippi, to face Southeastern Conference mainstay Mississippi State. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNU, available everywhere via the ESPN app. SFA hosts NCAA Division II Tarleton State in a 6 p.m. tilt for its home opener Saturday, Sept. 8.
SFA Football Season Tickets
Fans interested in purchasing tickets for the 2018 SFA football season can visit the new home for SFA Tickets at SFATickets.com or contact the SFA Athletic Ticket Office at 936-468-JACK.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Lumberjack football throughout the 2018 season.
-SFA-
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – For the third time of its 2018 fall camp, the Stephen F. Austin football team went live Tuesday morning as the Lumberjacks hosted a full-contact practice in complete pads. Taking to the two grass practice fields behind the athletics fieldhouse, SFA completed its 10th team workout of fall camp to mark the halfway point of the grueling preseason.
Under mostly sunny skies with a light breeze, the 'Jacks hosted a typical 20-period practice session and continued to refine their skills, while implementing SFA's playbooks. Beginning with its usual pre-practice positional drills and new team install, SFA went into its stretching and dynamic warmups before focusing on special teams. Kickoffs and kickoff returns were the emphasis of Tuesday's three special teams periods as the 'Jacks then returned to positional drills, followed by running backs and linebackers going one-on-one and the towel drill.
With the emphasis of the day on leadership, SFA honed in on the inside run with wide receivers and defensive backs taking part in one-on-one drills. From there, the Lumberjacks' skill position players ran 24 plays as the offensive and defensive lines took on one another in one-on-one drills. The team came together with the offense and defense each taking a sideline for pass blitz pickup and first, second, third and fourth-down plays, before the offense conducted three full drives.
The defense shone throughout the team plays as the secondary came up with multiple big plays, highlighted by a pair of interceptions. The morning's practice came to a close with a final period focused on ball security as each positional coach gave one final message to their group before the team huddle with interim head coach Jeff Byrd.
"The energy level of the guys, everyone is getting out there and playing hard and loving each other," cornerbacks coach Tony Gilbert commented Tuesday on how the first half of fall camp has gone. "That's a good thing, and I'm not saying it hasn't been that way, but the energy is at a higher level. The guys are feeling good about themselves, they are confident and they are working at it. That's huge."
"It's to keep getting better, keep getting better than the day before," assistant coach Gilbert said about the goals of the second half of fall camp. "If we can continue to do that, we're going to have a great football team. We're going to have a great football team but one of the things we have to continue to do is keep getting better each and every day. Every now and then somebody will have a lull here or there but you can't have that. You have to continue to get better each day. That's what we're looking for and of course, to stay healthy."
Cornerbacks
The 'Jacks will look to new and youthful talent this fall to fill the cornerback position as all three of SFA's starters from 2017 graduated (Trent Perriman, Aaron Foy, Tarrin Mitchell).
Senior Davelle Fox will join sophomores Eli Jones and Caleb Lawton as the lone returners at the position. All three are more than capable of filling that role after the trio combined for 26 game appearances and 15 tackles last fall. Fox registered nine total tackles in 2017, including making three solo stops, while Jones made five tackles with four unassisted stops and a tackle for loss. Lawton played in 10 games last season, primarily appearing on kickoff coverage.
To meet the needs of the position, SFA brought in three talented junior transfers. Aretavious Hendrix (Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C.), Jadarius Byrd (Butler C.C.) and Tyler Freeman (Mt. San Jacinto College) could all make an immediate impact for the 'Jacks after taking a plethora of reps during fall camp.
SFA will also have the services of senior Lumberjack track & field star Tedrick Hawkins, who joined the program this summer to close out his collegiate career. Hawkins is a three-time NCAA Division I Outdoor Preliminary qualifier and 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships qualifier in the 4x400 meter relay, not to mention a three-time Southland Conference champion.
Fall Camp Continues
SFA has 10 remaining practices of fall camp and returns to shells for an afternoon workout at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday. The 'Jacks will then go back to morning sessions both Thursday and Friday, practicing in shoulder pads and helmets once again Thursday but scaling back to just helmets, jerseys and shorts Friday.
With the exception of the Lumberjacks' three intra-squad scrimmages, all practices will take place on the two grass practice fields behind the SFA athletics fieldhouse.
The complete fall camp schedule can be found below.
2018 SFA Football Fall Camp Schedule
Practice #11 | Wednesday, Aug. 15 | 3:15 p.m. | Practice Fields | Shells
Practice #12 | Thursday, Aug. 16 | 8:15 a.m. | Practice Fields | Shells
Practice #13 | Friday, Aug. 17 | 8:15 a.m. | Practice Fields | Helmets
Scrimmage #2 | Saturday, Aug. 18 | 8:15 a.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium | Full Pads
Practice #15 | Sunday, Aug. 19 | 3:15 p.m. | Practice Fields | Shells
Practice #16 | Monday, Aug. 20 | 8:15 a.m. | Practice Fields | Shells
Practice #17 | Tuesday, Aug. 21 | 8:15 a.m. | Practice Fields | Full Pads
Practice #18 | Wednesday, Aug. 22 | 3:15 p.m. | Practice Fields | Shells
Practice #19 | Thursday, Aug. 23 | 8:15 a.m. | Practice Fields | Shells
Scrimmage #3 | Friday, Aug. 24 | 6:30 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium | Full Pads
- Practice time and location subject to change dependent on weather
Fans and supporters of SFA athletics will have the chance to meet the Lumberjack football team at the 38th annual Meet the 'Jacks held Tuesday, Aug. 21. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Fredonia Hotel and is sponsored by the Fredonia Rotary Club. The 2018 SFA football team will be introduced by position, followed by a first-hand look at this season's intro video. The 'Jacks will also be available for photos and will be signing autographs on SFA's posters.
Week One
The 'Jacks open up their 2018 season Saturday, Sept. 1 with a trip to Starkville, Mississippi, to face Southeastern Conference mainstay Mississippi State. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNU, available everywhere via the ESPN app. SFA hosts NCAA Division II Tarleton State in a 6 p.m. tilt for its home opener Saturday, Sept. 8.
SFA Football Season Tickets
Fans interested in purchasing tickets for the 2018 SFA football season can visit the new home for SFA Tickets at SFATickets.com or contact the SFA Athletic Ticket Office at 936-468-JACK.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Lumberjack football throughout the 2018 season.
-SFA-
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