Wake Forest Athletics
New Era Underway This Spring
4/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 3, 2014
By Emma Lingan, WakeForestSports.com
After what seemed like an especially long winter, sunny skies finally greeted the Wake Forest football team at the Doc Martin Practice Complex this week. Spring practice is in full swing, marking the beginning of a promising new era for the program.
"It's exciting to say the least," said sophomore quarterback Tyler Cameron. "There are a lot of new things going on and a lot of learning going on for everybody. It's a huge learning experience, so it's a lot of fun right now."
For first-year head coach Dave Clawson and his staff, the start of spring practice means hands-on experience with players whom they had previously only been able to watch on film.
"It's critical," Clawson said. "There's nothing that compares to being out on the practice field with them."
Although Clawson and his staff are new to Wake Forest this season, several of them have a long history of coaching with one another. This, Clawson said, is a firm foundation upon which the coaches can build strong connections with their players.
"It's a coach-player relationship," Clawson said. "As a staff, most of us have been together six, seven, eight, 10, 12 years. We know the systems, we know how we want to install it, and we know how we want to coach it."
The players, for their part, are eager to work with the new coaching staff and to apply what they learn on the practice field.
"We're meshing great as a team," said junior quarterback Kevin Sousa. "Everybody is. We're getting down the plays and progressing every day."
The Demon Deacons, who graduated their four-year starting quarterback, leading rusher and top receiver after the 2013 season, will have to make significant adjustments on offense. Clawson and his staff are using spring practice to gauge players' versatility and test them out at different positions.
Several position changes have already been made out of necessity. Senior Orville Reynolds, for example, has moved from receiver to tailback, as has former defensive back James Ward.
"I trust these coaches," Cameron said. "I feel like they're putting the guys in the right positions to make them successful. I think Orville coming to running back is going to help us a lot."
Without an incumbent starting quarterback, this position also remains a question mark for the Demon Deacons.
"Right now we're giving two guys all the reps--Tyler Cameron and Kevin Sousa," Clawson said. "They're both learning the new offense, and they're both working hard." Clawson and the coaches are taking their time to assess individual players during practice, and nothing has been set in stone.
"At this point we're still installing the offense," Clawson said. "Until we get everything in, it's really hard to evaluate players. That'll start a week from this Saturday when we have our first scrimmage. That's when we really have our first big personnel meeting."
Many aspects of the Demon Deacon offense remain uncertain, but Clawson remains optimistic about the possibilities that lie ahead. Spring practice will present its fair share of challenges, but he is confident that the players will rise to the occasion.
"We're looking for players to buy into doing things the way we want them done," Clawson said. "The players who can do that day after day will be the ones playing for us."
