Charlotte’s Opening Spring Practice Reveals An Extremely Hungry Team
Charlotte Football’s start of spring practices came Tuesday, and the program’s new era showed its framework in a new light. The work that Tim Albin and his staff have already done showed its weight in the building process’s next step.
“Our staff is elite — (the effort and efficiency) is a direct reflection of our coaching staff and its expectations,” Albin said. “A big thing for me in the fall is to have your biggest jump from game one to game two. We need to have our big jumps from Tuesday to Thursday’s practice to Saturday’s. We’re not going to be perfect, but we’ll strive to be.
“I want great competition and leadership.”
Spring and simplicity go hand in hand.
The 49ers are laser-focused on a handful of skills they’d like to master during their first camp. Offense, defense, and special teams will have a small list, and once the boxes are checked off, the building process can continue.
Tuesday made teaching common. Drills may be stopped for even a small tweak, but one that will prove worthwhile the closer Charlotte gets to its opening kick against App State in the Duke’s Mayo Kickoff Classic. The staff speaks a common language, and their lessons, no matter the position group, are built on consistency.
The effort was never questioned on day one, just as the verbiage wasn’t. Several players chose to stay after practice for additional reps, setting a tone of quickness — in building chemistry, skills, and stamina.
And the elite staff Albin has employed is no small reason.
“Any time there’s a new staff, there’s always going to be some hiccups here and there with players learning new things,” returning center Jonny King said. “(This staff) is so energetic, they’re passionate about football and care about the people here. It makes you want to play for them — every coach is personable; they look you in the eyes.”
There’s a flow to the effort already, even without the clarity of a defined depth chart.
Drill to drill, lesson to lesson, there’s a rhythm to Charlotte’s building process. When a gear began to grind, Albin challenged his team to fix it quickly, letting his body language “speak volumes” when needed.
And they did.
His most important message has already begun to sink in for good too.
“I don’t think we had a turnover today,” Albin said. “Charlotte doesn’t beat Charlotte.”
The playbook’s execution may still be in its infancy, but the pedal was still pushed down: deep balls from various quarterbacks to even more varied receivers tested where the team’s passing game is. Run-pass-option opportunities did the same for the rushing game and plenty of backs got their hands involved.
Charlotte shuffled the depth chart plenty, starting its daily pursuit of finding the right fit for the puzzle pieces that are a bounty of new players.
Conner Harrell’s back-shoulder ball midway through practice to a diving E. Jai Mason implored loud cheers as the wideout came down with a catch inbounds. Donovan Spellman’s quick spin and burst around an offensive tackle showed the defense’s competitive edge.
There’s plenty to talk about, even early on.
“You get worried as a coach about going against each other and putting on helmets — that fine line,” Albin said. “For the first day, the guys responded well and I’m in a good place.”
Albin still has a few boxes to settle around the house, and an assortment of furniture pieces waiting to find their final resting spot in a new locale. He still has plenty to learn about the team too, and post-practice film sessions will be his football unpacking session.
But he’s been welcomed quickly to Charlotte, and he’s passing the support forward by building relationships with players who will carry out his standout coaching staff’s directive.
Behind a budding team is a community hungry for success and Tuesday’s showcase was an opening step to rewarding their faith, especially for the players who have strived to bring it year over year.
“We’re hungry, this city needs a championship and a good football team,” King said. “Everybody has taken it as a personal (responsibility) to go work out and do the extra stuff. If you’re not doing more, you’re doing less; in my opinion, these guys are extremely hungry.
“They’re ready to go win something for Charlotte.”