By Tyler Mayforth
Daily Record Sports
San Marcos — Don’t look now, college football is back.
Texas State opened spring practice Monday afternoon in shorts and helmets as temperatures dipped into the 40s.
It seemed like just yesterday (well, Nov. 21) the Bobcats ended the 2009 season. Yet, there’s no rest for the weary and that includes Texas State’s coaches and players.
“You go from being on the road to signing day to here we are,” Bobcats head coach Brad Wright said. “The next thing you know, we’ll be back on the road again doing May recruiting and then camps during the summer. It’s a hectic business.”
Wright and his coaching staff can’t look too far down the road since there are 14 days left to prepare current team members for the upcoming season.
Texas State also must answer a myriad of questions surrounding the 2010 squad and spring practice offers the team a good opportunity to do so.
1. Who will succeed Bradley George as quarterback?
Right now, it’s tough to say. The Bobcats have three quarterbacks in camp right now (Tim Hawkins, Bryan Hill and Eric Soza) who will make their case before heralded freshman Tyler Arndt comes to town in August.
“We’re looking for a quarterback to step up. It’s something that needs to happen for us,” Wright said. “If more than one steps up, good, but what we need right now is one.”
2. How will Texas State replace the other 10 starters?
The Bobcats have their work cut out for themselves, that’s for sure. Texas State lost 11 starters (seven on offense and four on defense) and need to fill each position with the available and incoming talent.
One problem posed to the Bobcats is they will need to use a lot of youth. Texas State redshirted a lot of players last season and will need to get them used to the college game in a short amount of time.
“We have a bunch of young guys who haven’t played a whole lot and the speed of the game is a bit different,” Wright said. “Plus, they don’t know exactly what they’re doing, so that’s what this time of the year is for.”
3. How deep are the Bobcats on the defensive side of the ball?
Texas State is stacked on defense, believe it or not. Well, let’s rephrase that. The Bobcats are loaded with talent at both the linebacker and defensive back position.
After Garrett Hood graduated, Texas State was left with a hole on the defensive line. The Bobcats must find someone to fill the slot and have enough depth to mix and match other players.
“We’re in as good of shape as we have been at linebacker and in the secondary since I’ve been here,” Wright said. “We just have a bunch of guys on the defensive line that need to step up for us.”
