March 16, 2018

Tech football opens spring practice on Thursday

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The transition phase is now over as the Tennessee Tech football team gets set to open its 2018 spring practice schedule on Thursday, March 22. For Dewayne Alexander’s first spring as the Golden Eagles’ head coach, it couldn’t come any sooner.

By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The transition phase is now over as the Tennessee Tech football team gets set to open its 2018 spring practice schedule on Thursday, March 22.

For Dewayne Alexander's first spring as the Golden Eagles' head coach, it couldn't come any sooner.

"Everyone keeps asking me, 'When are you going to start spring practice?' and I just keep telling them when it actually gets to be spring," joked Alexander. "We're still getting snow, but we couldn't be more excited to shift gears from where we were before Spring Break where it was heavy weight room activity and meetings to where we finally get to see these guys on the practice field and see them put on a football helmet. At this point, all we've seen them do is lift weights and run. We haven't seen them catch a pass or throw a pass, backpedal or all the things we're going to ask them to do."

And the goal is simple – but it sets up so much.

"Number one, you want to learn your team," Alexander said. "We want to be able to assess our team and come out of the spring and say, here's our two-deep, where do we feel like we'll be at roster-wise, what are we looking for in fall camp. Moving forward, it helps us set up our recruiting board. It just does a lot of things for us.

"Secondly, it helps these guys get to learn their new coaches and actually get out there and be in a competitive situation. We finally get to learn about each other, the personality of our team. The third thing is just fundamentals."

Alexander continued, "We have a lot of young guys on this team. A lot of this team are freshmen, redshirt freshmen, sophomores. We can watch last year's game film, but these guys weren't playing – they were redshirts playing scout team. We feel like there are some guys there who are quality players, so it gives us a chance to look at those guys and get them to learn our scheme and system."

It will be a slightly different venue for spring practice as Tucker Stadium is closed due to renovations to the track in preparation for the 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held in the stadium in May. The Golden Eagles will get their first two sessions in the stadium, and possibly a third, before moving to Sherlock Park.

Depending on the length of the track resurfacing project, Tech football will try to return to the stadium before the end of the spring practice schedule if the timing permits, but is scheduled in Sherlock Park as well as needed.

"We pushed the start of spring practice back a little bit because of the resurfacing project," Alexander said, "but, hopefully, we'll be able to get some practices and work done in the stadium on the turf."

But the practices in the open campus park will provide a different look as students passing by can look in on the progress.

"Maybe it will raise a little curiosity," Alexander said. "They'll go by and say, 'Hey, who's that out there?' The stadium, with the mesh fencing around it, sometimes you aren't even aware we're practicing in it. This will be a little more out in the open, but it is a good venue. It's close to our locker rooms. It has a nice area to video from. We're very appreciative of the opportunity to use it while ours is under construction here.

"It's still going to marked off 100 yards long and 53 1/3 yards wide. We're still going to have numbers and hashes, so we'll still have a place to practice."

All practices will be open to the public.

"I want people to come by and take a look at us," Alexander said. "I want them to ask 'Who's that?' There's a lot of hills out there for anyone who wants to throw down a blanket and watch practice. They're more than welcome to come out."

Tech opens practice on Thursday with a 7 a.m. session in shorts and helmets in the Athletic Performance Center, then moves to Sherlock Park on Friday for a 4 p.m. practice.

The Golden Eagles put the shells on for the first time on Saturday, March 24, for a 10:30 a.m. practice at Sherlock, then returns to 7 a.m. sessions for Tuesday and Thursday, March 27 and 29.

The final practice of March is the first one in full pads as the 4 p.m. practice on March 30 at Sherlock will feature the team in full gear.

The schedule continues through mid-April as the team hosts its first scrimmage on April 6, then its Spring Game on April 14.

The Spring Game is being geared toward an alumni gathering, inviting back the past to meet the present and future of Golden Eagle football – a Tech football family reunion, if you will.

"All of our former players are pushing for that," Alexander said. "We want to treat that like a game day. We have a 1:30 p.m. kickoff – we have several games during our season that kick off then. We're going to try to tailgate, do the whole thing, maybe even an Eagle Walk. We'll try to set up some tents out there and provide a barbecue dinner after the event is over.

"There is a big emphasis on getting more players back – and as many as we can. I wanted the spring event to do that along with our golf tournament, because the more opportunities you can offer, you can catch more people. Some people can't come during the summer. Some people can come in the spring, so we can catch more people. There will be some that will come to both, but it gives us an opportunity. We want the parents, the families, the people who support the young men on this team here. We want as many community people out as we can get and even the young men who have committed to come play for us for the next year. It gives them a chance to come and interact with current players, parents and people on our team.

Alexander continued, "We're really trying to create a family atmosphere here and, to do that, you've got to get them all together. This is our Tennessee Tech football family – our coaches, our players, our families, our wives, our kids, our alumni, our future Golden Eagles – and what better way to celebrate that than sit down with someone you just met and eat with them, have a conversation with them. (Assistant Athletic Director for External Relations) Matt Dexter and his Marketing and Promotions team are already working on getting things set up, so there will be more information on that later on. We certainly want to make that a special day."

Season tickets for the 2018 Tennessee Tech football season are already on sale. To order, or for more information, call the ticket office at (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office, or visit TTUsports.com.

2018 Tennessee Tech Spring Practice Schedule -- schedule subject to change

3/22 7 a.m. Tucker Stadium Shorts/Helmets

3/23 4 p.m. Tucker Stadium Shorts/Helmets

3/24 10:30 a.m. Sherlock Park/Tucker Stadium Shells

3/27 7 a.m. Sherlock Park/APC Shells

3/29 7 a.m. Sherlock Park/Tucker Stadium Shells

3/30 4 p.m. Sherlock Park/Tucker Stadium Full Pads

4/3 7 a.m. Sherlock Park/Tucker Stadium Full Pads

4/5 7 a.m. Sherlock Park/Tucker Stadium Shells

4/6 7 p.m. Sherlock Park/Tucker Stadium Scrimmage

4/7 1:30 p.m. Sherlock Park/Tucker Stadium Shorts

4/10 7 a.m. Sherlock Park/Tucker Stadium Full Pads