UP TO DATE NEWS ON UNA LIONS FOOTBALL!

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WALLACE LOOKING FOR LEADERS IN WEEK TWO
FLORENCE, Ala. -- University of North Alabama coach Bobby Wallace is looking for some leadership from his team as the Lions begin their second week of fall practice.

The Lions open their season two weeks from today on September 1 at Jacksonville State, and Wallace said he needs more players to help push the players through practice.

"The biggest thing I see right now is we need more leadership and more people pushing," Wallace said after practice Wednesday. "(Linebacker ) Darius Wright does it physically, but he doesn't say anything because he is new.

"Offensively, (tackle) Stephen Evans is the only vocal one out there trying to push people. Everyone else is out there feeling sorry for themselves, except for Jacob (Tucker) and Blake (Hawkins), but they have their plate full trying to get everything down at quarterback, so they don't have time to be a cheerleader. Some other people have to step up if we are going to be a good football team.

"It is an unusual group because usually your better players are very confident, which those guys are, but usually being vocal comes with confidence," Wallace said. "But a lot of our great players are very quiet guys. Still, cheerleading is not going to win a game -- it's about ability and giving effort.

"There is a place and time where quietly you can be a good leader and not have to yell and scream and bring attention to yourself. That's what I'm looking for – I'm not looking for a bunch of cheerleaders out there."

The heat took its toll during practice Wednesday morning as several players had to sit out with heat-related issues and some are out with injuries.

Wallace said defensive tackle DeAndre Harrison and defensive tackle Alfonso Hampton missed practice. The injuries, along with the heat, depleted the depth at defensive tackle.

The Lions will practice on Thursday at 9:15 a.m. and 3:15 p.m.


WALLACE SAYS LIONS HAVE TO PUSH THROUGH THE HEAT

FLORENCE, Ala. -- The University of North Alabama football team practiced twice Thursday in extreme heat on the Lions' eighth day of pre-season workouts and head coach Bobby Wallace challenged the team to push through the heat to improve every day.

"We've got a lot of competition and a lot of guys playing with enthusiasm, but you can tell some players are just marking off the days and waiting for the season to start," Wallace said. "You can't just turn it on like that for the games. That's not good. We have to pick up the intensity and work to get better every day that we're out here.

"I'm pleased. I'm not disappointed. But we need to push ourselves a little harder and not just go through the motions.
We are still putting in new things every day. It's hot. It's tough. A lot of new things are coming at them and we need leaders to step up and help push through it."

Wallace said he continues to be pleased with quarterback Jacob Tucker.

"Jacob is doing really well," Wallace said. "He is a great competitor, has a good arm and is good running the ball. He has had a few days where he has forced some things and part of that is a product of the fact that he is wearing the red jersey and isn't being tackled. So in a game where he would pull it down and escape or be sacked, the play continues and we end up forcing something."

Wallace said the veteran group of defensive backs also continue to stand out in UNA's practice sessions.

"They are a veteran group who has played a lot of football games and they should be way ahead of everybody else," Wallace said. "As a group, they're mature and experienced. Philbert Martial and Levi Fell have been starting for us for four years and Khyle Jackson, James Rivers and Dorsey Norris are all older guys who have played a lot of college football and know what we are trying to do."

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Terrence Humprhey has good bloodlines. His uncle Donnie was a five year letterman (due to injury) at Auburn as an All-SEC defensive tackle. He played three years with the Packers as a starting defensive tackle. Terrence Sr. went to Auburn as a 6-6 230 pound defensive end but transferred to UNA to play linebacker.

Malik Emmett's dad was a defensive back at UNA who was drafted by the Redskins. Marcene certainly would have benefited from all the expansion since then. Also check out the SEC coaches salaries in 1983. Yep, the dollar is becoming more and more worthless with each passing year.

Of course Peyton Satterfield is the son of maybe the greatest running in UNA history, former Green Bay Packer Brian Satterfield.

Lions looking for separation at running back
By Jeff McIntyre Assistant Sports Editor

FLORENCE — For the first time in four years Lamonte Thompson is not the featured running back in North Alabama’s spread option offense.

Thompson started for four straight years with the Lions and finished his career as UNA’s second-leading rusher of all time. He ran for 1,212 yards in 2015, becoming the first Lion to rush for more than 1,000 yards since 1997.

Replacing a player like Thompson is no easy task. The Lions also lost Diamond Simmons, who backed up Thompson for the past four years and produced many big plays himself.

After a little more than a week of preseason practice UNA is still trying to figure out who their feature back will be. Head coach Bobby Wallace said the Lions likely will not find out who their top running back us until after the season opener at Jacksonville State on Sept. 1.

“They are just all lumped together right now,” Wallace said. “I would like to see somebody break out of that and take charge to give us some separation.

“But we’re not going to get that before the first game because we’re not tackling. You can’t really evaluate running backs when you are not tackling. It’s not worth doing it just to get that evaluation.”

There is no shortage of candidates to replace Thompson in the backfield. The list includes sophomores Damon Cox and Peyton Satterfield, along with redshirt freshmen Terence Humphrey and Emmett.

Cox was the No. 3 back in 2016. He saw limited playing time, running for 134 yards on 43 carries. Humphrey and Emmett spent last year on the scout team as true freshman. Satterfield, who redshirted in 2014, played in two games last season and had 17 yards rushing on 10 carries.

Humphrey was one of the most heralded members of the 2015 signing class. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder said he is much more confident this season after redshirting last year.

“I came here with the mindset that I wanted to compete,” Humphrey said. “The redshirt did wonders for me because I was able to get into my playbook, so I’ve been able to jump right in and compete.

“It is good competition and that’s what it is all about. I love it and I wish the best of luck to all of them. It’s cool to have so much depth because if one of us gets banged up and can’t go then we have someone who can come in fresh and get the job done.”

Also in the mix at running back are junior college transfer Ray Beasley and Murray State transfer Nick Taylor. Beasley and Taylor each weigh around 155 pounds, so they will be used differently form the other four backs. Beasley has impressed the coaches with his speed and quickness, while Taylor has been nursing a sprained ankle.

“We’ll have a package for Beasley and Taylor will be with him when he gets well,” Wallace said. “We’ll find a package for him and get the ball to him in various ways, whether it is throwing to him or running sweeps. It will be similar to the way we used (Jarret) Smith last year. When you have great quickness and speed there are ways to utilize you.”

Wallace said the fact that the running back competition is so close can be looked at as a positive or a negative.

“It’s probably a good thing because that means we have a lot of good ones, but it’s bad because it means maybe we don’t have one jump out and really separate himself,” Wallace said. “But when we get in the games somebody will separate. Everybody can do different things, so we’ll go into the first game playing them all and go from there.”

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Fuimaono, Norris making up for lost time with Lions

Norris is going to be a nightmare for unfortunate receivers and running backs. He showed he had a good nasty streak in the spring. Gonna be fun to watch him but not to play against. He's similar in size to the two big safeties (Caleb Massey and Nick Williams) who wreaked havoc in 2013 except he's a little bigger and a whole lot nastier.

By Jeff McIntyre Assistant Sports Editor​

FLORENCE — It is still the first week of practice, but several newcomers have already shown the ability to help out North Alabama’s defense.

Two other players who have a chance to make an impact on defense are not newcomers, although they have yet to play a down for the Lions.

Junior defensive tackle Sean Fuimaono and junior safety Dorsey Norris each redshirted last season after being declared academically ineligible for the 2015 season. Both players kept practicing with the team last year and are eager to play their first game at UNA.

“It was tough last year because it was late in camp when the coaches called me and told me I wouldn’t be able to play because I was missing a class,” Fuimaono said. “It hurt me for a little while, but my teammates started picking me up. It was hard — like redshirting all over again. But I just took every day as a new challenge and was able to push through it.”

Fuimaono and Norris were teammates at Southwestern (California) Community College. Norris said he and Fuimaono talked often last year and tried to help each other keep from getting discouraged with their situation.

“We kept each other up,” Norris said. “I’m not going to say we got low, but it was tough on us because of the expectations we had. We just kept pushing each other and made sure we took care of business academically so we would be back out there this year.

“Last year was tough, but just like in life you are going to be faced with adversity and you just have to learn how to bounce back and come back better from it. I’m just thankful Coach (Bobby) Wallace kept us around because he could have let us go at any time. It was a blessing for him to keep us here and hopefully we will give back to the program the way we should.”

Fuimaono is competing with several players at defensive tackle, including DeAndre Harrison, Freddie Reed, Eddquerion Harris, Frank Williams and Alfonso Hampton. One of UNA’s strongest players, Fuimaono is expected to be a huge help stopping the run.

“Hopefully I bring some more strength to the D-line,” Fuimaono said. “Everybody is returning on the line, so we have a lot of friendly competition going on. You know you have to step up every play and that is making us all better.”

Norris was in line for significant playing time in 2015 before it was discovered he was ineligible. He worked with the scout team in the fall and was one UNA’s top defensive players during spring practice.

The only negative for Norris in the spring was he bulked up to 247 pounds. He realized he was going to either have to lose some weight or move to linebacker.

“When I left in the summer I weighed 247 pounds,” he said. “My whole objective during the summer was to lose around 27 pounds and I did. I came back at 220 and I’m feeling great. I’m just excited to get it going.”

Norris is battling Khyle Jackson and James Rivers at safety, although all three are expected to rotate. Norris is much quicker at his new weight and he is among the Lions’ most physical defensive players.

After sitting out last season, both players can’t wait till the season opener at Jacksonville State on Sept. 1.

“It’s always exciting to play against a top-tier team,” Norris said. “I’m just excited to play again. At first I wondered why this was happening to me last year, but it was a blessing in disguise because I got to learn from safeties like Floyd Jones and Jalen Reedus. I see now that I had to mature mentally and physically to be a leader on this team.”

“I haven’t played in a big stadium yet,” Fuimaono said. “In junior college we would fit a couple hundred people in, but here they are talking about thousands. I’m excited to get back on the field and feel that rush again.”

PRACTICE NOTES: The Lions went through their first two-a-day practices Tuesday, working in full pads in the morning session. The coaches put the players through a 96-play team session and Wallace was pleased with the results.

“Obviously they were dragging a little bit at the end because 96 plays is a ton,” Wallace said. “But I was pleased with what I saw and guys keep showing up. Julius Jones had a great day, Darius Wright had another good day, Dorsey Norris did some good things and Ray Beasley made a really good run.”

Several Lions sat out practice with injuries. The list included running back Nick Taylor (sprained ankle); wide receiver Jay Ramson (sprained ankle) and tackle Ethan Orr (bruised knee).

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UNA dealing with another injury

By Jeff McIntyre Assistant Sports Editor​

FLORENCE — Despite doing everything possible to avoid getting players hurt in practice North Alabama is dealing with its second potential season-ending injury of the week.

Junior tackle Ethan Orr suffered a knee injury in practice earlier this week and could be facing season-ending surgery. Coach Bobby Wallace said Orr was still being evaluated, but did not sound optimistic about his chances of playing this year.

“He is going to have his knee fixed at some point in time, but it is a situation where he possibly could play with it,” Wallace said. “But he doesn’t want to burn a year by playing half a season and then having surgery. He has a redshirt year, so we have to weigh that situation. We just have to play it day by day and see how the meetings with the doctor goes and then go from there.”

The loss of Orr would be a huge blow to the Lions. The 6-foot-6, 344-pounder was one of UNA’s top signees in February out of East Mississippi Community College. Orr had been working with the first team offensive line at right tackle.

“It is a huge blow because he can play guard or tackle, and he could probably play center,” Wallace said. “The fact that he can play so many place and that he is a great player it hurts a lot.”

With Orr out, redshirt freshman Jordan Sogers moved up to the first team at right tackle. Another change at Friday’s practice was Lance Harrod working with the first team at center instead of senior Cody Vaughn. Harrod is a junior who transferred from Point University.

The rest of the first team offensive line has Stephen Evans at left tackle, Terrance Knighten at left guard and Jordan Brooks at right guard. Vaughn is backing up at center and guard.

“Eventually we are going to have to look at Jordan Brooks at tackle to give us more depth there,” Wallace said. “I think we are fine inside at center and guard, but we only have three tackles now with Evans, Sogers and Andrew Martin backing them up.”
YOUNG PLAYERS STEP UP

Wallace said UNA is getting close to the time when it has to decide which players will play this season and which will be redshirted. With that in mind the coaches took an extended look at several young players Friday and Wallace said several stood out.

He singled out senior wide receiver Jay Ramson and junior running back Ray Beasley, as well as freshman cornerback Dwain Smith from Muscle Shoals.

“Dwain Smith is really showing some signs he can help us this year as a freshman,” Wallace said. “Do we need him this year? We’re not 100 percent sure because of the depth at that position. But he is moving up on the ladder of playing because of the number of corners we use.”

Wallace also singled out former Muscle Shoals kicker Rhett Morrison, who was 3 for 3 on field goals in team work Thursday. Morrison is backing up senior Kevin Henke.
TWO PRACTICES TODAY

UNA will practice twice today, beginning with a workout in shorts at 9:15 a.m. The Lions will have pictures made at Braly Stadium in the afternoon and then practice in full pads at Braly at 3:30 p.m. as they continue preparations for the season opener at Jacksonville State on Thursday, Sept. 1.

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No doubt Jeff McIntyre is the best football reporter in the GSC and maybe the best in D2 nation-wide!

Family issues led Ramson to UNA

By Jeff McIntyre Assistant Sports Editor

FLORENCE — Jay Ramson has been forced to grow up in a hurry in the past year.

The former Muscle Shoals standout receiver has dealt with family issues as well as problems on the playing field. All those issues have lead him back to the Shoals as a member of the North Alabama football team.

Ramson signed with Samford out of high school and spent three seasons with the Bulldogs. A coaching change after the 2014 season resulted in a reduction in his playing time in 2015.

About that same time, Ramson’s mother became very ill. He also had a child on the way, so he faced the choice of finishing his career at Samford or returning home to help take care of his family.

“It was just a bad turn of events,” Ramson said. “We had the coaching change at Samford and then I had the family issues, so I decided to come home.

“It was a lot on my mind at the time and I had a lot of people in my ear. My mom was telling me not to transfer, just because that is the type person she was. She knew I wanted to be here for her, but she wanted what was best for me, which was to finish school in Birmingham.”

Ramson decided to come home, so he left Samford after the fall of 2015. He knew he wanted to continue to play college football, so that led him to UNA. He signed to play for the Lions in February.

His daughter, Adalyn, was born in February. Ramson’s joy, however, turned to sorrow a few weeks later when his mother died in April from heart problems.

Ramson admits the past few months have been difficult, but he said he has learned from the hard times.

“Everything is falling into place,” he said. “I’ve grown so much since I came back because I’ve had to make more decisions on my own since my mom passed away.”

While he had plenty on his mind besides football, Ramson did his best to stay in playing shape. He worked out on his own and did 7 on 7 drills with some of the players over the summer.

When UNA's practice began, Ramson said he quickly saw that the completion level was very similar to what it was at Samford.

“It’s about the same speed and the same level of competition,” he said. “You still can’t take any plays off and you have to come out and go hard all the time. The offense is not as fast a tempo as we did at Samford, but I really like it. We’ve got a great group of receivers here.”

At 6-foot-3, Ramson gives the Lions another big target to go with 6-foot-4 Julius Jones. Ramson has been working with the second-team offense, but has also taken reps with the first team.

Coach Bobby Wallace said Ramson is showing he can help the Lions this season.

“Jay is really coming along well — even faster than I thought he would,” Wallace said. “He gives us some outside depth, which we needed. Having that other big body at wide receiver is huge for us.”

Ramson said a year ago he never would have imagined being back home and playing at UNA. But now that he has returned he plans on making the most of the opportunity and is excited for the chance to play in front of his family and friends.

“I hope to come in and have a good performance for the home crowd,” Ramson said. “We weren’t on TV at Samford, so nobody really got to see me play. It's exciting that everyone will be able to come see me play.

“I liked it in Birmingham and didn’t really want to leave. But I had to come home and UNA was here for me and gave me a scholarship, so I’m going to go all out and give it everything I’ve got this year.”

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FLORENCE — Defenses are normally ahead of the offenses early in fall camp and that appeared to be the case at North Alabama during the first week of practice.

But with the Sept. 1 season opener at Jacksonville State fast approaching UNA’s offense appears to be rounding into shape. New offensive coordinator Steadman Campbell said most of the question marks coming into fall practice have been answered.

“For the most part we have got our answers, but there are still some questions to be answered,” Campbell said. “The main thing is figuring out the best way to create depth, which may mean moving guys around and seeing them in different positions.

“But we do feel like we have a good handle on who we will be counting on and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Now it’s time to start pulling back on what we are doing and focusing a little more on Jacksonville State.”

The big question for the offensive continues to be at running back. Damon Cox, Terence Humphrey, Mailk Emmett and Ray Beasley are all in the mix, but no one has stepped up as the definite No. 1 back.

“It is a concern,” Campbell said. “A lot of it has been the way we’ve been practicing because we haven’t done much full-speed to-the-ground tackling. I like our backs, but I’m still a little apprehensive about how they are going to handle that game-type situation.”

Campbell said he has been pleased with the way Jacob Tucker has taken charge at quarterback. While Tucker has made just one career start he has played extensively the past three years, normally coming in for starter Luke Wingo on the third series of each half.

Behind Tucker there is nobody who has taken a college snap. Redshirt freshman Blake Hawkins in the No. 2 quarterback, while true freshman Landon Collins and Tyler Jeffreys are battling for the No. 3 spot.

Hawkins, the former Florence standout, has had a solid camp and Campbell said he will play against Jacksonville State.

“We will play Blake, we just don’t know exactly how much yet,” Campbell said. “I don’t know if it will be as iron-clad as it has been the past couple of years with Wingo and Tucker, but Blake brings a skill set that we are going to try to use.

“We’ll have a package for Blake and we will try to get him in and mix it up with him and Tucker has much as we can. Blake has improved a lot from the spring. He is throwing the ball better, his footwork is better and he is reading the coverages better. If he keeps improving he is a guy who will be very successful here.”

UNA’s starting wide receivers appear set with Dre Hall, Jaylan Jackson and Julius Jones. Campbell said there is still competition going on for playing time, but players such as Jay Ramson, Hagan Scott, Jacob Thomas and Coty Spurling have looked good in practice.

The offensive line suffered a big blow last week when junior college guard Ethan Orr suffered a torn ACL. Orr, who was expected to start at right tackle, will likely undergo season-ending surgery.

“Losing Ethan is definitely not the way you want to go into the season, but that gives other guys opportunities,” Campbell said. “We’re not as deep as we would like, but I don’t think anybody is at that position. We’ll just have to do a good job finding who can play tackle and it may bell that we will have to move guys around during the game.”

Campbell is happy with the overall attitude and work ethic the offense has shown.

“I the leadership with Tucker and Stephen Evans, along with (fullback) Ryan Harper,” Campbell said. “Our guys work hard and they like to practice, so that has been a plus. Now we have to start polishing up and getting ready for Jacksonville State.”

[lions09]

Thanks for posting these!

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Intensity picking up at UNA
By Jeff McIntyre Assistant Sports Editor

FLORENCE — The intensity picked up at practice Tuesday as North Alabama continued preparations for its season opener at Jacksonville State on Thursday, Sept. 1

UNA did plenty of scrimmage work, including some goal-line situations at the end of practice. Coach Bobby Wallace was excited to see the intensity on both sides of the ball.

“We had good intensity all day and it was the best practice we’ve had this year,” Wallace said. “We gave them a day off Sunday, so Monday was a typical practice after a day off, but they came out on fire today.

“There were more licks passed today and we were more physical today than we have been in every practice combined before. It’s very encouraging.”

Wallace singled out many of UNA’s linebackers with having great days of practice. That list included projected starters Eddrick Harris and Darius Wright, along with backups Roderick Rice and Johnny Anderson.

On offense, Wallace singled out wide receiver Tevin Cook and running back Ray Beasley.

While the Lions have begun working on their plan for Jacksonville State, they have not yet split up into scout teams.

“Jacksonville State does so many things similar to us that we are better off going against each other,” Wallace said. “We’ll go to the stadium tomorrow and still go against each other, although the No. 1 defense will primarily go against the No. 2 and No. 3 defenses and vice versa.

“We’ll come back and go against each other again Thursday then be off Friday. We’ll come back Saturday and that’s when we will put them on scout teams because it will be like a Monday before the first game.”

Because the opener is a non-conference game UNA will not be limited to the 60 it can travel for Gulf South Conference games. The Lions’ next road game will not be until Sept. 24 at West Alabama.

“We will probably take from 60 to 66 guys to Jacksonville,” Wallace said. “We have an open date after that and then a home game, so it is almost a month until we have to get down to 60. If we have guys who have already been redshirted then you don’t have to worry about burning a year if you play them.”

Defensive tackle DeAndre Harrison has returned to practice and the Lions hope to get offensive lineman Kamarine King back Saturday. King has been dealing with a concussion. Defensive back Jarek Taylor (torn Achilles) and offensive lineman Ethan Orr (knee) are the only players ruled out for the season opener.

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FLORENCE — Alfonso Hampton got a very late start on his football career.

A basketball player in high school, Hampton never played football despite his 6-foot-5 inch frame.

“I guess it was pushed on me so much that it turned me off on it,” said Hampton, who transferred to UNA for his final season. “I was always tall, but I wasn’t always this big, so my interest was in basketball.”

After graduating from Morse High School in San Diego, Hampton worked at various jobs over the next five years. He said his sister talked him into going to junior college and enrolled him at Southwestern College in San Diego in 2012.

Now weighing more than 300 pounds, Hampton quickly caught the attention of one of the football coaches at Southwestern.

“I ended up walking onto the field one day and the defensive line coach stopped me and pretty much badgered me for about an hour about playing football,” Hampton said. “He finally convinced me to sign up for a weight-lifting class. I signed up and ended up playing that year.

“The first day I practiced it took me an hour and a half to put my pads on. Then in practice they told me to go to the ‘A’ gap and I didn’t know what that was. They pretty much had to go back to Pop Warner Football with me, but our defensive line coach took me under his wing and helped me a lot.”

Despite having to learn football on the fly, Hampton enjoyed success as a defensive lineman at Southwestern. As a sophomore he had 32 tackles and 5.5 sacks. He was named first-team All-America and was rated the nation’s No. 10 junior college prospect by ESPN.

Hampton eventually signed to play at Texas A&M-Commerce, but things did not work out as he had hoped. He battled a knee injury all year and ended up playing in just six games and recording six tackles.

“Everything was working out, but I missed about half the season due to injuries,” Hampton said. “It was just some non-football stuff that we were not able to work out, so I decided to get a fresh start and come to the University of North Alabama.”

Hampton has been working his way into playing shape in the early days of fall practice. He said he reported at 365 pounds, but is now down to 349. He hopes to play at 330 pounds this season.

The knee injury has kept Hampton out of action for several practices and his status for the season opener at Jacksonville State on Sept. 1 is questionable.

Coach Bobby Wallace said the coaching staff is taking a patient approach with Hampton.

“He has trouble with the knee because he never really rehabbed it,” Wallace said. “We have to get the knee built up. It is amazing he has played on it as much as he has, but that was probably one of his issues last year.

“You have to be patient with some guys, which is something I’ve learned over time. If it is midseason before he comes around and starts really coming on that’s fine, but he is going to help us somewhere along the way. He’ll come around and we’re fortunate to have good depth there.”

While UNA is deep at defensive tackle, Hampton’s size would give the Lions an added dimension. Hampton said he is getting treatment on his knee several times a day and is determined to play in next week’s season opener.

“It is going to be tough, but I plan on doing whatever it takes to be ready,” he said. I’m in the treatment room three or four times a day. My plan is still to play in the opener and I’m hoping for the best.

“I know they brought me here for a reason. We have some really good guys, but they needed some size up front. I love at UNA and I plan on making an impact here like I did at Southeast. I sure don’t want a repeat of last year.”

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Great stories. It's going to be an exciting season.

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Newcomers step in on UNA offensive line
By Jeff McIntyre

FLORENCE — There has been plenty of movement along the offensive line during North Alabama’s preseason camp.

The Lions returned three two players who started every game in 2015 in senior tackle Stephen Evans and senior center Cody Vaughn, along with senior guard Jordan Brooks, who started five games.

Coming into camp the coaches expected several newcomers to make an impact on the line. Heading that list was junior college transfer Ethan Orr. The 6-foot-6, 344-pound Orr began working with the first team at right tackle on the first day of practice.

But less than a week into practice Orr suffered a torn ACL and was lost for the season. Redshirt freshman Jordan Sogers moved into Orr’s spot at right tackle.

When UNA opens the season Thursday night at Jacksonville State it will have two newcomers starting on the line in Terrance Knighten at left guard and Lance Harrod at center. Knighten transferred to UNA from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, while Harrod came to UNA from Point University.

“I am a little nervous about the numbers, but I am very pleased with the offensive line,” coach Bobby Wallace said. “Kamarine King is back at practice, so that gives us another guard to go with Terrance Knighten and Jordan Brooks. I like Lance Harrod and Cody Vaughn at center, and we three tackles, plus Brooks can go out there if needed.”

Knighten has been working with the first team since the first fall practice. Harrod, meanwhile moved in front of Vaughn at center in the second week of practice.

Knighten said he likes the way the line has come together.

“We have a lot of camaraderie up front and we have really good communication,” Knighten said. “Kam King has come back and played well, which is good to see. I feel like things have gone well and we’re ready to play.”

King is the top reserve at guard, while Vaughn can also play guard. Evans, a preseason All-GSC pick at tackle, can also move inside if needed. Navy transfer Andrew Martin is the top reserve at tackle, while Brooks can move to tackle if needed. True freshman Lance Kephart has been working with the second team at tackle.

“Kephart would be our fourth tackle, if we choose to play him,” Wallace said. “So right now we have nine in the fray instead of 10. But that nine is enough. We’ve won championships here before with six or seven.”

Knighten, who can also play center, said having so many players who can play multiple positons is huge for the offensive line.

It’s real important to have some versatility,” he said. “I’ve played right guard, left guard and center, so it really doesn’t matter to me which one I play. When somebody gets hurt you have to have somebody else step up.”

The Lions will face an outstanding defensive line in Thursday’s opener. Jacksonville State defensive linemen Darius Jackson and Desmond Owino were each named preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference. Jenkins, who is the preseason OVC Defensive Player of the Year, recorded 56 tackles and 7.0 sacks in 2015.

Knighten said he is confident the offensive line is ready for the challenge Thursday night.

“With our versatility and communication we can be a really good offensive line,” he said. “We’ve worked hard and everybody is in good shape. Now it’s just a matter of going out and doing our assignments.”