Today was the first day of spring, though it felt far more like fall up at Joe Walton Stadium. It was also the second day of spring football for Robert Morris.
The gaps in between practices are another new part of the John Banaszak era. Under Joe Walton, Robert Morris would go four or five days in a row and then take a day or two off. The sessions, which usually started in late March and ran until right before Easter, were a lot like a normal training camp, minus some of the intense conditioning and with the addition of some more teaching.
The other new face of the Banaszak era? Conditioning like crazy. A Joe Walton practice ended with field goal practice followed by striders. A Banaszak practice ends similarly, but prior to those final two stages are an intense conditioning period and additional 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 work. A major reason for the intense conditioning lies with the offense, which is ratcheted up the tempo a couple hundred notches or so. In order to be able to handle that tempo, Robert Morris' stamina has to be better, and the only way you get that ready is in spring ball.
Even the warm-ups are more intense. They're being led by strength coach Todd Hamer, whereas the pregame stuff and pre-practice stuff was pretty routine and not usually led by Hamer under Walton.
Just another small window into the changes to the program under Banaszak.
TWO-DEEP DEPTH CHART
After getting a closer look at some of the rotations, here's a close approximation of the depth chart through two practices.
QB - Paul Jones/Marcus Prather/Derik Abbott
RB - Kenny Davis, Phil Peckich
H-Back - Ryan Thermil, Justin Kempka
Slot WR - Warren Fields, Jordan Blackmon
WR - Duane Mitchell, Sean Gavin
WR - Chaq Nettles, Chad Dawgiello
LT - Dylan Knight, Riley Feenan
LG - Blake Chambliss, Jonah Tyus
C - Nick Faraci, Anthony Lucian
RG - Josh Thiel, Jonah Tyus
RT - Jon Hill, Chris O'Connor
DE - Ryan Lewis, Austin Trgovich
DT - Zac Bennett, Zack Zamiska
DE - Forrest Mason, Austin Trgovich
OLB - Nic Lamica, Zach Cooper
MLB - Jimmy Masson, Nelson Lucas-Murphy
MLB - Jake Tkach, Nelson Lucas-Murphy
OLB - Luke Mueller, Zach Cooper
CB - Antwan Eddie, Andy Smigiera
CB - David Taylor, Keith O'Kelly
S - Andy Smigiera, Sam Woods
S - Logan Kelleher, Codi Casper
DEPTH CHART NOTES
Some updates on a few missing players:As previously mentioned, LB Kimani Smith, CB Brian Jones and CB Marcelis Branch have been suspended and are not participating in spring practice.ColonialsCorner found out today that two others have been suspended for a violation of team rules: DE T.J. Matrascia and LB T.J. Waters. Neither is participating in spring practice and we do not have a confirmed timetable for their return to football activities.A reminder that DE Ryan Budny and WR Alex Caratelli, both freshmen, chose to leave the team in the offseasonDE Mike Woltz has moved to the team's new H-Back position. Woltz played all over the field in high school at Peters Township, but worked as a scout team defensive end as a freshman last fall.Defensive depth is extremely limited due to the suspensions and graduation. There's a lot of mixing and matching in an attempt to get guys breathers. No one can complain about the amount of reps they're getting, though, that's for sure.The offensive skill position players rotate a ton. The ones listed are the guys who led off the majority of the drills. But there are a ton of reps to go around and some mixing and matching at receiver and in the backfield.
WALK THIS WAYRobert Morris has more holdovers from its in-season walk-on group this spring than it has in years past due to the numbers issue. There are a number of guys who did not practice with the team in August but joined on the first day of classes who are getting reps with the team this spring. So, in an effort to give them a shout - especially since a couple of them are showing up on the two-deep depth chart - here are some of those guys.
#86 TE/FB Kaleb Springer (6'1, 210 - Hollidaysburg, Pa.)
#56 DE Austin Trgovcich (6'2, 270 - Youngstown, Ohio)
#39 DB Davone Swain (5'10, 190 - Delray, NJ)
#27 DB Keith O'Kelly (5'9, 170 - Waldorf, MD)
#80 WR Uni Akpan (5'11, 180 - Voorhees, NJ)
Springer enrolled as a freshman last year. Trgovcich actually signed with Youngstown State and spent a year there before joining up with Robert Morris in the fall. Swain and Akpan were part of the team in the fall, and I believe Akpan was actually with the team in August. Both are older guys.
Graves and O'Kelly enrolled previously as freshmen and have been in and out of the mix at times due to numbers. All have been added to the roster, though they're not on the eligibility chart for now. There might be one or two others that we're missing and we'll add them as we get updated.
INDIVIDUAL NOTESLB Mike Stojkovic did not participate today after having minor foot surgery. I believe that was the latest step in his rehab process after injuring the foot in the fall. He's not expected to miss much, though the main goal is to have him 100 percent for August.Also out were OL Max Robertson, who participated on Tuesday, and DL Henry Jartu. Jartu has yet to participate after missing most of last season with a concussion.We're going to hold off evaluating the quarterbacks for a couple practices. For one, we want to see more of how they handle the new system. It's not like we're working off their previous experiences much anymore. It's a completely different set-up with new reads and new rhythms. That said, I think a couple of the guys who have experience in spread offenses - Derik Abbott and Marcus Prather, in particular - might be a step ahead of the more pro-style guys through two days of practice. Abbott and Prather just have that experience to lean on, though I'm sure the terminology and the concepts are different in several ways. Time will tell what kind of role they have in the offense, but shiftier backs like Phil Peckich and Kenny Davis have looked good as receivers coming out of the backfield in the new offense. Both seem to have above average hands and turn up field quickly. Ryan Thermil also looks good out of the backfield and might be more of a receiving weapon this year if he gets the nod.With a lot of holes at linebacker, holdovers Mike Stojkovic and Luke Mueller are obviously crucial to the team's success. It will also be important for newcomers like Nelson Lucas-Murphy and the freshmen who will arrive in August to get up to speed quickly. But if you're looking for a holdover to take a major step forward, Nic Lamica might be the guy. He's in tremendous shape - he was lapping people during conditioning drills - and he has a big, long frame that's perfect for the outside linebacker spot at RMU. He and Kimani Smith are actually built pretty similar, and I'm sure RMU was kind of hoping to get both of them on the field at once this year. That would have been a lot of speed and athleticism on the outside. Lamica also has a bit of a nasty streak on the field, which you always like at linebacker. We haven't heard much of him in his first two years, but with Branch and Jones suspended, this will probably be David Taylor's time at corner opposite of Antwan Eddie. There's always the possibility someone comes in and pushes past him, but the speedy Florida native should get a long look as a starter. He came in highly touted after getting major college looks. Teams just passed on him because he's not that big.Keep an eye on Logan Kelleher at safety. He's been working next to Andy Smigiera and he's a bit of a ballhawk. He made a nice diving interception on a tipped ball in drills, and though he's smaller (he's built like D.J. Myers was) he can bring some physicality with his play, too. All of these competitions will be open through August, but Kelleher might have an early edge.
That's all we have for now. We won't be at Saturday's practice due to duties elsewhere, though we'll have content up all weekend. The next scheduled practice we'll be attending is on Monday.
This post was edited on 3/24 8:16 PM by Andrew_Chiappazzi
The gaps in between practices are another new part of the John Banaszak era. Under Joe Walton, Robert Morris would go four or five days in a row and then take a day or two off. The sessions, which usually started in late March and ran until right before Easter, were a lot like a normal training camp, minus some of the intense conditioning and with the addition of some more teaching.
The other new face of the Banaszak era? Conditioning like crazy. A Joe Walton practice ended with field goal practice followed by striders. A Banaszak practice ends similarly, but prior to those final two stages are an intense conditioning period and additional 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 work. A major reason for the intense conditioning lies with the offense, which is ratcheted up the tempo a couple hundred notches or so. In order to be able to handle that tempo, Robert Morris' stamina has to be better, and the only way you get that ready is in spring ball.
Even the warm-ups are more intense. They're being led by strength coach Todd Hamer, whereas the pregame stuff and pre-practice stuff was pretty routine and not usually led by Hamer under Walton.
Just another small window into the changes to the program under Banaszak.
TWO-DEEP DEPTH CHART
After getting a closer look at some of the rotations, here's a close approximation of the depth chart through two practices.
QB - Paul Jones/Marcus Prather/Derik Abbott
RB - Kenny Davis, Phil Peckich
H-Back - Ryan Thermil, Justin Kempka
Slot WR - Warren Fields, Jordan Blackmon
WR - Duane Mitchell, Sean Gavin
WR - Chaq Nettles, Chad Dawgiello
LT - Dylan Knight, Riley Feenan
LG - Blake Chambliss, Jonah Tyus
C - Nick Faraci, Anthony Lucian
RG - Josh Thiel, Jonah Tyus
RT - Jon Hill, Chris O'Connor
DE - Ryan Lewis, Austin Trgovich
DT - Zac Bennett, Zack Zamiska
DE - Forrest Mason, Austin Trgovich
OLB - Nic Lamica, Zach Cooper
MLB - Jimmy Masson, Nelson Lucas-Murphy
MLB - Jake Tkach, Nelson Lucas-Murphy
OLB - Luke Mueller, Zach Cooper
CB - Antwan Eddie, Andy Smigiera
CB - David Taylor, Keith O'Kelly
S - Andy Smigiera, Sam Woods
S - Logan Kelleher, Codi Casper
DEPTH CHART NOTES
Some updates on a few missing players:As previously mentioned, LB Kimani Smith, CB Brian Jones and CB Marcelis Branch have been suspended and are not participating in spring practice.ColonialsCorner found out today that two others have been suspended for a violation of team rules: DE T.J. Matrascia and LB T.J. Waters. Neither is participating in spring practice and we do not have a confirmed timetable for their return to football activities.A reminder that DE Ryan Budny and WR Alex Caratelli, both freshmen, chose to leave the team in the offseasonDE Mike Woltz has moved to the team's new H-Back position. Woltz played all over the field in high school at Peters Township, but worked as a scout team defensive end as a freshman last fall.Defensive depth is extremely limited due to the suspensions and graduation. There's a lot of mixing and matching in an attempt to get guys breathers. No one can complain about the amount of reps they're getting, though, that's for sure.The offensive skill position players rotate a ton. The ones listed are the guys who led off the majority of the drills. But there are a ton of reps to go around and some mixing and matching at receiver and in the backfield.
WALK THIS WAYRobert Morris has more holdovers from its in-season walk-on group this spring than it has in years past due to the numbers issue. There are a number of guys who did not practice with the team in August but joined on the first day of classes who are getting reps with the team this spring. So, in an effort to give them a shout - especially since a couple of them are showing up on the two-deep depth chart - here are some of those guys.
#86 TE/FB Kaleb Springer (6'1, 210 - Hollidaysburg, Pa.)
#56 DE Austin Trgovcich (6'2, 270 - Youngstown, Ohio)
#39 DB Davone Swain (5'10, 190 - Delray, NJ)
#27 DB Keith O'Kelly (5'9, 170 - Waldorf, MD)
#80 WR Uni Akpan (5'11, 180 - Voorhees, NJ)
Springer enrolled as a freshman last year. Trgovcich actually signed with Youngstown State and spent a year there before joining up with Robert Morris in the fall. Swain and Akpan were part of the team in the fall, and I believe Akpan was actually with the team in August. Both are older guys.
Graves and O'Kelly enrolled previously as freshmen and have been in and out of the mix at times due to numbers. All have been added to the roster, though they're not on the eligibility chart for now. There might be one or two others that we're missing and we'll add them as we get updated.
INDIVIDUAL NOTESLB Mike Stojkovic did not participate today after having minor foot surgery. I believe that was the latest step in his rehab process after injuring the foot in the fall. He's not expected to miss much, though the main goal is to have him 100 percent for August.Also out were OL Max Robertson, who participated on Tuesday, and DL Henry Jartu. Jartu has yet to participate after missing most of last season with a concussion.We're going to hold off evaluating the quarterbacks for a couple practices. For one, we want to see more of how they handle the new system. It's not like we're working off their previous experiences much anymore. It's a completely different set-up with new reads and new rhythms. That said, I think a couple of the guys who have experience in spread offenses - Derik Abbott and Marcus Prather, in particular - might be a step ahead of the more pro-style guys through two days of practice. Abbott and Prather just have that experience to lean on, though I'm sure the terminology and the concepts are different in several ways. Time will tell what kind of role they have in the offense, but shiftier backs like Phil Peckich and Kenny Davis have looked good as receivers coming out of the backfield in the new offense. Both seem to have above average hands and turn up field quickly. Ryan Thermil also looks good out of the backfield and might be more of a receiving weapon this year if he gets the nod.With a lot of holes at linebacker, holdovers Mike Stojkovic and Luke Mueller are obviously crucial to the team's success. It will also be important for newcomers like Nelson Lucas-Murphy and the freshmen who will arrive in August to get up to speed quickly. But if you're looking for a holdover to take a major step forward, Nic Lamica might be the guy. He's in tremendous shape - he was lapping people during conditioning drills - and he has a big, long frame that's perfect for the outside linebacker spot at RMU. He and Kimani Smith are actually built pretty similar, and I'm sure RMU was kind of hoping to get both of them on the field at once this year. That would have been a lot of speed and athleticism on the outside. Lamica also has a bit of a nasty streak on the field, which you always like at linebacker. We haven't heard much of him in his first two years, but with Branch and Jones suspended, this will probably be David Taylor's time at corner opposite of Antwan Eddie. There's always the possibility someone comes in and pushes past him, but the speedy Florida native should get a long look as a starter. He came in highly touted after getting major college looks. Teams just passed on him because he's not that big.Keep an eye on Logan Kelleher at safety. He's been working next to Andy Smigiera and he's a bit of a ballhawk. He made a nice diving interception on a tipped ball in drills, and though he's smaller (he's built like D.J. Myers was) he can bring some physicality with his play, too. All of these competitions will be open through August, but Kelleher might have an early edge.
That's all we have for now. We won't be at Saturday's practice due to duties elsewhere, though we'll have content up all weekend. The next scheduled practice we'll be attending is on Monday.
This post was edited on 3/24 8:16 PM by Andrew_Chiappazzi
