Greg Chambers
MC Practicum
The first days of spring are upon us and with this, the first days of spring football. The Jackson State University Tigers suited up for practice recently to assess and fix the damage done by losing 26 graduating seniors, most of whom were starters.
The Tigers are looking for redemption and revenge after falling short of winning the Eastern Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The team has more stability going into its second year with head coach Tony Hughes and the coaching staff and has grown and progressed under the tutelage of Hughes.
Ramone Ward, a sophomore business administration major and defensive back on the team from Decatur Georgia said, “Since the spring started, I feel the team is a great deal closer as far as trusting each other with what to do. The support everyone has for each other is something I have not seen since I been here.”
To fill the ranks left by the seniors the Tigers have accepted a recruiting class of 34 new players which include 15 defensive players and 19 offensive players. Of the 19 offensive players recruited, Jackson State has two freshmen quarterbacks coming in.
Among the graduates were Javancy Jones and Cornelius Henderson, the dynamic duo of destruction that kept the Tiger defense known as ‘The Darkside’ hyped up and full of energy.
Coach Hughes said, “We have not identified the leader of the Jav Jones juice and we are still trying to manufacture the juice, the passion, the spirit, the fight that Javancy Jones brought to the team.”
Among the players who have hit the practice field so far one of the standouts is Jarrad Hayes. Hayes is one of the many recruited from the Baton Rouge area by offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Chadwick Germany. Hayes is doing what it takes to prove he has what a quarterback needs to lead the Tigers to a winning season.
“It has been a learning experience getting to know new people and learning how to be a leader for them. It is a blessing to get back in a system I am familiar with,” said Hayes.
The annual “Blue and White” game will take place on Saturday, April 8 at 1 p.m. and tickets are $5. The location change is due in part to the practice field being conditioned for fall football. At the beginning of football camp of 2016, the field was filled with holes and sand. For now, the Tigers are practicing on the intramural field and practices are closed to the public.
