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Apr. 17—Throughout spring practices at Roos Field, one phrase has been uttered again and again:
"We're really young right now."
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Samarai Anderson was the latest to use the phrase when speaking to reporters on Wednesday, two days before the Eagles' annual Red-White Game that wraps up the team's offseason practices. It will begin at 6 p.m. at Roos Field and is free to attend.
Anderson is also one of the young players the coaching staff spoke of repeatedly over the past month while highlighting the importance of the second- and third-year players on the roster.
"A ton of guys that have been young have stepped up in a lot of different ways this spring," EWU head coach Aaron Best said during media availability on Wednesday. "A ton of guys have taken a ton of reps who are new to the reps that they've got. I'm really excited about a bunch of young guys that I think we were excited about last fall."
That last group includes those who redshirted during the 2024 season but are poised to compete for playing time in the 2025 season.
"In this day and age, you're going to have to count on your young guys to play big in big moments," Best said, "and so our anticipation is our guys will be ready come fall."
One question heading into Friday's last scrimmage, then, is which players step up in the most game-like experience they've had so far in their college careers.
Best said the team likes to simulate the run-up to a regular-season game as closely as possible during the Red-White Game — a shared pregame meal, a full warm-up session and as much of a game simulation as they can, given their present roster limitations.
The Eagles have been shy on offensive linemen due to injury and a sheer lack of players, issues that Best said the team plans to address this summer. But those who are available have been getting plenty of reps, including redshirt junior Dylan Conner.
"I am excited to see all the young guys (in the Red-White Game), specifically in our group," Conner said.
Usually, the Red-White Game offers a glimpse at a preliminary fall depth chart, but considering the roster has just 79 names on it — 26 shy of the NCAA's new limit — and how frequently Best has talked about the importance of bringing in transfers this summer who can compete for playing time, this spring's chart may not be so predictive.
One name no longer on that depth chart is Derek Ganter Jr. Last week, the redshirt sophomore safety announced he was entering the transfer portal. He let the team in tackles last year and was a second-team All-Big Sky selection last season.
But safety is one position where the Eagles have many of those second- and third-year players, such as Jaylon Jenkins, JoJo Maxey-Johnson, Gavin O'Leary and Josiah Goode. They are in addition to veteran returners McKel Broussard and Drew Carter, as well as redshirt junior Amdane Aboudou, a WSU transfer.
After Friday's scrimmage, the Eagles' next practices won't come until the end of July.
Anderson said the game provides the team with a welcome chance to put the 2024 season behind it and turn its focus toward next season's opener, on Aug. 30 at Incarnate Word.
"We made a lot of strides from last year. Having that bad taste in our mouth from the last loss at Northern Arizona, we are coming back every week, every day, taking our best step forward," Anderson said, "and we're taking it as a team."
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"We're really young right now."
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Samarai Anderson was the latest to use the phrase when speaking to reporters on Wednesday, two days before the Eagles' annual Red-White Game that wraps up the team's offseason practices. It will begin at 6 p.m. at Roos Field and is free to attend.
Anderson is also one of the young players the coaching staff spoke of repeatedly over the past month while highlighting the importance of the second- and third-year players on the roster.
"A ton of guys that have been young have stepped up in a lot of different ways this spring," EWU head coach Aaron Best said during media availability on Wednesday. "A ton of guys have taken a ton of reps who are new to the reps that they've got. I'm really excited about a bunch of young guys that I think we were excited about last fall."
That last group includes those who redshirted during the 2024 season but are poised to compete for playing time in the 2025 season.
"In this day and age, you're going to have to count on your young guys to play big in big moments," Best said, "and so our anticipation is our guys will be ready come fall."
One question heading into Friday's last scrimmage, then, is which players step up in the most game-like experience they've had so far in their college careers.
Best said the team likes to simulate the run-up to a regular-season game as closely as possible during the Red-White Game — a shared pregame meal, a full warm-up session and as much of a game simulation as they can, given their present roster limitations.
The Eagles have been shy on offensive linemen due to injury and a sheer lack of players, issues that Best said the team plans to address this summer. But those who are available have been getting plenty of reps, including redshirt junior Dylan Conner.
"I am excited to see all the young guys (in the Red-White Game), specifically in our group," Conner said.
Usually, the Red-White Game offers a glimpse at a preliminary fall depth chart, but considering the roster has just 79 names on it — 26 shy of the NCAA's new limit — and how frequently Best has talked about the importance of bringing in transfers this summer who can compete for playing time, this spring's chart may not be so predictive.
One name no longer on that depth chart is Derek Ganter Jr. Last week, the redshirt sophomore safety announced he was entering the transfer portal. He let the team in tackles last year and was a second-team All-Big Sky selection last season.
But safety is one position where the Eagles have many of those second- and third-year players, such as Jaylon Jenkins, JoJo Maxey-Johnson, Gavin O'Leary and Josiah Goode. They are in addition to veteran returners McKel Broussard and Drew Carter, as well as redshirt junior Amdane Aboudou, a WSU transfer.
After Friday's scrimmage, the Eagles' next practices won't come until the end of July.
Anderson said the game provides the team with a welcome chance to put the 2024 season behind it and turn its focus toward next season's opener, on Aug. 30 at Incarnate Word.
"We made a lot of strides from last year. Having that bad taste in our mouth from the last loss at Northern Arizona, we are coming back every week, every day, taking our best step forward," Anderson said, "and we're taking it as a team."
Continue reading...
