UNA Football Notebook: First Week of Camp - University of North Alabama Athletics (2024)

Football 8/4/2023 5:55:00 PM

FLORENCE, Ala. (August 4, 2023) – The University of North Alabama football team completed the first week of fall camp on Friday, as the Lions are just over three weeks away from the season opener against Mercer on Saturday, August 26 in Montgomery, Ala.

The Lions have gradually progressed from jersey and shorts to full pads over the span of a week, going in full pads for the first time on Wednesday. After an off-day Thursday, the team returned to the field for an afternoon practice following the morning rain.

"Man – it's been a week," said UNA head coach Brent Dearmon. "These guys have shown up and have done a really good job of giving the coaches what the coaches are asking for. My challenge to our coaching staff each day is to raise our expectations even more. Our players are doing a phenomenal job of showing up and meeting the standard every day."

TEMPO, TEMPO, TEMPO

As the team has progressed into full pads, the intensity has also picked up. One emphasis during fall camp has been implementing a quick tempo, specifically on the offensive side of the ball.

"Our offense is going to be really fast," said redshirt junior running back Parker Driggers. "There will be a lot of big plays, a lot of shots (down the field), a lot of tempo. It's going to be an exciting offense to watch."

DEFENSIVE INTENSITY

One of the core foundations for the Lions this fall has been toughness. This is evident on both sides of the ball, including the defense.

"Practice has been good, and the intensity has been high," said redshirt freshman defensive back Philjae Bien-Aime. "Coach Dearmon instilled that tempo and toughness as pillars of his program, so it's instilled in us that we got to bring that intensity each and every day of practice."

WINNING THE TRENCHES

Prior to Friday's practice, Dearmon highlighted the offensive line's positive progression. In turn, this has also sparked healthy competition with the defensive line.

"I think our offensive line has done a good job the last couple of practices of being physical," said Dearmon. "I think the trenches will win and lose ball games for you, so we've really challenged those guys on both sides of the ball — offense and defensive line — to step their game up a little bit."

FRIENDLY COMPETITIONS

As the season draws closer, many position battles have emerged across the board.

"I think all around, everyone is stepping up and trying to claim their spot on this team," said sophom*ore quarterback Noah Walters. "I'm really excited to see all of these guys go out and compete on Saturdays."

Walters, who played in all 11 games last season, is one of six quarterbacks on the roster. Last season, Walters completed 130 of 239 passes for nearly 200 yards per game and 16 touchdowns.

"With our quarterbacks, we have a pretty good race going on right now," Dearmon said. "The guys that takes care of the ball and leads us down the field is going to win it. There's been little battles at every spot, and it's been fun to see."

BRINGING THE LUNCH PAIL

This week, Coach Dearmon and staff announced two awards for every practice — the hard hat and the tool belt.

"For the hard hat award, we have a purple construction hard hat that we've thrown our logos on the side of," said Dearmon. "The player of the day, the guy that makes the most plays, the guys that stands out most and does things right — that's who gets the hat. He wears it to the cafeteria, he wears it in meetings and he wears it proudly. His job is to win it two days in a row while the other 109 guys try to take it from him.

"We also have an old leather, old school tool belt," Dearmon continued. "That award goes to the guy that used the tools that his coaches give him. He may not have been the best player of the day, but he may have taken the right steps. Whatever tools he was taught that day — if he brings them out of the box — he gets that tool belt for the day."

PRIDE IN THE PAST

The UNA football program has a rich tradition, and that has also been a point of emphasis with this year's coaching staff.

Aside from countdown graphics on social media honoring players from the past, Dearmon and staff has developed an interest from former members of the program. One of those is UNA Hall of Fame Quarterback Cody Gross, who came and spoke to the team on Friday.

"It was really nice," said Walters about Gross addressing the team. "I learned the importance of that leadership side. He made a good point that those rings will collect dust, but the relationships on the team and those guys that build the team are really important. I think having those relationships throughout your life are a big deal."

Gross said that he remains a fan of the program and is excited about the future, including the hire of Coach Dearmon.

"He's the real deal," said Gross. "He's got energy, he's a good person, he's obviously very knowledgeable and he has a great staff. He's about the right stuff. I couldn't be more excited about Coach Dearmon and his staff."

We have so much #PrideInOurPast here at UNA. A key person in that is 3x national champion and UNA Hall of Fame quarterback Cody Gross.
Thank you @coachgross73 for coming home to speak with our team today ‼️#RoarLions 🦁 pic.twitter.com/MymEidIwJ9
— North Alabama Football (@UNAFootball) August 4, 2023