Early position battles will highlight Lamar's spring football camp

Early position battles will highlight Lamar’s spring football camp

Posted by Admin March 25, 2023 Football

For more than two months, Pete Rossomando has only been able to watch his Lamar University football team lift weights.

This week, the Cardinals new coach will get the first chance to assess his team on the football field.

Lamar will soon start its annual spring football camp, and Rossomando is beginning the evaluation process right away. With a roster featuring many new players, he doesn’t want to waste any time finding out who fits where on the field.

“We’ve watched them work out for nine weeks, now we get to see who can play football,” Rossomando said. “There’s a huge evaluation piece in the spring and we’re excited about that.”

Rossomando mentioned multiple spots where position battles will start early — most notably at quarterback. Returners Mike Chandler, Daelyn Williams and Jakolby Longino have the most playing experience with the Cardinals, but junior college transfer Robert Coleman and freshman Aiden McCown bring a new dynamic into the mix.

Defensively, Rossomando said battles will be brewing at the safety position and on the defensive line. A major priority will be replacing safety Austin Goffney, who transferred to Louisiana Monroe this offseason.

The defensive line has multiple lettermen returning like juniors Caleb Williams and Chidera Umeh, along with sophomore Reggie Brooks.

“We’re just trying to find the best combination,” Rossmando said of the defensive front. “We’ve got some known commodities at that position, but also some new guys that we need to learn more about.”

Lamar’s first practice will be Tuesday. Rossomando said he’ll start with high-intensity sessions right away instead of trying to ease the Cardinals into their first practices.

He wants to see how his players respond when they’re “thrown into the hot water.”

Lamar will hold two scrimmages before the annual spring game on April 28th at Provost Umphrey Stadium. Rossomando said playing in front of a crowd is always valuable, even during a spring game.

“The spring game is really all about the community,” Rossomando said. “It’s a great chance to show the fans what we’ve been working on and bring some fun back to Provost Umphrey Stadium on a Friday night.”

MFaye@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/mattGfaye