Alabama State Hornets Begin Spring Practice; Host Pro Day

ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY HORNET STADIUM
Courtesy: ASU Hornets Athletics

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- Coming off a season which saw the Alabama State University football team win eight games, the Hornets are set to begin preparing for the 2014 season when they open spring practice Tuesday, March 4 at 11 a.m.

The Hornets will get in 15 practices dates with spring drills to conclude with the Annual Black and Gold Game at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 12.  Practice sessions will be held on Tuesday's and Thursday's at 11 a.m. with the Friday sessions beginning at 3 p.m.  Two short scrimmages (March 15 and April 5) will be held prior to the Black and Gold Game and they will begin at 9 a.m.

"We're excited about getting started with spring, it is starting a little earlier for us this year," Head Coach Reggie Barlow said.  "Obviously I want to see our quarterbacks take more of a leadership role.  I think part of being a great quarterback and a leader is getting people to follow you so we're expecting our quarterbacks to take that next step this spring and be the leaders we need them to be."

Barlow added, "On defense we have some guys that didn't finish the season the way we had expected them to.  We want to see some of these players come back and pl

ASU will also host Pro Day on the same day spring drills start; Tuesday March 4.  Pro Day will be held at New ASU Stadium and is set to begin at 3 p.m.  The public can attend, but will be required to stay off the field and sit in the stands.

The ASU coaching staff has seen Pro Day at Alabama State grow over the past several years and has seen more scouts and college players wanting to be involved in it.

"It started with Tarvaris Jackson, he had a big time pro day here and then after that you talk about guys like Nigel Carr," Barlow said.  "Last year we had a great turn out and the coaches have done a good job of bringing kids in here that have an opportunity.  Transfer guys have helped that, but now with Isaiah (Crowell) being here and being at the combine a lot of those scouts want to be here because it is not just this set of drills you had to run at the combine.  It is other specific stuff they may want to see, that they will get him (Crowell) to do as well as some of the other guys."

"I imagine there is going to be a good turnout.  We have had a lot of people call about Jamel (Johnson), because of his size.  I've had several calls from people at Faulkner and Huntingdon as well as a lot of other colleges.  If a scout calls me and says I would like to see so-and-so, typically we will let someone run.  We don't want to take away from our guys.  We want them to have an opportunity to be seen."

Tentative Spring Schedule
NFL Pro Day:  March 4
March Practice Days:  4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 18, 19, 20
April Practice Days:  1, 3, 8, 10
Scrimmages:  March 15, April 5
Black and Gold Game:  April 12

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS