The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Football Team Opens Spring Practice Wednesday
3/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 23, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ------ The UAB football team will begin 2010 spring drills Wednesday, the first of 15 workouts the Blazers will hold over the next several weeks.
Overall, UAB will have more scholarship players and added depth in 2010 but will be "limited in some areas, particularly this spring with the amount of injuries and surgeries that we have to wait on to heal," according to head coach Neil Callaway.
Callaway pointed to wide receiver as a position that the Blazers will be especially thin this spring. "We have a problem there with getting through spring practice, but I do think there will be competition at each spot on the field."
The position that is certain to get the most attention is at quarterback where record-setting Joe Webb has graduated. Webb accounted for 73 percent of the Blazers' total offense last season, rushing for 1,427 yards and passing for 2,299 more. He passed for 21 touchdowns and ran for 11 on the way to being named the Conference USA Offensive Player-of-the-Year.
"We all know that Joe was an outstanding player for us at quarterback the last two years," said Callaway. Callaway said he anticipates four players -- David Isabelle, Bryan Ellis, Jonathan Perry and Joe Bento -- all competing for the quarterback job.
Isabelle saw the most action last season as he completed 6-of-14 passes for 39 yards and one touchdowns. He also proved to be a threat, like Webb, as a runner. Isabelle, a redshirt sophomore, ran for 288 yards on only 32 attempts (9.0 yards per carry).
"We'll start the spring with all of them getting equal reps and at whatever point in time that we decide there's some separation, we'll start the process of dwindling that number down. It's hard to work four guys there, but I want to be fair and make sure everybody's got a shot.
"That's the spot that everybody will be focusing on primarily," Callaway said, "because it's the quarterback, but I think we're going to have a lot of good competition at every area. We don't have to settle everything this spring. It may be fall before we ultimately make decisions on who's doing what, but we will get a good look this spring."
The Blazers have an abundance of players returning from last season's 5-7 team (4-4 in C-USA), including 55 letterwinners (23 offense/29 defense/3 specialists). There are eight starters back on offense and nine returning on the defensive side.
"We have more experience and more depth than we've had in previous springs," Callaway said. "Our numbers will be still be lower than what you want for spring, but I think once we get everybody here in the fall on both sides of the ball, we'll be in pretty good shape.
The Blazers' practice Wednesday will be their first of 15 workouts over the next several weeks. UAB's spring drills will culminate on Saturday, April 17 with its Spring Game at West Campus Field.
