Five months after the completion of the 2004 season, the Illinois State football team returned to the field Friday for the first day of spring practices at Hancock Stadium.
A rainstorm swept into the Bloomington-Normal area, but the weather was not going to be a deterrent according to head coach Denver Johnson. The rain clouds eventually moved east and the Redbirds finished their first practice under an overcast sky.
The guys were really anxious to get outside and start practice, Johnson said. Thankfully, the rain ended and we were able to get some good things done. Were off to a very good start.
The first practice was a light workout in shells, with both the offense and defense taking part in drills with their position coaches.
One of the biggest question marks coming into the spring season is who will start at quarterback this fall. The Redbirds entered 2004 without an experienced starting quarterback, but Yance Vaughan stepped up admirably and started all 11 games last season.
With Vaughans graduation, the Birds will have four talented, but inexperienced quarterbacks in camp this spring, including
Kevin Brockway,
Luke Drone, Wally Cirafesi and Nick Gehrts. After day one, Johnson is excited about what each brings to the team.
I really like all four of our quarterbacks, Johnson said. They each bring something different. Luke (Drone) is very tough and robust, Wally (Cirafesi) is very cerebral, Kevin (Brockway) is physically gifted and Nick (Gehrts) brings a competitive edge. Im sure there will be some ebb and flow to the competition, but each brings their own uniqueness to camp.
Illinois State returns to the practice field Saturday for two sessions, the first coming at 9:00 a.m., while the second is at 3:30 p.m.
