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Vanderbilt To Open Spring Practice This Afternoon 2/24/2004
Vanderbilt To Open Spring Practice This Afternoon 2-24-04 Vanderbilt Head Coach Bobby Johnson expects to welcome more than 50 returning letterwinners to the John Rich Facility this afternoon as Spring Practice gets underway on the Commodore campus. While the team prepares for the first of 15 spring sessions, junior All-SEC defensive end Jovan Haye is receiving national recognition today as the featured player on the highly respected website, collegefootballnews.com. The SEC regular season co-leader in sacks last year is one of 117 Division I players to be highlighted by the website. The Commodores are scheduled to practice Tuesday through Saturday at the Rich Facility behind McGugin Center. The team are not expected to practice in pads before Thursday. For the third straight year under Johnson, spring practices are open to Commodore fans. Johnson is looking forward to getting started with his third spring session at Vanderbilt. “I’m excited about getting back on the field. I know our coaches and players feel the same way,” Johnson said. “This team has done everything we have asked of them during offseason conditioning. I think they are ready to get to work.” Barring adverse weather, the Commodores are scheduled to practice Tuesday through Saturday at the Rich Facility behind McGugin Center. The team are not expected to practice in pads before Thursday. For the third straight year under Johnson, spring practices are open to Commodore fans. The Commodores are scheduled to conduct 15 practices this spring, including the featured Black & Gold Scrimmage on Saturday, March 20. The team is off during Vanderbilt’s spring break March 6-14. Johnson will greet the largest class of returning starters in the Southeastern Conference. Twenty-one of 22 offensive and defensive starters are back for the Commodores. Among the top returning Commodores besides Haye are are three-year starting offensive tackle Justin Geisinger, two-year starting quarterback Jay Cutler and linebacker Moses Osemwegie, who finished last year as the SEC’s second leading tackler. The Commodores will open the season by hosting South Carolina in Vanderbilt Stadium on Sept. 4. The schedule also includes home dates against Mississippi State, Rutgers, Eastern Kentucky, Florida and Tennessee. This Week’s Football Practice Schedule: |
