PHOTO/CURTIS WILSON

Johnson C. Smith coach Kermit Blount is going through his first full spring practice with the Golden Bulls, who went 4-6 in 2015.

Familiarity is a good thing for Johnson C. Smith football.

There are more Golden Bulls participating in spring drills under coach Kermit Blount for a complete practice period, something he didn’t have an opportunity to do last year.

“The biggest change is the amount of bodies we have,” sophomore cornerback Daryl Napper said. “I think we were down to 35 last year for spring ball and now we’re up to about 50, so that’s definitely a good thing for competition.”

The competition is most keen on offense, where freshmen Jordan Lane and Harold Herbin try to earn the starting quarterback job. Because Blount was hired with a week left in 2015’s spring practice, the Golden Bulls were late implementing the pro-style scheme.

“It gives us a chance to go back,” Blount said. “Last year in spring ball we did not have a chance to actually go through our offensive regimen. The defensive regimen was already in place, so they were able to go through it, so we get a chance to go through the offensive regimen with the quarterbacks, backs, receivers and the O-line.”

The results have already been realized.

“The order is much quicker, much smoother,” sophomore center Jordan Shaw said. “People know their assignment a whole lot more, studying the film. Everything is put together a lot better.”

Said Napper: “The coaches are on us a lot more and taking it a lot more serious. The coaches are on us because if we believe we can win a championship, they believe and we make it all come together and make it happen.”

In addition to acclimating schemes and drills, Blount is pushing for more physicality. Defensively, JCSU lowered its points per game average to 23.9 in 2015, but struggled to move the ball on offense. In order to challenge in the CIAA South, the Golden Bulls are looking to develop physical dominance on both sides of the ball.

“We’ve still got a long way to go,” Blount said. “We’re not where we need to be body-wise, physically. The weight room has to be important to us to finish off this semester. Our conditioning is much better than it’s been over the last spring to now, so we’re making strides at what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to become a much bigger, leaner football team.”

Notes:

• Free safety Carlo Thomas, who led all college divisions with 12 interceptions last year, is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He’ll miss spring practice, but expects to be fully recovered for fall camp.

• Receiver Rod Carter, the Golden Bulls’ top returning pass catcher (31 catches, 366 yards five touchdowns) is also out after knee surgery. He’ll be ready for preseason drills in August.

• Blount said he expects to sign a pair of quarterbacks to compete for the starter’s job next season but considers spring an opportunity for Herbin and Lane to seize the advantage heading into August.

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