Transformative spring football sessions for JC Smith

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Robert Adams, one of three quarterbacks to take snaps for Johnson C. Smith in 2023, faces new competition for the starting job starting with spring drills.

Johnson C. Smith started spring football drills Tuesday with the most experienced and deepest roster in third-year coach Maurice Flowers’ tenure.

The Golden Bulls, who went 7-4 in 2023 with a roster built primarily with sophomores and freshmen, added more experience from the transfer portal with the goal of challenging for a berth in the CIAA title game. The most important additions are on offense where the skill positions were upgraded in order to create more big plays, notably in the passing attack.

On defense, Smith returns most of the starting unit, which finished 2023 as Division II’s best, but the secondary has a couple of openings to fill.

Here are some key points as practice sessions unfold.

Locate QB1

Injuries ravaged the Golden Bulls’ depth at the most important position the last two seasons. Both times Tyrell Jackson left spring drills as the starter only to be derailed by concussions. They wound up closing with third stringers taking meaningful snaps.

To challenge for the Southern Division title, they need to locate a clear-cut No. 1 and keep him healthy. Last year’s backups, sophomore Robert Adams (56-of-110, 526 yards, TD) and freshman Jamere Cherry (34-of-69, 434 yards, 5 TDs) return, but there are challengers in transfers and Hough High alumni Darius Ocean and Kennique Bonner-Steward.

Flowers has indicated more consistent playmaking at quarterback is the keep to unlocking the offense, which is why Bonner-Stewart and Ocean are on campus. Unless Adams or Cherry make a giant leap, chances are one of the transfers will leave spring ball as the starter.

The Quavaris Crouch Experience

Never in the history of Smith football has a signing generated as much excitement as Crouch, the Harding High graduate and five-star recruit who was the nation’s top player in 2018. After three seasons as a linebacker at Tennessee and Michigan State and a couple years away from football, he is home as a Golden Bulls running back.

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Harding High graduate Quavaris Crouch, a five-star recruit and 2017 North Carolina player of the year, is expected to transform the Golden Bulls offense at running back. Crouch played linebacker for three seasons at Tennessee and Michigan State before transferring to J.C. Smith

“I’m looking forward to him just having a good spring,” Flowers said in February. “I won’t even jump to the season yet. I really thought that he would take longer to start seeing some of the rust come off, but as I watch him each day, the rust is coming off by the day. He’s impressive and I’m looking forward to him because he’s making us a better group right now because our young men work hard, and the last thing they want to do is have somebody come in and outwork them.”

Crouch’s presence adds a new dimension to the offense. At 6-2, 230 pounds, he’s a power runner who should be able to keep the offense on schedule and ahead of the chains.  He also adds depth with Jacob Newman (106 carries, 452 yards and 2 TD in 2023) and brother Tim Newman Jr. (134 attempts, 413 yards, 3 TDs) as well as Shydem McCullough, who ran for 228 yards and three scores on 45 tries last year for a team-best 4.7 yards per carry as a freshman.

Make space for receivers

Even with inconsistency at quarterback, JCSU receivers managed to put up good numbers. Reggie Bryant, who led the Golden Bulls with five receiving touchdowns last year, is graduating, but Brevin Caldwell, who led Smith with 51 catches for 579 yards, returns as well as Tyrek Williams, who scored three times on 16 catches and averaged 14 yards per grab.

Deandre Proctor, who caught 31 passes for 402 yards and three scores last year at St. Augustine’s, steps into Bryant’s spot. Donte Baker and Jaden Lockhart will compete for targets as well, which should be more available because of Crouch’s presence as a runner.

“A running game is going to help our receivers get touches,” Flowers said. “We’re excited we look to get it a little bit more balanced with our run-pass (mix). You want to be 60-40 pass to run or 65-35 pass to run – that’s just who I am as an offensive coordinator – and we weren’t able to be that. We were actually reversed. We’re … getting ready to be where we anticipated.”

Secondary changes

The Golden Bulls return all but two starters from 2023, but both openings are in the secondary. A couple of transfers – Shamar Baker (Charlotte) and TyQuereon Hines (St. Augustine’s) will get their shot to make an impact, as will Nasier Curry-Sudler (West Georgia).

Special teams

The Golden Bulls were stellar in the kicking game last year, but there will be changes. Freshman Alejandro Morillon-Garcia connected on 7-of-8 field goals and 23-of-23 extra points while Christian Benitez averaged 35.3 yards on 22 punts.

The kicking and punt returning duties will be handled by someone new with Dirk Cureton’s graduation. Whoever inherits the job will have big cleats to fill: Cureton returned a pair of punts for scores last year. Returning options include Jacob Newman, Latrae Bass and Lockhart.

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