Three takeaways from Charlotte 49ers spring showcase

CHARLOTTE ATHLETICS

Henry Rutledge, a special teams mainstay for the Charlotte 49ers in past seasons, gives them depth at running back as well.

Another spring is in the books for Charlotte football.

The 49er faithful have been waiting patiently to get a chance to see a glimpse of this upcoming season’s 49ers’ football team. Without jumping to irrational conclusions, there were a few things to take away from the 49ers’ spring showcase.

Here are three:

No starting quarterback announced just yet

One of the biggest unknowns heading into the offseason was who was going to be starting quarterback. Duke transfer Grayson Loftis was first in at the showcase.
North Carolina transfer Connor Harrell was second in the rotation but took a similar amount of snaps according to coach Tim Albin.

“They went equal reps basically all springtime,” Albin said. “Now, Zach [Wilcke] had a little bit of a high ankle [injury], and missed a few days there in the middle, but it'll still be a 36-hour thing here. I mean, every college program the country's got to get down to 105 players, and so, I'm dreading the next 36 hours.”

The running back corps has good depth

Don Chaney Jr. got first team reps to start the showcase. He had a handful of productive runs and even at 220 pounds, he has solid agility and cuts really well to get the defenders to miss. 

Rod Gainey Jr., second to see the field, is 185 pounds and has breakaway speed. He and Chaney will complement each other. Both were able to hurt the defense between the tackles. 

Henry Rutledge, a Charlotte native who has been more of a special teamer the last few seasons, was the third back. He is probably the most agile of the bunch based on a small sample size at the showcase.

It’s just April

Albin is transparent. He understands his team has a long way to go before taking the field in August. But he has been pleased with the progress his team has made over the spring.

“I think we as a staff, we want to continue to develop leadership,” Albin said. “We took a step today. I'm big on culture. The [transfer] portal builds a team, but I know culture develops the program. We’ve got an elite coaching staff in alignment, so it’s really exciting.”

Defensive end Braden Mullen said he feels the 49ers have come a long way since the start of spring practice but still has a long way to go.

“The first couple of workouts, as you could expect with a new coaching staff and 20 or more new guys… it was a bit weird,” he said. “But, after those first few practices we were like we are all here for the same reason. We are here to win. So, why don’t we put everything we have towards that.

“I thought we were good on the metal side of things today. Obviously, conditioning has got to be better. Anybody will tell you that, no matter the shape they are in. But that will be better. Over the summer, (strength and conditioning coach Jake) Miller and his staff will put us in the right spot and get us in the right shape.”

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