Offseason Grind: Liberty Football Preps For Season With New Quarterback
Spring football is in full swing for the Liberty Flames as they completed their ninth of fifteen scheduled practices March 28.
Fresh off the biggest Pro Day in Liberty football’s program history, players could still feel the excitement of the previous week’s events lingering in the practice facility. A team of energized players came ready to work, putting on a display full of competitiveness that has driven the Flames to a bowl victory in each of their past three seasons.
While the team’s competitive motor may be operating at full force, it doesn’t change the fact that this is a roster with considerable question marks on it — the biggest of those undoubtedly coming at the quarterback position.
Spring ball is prime time for all players on the depth chart to get considerable reps, making it difficult to pinpoint a true frontrunner in the race for next season’s starting quarterback. There are three most likely quarterbacks to take the reins — Jonathan Bennett, Charlie Brewer and Kaidon Salter. All bring unique traits to the game and, as Head Coach Hugh Freeze said, “all look promising at times.”
NFL Draft-bound QB Malik Willis proved to possess next-level arm strength repeatedly during his tenure with the Flames. What truly set him apart from his college contemporaries, however, was his ability to run the football. Picking up 878 of the team’s 2,350 rushing yards this past season, Willis’ talents on the ground proved integral to Liberty’s dynamic on offense.
Now, spring practices have the team turning its attention to compensating for that loss in the run game.
“It’s hard,” Freeze said about replacing Willis. “He was such a dual-threat, and those don’t come along all the time. Truthfully, if you rewind to Malik’s spring practices, prior to him playing games, we had no clue that he could really do all that because you blow the whistle on quarterbacks. You don’t let them get hit.”
Freeze added that several quarterbacks on the roster may be able to help fill the void left by Willis.
“I think there’s potential that Kaidon Salter can do that,” Freeze said. “I think there’s potential that Nate Hampton can be an effective runner, too. Probably won’t know that until we get some live bullets, but I think it will be a partnership of replacing Malik.”
One player certainly making a name for himself in spring ball so far has been transfer running back Daveon Hunter. Joining the Flames in December from the University of Hawaii, Hunter jumps out as a hard-hitting back capable of providing power to the offense in his final two years of eligibility.
Stepping into a room already packed with potential in T.J. Green and Shedro Louis, Hunter has caught Freeze’s eye as a player equipped to step into the role of an every-down running back.
“I think he’s physical,” Freeze said. “I think he has outstanding vision as a runner. Probably the one question mark I think I still would have would be what type of receiver he is, but he caught a big wheel route today for a 60-yard touchdown.”
Aside from compensating for the loss of Willis, players have also been tasked with adjusting to several coaching changes this offseason.
In a combination of hires and promotions, the Flames are seeing transitions in key roles such as defensive coordinator, offensive line coach and defensive backs coach. The most eye-catching move, however, was the hire of a new defensive line coach in Jeremy Garrett.
Garrett joins the staff this season after spending the past two years in the NFL as the assistant defensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns. The opportunity to learn from a coach who refined the game of some of the NFL’s best lineman brings fire to a group that recorded 37 sacks in 2021.
“It’s very exciting,” defensive tackle Kendy Charles said. “Sundays, I’m watching Myles Garrett play. So, I’m thinking that (Coach Garrett) was just coaching Myles Garrett, and now he’s coaching me. Every time he talks, I’m like ‘What can I learn right here?’ He knows what it takes to get to that level.”
While the Flames appear to have their work cut out for them in preparation for the toughest fall schedule in Liberty football history, emerging talent and high-quality coaching have this group headed in the right direction. Liberty will conclude spring football April 9 as the annual Spring Game takes place at Williams Stadium at 10 a.m.
CORY is a sports reporter. Follow her on Twitter