A few practices complete for the Spiders, who are officially on spring break for the week.

Roster Update

Small tweaks to the roster, with two freshmen that redshirted last season no longer showing – Harrison Williams (OL) and Elijah Lee (CB).

For a team that was already short on offensive linemen the fact we’re down to 14 isn’t great. We only have 10 for the spring (four are incoming true freshmen that will join in the fall) so it’s another spring being short at this position. Coach Huesman always harps on getting 16+ guys up front so I’m curious to see if we’ll see any updates in the coming months.

Practice Update

Offense

Nothing too complicated early in spring. Plenty of 7-on-7, some inside run work, and lots of 1-on-1s for the secondary/receivers. We won’t learn much about overall scheme or what changes to our approach we’ll see this fall, so for now this is entirely about watching individual players and position battles.

Good things from Joe McCauley and Jack Callaghan early on. Whether they’re competing with Snelsire for the starting spot or battling it out to be his backup, we’ll get to see plenty from them in the coming weeks. More emphasis on throwing on the run the first couple practices, something McCauley’s legs help make easy for him. He’s extremely mobile and is the better runner of the group. Callaghan’s arm strength is what jumps off the page for #14. No surprise here, as this was well known coming out of high school, and it’s good to see him connect on big throws.

Jaiden Fair is yet to practice, meaning Quanye Veney has been working in the slot. Difficult to say where #1 will primarily lineup once the WR corps is fully healthy but it has opened up opportunities for other guys on the outside. Justin Rice and Donovan Higgins were two freshmen I really liked in fall camp and I think they both can play their way onto the field in 2026. Rice is a big, physical WR who can win the ball in the air, while Higgins has a quick twitch that you don’t often see at the FCS level. With VT transfer Krystian Williams also on the sidelines, I’m getting to see a lot of the younger receivers and love where our depth currently stands.

Not many surprises on the offensive line with only eight Spiders active early on. Ron Anderson and Godwin Burger are getting most of the reps with the 1s at tackle. Jason Smith continues to look good at RG, with Bo Fowler (two starts in ’25) at LG. JT Sowell and Kade Capristo are trading snaps at center, with Capristo working at guard as well. I do hope to see how R-So. Luke Surrett (out) fits in here, as the interior of the line looks to have the most competition.

Regarding guys who were injured during the 2025 season, it doesn’t look like we’ll see Michael Creamer (RB) or Sean Clarke (TE) this spring. The good news is both are very active on the sidelines. Promising to see and I would expect them to be ready for fall camp.

Defense

Another season where the defensive ends will be fun to watch. Obviously Cam Byrd’s return is crucial, with Daniel Sellers and Jamar Hodges also back to play plenty of snaps. I do think we’ll see a 4-man rotation again this fall because of R-Fr. Moses Bailey. Bailey shows that burst off the edge that makes for a great edge rusher, and getting him to play 20-25% of snaps allows us to keep guys fresh for certain situations. If Bailey can progress to earn a spot in the lineup things will look very similar to last year.

On the interior, it’s difficult to get too much of a read without team periods. I like what R-Fr. Bryce Lee offers in run support. Listed at 285 lbs. on the roster, #95 held his ground well during inside run. Jack Reece had some nice pass rush reps going against the guards/centers, so the competition to get into the DT rotation is in full swing. Given our limited numbers I think it will be hard for a fan to see too many reps in 15 practices, but this will surely be top of the list come August.

Blake Houser will take over at Mike linebacker after Peyton Seelmann’s transfer to UNC. We saw flashes of what Houser can do last year and if he can pick up right where Seelmann left off it will have our defense in a great spot. Filling that void allows us to stay with five DBs and shows yet another young Spider is ready to earn a starting role.

In the secondary, just four Spiders are at corner – Kyree Richardson, Tramayne Bullock, Jeremiah Washington, and Kenyez Mungro. Bullock has come on strong, using four redshirt games early last year and taking plenty of reps with the 1s this spring. Needing to replace both corner spots, Bullock and Richardson look to be early contenders. At safety, Devin Geronomi has moved back to strong safety behind Jordan Allen, so for now he’s not in the battle at corner. Harrison Wood is also back to free safety (rather than nickel), backing up Lee Bruner IV. For the spring we have a heavier balance towards safeties but that will level out once the true freshmen arrive.

Special Teams

Wes Sharpe is handling snapping duties well, with running back Andrew McKenzie also snapping. I hadn’t seen McKenzie snap before but he’s done fine and it’s nice to know we have an emergency option. Snelsire and Ned Gray are both holding on field goals, no reason to think Snelsire won’t man that job in 2026.

Jackson Bonser continues to display a strong leg in the kicking game. I think incoming freshman Kyle Bitsko will get a chance to win the job this August so probably no resolution on placekicking until then. Hoping I get to see kickoff coverage at some point.

Quanye Veney, Donovan Higgins, Kyree Richardson, and Jeremiah Washington all took reps returning punts and kickoffs. This is another area where I think Higgins could make an impact as a freshman, similar to Isaiah Dawson. Likely another role that we’ll get a better picture of come August.

Next Post

Spring Practice 2026 – Update #2 – late March/early April