Nine of 15 practices complete, as the Spiders are less than two weeks away from the annual spring game.

Roster Update

Two small tweaks to the roster have our total up from 85 to 87.

Peter Cwietniewicz – Cwietniewicz (I’ll pass on pronouncing that) is a new sophomore running back on the roster. I found his high school lacrosse profile online but that’s about it. This would be the second former lacrosse player to added to our team the past few years, as we continue to stay creative in keeping our numbers up.

Ben Ferber – We absolutely needed to add another snapper behind Wes Sharpe and we finally have our new freshman. Ferber comes from IMG Academy in Florida after picking up offers from Stanford, Stetson, and MIT. That’s a great high school for us to have a connection at and I’m glad we’ve filled our last need for this year’s class.

Matthew Martin – Also worth noting that Matthew Martin, a freshman receiver on last year’s roster, has officially moved to Nickel. Listed as a LB now, he’s working behind Burney and Soltis, giving the Spiders three Nickels for 2026.

Practice Update

Offense

As John O’Connor eluded to, QB Jack Callaghan is not 100% and didn’t practice this past week. He’s still mobile on the sidelines, so I have no concerns he’ll be available in August, but it’s disappointing I haven’t gotten to see more of him. I do not know his spring game status. On the other hand it’s led to more snaps for Joe McCauley and Jack Levin. Levin is a walk-on from last season and a great example of the value of depth. Without a QB walk-on we’d be operating with two QBs the entire spring, limiting reps for WRs and the entire offense. This is the reason I harp on our total roster count so often, as being thin at certain spots can impact practices for all position groups. Glad to see both McCauley and Levin making the most of their opportunities this spring.

Plenty of work on RPOs and keeping the QBs on the move. I think we saw success moving the pocket last year and will lean on that more going forward. McCauley’s mobility is a big plus in this area. Overall, Snelsire continues to look comfortable and his timing/decision making remains quick. Not sure how they’ll split reps in the spring game but I’m excited to see how all three QBs perform in live action.

Getting to see a lot from running backs not named Aziz Foster-Powell or Jamaal Brown. Local product Warrick “Butter” Stephenson (Douglas Freeman) had a number of explosive plays the past few weeks. Listed at just 5′ 7″, Stephenson has great hands out of the backfield and has been fun to watch. Hoping we get to see him during the spring game, as he’s another example of valuable depth.

With Sean Clarke and Ryan Campbell out, only three tight ends are active. Aiden Steinfeldt has the most experience, getting plenty of reps with the 1s, but keep an eye on Carson Derey. Derey redshirted last season, seeing action in just two games. He’s got good size and displays nice hands in practice. I imagine Clarke and Campbell will jump towards the top of the depth chart when they return but like most positions, it’s nice seeing a younger Spider develop in the offseason.

On the offensive line, all 10 linemen are active now. The main focus has been establishing a center. The past two weeks, JT Sowell and Jason Smith are working there, with Kade Capristo sliding over to guard. There’s a long way to go regarding consistent snapping. Smith had only been at guard since arriving at UR so he’ll need some time to settle in, with Sowell a little more seasoned in delivering shotgun snaps. We saw how one snap can shift the momentum in week 1 so there’s nothing more important in my eyes than locking down a reliable center. Godwin Burger and Ron Anderson remain the starting tackles, with Capristo, Fowler, and Hundley all options at guard.

Defense

The coaches are doing a good job of giving the experienced guys some breaks. Coach Huesman talked about this in his recent press conference, stating that there are times they’re giving 4th & 5th year guys some extra rest to allow for more snaps for younger guys.

This is something we really see at defensive tackle. A few drill and team periods where TJ Baldwin and Braxton Lassiter are left to the side, giving the three freshmen (Reece, Wheeler, Lee) more practice. I continue to like what Bryce Lee offers, in both size and explosiveness, but all three can absolutely win their place in the rotation.

Now that some roster spots have more depth, we have a few guys back in their “correct” positions. Harrison Wood at free safety gives us a nice option behind Lee Bruner IV, and Devin Geronomi behind Jordan Allen has strong safety as one of our best positions. I thought Geronomi would stay at corner given our lack of experience there but his instincts + size at safety are hard to pass on. With 12 games played (seven starts) his true freshman season, our safety depth is the best it has been in a while.

I mentioned him in the first update but I love watching the versatility of Blake Houser. He’s continuing to work on his skills as an edge rusher – he’ll be the Mike 95% of the time but don’t think he won’t get a chance or two to rush the passer on 3rd & longs. I won’t get into the schematics but Coach Wood has shown a creative 3rd down package that puts some of our stars in great spots.

Cornerback play has mirrored 2025. Extremely physical, undoubtedly a point of emphasis that we continue to drive home. The Spiders were flagged more in 2025 but gave up far fewer explosive plays. We’ve clearly made the decision to compete harder and we’ll see if it pays off again. R-Fr. Tramayne Bullock (6′ 2″) fits this mold well however I can’t say I’ve seen much separation within the group. Curious to see how this group does and where our penalty count lands in a fully officiated spring game.

Special Teams

I haven’t seen any kickoff work so don’t expect this during the spring game. Punting has been pretty basic, with Ned Gray as our only punter and Quanye Veney and Donovan Higgins the two primary returners (Jaiden Fair remains out).

In the kicking game, leg strength is not a problem. Bonser has a great leg and Winterhalter has hit a few from 45+. This should entirely be decided by accuracy, as there have been good and bad days. Bonser was the more notable recruit but if Winterhalter can maintain consistency he’ll get his chance to win the job. Jayden Alsheskie didn’t have the biggest leg last year but I’ll gladly take another 100% PAT + 75% FG season from any Spider.

Next Post

Spring Practice 2026 – Spring Game recap – Monday, April 13th