Week two of spring training for the Owls saw the team finally participate in full-contact practices. Head coach Willie Taggart liked what he saw from both sides of the ball and pointed out a few standouts as well.

“Nick [Tronti] threw a couple good balls in there, a couple touchdowns. Willie [Taggart] Jr. ran one in for a touchdown, he did a couple good things, taking care of the ball in the red zone,” Taggart said.

Taggart also mentioned being impressed by redshirt sophomore running back Johnny Ford. “He can go, he can stop on a dime, I think the first two carries he had here went to the house.” 

Freshman LaJohntay Wester, redshirt junior Brandon Robinson, and redshirt sophomore BJ Alexander also received praise as wide receivers from Taggart.

On defense, Taggart gave credit to redshirt freshmen Antarrius Moultrie and Ja’Marquis Johnson, and sophomore Eddie Williams at the linebacker position, redshirt senior cornerback Korel Smith, as well as freshmen defensive linemen Decarius Hawthorne, Jaden Wheeler, and Jacob Merrifield. 

One of the bigger storylines of spring training is the return of senior cornerback Zyon Gilbert. Gilbert elected to return to school instead of entering the NFL Draft or transferring. 

Gilbert’s steady presence provides a much needed boost for the defense. 

“I feel like I’m getting the defense down pat. The defense is coming along. We are not where we want to be yet but as time goes on, we’ll eventually get there,” Gilbert said. 

At the end of the week, Taggart stated that the team was progressing to his expectations and that he sees improvement everyday. 

Trey Avant is a staff writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @TreyAvant3.