JEFFERSON wrapped up spring practice last week, and much like last year, will devote ample time to seven-on-seven passing league sessions next month.
The Dragons — who ended their spring season a little later than other schools due Jefferson’s hosting of the boys’ state track meet — are slated for three large passing league camps in June.
“Yeah, that should make us a whole lot better,” Jefferson coach T. McFerrin, who enters his fourth year at Jefferson. “We ought to know what we’re doing by August.”
The Dragons’ June includes a return trip to the University of Alabama for the Crimson Tide’s passing league camp June 15-16. Jefferson will host a 16-team passing league camp June 12 and travel to Athens Christian June 28 for another large passing league event.
Additionally, Jefferson will host Tuesday night passing sessions with other schools throughout June and then for three Tuesdays in July.
McFerrin said this will help the team catchup following spring ball.
Jefferson — an 8-3 team a year ago — ran a little behind schedule due to injuries and several players still participating in baseball and track. But McFerrin still felt his group got some things done. The veteran coach was particularly pleased with what seems to be a more vigorous defense.
“I was pleased with the defense,” McFerrin said. “I thought the defense played well. They played hard. It’s more of an attacking defense than we’ve had before. They were aggressive.”
He pointed to the linebacker corps in particular of Wesley Simonton (who has moved to sam linebacker), Tyler Bowen and Kody McDonald.
McFerrin was also impressed with Tyler Cole, who has transitioned from linebacker to defensive end to take advantage of his aggressiveness and toughness.
“We want to bring him off the edge and just let him attack,” McFerrin said, noting that Cole can still play outside linebacker. “He’s good at that. We think that’s his strength and he likes it out there.”
The two areas with the biggest overhaul from last year were defensive back and offensive line.
The entire starting secondary from 2011 is gone, but there is promise with this new group McFerrin said after seeing it in the spring.
“We’ve got ability back there,” McFerrin said. “We’re probably about three-deep right now with bodies.”
But there is much sorting out left to do with the depth chart — several of the defensive backs were the baseball players missing time — with no division yet between potential starters and the second group.
The other area seeing major change is the offensive line, with four of five starters leaving.
McFerrin said the offensive front is still very small, noting that several of the guys up front have lost some weight. But they appear to have also gained some quickness and agility.
“They worked hard,” McFerrin said. “They’re going to work hard with Ben Hall, their coach, and they’re going to get better.”
McFerrin said he liked the intensity of the spring session, saying the team hit a lot.
“It was a physical spring … the last three or four days, we scrimmaged a lot at the end of practice on each of those days,” he said.
Though Jefferson was without as many as 14 players at one time or another, the Dragons got most everyone back by the end of spring.
“I think we accomplished a lot of things with a young group and inexperienced group coming back,” McFerrin said. “But we need to work hard this summer.”
