CB Washington not afraid to compete
air force academy» Air Force began preparation for Abilene Christian and Georgia State on Tuesday, marking that shift in camp from install to game mode.
Even in this atmosphere, there are some positions undetermined.
Senior cornerback Jesse Washington is among those finishing camp strong in his quest to recapture the starting position he held throughout last season.
“He’s really improved the last week or so,” defensive coordinator Steve Russ said. “He’s really playing better. That’s not to say the other guys aren’t, but he’s really embraced the competition and he’s doing some good things.”
Washington is sharing first-team reps with junior Marquis Griffin, who had passed him for a starting spot in the spring and held that spot early in camp. Hayes Linn, who moved from safety, is also in the three-man mix to man the two corner spots while the team awaits the return of all-Mountain West firstteamer Roland Ladipo.
Ladipo was running in practice Tuesday, backpedaling and cutting out of breaks. So his return from a sprained MCL doesn’t appear to be far off.
“Competition is what it’s all about,” said Washington, who started the final 10 games in 2015. “I didn’t come here just to lollygag around. Competition is what makes this place great.
“It wasn’t something I didn’t expect. You can’t ever think you’ve earned a spot forever. You’re competing for a spot every season — every game, really. So it was nothing new to me. I knew I’d be competing for this job all of fall camp.”
Because of Air Force’s unusual experience, even the position battles like cornerback are among players who have seen significant game action. Usually there’s at least a handful of spots where new faces are duking it out for the starting role, but this year those battles are largely relegated to the No. 2 positions.
Defensively, sophomore Robert Bullard (cornerback), sophomore Kyle Floyd (safety), sophomore R.J. Jackson (outside linebacker) and junior Shaquille Vereen (a converted safety playing spur linebacker) are players with little experience who are in position to break camp as top backups.
Even with game preparation starting and only eight practices remaining before the Sept. 3 opener, Russ said it’s not quite time to settle in on a set depth chart.
“Not yet,” Russ said. “We’re getting there. Competition is bringing out the best in all of these guys, and we want to keep that competition going. You get to game week, though, and we’re going to have to make some decisions.”