No depth concerns

The Golden Lions were already thin on the offensive line going into 2016, and injuries throughout the year made them even thinner. Head coach Monte Coleman made it a priority to recruit more linemen, and he said he believes the problem is solved.

“Last year was very unique for us because of all the injuries to the offensive line,” he said. “That group suffered really bad. We were down to our third-team center at one point. Guys were getting hurt, and they weren’t coming back because they were out for the year.

“Football is a physical sport, and you’re going to have injuries. But we spent a lot of time in recruiting that area. We beefed up sizewise and numbers-wise. Last spring, we only had five, but right now, we’ve got 14 in camp.”

One guy in particular who Coleman and offensive line coach Damon Nivens agreed could have a huge impact is right tackle David Adou. Nivens said the 6-2, 285-pound transfer from Tyler (Texas) Junior College has been impressive during fall practices, which bodes well for a unit that is expected to have as many as three freshmen in the mix for significant playing time.

“We took a step forward by just getting more guys in because for the last couple of years, we lacked the numbers at the position,” he said. “Now we’ve got guys like Jayden Glover and a Khaleb Fobish who are quality players that can play at this leve.”

UAPB averaged 77 yards rushing per game last season and gave up the secondmost sacks in the SWAC, but quarterback Brandon Duncan doesn’t expect that to be the case this year.

“The line is looking great,” he said. “We’ve got juco guys and a lot of freshmen that don’t play like freshmen.”