Tulsa Spring Football Gets Underway Today
3/1/2019 11:35:00 AM | Football
TULSA, Okla. –– The Tulsa football team will kick-off spring football practices today when the Golden Hurricane squad gets on the H.A. Chapman Stadium turf for the first of 15 spring practice dates.
Originally slated to begin spring drills on Sunday, Tulsa hits the field this afternoon due to the projected frigid temperatures and inclement weather expected for Sunday. Tulsa plans to be back on the practice field next Tuesday and Thursday.
Returning this year for the Hurricane is 47 lettermen, including 17 starters, plus another 12 players who have started games in their careers. Six starters return to the offense, while eight starters are back on defense.
Highlighting the offensive starters returning in 2019 is Tulsa's one-two backfield punch of Shamari Brooks and Corey Taylor II. The duo combined to rush for 1,813 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2018. Tulsa also returns its leading receiver in the likes of junior Keylon Stokes, who caught 41 passes for 575 yards and two TDs.
Seth Boomer started the final eight games of the 2019 season at quarterback and threw for 1,378 yards and nine touchdowns as a red-shirt freshman. Boomer showed steady improvement as the season progressed, completing 61.2-prcent of his passes for 945 yards, 189 yards per game, seven TDs and just two INTs in the final five games
Junior Luke Skipper, who missed all but the first four games in 2018, is back as well. Skipper completed 58-percent of his passes for 716 yards and four TDs a year ago.
Adding to the mix of quarterbacks is junior Zach Smith, who had to sit out last year after transferring from Baylor University. Smith started 10 games in two seasons at Baylor and as a sophomore threw for 1,471 yards and eight TDs in nine games. He had a career best 463 yards and four touchdowns on 33-of-50 passing against No. 3 Oklahoma in 2017.
The Tulsa offensive line will have to replace three graduating seniors –– center Chandler Miller, guard Tyler Bowling and tackle Willie Wright.
Defensively, the Hurricane transitioned to a 3-3-5 scheme last year and the switch paid dividends in 2018. Tulsa's defense improved by 121.2 yards, allowing 89.3 yards against the pass and 31.9 rushing yards fewer than the previous season. Tulsa's defense ranked 8th nationally for pass defense, 10th for 4th down conversions, 41st for passing defense efficiency and 44th for red zone defense.
Tulsa returns three starting linebackers, three starters in the secondary and two on the defensive line, as a total of 16 players have starting experience on the Hurricane defense.
Linebacker Zaven Collins returns for his sophomore season in 2019 after earning Freshman All-America honors by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and USA Today as a red-shirt freshman in 2018. He was second on the team in tackles with 85, had a team-best 8.5 FLs for -31 yards and added three pass breakups. Fellow linebacker, senior Cooper Edmiston, led the team in stops with 113 tackles and also had a team-leading four interceptions.
The defensive line is anchored by senior end Trevis Gipson who became a force on the defense last season. Gipson was credited with 46 tackles, nine stops for lost yardage and a team-best of five forced fumbles.
The secondary has seven players who started at least one game last year, including corners Reggie Robinson, Akayleb Evans and Allie Green IV, safeties Manny Bunch, Bryson Powers, TieNeal Martin and Brandon Johnson
Spring practice is slated for over four weeks, including two weeks before and two weeks after the school's Spring Break.
Players Mentioned
Quarterback
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Offensive Guard
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Running Back
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Safety
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Linebacker
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Linebacker
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Cornerback
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Defensive End
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Cornerback
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Safety
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Linebacker
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Center
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Safety
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Quarterback
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Quarterback
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Wide Receiver
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Running Back
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Offensive Tackle
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