Tulsa Spring Football Gets Underway Tuesday

TULSA, Okla. –– The Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team will get 2022 spring drills underway on Tuesday with a two-hour workout at H.A. Chapman Stadium.

"I'm excited about spring ball starting and getting on the field with our players. It looks like we'll have a good first week weather-wise," said Tulsa Head Coach Philip Montgomery. "Obviously, we have some holes to fill but we have a nucleus of guys coming back that we can really build around."

"It's been a good winter off-season for us, but as we step on the field with our guys that's where we'll see the growth."

"Our coaches and players are excited about getting on the field and competing to figure out what your team will be about. As a player, you get the opportunity to improve from a skill standpoint and from a positioning standpoint. As coaches, we can look at guys in different spots, move pieces around and figure out what is the best spot for the player and us as we move forward. It's about finding the best 11 players to step on the field that can play in unison together."

Tulsa is coming off a 7-6 campaign that saw the Hurricane place third in the American Athletic Conference standings and win the 2021 Myrtle Beach Bowl. Of the six losses, four were to teams that finished the season ranked among the Associated Press' top-20, including No. 4 Cincinnati, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Oklahoma State and No. 17 Houston.

Tulsa returns 41 letterwinners, including 18 offensively, 20 on defense and three specialists. The Hurricane will have to replace 15 starters for the upcoming campaign. Returning in 2022 after missing most of the 2021 season with injuries will be starters Keylon Stokes at receiver and safety Kendarin Ray.

Three running backs who combined for 1,377 yards and 11 touchdowns – Deneric Prince, Anthony Watkins and Steven Anderson – return to headline the offense along with 3,000+ yard quarterback Davis Brin and second-leading receiver JC Santana, who caught 51 passes for 689 yards. Stokes, a 2,000+ career receiver, will join Santana to lead the receiving corps.

Perhaps, the biggest storyline for the Hurricane this spring will be upfront for the Hurricane on both sides of the ball.

"It always starts up front for us on the offensive and defensive lines. We have some new faces there on both sides. The lines will be crucial for us, not only now, but as we go throughout the rest of spring, summer and fall camp," said Montgomery.

Tulsa will be looking to replace four starters on the offensive front and three defensive line starters. The Hurricane returns some solid experience on both sides of the line.

Bryce Bray and Jaden Muskrat each have starting experience on the offensive front, while Ethan Hall returns to his starting role at tight end. Part-time defensive line starter Anthony Goodlow was Tulsa's sack leader a year ago with six for -33 yards, while Everitt Rogers and Joseph Anderson have each been major contributors in reserve roles.

Senior Justin Wright and graduate players Grant Sawyer and Jon-Michael Terry highlight the linebacker corps for the Hurricane heading into spring practice. Another graduate player, Bryson Powers, has totaled 144 tackles, six forced fumbles and six pass breakups in 46 career games and 11 starts at nickel safety. Safeties LJ Wallace and Jaise Oliver have starting experience, while 14-game starter Tyon Davis anchors the corner position.

The March 1 opening of spring football is the first of the 15 scheduled spring practice dates slated for two weeks before and three weeks after the school's Spring Break. Spring Drills will conclude with the Annual Spring Game on Saturday morning, April 9, as a part of TU Athletics Hall of Fame Weekend.

Season tickets for the six-game 2022 home schedule, featuring BCS semifinalist Cincinnati, start at low as $75. Go online at TulsaHurricane.com or call 918.631.GoTU (4688) for tickets. Click Here for Season Tickets.

SPRING PRACTICE DATES
Tuesday, March 1
Thursday, March 3
Saturday, March 5
Tuesday, March 8
Thursday, March 10 (PRO DAY, Starts at 9 AM)
SPRING BREAK – March 12-20
Tuesday, March 22
Thursday, March 24
Saturday, March 26
*Sunday, March 27
Tuesday, March 29
Thursday, March 31
Saturday, April 2
*Sunday, April 3
Tuesday, April 5
Thursday, April 7
Saturday, April 9 (Spring Game)
*Tentative. One of those two days will be selected for practice.

Tulsa Spring Football Gets Underway Tuesday

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Players Mentioned

Joseph Anderson

Steven Anderson

Bryce Bray

Davis Brin

Tyon Davis

Anthony Goodlow

Ethan Hall

Jaden Muskrat

Jaise Oliver

Bryson Powers

Deneric Prince

Kendarin Ray

Everitt Rogers

Grant Sawyer

Keylon Stokes

Jon-Michael Terry

LJ Wallace

Anthony Watkins

Justin Wright

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