Story by Keenan Hall
Staff writer
khall16@murraystate.edu
The Murray State football team is coming off a successful 2018 season and hopes to carry that momentum into the 2019 spring training camps.
The morale and energy surrounding the program is high for the Racers after starting spring training camps. Murray State was picked to end the 2018 season in last place in the OVC preseason poll, but finished with a 5-3 conference record and as third in the OVC.
Coming into spring camps, the Racers have a lot of holes to fill after losing a talented class last year. Head Coach Mitch Stewart and his coaching staff are looking to their young guys to fill those positions. After opening spring camps the first week of April, Stewart and his staff wanted to encourage the team to enjoy their commitment to improving after an eye-opening 2018 season.
“Spring ball always comes at the right time,” Stewart said. “All the guys have these strength gains and all that excitement from the weight room, but at a certain point that excitement wears off and they are ready to play ball and have fun.”
The quarterback position is where the team has the most youth. None of the quarterbacks on the roster have recorded their first career start. Stewart is aware of the sprawling youth around the program but looks forward to putting in the work.
“We want to continue to improve and develop,” Stewart said. “That is the mission statement of our program. We want to develop these young guys; we want to develop our program and develop as a coaching staff.”
Sophomore quarterback Preston Rice is ready to step into the spotlight after sitting on the sideline for two years. Rice seeks to join the list of the five former quarterbacks that received at least one post-season honor under Stewart since 2011. Rice will have to earn the starting position just like every other player on Stewart’s team, but he plans to have fun and continue to trust the process.
Meanwhile, the offensive line is returning 13 of 15 linemen from last season. Three of those returning started in at least 10 games, while a fourth started in every game in 2018. Offensive line Head Coach Brian Hamilton said the opportunity to work with the exact same group as last year gives them a head start in the offseason.
“I am really excited because there are not that many opportunities in coaching college football where you get to bring back your entire room,” Hamilton said. “So that gives us a lot of guys that understand exactly how we do things, exactly how we see things and exactly how we communicate. For us, we are probably a little bit further ahead than most teams in the spring just because of the continuity.”
As for wide receivers, Murray State will have plenty of options to choose from next season. Seniors Malik Honeycutt and Jonathan Moss are part of the talented receiving core returning in the fall. Tight ends Rajai Perkins and James Sappington are also back in the fall for Murray State.
The Racers wanted the theme of spring camps to be consistent with how they achieved success from their last season. Stewart made it a focus to practice hard and effectively in everything the team did leading up to the spring football game.
“Energy and effort are one of our biggest deals,” Stewart said. “When we get out here on the field we want to be very enthusiastic about getting the opportunity to play. As we move through we’ll morph that energy and effort into details, but right now we just want them to play, run around and have fun playing the game that they love.”
The Racers will have their annual spring football game at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, at Roy Stewart Stadium.