Lions enter 4th week of spring football practice

HAMMOND, La. – The reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University football team opened the fourth week of spring practice Tuesday afternoon at Strawberry Stadium.

With five practices remaining in spring drills, Southeastern head coach Frank Scelfo, the two-time SLC Coach of the Year, has been pleased with how the spring has progressed.

“We’ve been getting a lot of guys good experience on both sides of the ball,” Scelfo commented. “The primary growth I’ve seen is our team starting to come together more each day and we can see leaders starting to establish themselves. As coaches, we always are holding the players accountable, but when the players start holding their teammates accountable that’s a good sign moving forward.”

On the defensive side, Scelfo was quick to point out the group’s upside.

“We have more athleticism on the defensive side of the ball,” Scelfo said. “We have more length and our speed has definitely improved. When you combine the physical gifts with the effort we’re playing with, we’re starting to flash a little bit more on that side of the ball.

“We don’t have as much experience in the secondary as we had last season, but we’re much more athletic,” Scelfo added. “At the corner spot, Ralph Walker and Tyrone Legette, have both had very good springs for us.”

SLU’s offensive success has always started up front and Scelfo has been pleased with the work the Lions have done in the trenches this spring.

“We’ve been really happy with the play of our offensive line,” Scelfo stated. “We have a more experienced group that has a chance to be dominant. Our running backs and tight ends have both been doing a good job this spring. We’re still finding our way at wide receiver, but those guys are battling for open spots.”

The spring has seen a three-way competition at quarterback between returning sophomore Eli Sawyer, as well as newcomers Zachary Clement and Cammon Cooper.

“All three have been getting equal reps and I wouldn’t say anyone has the upper hand,” Scelfo commented. “Eli knows our system better just from being here, but Zach and Cam have both shown some good things. The competition has been good for all three of them.”

On special teams, Scelfo has been impressed with the continued improvement of Riley Callaghan, who took over as the starting kicker early in his debut collegiate season last fall.

“Riley hit a couple of big kicks for us today,” Scelfo stated. “He’s had a good spring. He’s getting more lift on his kick, he’s kicking with more confidence and he’s stronger than he was in the fall. I’m looking for big things for him once again this fall.”

Southeastern will return to the practice field Thursday at 4 p.m. The Lions are scheduled to open the 2023 regular season Sept. 2 at Mississippi State.

2023 Southeastern Football Spring Practice Schedule
Thursday, March 23 – 4 p.m.
Saturday, March 25 – 10 a.m.
Tuesday, March 28 – 4 p.m.
Thursday, March 30 – 4 p.m.
Saturday, April 1 – 2 p.m. (Spring Showcase)

TICKETS
For ticket information, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net. Southeastern will continue offering mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets for the 2022-23 season. All tickets will be available via e-mail or text message in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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