Southeastern Football Position Report No. 8: Specialists

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana football team heads into the 2018 season with proven veterans in all facets of their special teams.

Junior punter Ivy Wall, senior long snapper Anthony Freeman and senior holder Jake Ingraffia all return to their roles in 2018. Senior Jonathan Tatum will be once again handle placekicking duties after primarily taking the role of kickoff specialist as a junior.

The Lions have several dynamic options in the return game, led by junior Juwan Petit-Frere. The consensus preseason All-American is coming off a sophomore season in which he led the nation with 34.6 yards per kickoff return.

SLU will be looking to replace 2017 All-Southland punt returner Max Lyons, who was a senior last season. Junior Devonte Williams and sophomore Austin Mitchell are two of the leading candidates to fill the role.

First-year offensive and special teams assistant Ross Jenkins has been assisting special teams coordinator Micheal Spurlock and has been pleased with the specialists’ progression this fall.

“Our punters and kickers are a tight-knit group that are very supportive of each other,” Jenkins commented. “What’s been good to see as a coach is how they’re willing to put in the extra work to get better.

“We want to find a level of consistency in all aspects of our special teams,” Jenkins added. “A lot of games are changed by big plays on special teams. Our guys know that and take their contribution to our team’s success very seriously.”

The Lions open the 2018 season with a 7 p.m. contest on Thursday at ULM. The game will be televised on ESPN+, the subscription-based arm of ESPN, and via the WatchESPN app. The Lions-Warhawks game will air on the Southeastern Radio Network (KSLU-FM 90.9, Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, WFPR 1400 AM). The game can also be heard online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the TuneIn Radio and RadioFX apps.

SEASON TICKET INFORMATION

For season ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. The Lions will welcome conference foes Central Arkansas (Sept. 15), Northwestern State (Sept. 29), Houston Baptist (Oct. 13 – Homecoming), Abilene Christian (Oct. 20 – Hall of Fame Game) and McNeese (Nov. 3).

CLEAR BAG POLICY

Southeastern Athletics has instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events, effective with the start of football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.

TOUCHDOWN CLUB/S CLUB

Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the football program are encouraged to join the Touchdown Club. Lion football alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letterwinners.

All membership fees and donations to both the Touchdown Club and S Club (football) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern football program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA/#SelfieWithScelfo
For more information on Southeastern Football, follow @SLUFootball and @Coach_Scelfo on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.

Fans can also win a pair of SLU Football season tickets by participating in the #SelfieWithScelfo campaign during the month of August. Follow @SLU_athletictix on Twitter for more information.

FRANK SCELFO COACHES SHOW

The Frank Scelfo Coaches Show will debut on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. at Tope La Catering (113 East Thomas Street) in downtown Hammond. The season’s first show will air on Tuesday due to Labor Day. The season’s remaining shows will be held each Monday through Nov. 12 with a 7 p.m. start for each.

The show will air on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU-FM (90.9), Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and WFPR 1400 AM). Fans can also listen live at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Radio FX and TuneIn Radio apps. A live video stream of the show will be available via Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/sluathletics.