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VMI football begins spring practice Wednesday

Chris Graham

vmi footballThe first full squad workouts under first year VMI football head coach Scott Wachenheim move to the practice field when the Keydets commence spring football drills at Fiorini Field on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

The first practice begins a busy week of drills with workouts scheduled on Wednesday, Friday at 4:30 p.m., and Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

Over 80 players are listed on the 2015 spring roster which includes 18 returning starters with nine on each side of the ball. Both kicker and punter specialists return as well.

“Spring football is always a fun time,” said Wachenheim. “It is a tremendous opportunity for our players to compete and develop confidence in their abilities. Our focus the first week of training will be to install our base offensive, defensive and special teams packages.”

Among the key returnees on offense is Southern Conference Freshman of the Year Al Cobb who returns at quarterback. He led the SoCon with 2,971 passing yards and tossed 20 touchdowns on 269-for-438 passing. Cobb started all 12 games for the Keydets, throwing for at least 200 yards in nine of them and multiple touchdowns in six. Cobb, a four-time SoCon Freshman of the Week, was fifth in voting for the Jerry Rice Award which honors the nation’s top FCS freshman.  Cobb also set school season marks for passing yards (2,971), touchdown passes (20), and total offense (3095) and compiled six games of 300 or more yards passing.

Junior wide receiver Aaron Sanders (58 catches, 901 yards, 4 TD’s) ranked among the top receivers in the SoCon last year and headlines a deep and experienced receivers corps.

On defense, VMI returns all three starters on the defensive line including redshirt junior nose tackle Joe Nelson (51 tackles, 7 TFL in ‘14) and senior tackle Denton Ensminger (36 tackles, 2 TFL).

VMI will hold scrimmages at Foster Stadium during spring drills on April 18, 25, and May 1.

The spring practice schedule and two-deep heading into drills can be accessed on the links to the left.

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].