Unofficially, the Gators gained 424 yards from scrimmage on 50 plays. Led by Calvin Wilks’ 179 yards on 18 carries, Baker picked up 389 yards on the ground on 45 carries. Gator quarterback Kase Armstrong threw for 35 yards.

Baker scored five touchdowns to go along with those 424 yards.

The Baby Rattlers ran 40 plays from scrimmage and had 145 yards on offense. Sixty of those yards came on one play, FAMU’s only touchdown, as the Gators rolled to a 34-6 win.

In other words, coach Matt Brunson’s desire to pound the Baby Rattlers into submission worked to near perfection.

“Our guys up front played really well, and I like the physicality we played with,” he said. “And if we don’t turn it over, we are going to be really tough.

“We got a good look at some very live ammunition (receivers) that we defended very well. They got loose a couple of times, but I’m proud of our defense and especially the way our back end (secondary) played.”

About the only thing the Baby Rattlers won on Friday was the opening coin toss, and they deferred giving Baker the ball to start the game.

The Gators started the first drive on their own 44-yard line and needed just four plays to go the 56 yards to score. Lane Brewer scored the first of his two touchdowns on a 45-yard run with 9:52 left in the first period.

Brewer finished the game with 58 yards rushing on nine carries. He also had a 26-yard touchdown reception to finish the night with 84 yards in total offense and two scores. That doesn’t speak for his role in the swarming Gator defense.

Baker’s second possession also ended with a touchdown as Armstrong hit Austin Stanley with a 6-yard scoring pass. Less than 10 minutes into the game, the Gators were up 14-0 and things looked shaky for the visitors from Tallahassee.

The lone FAMU score was from 60 yards out, but Baker answered right back.

Wilks scored on a 53-yard run less than two minutes into the second quarter.

Brewer’s touchdown catch came with 1:45 left in the half and would be the last score before the break.

Neither team scored in the third period, but early in the fourth quarter, Jacob Beckworth scored from four yards out. The touchdown capped a 93-yard drive that was sparked by Joseph Blackshear’s 59-yard run.

Terrance Clausell got most of the Baker carries in the fourth quarter and finished the night with 81-yards on 10 carries.

Wilks and Trace Matthews had interceptions for Baker to help shut down FAMU drives.

Baker coach Matt Brunson officially starts his second tenure as the head Gators against a team that is the exact opposite of Baker offensively.

“FAMU is a very athletic, explosive, spread out offense ariel attack,” he said. “We have to get pressure (on the quarterback) and be good on the back end and not give them any big plays.

And then we’ve got to do what we do on offense, be physical and run the ball downhill. We have to keep the ball away from them because they are explosive and they’ve got some very athletic guys on the perimeter, for sure.”

Brunson said FAMU will be the first of back-to-back pass happy teams Baker hosts. Next week the Destin Sharks bring their pass attack to Baker.

Brunson’s philosophy is as simple as the origins of football. You take the fight to the opponent and in doing so you take the fight out of the opponent.

“I think when you run the power like we do and run the ball downhill like we do, that’s not very fun for defenses,” he said. “They’d rather rush the passer and play coverage. We try to make their safeties and corners come down in the box and be run players which is sometimes not what the signed up for.

“We are going to try to be physical and keep the ball away from them and see how tough they are. When they have the ball, we’ve got to keep them in front and don’t give them any big plays.”

Brunson enjoyed undeniable success in his first tenure at Baker. He’s hoping to start another equally impressive run starting tonight.

“It’s awesome to be back as a Baker Gator,” he said. “My goal when I got into coaching 33 years ago was to be the head coach at Baker and in 2011 I was granted that. The 11 years as head coach and 12 years I spent here were very special with the greatest memories a guy could have to build a program and have the success we had and be able to coach your son on a state championship team.

“It’s exciting for me to be able to get to come back home. We’re ready to get this thing going and build it the right way for our program so we can have another 10 or 11 of years of success like we did the first time, and this is the first step.”

Crestview was in a situational scrimmage against Catholic and no score was kept. It’s probably safe to say the Bulldogs fared better against the Crusaders than the Panthers did against the Indians.

Bulldog coach Thomas Grant expects a battle from Milton, and he knows the Panthers have at least one weapon that can break the game open at any time.

“I know they have a 4-star safety/receiver (Kaiden Hall, a junior),” he said. “He’s a very explosive player. We have to know where he is at all times whether on offense or defense.

“Coach (Kelly) Gillis does good job over there. They are going to play extremely hard and will get after you. So, we are going to have to come in and make sure we do what we are supposed to.”

Grant said the Panthers run a similar offense to Crestview with multiple receiver sets and using a tight end/fullback out of the backfield in more of a H-back style.

The Panthers have a unique defenses stacking their linebackers to create confusion for opposing offenses.

“We are trying to figure out why they are doing that and the schematics why they are doing that so we can find a way to take advantage of it,” Grant said.

Grant believes the Bulldogs gained some confidence from the contest with the Crusaders.

“I liked the way we competed,” he said. “There was no moping or pouting on the sideline. Those four defensive linemen for Catholic are as good as any we’ve seen in the past.

“We competed, and the first drive we a 10-play drive and were stopped on third down because that’s how many plays we were doing. Whenever you can move against a very athletic defense like that, there is definitely some promise.”

Baker hosted what was an old jamboree format for the Kickoff Classic on Friday taking on Pleasant Home, Ala., and longtime rival Northview.

The Baker middle school team played Ernest Ward Middle School and the Gator JV also played the Eagles and the Chiefs. For the record, Baker’s junior varsity split beating Pleasant Home and losing to Northview. The Gator middle school team beat the visitors from North Escambia County.

In reality, Baker fans were there to see the Baker varsity hit someone else and to witness the continuing retransformation under Brunson. If one needed an indication of the way the Gators played, they only needed to look at the smile on Polly Brunson’s face as she joined her husband after the game.

Baker made it look easy against Pleasant Home taking down the Eagles 20-0. Baker finished the night with an 8-6 win over Northview in a preview of the game that will be played Oct. 4 in Bratt.

“I’m proud of their effort and we will take this as a beginning point and build from here,” Brunson said. “It was awesome the way we played in the second outing against Northview. We established our physicality, winning the line of scrimmage and our guys did a great job of taking care of the football and running downhill.

“It was fun to watch. Whenever they are keeping score, we want to win. Tonight was big.”

Stats mean little or nothing in a preseason game. If stats were being kept, they would show that quarterback Kase Armstrong is going to do more than hand the ball off to the fullback up the middle or a wingback on a speed sweep.

The senior was impressive in spreading the wealth and was seldom off target in his pass attempts.

Don’t expect Baker to suddenly start throwing the ball 20 or 30 times a game, but the ability to throw will open up other aspects of the offense.

“Teams can’t cheat those corners and safeties down there and play the run 100 percent because we can throw it a little bit,” Brunson said. “Kase did a great job and Austin Stanley made a couple of plays from the fullback alignment.

“Lane (Brewer) and then Jordan (Preston) and Joseph Blackshear and Jacob Beckworth all made plays coming out of the backfield on run, play action and that opened up the stuff so that was good.”

It took Baker and Armstrong just two plays to show that throwing the ball will be an option in the Gator playbook this season. On Baker’s second offensive play of the night, Armstrong connected with Stanley on a 39-yard pass play against Pleasant Home. Two plays later, Brewer took the ball in from two yards out.

Baker never trailed against the Eagles or the Chiefs.

Brewer’s second touchdown of the night, followed by the 2-point conversion by Armstrong.

Preston scored Baker’s third TD against the Eagles as the half between the teams was winding down.

Wilks, although slight in stature, proved he can run tough between the tackles and break it to the outside and pull away from defenders.

Wilks scored Baker’s only touchdown against Northview on a 16-yard run to cap the first Gator drive against the Chiefs. Brewer added the 2-point conversion that would be the difference in the game.

The Chiefs were able to score a touchdown, but the Gator defense rose to the occasion stopping the conversion.

In short, Friday’s performance was just what one would expect from a Baker team coached by Brunson.

The Gators now turn their attention to their season opener Friday when they host Florida A&M High.

Brunson will make sure Baker is ready to play and he knows the players will do what’s need to be successful

“Next week we won’t have a 30-minute half time like we did tonight,” he said. “We’ve got to get ready to play four quarters and keep being physical and see where it takes us.

“We’ve got a fun little group to coach.”

As far as Kickoff Classics go Thursday’s contest between host Crestview and Class 2A power Catholic, was at best, a form of football.

The best news for both teams is no player seemed to suffer a serious injury.

Instead of a timed game format, the teams played a controlled scrimmage with each offense having a set number of snaps from different places on the field. If a touchdown was scored before the allotted number of plays, the team with the ball remained on offense.

There was no clock used timing the game and the score wasn’t kept.

That doesn’t mean Crestview coach Thomas Grant and his staff won’t have plenty to work on in preparation for Friday’s season opener when the Bulldogs host Milton in a 7 p.m. game at Jack Foster Stadium.

“We did some good things,” Grant said. “Catholic is coming off a final four run. They are big, they are strong, they are fast.

“I thought at times, we competed with them and did some good things. We have to do a better job of paying attention to the detail of the game plan and understand we can’t have lapses in the scheme. We’ve got to do what we are coached to do.”

Grant said Jace Greene, Karson Kolmetz and Sean Johns were some of the players that came up big. Kolmetz had a touchdown catch and Greene had three or four receptions.

Grant credited Zy Tassin with the touchdown pass to Klometz.

Johns had an interception and was part of a strong performance by the Bulldog defensive secondary.

Bulldog senior Zi Morris said he thought Crestview might have surprised some people.

“We played good today,” he said. “We were the underdogs and people thought they were going to beat us but came out here and did what we did. We scored and we did all of that.

“We played as a team, and we have to keep doing that. We have to do that against Milton, and we have to do that against everybody. We are going to show them we are not the underdog anymore.”

Braylon Phillips agreed with Morris about Crestview making a stronger showing against Catholic than people might have expected.

“We already had our plan in mind, and we executed it perfectly,” he said. “No if ands or buts about it, we are ready for the season. I’m through the roof right now.

“I could play Milton right now.”

The preliminaries are over and the march to the playoffs starts Friday.

“Everybody in the state is 0-0 after this weekend,” Grant said. “Now it’s for real. We’ve got to compete with a very high level football team (against Catholic).

“We did some good things, but we just have to be more consistent of making plays within the scheme of the game plan. I’m excited for this team. We need to have a good week of practice because we host Milton here Friday night.”

A lightning strike at 7 p.m. interrupted the activities limiting the time of the oldest BAYA teams. But within 45 minutes the Baker middle school and high school teams had returned to the field and the show went on as planned.

Gator graduate Vada Moore made his coaching debut as the Baker Middle School head coach. If Friday is a hint of what the future holds for the Gator varsity, head coach Matt Brunson will have plenty to smile about for years to come.

And make no mistake about it, fans were there to see the new look, old look Gators under Brunson in his return to the Baker sidelines for the first time since the end of the 2021 season.

Even the most pessimistic of fans had to be smiling by the time the scrimmage wrapped up around 8:45.

For the first time since Brunson stepped away from the football program, the Gators looked like the Gators. The tightknit Baker coaching staff communicated as if Brunson and never left the field.

“I think we competed well,” Brunson said. “The best thing we’ve got to do is get after each other with great effort and take care of the football. It was awesome being out here, before school even starts, with this many people out here to support our football guys.

“You turn these lights on, on a Friday night, this is a special place to be and I’m definitely proud to be here.”

Players showcasing their talents for Brunson under the lights for the first time, played hard, smart and with confidence. There was an electricity in the air that had nothing to do with the lightning display an hour earlier as Brunson, whether he’ll admit it or not, was a force of nature by himself.

Lane Brewer ran hard between the tackles. Calvin Wilks showed the breakaway speed on the outside that makes him a threat to go the distance any time he touches the ball, while running with power that is surprising for someone so small in stature.

“We gave the fans something (to get excited about),” Brewer said. “There will definitely be more people here this year. We showed out tonight.

“I’m excited about all of this hard work we’ve put in, the blood, sweat and tears. We come in here and we are a family, and we go, go, go. There is no stopping the Baker Gators now.

As advertised, senior quarterback Kase Armstrong showed control of the Gator offense playing smart and efficiently while throwing strikes to Austin Stanley and Joseph Blackshear. The holes provided by the talented Gator offensive line provided ample space for the backs to find a suitable opening.

“Things went great tonight,” Armstrong said. “We did all the things we wanted to. There were a lot of people here tonight and I think we gave them a reason to keep coming back.”

As soon as Meet the Gators ended, Brunson was already looking to Friday’s Kickoff Classic as the Gators continue the march to the 2024 season.

“We want to have great effort,” he said. “We want to get after them and take care of the football. We want to establish how physically we are going to play.

“I think we’ve had a great start. We had two great weeks of camp and tonight was a good thing.”

One of the most famous offensive lines was Fordham University’s 1936 line known as the “Seven Blocks of Granite.” Several members of that line played in the National Football League.  

The most famous player made his name in the NFL, but not as a player. That 160-pound near-sighted guard on that team was none other than Vince Lombardi. 

It’s doubtful a publicist will come up with a catchy name for Baker’s 2024 offensive line. But the Gators have been hard at work since early last month to become a cohesive unit that will open holes for Baker running backs and protect the quarterback. 

After taking a year away from football, long-time Gator offensive line coach David Oglesby is back, and he likes what he sees from the line. 

“Offensive linemen have to have a selfless mentality because we are a team,” he said. “That’s what I was telling them today. We are a family amongst ourselves if that makes sense.  

“We are going to block for the guy next to us and the guy next to us. And it doesn’t matter who gets the football. Our mentality is, ‘We just block.’” 

Oglesby stresses the family atmosphere for the offensive line. 

“We are going to go out there and plow the road for them,” he said, “but we are going to do it as a team and a family. I believe in building that family unit because we are in the trenches all the time.  

“We don’t get much glory. The glory is going to come from your brother that gives you a pat on the back because you just did something great.” 

And Oglesby preaches the three Ts of togetherness, toughness and technique. 

“If we can be together, and we are all tough, and we do it the right way, we are going to block your tail end off,” he said. “Our togetherness, our toughness and our technique are what is going to win it as we develop.” 

Makani Abdon, Maddox Smith, Colin Kelley, Jeremy Fredericks, Easton Pickilton, Nathanial Ball and Logan Ward will be the core of the line that could see as many as 10 or 12 players see significant playing time this season.  

Most of the starters from last year’s line graduated, and the Gators are starting from scratch. Oglesby said the 2020 offensive line that helped power Baker to the state championship only had one returner.  

“My job as a coach is to watch and see how that unit is working together and see who is gelling together and then I keep them together,” he said. “Those guys, all of them, are new, but it’s going to be a good unit.”  

Crestview finished last season with a 4-6 record and missed the playoffs.

The Bulldogs open the season at home against Milton on Aug. 23 as part of a schedule that has them playing five games at Jack Foster Stadium and five on the road.

The new District 1-6A is void of Niceville with the Bulldog opponents being Pace, Navarre and Tate.

Crestview’s 2024 opponents had a combined record of 72-39. Crestview was 2-3 against teams that are again on the schedule.

Here’s a breakdown of the 2024 season:

Aug. 23: Milton at Crestview. Last year, Crestview won 49-22. Milton record 3-7.

Points for, 151 points. Points against, 338.

The Panthers lost 17 seniors to graduation. Players to watch in 2024: Senior quarterback Tate Williams, junior wide receiver/defensive back Kaiden Hall.

Milton is continuing to rebuild while the Bulldogs will be breaking in a new backfield and will be young on the offensive line. Crestview should take care of the Panthers with a comfortable win.

Too early pick: Crestview 42-17.

Aug. 30: Walton at Crestview. Last year: did not play. Walton record 11-1.

Points for, 471. Points against, 282.

The Braves lost 16 seniors to graduation. Players to watch in 2024: Senior quarterback Wells Bettenhausen, senior running back/strong safety Peyton Seay.

This will be a homecoming of sorts as Braves head coach Keith White was a longtime Bulldog assistant coach and assistant coach Matt Sanders is a 2009 Crestview graduate. Bettenhausen is a big quarterback standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 225 pounds that can win with his arm or with his legs. The Braves are a mature club coming off a playoff run last year in a tough Class 2A.

The key to the game will be how well the Bulldog offense can control the ball and keep a Walton offense that averaged right at 40 points a game last year off the field. It should be noted that Walton, a S2A team, didn’t play a school as large as Crestview in football last season, and it will be interesting to see how the Braves match up with the 6A Bulldogs.

Too early pick: I’m going with the bigger school, Bulldogs 34-31.

Sept. 6: Crestview at Choctawhatchee. Last year, Choctaw won 49-27. Choctaw record 10-3.

Points for, 471. Points against, 380.

The Indians lost 19 players to graduation that included running back Cole Tabb who is now a freshman at Stanford and quarterback Jesse Winslett who accounted for more than 2,000 yards passing and rushing.

Choctaw has been impressive the last two seasons with Tabb and Winslett leading the way. The question this year is whether the Tribe will be rebuilding or reloading as most of the pieces of last year’s offense have graduated.

Players to watch in 2024: Junior linebacker/running back Ellis Alloway, junior linebacker Jabori Weeks.

The Indians beat Crestview 35-34 two years ago in the game played at Etheredge Stadium. Crestview’s last win in the rivalry came in 2020. Can the Bulldogs break Choctaw’s winning streak?

Too early pick: Choctaw lost too much to graduation. I like Crestview in this one 28-20.

Sept. 13: Niceville at Crestview. Last year, Niceville won 42-21. Niceville record 9-3.

Points for, 481. Points against, 238.

Niceville lost 23 seniors to graduation. Players to watch in 2024: Senior linebacker Maddox Hayes, senior quarterback Kane Lafortune.

If you ask most Bulldog fans which team they want to beat the most, the answer would be Niceville. There is no love lost between the longtime rivals. For years, the Eagles dominated the football side of things, but in the last decade or so Crestview has stepped up and made it a real rivalry.

The teams split in 2022 with Niceville taking the regular season game at Crestview 13-9 and the Bulldogs picked up a 26-21 win in the opening round of the playoffs. Niceville has moved down to Class S5A, so this year there will be no opportunity to avenge a loss in the playoffs.

Too early pick: In a tough call, Niceville 28-21.

Sept. 20: Crestview open date.

Sept. 27: Pace at Crestview. Last year, Pace won 28-0. Pace record 8-2.

Points for, 331. Points against, 135.

Pace lost 20 seniors to graduation. Players to watch in 2024: Senior defensive end Tylon Lee, senior tight end Joseph Skipworth.

This year’s game between the Bulldogs and Patriots definitely means more as it’s the District 1-6A opener for both teams.

The Bulldogs beat the Patriots two years ago at Crestview’s Hall of Fame game. Crestview found the Patriot defense to be a brick wall. Pace might have been the best team in the state that didn’t make the playoffs last year.

The saying that defense wins championships didn’t hold true for the Patriots in 2023. Pace should have plenty of defense in 2024, and that could be a problem for the Bulldogs.

Too early pick: I’ll take the Patriot defense in a 21-7 Pace win.

Oct. 4: Pine Forest at Crestview. Did not play last year. Pine Forest record 6-5.

Points for, 318. Points against, 235.

Pine Forest lost 16 seniors to graduation. Players to watch in 2024: Junior wide receiver Zion Legree, junior linebacker Rashard Payne.

It has been more than five years since the Eagles and the Bulldogs last played each other. That game was in 2018 when Crestview beat Pine Forest 49-19 in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. This might not be a traditional rival, but the teams always get after each other when they meet.

Too early pick: Crestview 31-21.

Oct. 11: Crestview at Navarre. Did not play last year. Navarre record 7-4.

Points for, 432. Points against, 409.

Navarre lost 19 seniors to graduation. Players to watch in 2024: Senior linebacker Vinny Villanova, senior defensive lineman Ezekiel Gaska.

It has been three years since the Bulldogs and Raiders met with Navarre taking a 29-22 win in a District 1-7A game in 2021. The teams have been in different districts the last two seasons but are again district foes in District 1-6A.

The Raiders had no problems putting points on the scoreboard last season, averaging just under 40 points a game. Stopping the opposition was another thing as they gave up 37 points a game.

Garrett Bagley takes over as the Raider head coach after serving on the Navarre staff since 2006. He replaces Jay Walls who accepted a job in Georgia.  It will be interesting to see what changes Bagley makes in the Raider schemes.

This year’s seniors on both teams were freshmen in 2021 so nobody has any meaningful playing experience in this matchup. The question in the preseason is what kind of improvements Navarre’s defense will make.

This is the first of four straight road games for the Bulldogs as they try pick up a key district win.

Too early pick: Raider win in shootout 45-42.

Oct. 18, Crestview at Escambia. Did not play last year. Escambia record 8-4.

Points for, 346. Points against, 162.

Escambia lost 16 seniors to graduation. Players to watch in 2024: Senior running back Dorrion White, senior athlete Ladarian Hardy.

Crestview last played Escambia in 2020 with the Gators winning 28-20.

Escambia is the alma mater of Hall of Fame running back Emmett Smith. But in recent years the Gators have won with defense consistently holding opponents to between 15 and 20 points a game.

Escambia is usually big and physical on the defensive line with good speed at linebacker and in the secondary. A young Bulldog offensive line will have the majority of the season behind it when the teams meet in the middle of October. How well Crestview can neutralize Escambia’s defensive front could be the key to the game.

Too early pick: I like a big and physical defensive front, and that’s why I’m picking the Gators 27-10.

Oct. 25, Crestview at Tate. Did not play last year. Tate record 5-5.

Points for, 358. Points against, 275.

Tate lost 16 seniors to graduation. Players to watch in 2024: Senior quarterback Taite Davis, senior running back Carson Secchiari.

This is another sometimes-rival that now falls in the same district as the Bulldogs. Crestview won the last game with Tate 7-3 in 2021.

The Bulldogs take their longest regular season road trip of the season as they travel to North Escambia County to take on the Aggies. It’s hard to get a grasp on this game.

Too early pick: I think the team with the most athletes will win this game, and the Bulldogs have the most athletes. Crestview 31-14.

Nov. 1: Crestview at Fort Walton Beach. Last year Crestview won 35-28. Fort Walton Beach record 5-5.

Points for, 264. Points against, 215.

The Vikings lost 16 seniors to graduation. Players to watch in 2024: Senior cornerback

Dante Core, senior quarterback Johnny Lewis Jr.

The Vikings took some big steps forward last season under the direction of first-year coach Bobby Clayton. Fort Walton Beach played .500 ball after going 0-10 in 2022. Look for the Vikings to continue to improve this year.

When both teams are playing well the Bulldogs and Vikings have a great rivalry. Last year’s close game shows the rivalry is back to being competitive.

Too early pick: Fort Walton Beach will continue to improve and playing at Steve Riggs Stadium will help. I still think the Bulldogs are a couple of scores better. Crestview 35-21.

There you have it. I see the Bulldogs going 6-4.

It’s almost football time.

“I’m very thankful and blessed to be here,” he said. “These guys had an awesome first day. The way these guys worked and moved around today it’s going to be a lot of fun.

“I’m just glad to be back.”

The Gators offense ran out of an I-formation Monday, but Brunson said there was no need to read anything into Baker running that offense the first day of camp.

“We were just trying to work on a few option concepts and tomorrow we will work on some gap concepts,” he said. “Thursday, we will run a few wing-T plays so we will find our niche as we go through this thing.”

All the Baker players know Brunson. Many were involved with the football program as middle school players when he last coached the team in 2021, but senior quarterback Kase Armstrong was the only current Gator listed on the 2021 roster.

It should come as no surprise that Brunson was pleased with what he saw from the team as the Gators ran through their paces.

“I was impressed with their attitude and effort,” he said. “That’s what makes Baker kids special, the way they work.”

Wagner scored a touchdown against Austin Peay University in his only action while redshirting a year ago.

He’s now on the clock to use his four years of college eligibility.

Wagner was home last month and was in attendance to welcome Matt Brunson back to Doug Griffith Memorial Stadium.

“I should play,” Wagner said looking to the 2024 campaign. “I don’t know how much or how little, but I should play this year. I’m looking for an opportunity to play next year.

“Spring ball went pretty good. I was one of only two or three backs that could read a defense and pick up a block. So, that set me apart.”

Southern Illinois has the typically crowded college running backs room with seven players trying to get a limited number of carries.

Wagner said he’s gained 11 or 12 pounds since starting college. His physical style of play helps him with blocking and running inside. But playing in the less popular Wing-T offense at Baker put him behind the curve when arriving at SIU.

“We have seven running backs, and five of us graduated (from high school) in the spring last year,” he said. “We all came in together and are kind of young.

“Coming from a Wing-T offense and going in there where everybody was coming from the spread already, was a little different. There was a little adversity, but adversity isn’t new to me.”

At the end of spring football, college players meet with their coaches and are told the things they need to work on heading into the fall. Wagner was told he needs to develop better footwork, get more flexible and make quicker decisions when carrying the football.

“He told me I need to keep working on being a power back,” Wagner said. “There are two power backs out of the seven of us and that really sets me apart. I’m a short yardage back, which isn’t a surprise.”