Jackson, Blazers kick off spring practice

Published 3:39 pm Thursday, March 3, 2022

VALDOSTA – The Tremaine Jackson era of Valdosta State football kicked off with spring practice Tuesday.

For the Blazers, Tuesday morning was the first of 15 practices this spring, concluding with the spring game Friday, April 8 at 7 p.m., at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.

Jackson, who was hired in January, called his first practice as head coach “a joy”.

“It’s a dream come true for me,” Jackson said. “I realized this morning I’m the head coach of one of the top programs in the country. To get out here with these guys that are really good football players and really good people was just a joy. 

“It was one of the better first days for me as a coach. We’ve got some little things we’ve got to clean up. We’ll get that done and look forward to going back to work on Thursday.”

The buzz word for Jackson and the Blazers on Day 1 was details, something he and his staff have been working diligently on since he arrived.

“We’re just putting the pieces together,” Jackson said. “We had a way of doing things where we were, trying to figure out how things look – how the cameras and things like that work here. We just wanted to be as detailed as possible this morning and we were able to do that. I’m really proud of our staff for adjusting and adapting in such a short time.”

According to senior quarterback Ivory Durham, the reigning Gulf South Conference champions and national championship finalists attacked the start of spring hungry to get back to the national championship game.

Durham begins the spring schedule – his second as the team’s starting quarterback – under his third head coach in four years.

So far, Durham loves what Jackson has brought in his short time with the team.

“It’s been great,” Durham said of his relationship with Jackson. “His energy is out of this world. He’s trying to build something and I’m behind him 100%. It’s from here until I’m gone and after that, they’re still building something so I’m definitely behind him 100%.

“When he first came in, he said, ‘We’re going to get you back to Texas,’ and for me, that’s all I wanted to hear as a player. He’s on a mission and I’m on a mission. He’s trying to build a legacy. We’re just going to build that from here until the end.”

Personnel-wise, the Blazers have tackled the offseason with an aggressive approach to filling out their roster. The Blazers signed 32 players on National Signing Day and have moved quickly to bolster its depth by way of the transfer portal.

According to Athlinkd, VSU has the No. 2-ranked transfer class in Division II. After the first day of spring practice, Jackson insists the Blazers’ recruiting is far from over.

“That’s the game now,” Jackson said of recruiting and using the transfer portal. “I think the college recruiting game now is about the portal and using it to the best of your ability. When you’re one of the top programs in all of Division II, people want to be here. It’s our coaches’ job to evaluate and see who actually can help the Blazers win.

“The response has been great. Guys have been pouring in and wanting to become one of us, so I think we’ve got to use every avenue we can in order to help this football team be on top.”

On National Signing Day, Jackson circled overall depth and size on the defensive line and in the receiving corps as top priorities.

He’ll have three 1,000-yard rushers from last year’s team returning in Durham, Seth McGill and Jamar Thompkins to build around for the 2022 season.

“Man, it’s fun,” Jackson said of having three 1,000-yard rushers returning. “It’s fun when you know you’ve got guys that can make plays already, but you also get a chance to see who you need to help those guys. I continue to go back to that as far as not just personnel that we’ve got. We know what we’ve got. We’ve seen the games. We’ve got to know what we’ve got to go get and where we’re lacking, so that’s what was fun about today.

“We’re still playing football in shorts and T-shirts basically. We’ll know even more when we put pads on, but it’s definitely fun to watch and know that you’ve got guys that have done it before coming back on your roster.”

After Tuesday’s practice, Durham said he is embracing his last spring practices as a Blazer and taking everything in.

Durham was lauded by former head coach Gary Goff last season for his willingness to not only step into a larger leadership role, but his commitment to holding everyone on the team including himself accountable.

This season will be no different for the Blazers’ QB, who said he still has room to grow as a leader and wants to be the very best at it before his college career concludes.

“I feel very comfortable, but we all have room to improve,” Durham said of his growth as a leader. “I’m definitely trying to get better at that and I want to be an expert at that before I leave and I just want to help the younger guys and the backup quarterbacks to lead the way I’m leading.”

2022 VSU Football Spring Practice 

All practices will be at the VSU Athletic Fieldhouse / Dates and times subject to change without notice

Mar. 1 – 8:05 a.m. (Helmets)

Mar. 3 – 8:05 a.m. (Helmets)

Mar. 4 – 8:05 a.m. (Shells)

Mar. 8 – 8:05 a.m. (Shells)

Mar. 10 – 8:05 a.m. (Shells)

Mar. 11 – 8:05 a.m. (Full Pads)

Mar. 22 – 8:05 a.m. (Shells)

Mar. 24 – 8:05 a.m. (Shells)

Mar. 26 – 11:15 a.m. (Full Pads)

Mar. 29 – 8:05 a.m. (Shells)

Mar. 31 – 8:05 a.m. (Shells)

Apr. 2 – 11:15 a.m. (Full Pads)

Apr. 5 – 8:05 a.m. (Shells)

Apr. 7 – 8:05 a.m. (Helmets)

Apr. 8 – 7 p.m. (Full Pads) at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium

Shane Thomas is the sports editor at the Valdosta Daily Times.