Alabama State football wrapped up its opening weekend of fall camp and the Montgomery Advertiser got an exclusive with head coach Eddie Robinson Jr.
While the Hornets enter the season as favorites to win the SWAC East Division, Robinson says it’s exciting to return to the field for his third season.
“I think everyone in the country is excited. When you’re a football player at this time, it’s fun to come back here,” Robinson said. “We’re still in that excitement phase right now, but after a while we’ll start to push the envelope a little bit and start fighting. There is a lot of time until our first game, so our main focus is to stay consistent and improve every day. .”
ASU QB Battle: Alabama State football: Observations from camp, including an emerging battle at QB
On the first day of camp, we reported on the emerging quarterback battle between Eastern Illinois transfer Jonah O’Brien and Texas Southern transfer Andrew Body. Robinson is known for fighting position battles throughout the season, specifically at quarterback. Last season, Dematrius Davis and Damon Stewart played at center during the 2023 season.
When talking about O’Brien and his progress early in camp, Robinson says he brought him in to compete for a starting role.
“Jonah has done a great job of coming in with the right mindset and is here to compete to be a starter,” Robinson said. “I told him I didn’t bring him in to be a backup and I want him to compete to get reps and be the best guy. Whether it’s him, Body or Zach Sims, whatever it is, we just want to win football games. .”
He elaborated on the other position battles going on, hinting at the uncertainty at the kicker’s current position.
“We have some kickers competing now and I can’t say who will kick the first game, but we’ll have it all figured out.” Robinson said. “We have some positions with this level of competition and I think that’s what makes a team sharp. If you miss a day, a day late, or even have a bad day, you may not be a starter when you return. you keep everyone on edge.”
The camp was the first time that freshmen who signed up for the summer were able to prepare and practice with their position groups. With the Hornets still looking for clear first options at running back and wide receiver, Robinson says the newcomers have a great chance to impress the coaching staff for a spot in the rotation. However, his eyes are on the sophomores, who he expects to make a big jump from last year.
“A lot of the freshmen from last year — Eric Horn, Ajai Harrell, Jalen Jones and Asa Gregg — know what to expect this season,” Robinson said. “They have to transition from being a college football team to playing on a college football team, and we need these guys to step up quickly on offense. We have some rookies on the defensive line and we plan on playing at least 10-12 plays a game, so it’s all about building confidence right now. They need to get to the point where we can trust them to make plays.”
The Hornets will return to camp for the first full pad session on Wednesday. On Saturday, they will host the team’s first friendly game before Buzz Fest on August 17th.
This article originally appeared in the Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama State Football Has Multiple Position Battles
