Football announces post-spring camp two-deep
4/29/2010 2:32:00 PM | Football
Sam Houston will be putting one of the youngest squads on the field of any in the Southland Conference when the Kats hold their first session of preseason camp (tentatively on Friday, August 6).
Twenty-six of the 44 players on the post-spring training two-deep lineup are either red-shirt freshmen or sophomores. In addition, 25 true freshmen will join the spring squad in August when the high school recruits from last February's signing day report.
"In some ways it was an advantage for us last January and February when recruiting players to let them know what a great opportunity they had to see playing time next year," Fritz said. "With only two starters back on offense, we're definitely inexperienced. But these young players showed an outstanding work ethic during the spring and will continue to make progress as we move towards the season."
In Sam Houston's 23 years in the Southland Conference, only once (in 1993 when SHSU went 2-5 in SLC action) have the Bearkats lost as many lettermen as SHSU did from the 2009 team that rolled up a 5-6 record and finished fifth in the league race.
Bryan Randolph has been tabbed as the Bearkats' starting quarterback on the 2009 tentative two-deep. Vincent Dotson will be number one running back and Richard Sincere, Grant Merritt and Seth Patterson are the starting wide receivers.
The number one offensive line on the two-deep consists of tight end T. J. Jones, tackles Chris Crockett and Kaleb Hopson, guards Dondre White and Riley Smith and center Cameron Pound.
Hopson and Jones each started 10 games for Sam Houston last year.
SHSU's tentative defensive front four has Coty Gatewood and Edward Decambre at the ends and Quentin Horn and J. T. Cleveland as interior linemen. Will Henry and Kash David will man the linebacker positions. The secondary consists of cornerbacks Jarvis Pippins and Robert Shaw and safeties Darnell Taylor, Randy Stewart and Kenneth Jenkins.
"Definitely, we have more depth defensively," Fritz said. "We had several young men who had outstanding springs on defense."
Henry, Jenkins, Pippins, Taylor and Shaw all were starters in 2009. Jenkins and Henry led the Bearkats in tackles last year with totals of 87 and 71, respectively.
Sam Houston State will begin its 2010 campaign with road games at Baylor on September 4 and Western Illinois on September 18 before the home opener with Gardner-Webb on September 25.
Highlight of the 2010 season will be the 85th "Battle of the Piney Woods" to be held at Reliant Stadium in Houston on Saturday, October 23. "Battle of the Piney Woods" ticket information.
The 2010 Sam Houston football tentative two-deep (as of 4/27)
| BEARKAT OFFENSE | ||||||
| QB | 11 | Bryan Randolph | 6-3 | 200 | Sr | Simi Valley, Ca |
| 15 | Greg Sprowls | 6-4 | 208 | Jr | Claremont, Ca | |
| RB | 3 | Vincent Dotson | 5-10 | 171 | Sr | DeSoto |
| 31 | Kevin Matthews | 5-9 | 185 | So | Killeen | |
| WR | 88 | Richard Sincere | 5-10 | 175 | Fr | Galveston / Ball |
| 14 | Melvis Pride | 5-11 | 192 | So | Odessa / Permian | |
| WR | 2 | Grant Merritt | 6-1 | 203 | Jr | Sugar Land |
| 28 | Torrance Williams | 5-9 | 170 | Fr | Houston | |
| TE | 83 | T. J. Jones | 6-3 | 235 | Jr | Tyler / Lee |
| 46 | J. D. Standley | 6-3 | 245 | So | Madisonville | |
| LT | 61 | Chris Crockett | 6-3 | 283 | Jr | Converse / Judson |
| 69 | Nick Rodriguez | 6-7 | 294 | Fr | Houston | |
| LG | 75 | Dondre White | 6-1 | 274 | Fr | Magnolia |
| 71 | Robby Simmons | 6-4 | 275 | So | Houston | |
| C | 72 | Cameron Pound | 6-3 | 295 | So | Moore, OK |
| 76 | Matt Boyles | 6-3 | 265 | Fr | Southlake / Carroll | |
| RG | 67 | Riley Smith | 6-4 | 280 | So | Huntsville |
| 73 | Travis Watson | 6-2 | 295 | Jr | Norman, OK | |
| RT | 77 | Kaleb Hopson | 6-6 | 290 | So | Early |
| 69 | Nick Rodriguez | 6-7 | 294 | Fr | Houston | |
| WR | 8 | Seth Patterson | 6-3 | 185 | Jr | Round Rock |
| 10 | Brandon Closner | 5-10 | 170 | Jr | Arlington | |
| BEARKAT DEFENSE | ||||||
| HE | 92 | Coty Gatewood | 6-2 | 260 | Sr | Kilgore |
| 56 | E. J. Nduka | 6-4 | 225 | So | Jackson, NJ | |
| NG | 99 | Quentin Horn | 602 | 270 | So | Waco |
| 94 | Marlowe Poitier | 6-3 | 260 | So | Liberty Hill | |
| T | 59 | J. T. Cleveland | 6-0 | 290 | So | Baytown / Lee |
| SE | 97 | Edward Decambre | 6-2 | 245 | Jr | Austin |
| 91 | Preston Sanders | 6-3 | 275 | Fr | Red Oak | |
| WLB | 21 | Will Henry | 5-10 | 195 | Jr | Waco / LaVega |
| 51 | Eric Fieilo | 5-11 | 200 | So | Euless / Trinity | |
| MLB | 47 | Kash David | 6-2 | 219 | Jr | Georgetown |
| 53 | Darius Taylor | 6-0 | 215 | So | Mesquite | |
| CB | 20 | Jarvis Pippins | 5-8 | 164 | Sr | Longview |
| 37 | Michael Pittman | 6-0 | 175 | Sr | College Station | |
| CB | 36 | Robert Shaw | 6-0 | 185 | So | Converse/Judson |
| 3 | Deantry Loche | 5-11 | 185 | Fr | Houston | |
| WS | 38 | Darnell Taylor | 6-0 | 215 | So | Mesquite |
| 1 | Victor Carmichael | 6-1 | 190 | Sr | Waco / University | |
| SS | 5 | Randy Stewart | 5-11 | 200 | Jr | Magnolia |
| 43 | Brandon Bruce | 5-11 | 202 | Sr | Hughes Springs | |
| FS | 32 | Kenneth Jenkins | 5-10 | 185 | So | Galveston/Ball |
| 27 | Mike Littleton | 6-0 | 190 | So | Galveston/Ball | |
