2009 ARMY FOOTBALL 2009 SEASON OUTLOOK ficient at that position. We must keep the ball off the ground and place the ball in the appropriate hands.” Ellerson added that a newcomer could emerge as a legitimate starting threat at the position during preseason camp. Highly regarded freshman Trent Steelman stands at the top of that list. The talented USMA Prep School graduate directed Army’s prepsters to a highly successful showing last fall and displayed the ability to skillfully operate out of a triple-option offense. “Starting a freshman is always a possibility,” Ellerson says. “We like some of the players that we’re bringing into the program. Trent is an explosive athlete and has a background with what we do.”
QUARTERBACKS No. 10 14 4 16
Name Chip Bowden Max Jenkins Jimmy Reitter Carson Williams
Hgt. 6-0 6-2 6-0 6-3
Wgt. 211 197 188 212
Cl. Jr. So. So. Sr.
Exp. 1VL – -3VL
Hometown/High School Plant City, Fla./Durant Houston, Texas/Langham Creek Follansbee, W.Va./Brooke Cullman, Ala./Cullman
OFFENSIVE LINE
CHIP BOWDEN QUARTERBACK Much of the outside attention this spring was focused on the quarterback position, where head coach Rich Ellerson and offensive coordinator Ian Shields searched to identify the individual best suited to trigger Army’s shiny new offense. Two letterwinners – junior Chip Bowden and senior Carson Williams – returned to the fold, along with a host of young quarterback candidates looking to catch the attention of the coaching staff. Ellerson and his staff used the first few practice sessions to evaluate the talent at his disposal, then moved quickly to settle on a core group that would compete for lead repetitions. When the dust settled, Bowden, Williams and sophomores Max Jenkins and Jimmy Reitter emerged as the top four players at the position, with Bowden and Jenkins breaking spring in a virtual dead heat atop the depth chart. While Bowden started nine games at the position last fall, ranking second among team rushing leaders with 572 ground yards, he struggled with his consistency in the throwing game, completing just 43.1 percent of his pass attempts. Jenkins, meanwhile, did not appear in a varsity game last fall, but possesses the skill set consistent to what Ellerson is looking for in a starting quarterback to run his explosive offense. Reitter displayed a great deal of promise before missing the latter stages of spring due to injury and Williams lends a veteran presence and retains the most accurate and strongest throwing arm amongst the group. “Max has worked himself into a very competitive situation with Chip,” Ellerson states. Chip’s got more reps, Chip’s played in games. Chip has done things that are similar to what we’re doing now. But the target moved a little on Chip, and that gave Max and James a chance to get into the mix. “We’ve got Chip and Max bracketed right now, and we’ll see how that looks during the summer. The quarterback position at the outset has to be kind of like a doctor, they have to take the doctor’s oath ... ‘Do no harm first.’ That’s what these guys have to do ... they have to do no harm first. They have to operate. They have to be secure with the football. They have to be secure with their decision-making and allow the offense to operate, allow the guys around them to make plays. That’s one of the real emphases coming out of spring – to be ef-
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Army’s offensive front wall received a major makeover during spring practice with a host of new faces stepping forward to lead the Black Knights’ offense. A mixture of converted tight ends and defensive players were imported to the area with the transition to leaner, quicker linemen yielding positive results according to head coach Rich Ellerson. With only two players – seniors Jason Johnson and Ali Villanueva – expected to return from last year’s starting cast up front, turnover with the offensive line appeared inevitable. By the time spring practice had concluded and Villanueva shifted to wide receiver, not one player owning a single varsity start stood atop Army’s depth chart along the offensive line. The return of Johnson (6-2, 257), who missed all of spring practice due to injury, would change that, but not alter the overall new look that has taken hold up front. Junior Zac Peterson (6-1, 267) emerged as the most likely starter at the center position. Peterson enjoyed a solid spring and took a large step towards earning the lead role. Sophomores Brad Kelly (6-4, 231) and Mike McDermott (6-7, 248) spent the majority of spring as the starters at left tackle and right tackle, respectively. Kelly and McDermott are converted tight ends, with McDermott rating as Army’s tallest offensive lineman. Senior Duke Lull (6-3, 258) appears to be firmly in the mix at tackle as well. The position will receive a major boost should Johnson return to his past form. Senior David Sprague (6-3, 286), and juniors Mikel Weich (6-3, 277), Anees Merzi (6-3, 276) and Seth Reed (6-1, 266), who moved over from defensive line, all put forth solid showing this spring and appear most likely to battle for the two starting positions at guard. “We have a nice mixture of players in the offensive line,” Ellerson explains. “A couple were defenders, a few others shifted over from tight end. Obviously, they are all adjusting to their new areas and they are still adjusting to the emphasis we place on explosiveness and athleticism. “David Sprague and Mike Weich did a nice job and we think both Brad Kelly and Mike McDermott are going to be very good football players. They are guys that need to accelerate their physical maturity. They have to grow quickly. We’re anticipating the return of Jason Johnson who would be a veteran starter along the offensive line. With Ali out at wide receiver, he’s the lone returner to a job description that he’s had before on the offensive line and we’re frankly counting on him. We also think that Seth is a great talent that has to come to training camp ahead of where he is right now because so much of this is new for him. But he can do the things we want an offensive guard to do in this offense. Physically, he’s done everything that we’ve asked. He just needs to do it consistently without any lapses. A couple of the guys will be looking over their shoulder at Anees Merzi, who was banged up this spring. He can play either center or guard and will push for the starting role at both spots. Ellerson also cited Lull as having a strong performance this spring and expressed hope that senior Ernie Bernal (6-3, 249), another converted tight end, could make an impact once fully recovered from a foot injury this fall. “We have our fingers crossed with Ernie. Like some of those young tight ends that are having an impact at the tackle position, maybe he’s an older, more mature game-tested guy that can get into the middle of it. A lot of those guys will be doing things for the first time but I am encouraged. Athletically, they’re the right types of players. They’re tough, they’re athletic, they’re combative. And there are enough of them so it’s competitive. None of them can afford to take a day off because the competition is strong.”
2009 ARMY FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE