Texas State Football’s spring practices were already over this time a year ago.
The Bobcats got five sessions in before departing for spring break on March 12, 2020, and didn’t return until the summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When they did return to the practice field, a large majority of the team’s time was devoted to learning about the new COVID policies and making up for the practices lost in the spring.
There was hardly any team chemistry being built. Some players didn’t introduce themselves to their teammates until a week before their season opener against SMU on Sept. 5. Even then, there wasn’t a great setting to do so.
“I don’t know if you guys remember, we were doing our team meetings on the turf in front of the jumbotron,” head coach Jake Spavital recalled. “Last year didn’t count from an eligibility standpoint, so we got a lot of valuable experience last year. But you miss out on a lot of different things. You miss out on your culture talks and group settings and team bonding and building.”
The maroon and gold aren’t taking that opportunity for granted this year. The team has already made outings to Bobcat Softball Stadium for a home run derby and Putt Pub for a mini-golf tournament. There’s also plans to play paintball and participate in community service projects later this spring.
Spavital is hoping the off-the-field activities will result in a more cohesive unit as the team starts its spring camp back up this week.
“That’s a big deal for us,” Spavital said. “You’d love for them to be around more and we’ve taken that approach moving into this spring. Like, obviously we’re gonna play football. You’ve got your 15 practices and we’re gonna continue to become the best football team from that standpoint, from playing the game. But there’s also these culture talks that come into play and our team pillars and kind of the buzzwords and the keys to victory and that we can sit here and discuss it.”
Texas State completed its first spring practice of the 2021 period on Tuesday. The program plans to do take the field every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning for the next five weeks, while also lifting weights every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Spavital said he’s already seen some of the benefits of the Bobcats’ eight-week strength and conditioning program that led up to spring camp. For example, sophomore tight ends Micah Hilts and Jackson Lanam are both currently listed at 225 pounds on the team’s online roster. But the head coach said both players have gained roughly 30 pounds during the offseason.
“It’s the biggest team that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Spavital said. “You know, that means we’re improving the profile.”
The Bobcats will return to Jim Wacker Field on Thursday for another workout in just helmets and shorts before strapping on the pads for the first time at Saturday’s practice. Spavital liked the competitiveness he saw Tuesday and hopes the team can keep it up through the Spring Game on April 24.
“Our goal is to win,” Spavital said. “You know, I think last year we made a lot of strides and I think they see it, that we can compete really with anybody if we don’t beat ourselves and we play together and play smart football … Year three, we gotta be better than we were last year. And I think these kids understand that and I think we’re coming closer together as a team and we’re putting the work in.”
