By BY BRUCE HIXON – sports editor
It will not go down as the most complex or the most advanced spring training the T.R. Miller Tigers have had in coach Jamie Riggs' regime, but that is not all bad this year.
While some players emerged as legitimate contenders for starting positions next fall, some positions remain cloudy as to who will play.
Quarterback: &#8220Right now John Mathieu is our starter. Both he and Wil Riggs made a lot of progress over these two weeks. They've both gotten stronger and faster,” said Riggs.
Running backs: &#8220Matt Lane had a good spring and Keyara Matthews was probably our most improved back since last fall. Those two probably had the best springs among the backs,” said Riggs. &#8220Overall we put the ball on the ground too much this spring. That is something we've got to improve.”
Wide receivers: &#8220Right now we're primarily looking at Bradley McCreary, Seth Holland and Terez Lane. Joseph Schultz had a pretty good spring as a blocking receiver, but we're more likely looking at him for defense,” said Riggs.
Tight end: &#8220Both Cody Swain and Will Waters had good springs. They're both good blockers and each showed the ability to catch the ball,” said Riggs.
Offensive line: &#8220We've got big decisions to make with our linemen. We feel pretty good about Wes McClellan and Sam Pendergrass at tackle. Wes especially showed a lot of progress. We're probably looking at Mabry Cook at center,” said Riggs. &#8220Guard is really unsettled right now. We're looking at Roy Brown, Malcolm McMillan, Fred Samuel and Josh Fox.”
Defensive line: &#8220Mikey Roye played well up front in the spring and Fred Samuel did a good job for this being his first year out. Malcolm McMillan is another possibility,” said Riggs.
Linebackers: &#8220We're pretty thin at linebacker. We know Cody Swain and Will Waters are our top two linebackers. After that, we're probably looking at some young guys to step in.”
Secondary: &#8220We're looking at Matt Lane and Bradley McCreary at safety. Keyara Matthews tackled pretty well this spring and we're looking at him at cornerback,” said Riggs. &#8220Overall we're a little thin in our secondary.”