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Football
Rhode Island Spring Practice Roundup - Issue 7
GALLERY
April 18, 2008
The University of Rhode Island held its 11th practice of the spring Friday afternoon in preparation for its third scrimmage of the spring on Saturday, April 19. The contest will take place at 1:30 p.m. at Meade Stadium and is open to the public. All fans are invited and encouraged to attend. This afternoon's spring practice roundup wraps up the offensive side of the ball with a look at both the tight ends as well as their coach, former URI head coach Bob Griffin, who returned to Kingston this spring as an assistant to one of his former players, first-year head coach Darren Rizzi. "It's a real privilege and an honor to be back," said Griffin. "It's been 15 years since I've been here at the University, and before that I had a total of about 20 years here, so it was very nice to have Darren call me and express an interest in having me work with him. I thought one of the areas I could help with was the tight ends, and although its only one position, it's an important position. I'm excited about it and really enjoying it." With the triple-option system the Rams used last season, the tight end was used primarily as a blocker or a decoy, not as a receiver. As a result, last season's starting tight end, sophomore Akil Chester, caught just two passes - one huge reception for 26 yards in an overtime win against No. 3 UMass, and another the following week at Maine. This spring, Chester has been moved to the defensive line, leaving Rizzi and Griffin with a group that does not have a single collegiate reception on their resume. That will change this season. "The tight end is not on the field every snap because of some of our packages, but we envision the tight end being out there for about half of the snaps, maybe more," explained Griffin. "It's extremely important for them to be blockers, as well as be able to catch the ball and advance it." At 6-6 and 255 pounds, senior David Wilson moves from the defensive line to tight end, where Rizzi hopes his size and strength will cause matchup problems for opposing defenses. "David has good size, quickness, and athletic ability," said Griffin. "He has the ability to do a lot of things for us, and I'm hoping David will be able to have some fun. He has the size and ability to be a blocker, but he has to learn everything that's going on with the offense. In the first 10 days of practice, he has made some good strides.
Blake Zundel, meanwhile, is a transfer from the University of Iowa who played quarterback for the Hawkeyes and has never lined up at tight end before. "He has good size (6-3, 240), but unfortunately his progression has been set back by an achilles injury he suffered last week. It's been hard to get a true evaluation of him, but he's a hard working young man." Another 6-6 target, incoming freshman Kyle Bogumil, should see plenty of action after catching 32 passes for 462 yards and four touchdowns at Crestwood High School last season, earning Associated Press Pennsylvania Class AAA Second Team All-State honors. Joe Migliarese - who will also see time at wide receiver - could also see time at tight end after a standout career at La Salle College High School, finishing with 91 receptions for 1,063 yards and 17 touchdowns. John Kilpatrick will also compete for playing time after playing both tight end and defensive end at Abington Heights High School in Pennsylvania. Despite having an inexperienced group, Griffin is confident the student-athletes he has to work with are more than capable of succeeding. "I have always felt that the key at any position is footwork," he explained. "If they have the competitiveness, toughness, and ability to get it done, and then you teach the proper first step, we're on our way. I'm pleased with the progress we have made, particularly with David. I'm having fun and I hope they are, too. Hopefully, we'll make a contribution." |
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