AFA football: Five spring developments

FIVE SPRING DEVELOPMENTS

1. Gardner Emerges
Other than rebuilding its offensive line, Air Force’s most pressing concern heading into spring practices was replacing standout nose guard Ben Garland, who in 2009 made a team-high 10.5 tackles for losses and freed up linebackers by gobbling up space and blockers. But the Falcons seem to have found a replacement in sophomore Ryan Gardner.

“Ryan Gardner had a very good spring,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “He’s not near the size that Ben Garland was, but he’s got good quickness, and he’s got very good flexibility in his knees and his hips. He uses his hands exceptionally well, and he’s going to be a good player these next two years.”

2. LBs on the IR
Air Force appeared precariously thin at linebacker during the spring. Inside linebacker Ken Lamendola, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game of the 2009 season, had another knee surgery and missed all the spring sessions – he was watching from a wheelchair at one of the practices. Sophomore inside linebacker Brady Amack missed time after spraining an MCL. And outside linebackers Patrick Hennessey (shoulder) and Alex Means (foot), both of whom started games in 2009, missed all of spring while recovering from injuries.

“We had some guys that missed some reps that really probably could have benefited by going through more spring ball,” Calhoun said. “We’ve got to find guys that are dependable and durable.”

3. No Verdict at Punter
The competition to replace outgoing punter Brandon Geyer remains wide open heading into the summer. The top candidates appear to be junior Keil Bartholomew, sophomore Air Academy graduate Andrew Heard and freshman kicker Danny Compton, who added punting to his duties in the spring.

“There are times where one day one guy punts real well and then he might disappear for a day,” Calhoun said. “So we still have a few guys that are going to battle for the punt spot, and that’ll go for a while.”

4. Dietz Improves Passing
Sophomore quarterback Connor Dietz took snaps with the first-team offense as sophomore Tim Jefferson, who was recovering from knee surgery, mostly was held out of practices. Dietz showed off an improved passing ability during the spring – Calhoun said the quarterback’s release was quicker and his accuracy was slightly better. “It’s got to be much better,” Calhoun said. Calhoun also said Dietz’s passes had more velocity.

5. Several make names
Several players who spent 2009 in backup roles made big strides in the spring. Among them: junior tight end Chaz Demerath, sophomore cornerback Josh Hall, freshman strong safety Brian Lindsay and a trio of defensive ends – junior Wylie Wikstrom, sophomore Ben Kopacka and sophomore Zach Payne.