Scrimmage Recap

Liberty held its first real scrimmage of training camp this past Saturday. It was held inside Williams Stadium as the team moved over there from their typical practice set up at the Indoor Practice Facility and the adjacent outdoor practice field. It sounds like it was a bit of a mixed bag overall with the team in the scrimmage, as can be the case. You are in fact scrimmaging against yourself so if one group or unit looks good, by default that means the other didn’t. Coach Chadwell focused more on the team’s effort and mindsest during each practice including the scrimmage this past Saturday.

“One of the main points we’ve been preaching all camp is we’re not going to be a circumstance (based team),” he said. “We’re not going to look at the schedule and think we can beat that team so we don’t have to give our effort. I was disappointed in that I didn’t think our energy was where it needed to be. We allowed some outside circumstances to affect our mindset.”

Chadwell continued to discuss how there was a lot of heat and humidity during the scrimmage, something the team has not experienced much of during camp with the unusual cooler temperatures. Practicing in the heat is important as Liberty’s Week 2 trip to Jacksonville, Alabama against Jax State looms with an 11 a.m. local kick time. It is sure to be hot on the field in Jacksonville that day. Chadwell also mentioned some disappointment with the number of penalties the team had with officials at practice for the first time in camp.

Wide Receivers have stepped up

Liberty’s wide receivers struggled a little bit last year, perhaps playing a large part in the offense’s drop off from its performance in 2023. The Flames have been aggressive in the transfer portal the past two off-seasons looking for additional weapons at the position. It sounds like three have stepped forward during camp and are emerging as the team’s top targets at receiver.

“Donte Lee has had a great camp,” said Chadwell. “Jamari Person has had a really good camp. Those two have really stood out consistently and done some good stuff all the time, we need that. I think Jamari, Donte, and Tyson Mobley have made some good plays. I’m pleased with the effort they are giving. I’m pleased with the plays they are making. I think they are blocking on the perimeter well.”

Lee transferred to Liberty a year ago from Division II Shaw where he had a standout freshman season. He was highly sought after while in the portal with Liberty winning the recruiting battle for his services. He didn’t make a huge contribution on the field last season, finishing the year with 10 catches for 148 yards, and a touchdown, as he adjusted to the much more physical FBS game. With a year under his belt, it sounds like Lee is ready to take the next step.

Person had a really strong season last year in the Mountain West with Colorado State. He had 36 catches for 386 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Mobley transferred to Liberty from Coastal Carolina last year and is the team’s top returning receiver, leading the team last year with 29 receptions.

Behind them, the next group of receivers that are expected to make an impact on the field have been fighting through some nagging injuries, nothing that sounds too serious. Casey Cain, Reese Smith, Elijah Canion, and Darius Copeland have all been limited at some point during the first half of camp.

“If we can get those guys that are backed up back healthy, I think we will have a really well-rounded receiver room.”

Linebacker position still a battle

There are several position battles still ongoing as camp enters its final week. One of those is at linebacker. Joe Carter will be a starter and on the field a good bit there as a veteran leader of the team. The rest of that room is still fighting for their standing in the depth chart. Aidan Vaughan, Derrell Farrar, Deuce Spurlock, and Micah Pollard are all in the mix. Regardless of who ends up on top of the depth chart, it is likely that many of them have significant playing time at linebacker once the season starts.

“There’s a lot of competition there,” Chadwell said. “I don’t know right now, necessarily, who would be the starter. There’s some guys there that are fighting for it. I think you will see that group play a decent amount, have a little rotation. Joe Carter obviously has played a lot of football. Joe is going to be out there. The other positions are up in the air and battling as far as who is the first guy to run out there. If you ask our defensive coaches, they like some depth that we have there. I think we can do a lot of different things with the linebackers we have brought in, maybe do some different things defensively than we have in the past because of their athleticism.”