Texas A&M to Open Spring Drills
Mar 19, 2000 | Football
March 19, 2000
The Texas A&M football team will begin spring drills on Monday, Mar. 20 with practice getting underway on the grass practice fields at 4:30 p.m.
Head Coach R.C. Slocum, the winningest coach in Texas A&M history, expects to get a lot done in the spring. Slocum has to replace six offensive starters, including the quarterback and the rightside of the offensive line. On defense, he has to replace only three starters, but all three positions come in the secondary. He also has to find a replacement for the all-time leading punter in NCAA history as Shane Lechler has graduated.
"We have a lot to get done this spring," Slocum said. "I'm excited about getting started. The number one question will be the quarterback position. We have three scholarship players (sophomores Mark Farris and Vance Smith and redshirt freshman Colby Freeman) who will compete for the job. It should be very competitive as each of the three has ability. I think the competition at each of our positions should be intense this spring. The tailback position also should be interesting with several players competing for that job. Filling holes along the offensive line and in the secondary are also priorities."
Along with the competition for positions, the Aggies will welcome several new faces to the coaching staff, along with some new responsibilities. Assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Larry Kirksey comes to Aggieland from the San Francisco 49ers. Inside linebacker coach and special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum returns from a stint with the USC Trojans. Running backs coach Pete Hoener comes to Texas A&M from Iowa State where he served as the offensive coordinator for the Cyclones. Offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe takes over the quarterbacks after two seasons with the wide receivers. Former quarterbacks coach Ray Dorr has assumed the position of special assistant to the head coach as he continues to battle Lou Gehrig's disease. Assistant coach Alan Weddell moves from the inside linebackers spot to the defensive line coach in 2000.
Slocum has announced a couple of position switches to begin spring drills as former defensive lineman Lonnie Madison moves to tight end and former inside linebacker Amon Simon moves to the fullback position. Tight end Michael de la Torre, a redshirt freshman from Katy, Texas, will be held out of spring drills but should be ready for the fall. He underwent back surgery in the fall.
Practices are open to the public. Fans must stay in the marked area for safety reasons.
The Aggies open the 2000 season in South Bend, Indiana, on Sept. 2 against Notre Dame. The Aggies will work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week before taking off on Thursday. The team will return to practice on Friday and Saturday.
The complete rundown of practices is as follows:
Mar. 20-22
Mar. 24-25
Mar. 27-28
Mar. 30-31
Apr. 3-6
Apr. 10-11
