Students Sound Off on Football Practice Access
March 29, 2011
By: Alex Bryant
CORAL GABLES, Fla.– The University of Miami football team opened its seventh practice of the season for UM faculty and students, offering a glimpse of what football under head coach Al Golden is like.
Some students came out to see the new head honcho in action, looking to see what changes Golden has made to the team, in addition to his coaching and practice philosophy.
“This is a great opportunity for the new coach,” sophomore Joe Lomonaco said. “This is our first taste of Al Golden, up close and personal. It’s always interesting to see how the team operates in between coaching regimes.”
Other students had an interest in how certain players were looking for the 2011 season.
“I’m really excited to see how each of our quarterbacks perform, sophomore Rob Schulte said. “I think that’s going to be a key position for us.
“Also, one of the main reasons I came out, is that my roommate, [wide receiver] Chad Barnes, is a walk-on and I wanted to see how he was doing.”Some of the newer players to the team were of big interest.
“I’m really excited to see guys that I haven’t had a chance to see before on the field,” senior Nick Cote said. “Guys like Blake Ayles and Thomas Finnie, who I heard is a stud. Even though I’m graduating, this helps me get my football fix.”
Besides Cote, several other seniors came out to take part in the festivities, even in their last semester on campus.
“This is a great opportunity to see all the hard work that our boys put in for the season,” senior Sabrina Bunch said. “Even though I’m leaving, I still get to see what I can expect for next year from the team.”Despite the fact that opening kickoff is over five months away, there is still plenty of buzz in late March.
“It’s great to see what Al Golden is doing with the team,” senior Sonya Nanda said. “This is great. It’s something we’ve never been able to do before and a great way to see our team even though the season is so far away.”
This won’t be the last chance for students and faculty to take in Hurricanes spring football. Following the shortened practice, Al Golden announced we would like to welcome the students and staff back out on Thursday to make-up for Tuesday’s unfortunate weather situation.
Plus the `Canes have games open to all fans each of the next three weekends.
“We can only go up from here,” Lomonaco said. “So if we look good now, we’re going to look amazing by the time the season starts. I’m excited to see how we look in the scrimmages.”
