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Eastern Washington University Football

Wide receiver remains a strength for Eastern Washington as it concludes spring practice

Red team cornerback DeJean Wells tackles White team receiver Anthony Stell Jr. inside the 10-yard line during Eastern Washington’s spring game Friday at Roos Field.  (COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Dan Thompson For The Spokesman-Review

Eastern Washington wrapped up an April of practices with a spirited Red-White Game on Friday night at Roos Field with a roster that looks quite different from last year.

Gone are familiar names like wide receiver Freddie Roberson and Joshua Jerome, who transferred to FBS programs, and leading tackler Ely Doyle, who moved laterally to FCS school Tarleton State.

Gone also are starting quarterback Gunner Talkington and offensive lineman Wyatt Musser as well as defensive end Mitchell Johnson – all senior leaders last year who exhausted their eligibility.

While there are plenty of familiar names – underclassmen who got plenty of playing time last year – the roster definitely has a different vibe than it did five months ago.

“I think this team needed added competition from the outside in,” Eagles coach Aaron Best said on Friday.

“That was a big talk in December. If we all just sit in the room, coaches and players included, and think we’re going to just play and roll things back with the same bodies, the same mentality, the same procedures … that (is the definition of) insanity.”

Best said the team expects to have a few more new players in the fall.

The Eagles will also welcome back to full participation at least a dozen players who sat out the spring game either recovering from injury or trying to avoid incurring one.

Here are a few key takeaways from the April practices, looking toward late-summer practices in August.

Visperas has made progress

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Kekoa Visperas began spring as the only holdover quarterback from last year’s 3-8 team. He started the season finale, a win over Northern Colorado, and has emerged from camp as the favorite to start the opener on Sept. 2.

“Kekoa’s turning into a huge leader,” Best said. “He knows the game is slowing down, too. It’s not slow enough yet, but it’s slowing down, which is a good sign.”

Visperas has the ability to break the pocket and scramble, though in the spring game he also showed his ability to remain in the pocket and look to throw more than junior transfers Jared Taylor and Michael Wortham.

Visperas is also enjoying the role as the leader of the offense.

“Two big things for me and something that I’ve been working on this camp is (building) trust with the receiver and (getting) on the same page, but also having fun,” Visperas said. “If you’re not having fun, why do it?”

Something to look for in the fall is how the team uses Wortham, who completed 11 of 15 passes and ran six times for 81 yards in Friday’s scrimmage game. He fielded a return in both scrimmages and clearly has the ability to move quickly into and through open space.

“We’re probably going to incorporate him on special teams and the return game,” Visperas said. “Putting him into the mix will be huge.”

Special teams are clear priority

Best talked throughout camp about the importance of improving in special teams, which last year was a liability for the Eagles.

While they punted well last year (returning punter Nick Kokich had the conference’s second-best average), they had the worst net kickoff average, made just four field goals, had the Big Sky’s worst punt return average and had a middling kickoff return game.

Kokich being back is a positive, but the Eagles will look to get more from their kickers – the two on the roster are redshirt freshman Soren McKee and redshirt junior Jackson Cleaver – as well as their return game. They used a variety of returners in camp, including juniors Efton Chism III, Justice Jackson and Cage Schenck – as well as the quarterback Wortham.

Wide receiver is deep once more

While the Eagles return seniors Tre Mason, Anthony Stell Jr. and Jakobie James, none has surpassed 300 receiving yards in a single season. Juniors Nolan Ulm (396 yards in 2022) and Chism (607) are more established, but there seems to be plenty of room for more players to emerge as a reliable target for Visperas.

“There’s a lot of guys who can make a lot of plays if just given the opportunity,” Best said.

“We’re so deep and so good, they make each other better. They don’t have a chance to press pause or rewind because someone else is pressing fast forward.”

Redshirt freshman Miles Williams caught a pair of passes, including a touchdown, for 31 yards in the spring game. In all, there are 15 receivers on Eastern’s roster.

The defense looks poised to be better

Teams had little trouble moving the football last year against the Eagles, who ranked 11th in the Big Sky in total yards and points allowed and last in first downs allowed.

But the Eagles will be among the conference’s more experienced defenses next fall and could potentially start an entire secondary of seniors, plus three seniors in their front seven.

They will also have back a healthy starting linebacker in junior Ahmani Williams, who only played in four games last season.

“Last year was a tough year for us, but I think we learned a lot from it,” junior Trevor Thurman said. “(New) coach (Eric Sanders) has been really good for us.”

Perhaps the position group with the most questions will be the defensive line, which has senior Brock Harrison back but overall lacks size and proven depth. It’s possible the Eagles bring in more transfers at the position over the summer, but the lack of bodies – in the spring game, linebackers helped fill in at defensive end – means the Eagles need to reload, develop and stay healthy in the fall.