ULM Warhawks

By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist

MONROE, La. – ULM won't practice in full pads until Monday but that doesn't mean the Warhawks aren't already battling.

"I really like what we're doing right now," ULM head coach Matt Viator said. "We're progressing really well. Today was as good as we've had. The intensity was good, and we competed a little bit. We didn't scrimmage, but the drills were all set up for competition."

Saturday's practice, the fourth of the preseason, was a spirited session that saw players from the offense and defense making plays. Viator noted a pair of true freshmen from the most recent recruiting class that have grabbed his attention so far.

"I guess initially, I like our two young corners," Viator said. "They've actually picked off multiple balls. Jordan Oliver and Floyd Connell, they've picked some balls. They were pretty good at wideout, so the fact that they're getting out there and competing, I've really been impressed. Some of the other positions, you really have to have more contact to see. But our freshman DBs are going to be good, along with our freshman wideouts."

Connell is a 6-foot-1, 165-pound true freshman from Copperas Cove, Texas. Oliver is a 5-11, 175-pound true freshman from Kempner High School in Sugar Land, Texas.

Even in full pads, don't expect a full-contact frenzy when ULM returns to practice on Monday.

"We pick our times when we actually tackle people to the ground," Viator said. "Right now, we don't tackle a lot in the install phase because people don't know what to do. We normally put it in and feel good about it before we start scrimmaging."  

Pederson update: Tight end Josh Pederson is not practicing with the team as he deals with a medical condition.

"A lot of people here have looked into it and people in Philadelphia have looked into it," Viator said. "He's getting really good care. Number one, we hope he gets better. We just love having him around."

Fresh faces: Viator said the freshman class has acclimated well to college life since arriving on campus earlier this summer.

"They all came in and passed both their classes this summer," he said. "Knock on wood, we haven't had any problems. They look the part in terms of what we're doing. It's early in terms of evaluating them physically because we've only been out here four days. But I've been impressed with the way they carry themselves and they got off to a great start academically this summer. That's part of the transition part. It's not just, can you play but can you adjust away from home and to college classes?"

Tail feathers: Former ULM defensive line coach Manny Michel, who retired after the 2017 season, was among those watching Saturday's practice. … Running back Derrick Gore has changed jersey numbers from 27 to 44 to honor a friend and former teammate who passed away in 2017. … Marcus Green made a great leaping catch along the sidelines near the end of drills, prompting running backs coach Alan Ricard to bellow, "Magnum loaded! Magnum loaded!" … The Warhawks will continue to hold 8:40 a.m. morning practices in the coming week, leading up the first scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 11 at 10 a.m.