Offensive Line Stands Front and Center at ULM Football Media Day

Football Aug 23

By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow

MONROE, La. – Maybe it's a good sign that two of the four players selected to speak at ULM Football Media Day were offensive linemen.

Blake Lodes and Evan Henry both stood front and center representing the Warhawks on Sunday. While their unit struggled in 2020 (27 sacks allowed, 16.3 points per game), a new offense, a new position coach in Clemson import Maverick Morris and the addition of several new players to their ranks had both men optimistic that better days are coming.

"They've brought in a lot of guys, new guys to bring up the competition to help one another compete," Lodes said. "It's been very healthy and very good for the room. And so, we welcome anything and any challenges that we face. I'm an older guy, so it's not my first rodeo of having someone else be brought in and having to compete against one another."

Competition is a trendy buzzword around ULM these days. With an influx of portal transfers joining the program, players have learned quickly that almost every position is up for grabs on a daily basis.

"It's kind of like having a brotherly competition," Henry explained. "You know, when the younger brother wants to do better than the older brother. It's always a healthy competition. There's nothing like a healthy competition.

"For me, coming from a place like DeSoto (Texas), I welcomed it. My pops always told me, 'A good number one needs a great number two.'"

"New faces are always good," Lodes said. "It brings a change of culture. Anything new and fresh is always good, and so we welcome it."

Mentoring the group is Morris, as four-year Clemson letterman from 2014-17 who served as his team's co-captain as a senior. Morris spent the past three seasons working under Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell.

"I think it's going to be easy to find the seven or eight," Morris said. "There were some guys who weren't in great positions back in the spring. We had some good players but certain guys had to play in certain spots just because of lack of depth in other places.

"Now, we've got some guys in the right spots and have filled in some spots with some guys we brought in. It's making it a lot easier to find those seven or eight – and hopefully 10. Hopefully, we can have two full groups of guys we are confident in to go in there to win the game with."

While ULM hasn't released an updated roster that includes all its portal transfers, the line is expected to unveil several notable imports when the season arrives. For Morris, the challenge has been to blend the new with the old to find cohesion.

"We're still trying to identify who the leaders are," Morris said. "Who's going to step up when things aren't going great? As an offensive line, all five guys have to have a good day for you to feel like you had a successful day.

"A lot of days, it's all about the small victories and which guys are going to dig down deep and keep pushing through even though they had a bad block on a play."

Not known for his patience on the practice field, offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez assessed the line during his Media Day interview.

"It always starts up there," he said. "We don't have a whole lot of experience up front but we have a few guys who have played. But that always starts as your biggest concern because everything starts up front.

"We have a lot of young guys that are trying to compete and we have new guys trying to compete. It's been interesting. It's been a source of frustration at times, but I have to remember that, one, they haven't played a lot in the past. And two, this is all new for all of them. I have to be a little bit more patient with them."

Asked how the linemen prepared themselves to take reps at a faster pace in the Rich Rodriguez offense, Henry quipped, "Eating less donuts at night."

Henry then added, "Nah, just constantly working out. We have a great new strength coaching staff and I think they did a great job preparing us for the tempo that we're trying to get ready to do this year. Just having the summer to work with your brothers in the Monroe heat. Being here now going on three years, I feel like I'm ready for it. Ready to take that opportunity and take that next step."

Lodes acknowledged working harder to get himself ready for the rapid-fire approach.

"I'll tell you what, I've been here for four years and I'm still not in shape," Lodes said with a chuckle. "This tempo is definitely one that is very fast. I think fast is an understatement to describe the tempo. We're getting better each and every day trying to be conditioned and be the fast-paced offense that Coach Rich Rod wants us to be. We're getting there."

Part of the line's mission this year will be to protect and enhance the chances of new starting quarterback Rhett Rodriguez, the well-schooled son of ULM's offensive coordinator.

"That guy is the most poised guy I've ever met in my life," Henry said. "There's nothing like when you take the field with somebody that knows that they want to score. They know what they want. Just having that guy as the QB, I feel like I can grow. I have grown, because he knows the offense like the back of his hand."

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Offensive Line Stands Front and Center at ULM Football Media Day