ULM Warhawks

By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow

We'll start with the obvious as we dive into our ULM spring football sneak peaks.

The Warhawks will have a new starting quarterback this season, following the portal departure of Chandler Rogers.

Jiya Wright battled Rogers for the starting gig last preseason but wasn't a factor after suffering a rib injury in mop-up duty in the opener at Texas. Now, he's in line to finally earn a starting role after taking a winding path through college ball.

"I'm excited about the room," ULM offensive coordinator Matt Kubik said. "Obviously with a guy like Jiya who has experience in the system, he has a good handle on what we're doing. And also, his skillset really matches what we want to do at the quarterback position. I'm excited for him to have the opportunity."

As a senior dual-threat quarterback at Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Wright threw for 2,307 yards with 28 touchdown passes and added 11 scores and 750 yards rushing.

Wright enrolled at Northern Illinois in 2018 but was moved to safety after a coaching change and entered the transfer portal. He landed at Division II Florida Tech, which offered a degree in aviation. But when Florida Tech ceased football operations in the spring of 2020 due to COVID-19, he moved on to Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College.

He arrived at ULM in July 2021 after impressing the coaches in a late summer tryout camp. Wright played in four games and accounted for 291 yards total offense and three TDs in that first season.

"You sit there as a backup all year and he's got one year left," Kubik said. "He knows this is his last shot, and so he's going to compete his butt off. I'm one of his biggest fans, without a doubt."

Giving Wright chase is Hunter Herring, a local product from Ouachita Christian School in Monroe who transferred home from Louisiana Lafayette. Herring stands tall in the pocket at 6-foot-4 but also has the mobility to flourish in ULM's system.

"Now you add Hunter in there, with a similar skillset," Kubik said. "I haven't had a quarterback that tall in a long time."

Herring accumulated for 4,950 total yards and 82 touchdowns while leading Ouachita Christian to a combined record of 22-3 in 2019-20. The former Class 1A Offensive MVP scored a LHSAA-record 7 TDs in the 2019 state championship game.

"As tall as he is, he's really good in the pocket," Kubik said. "But, he's got some ability to run the ball too."

Although Herring is new to the roster, he's not unfamiliar to his new coordinator. In his first stint at ULM, Kubik recruited Herring out of OCS, then made another run at him while coaching at Southern Miss.

"I've had a relationship with him for a long, long time," Kubik said. "It's been an easy move for him to move back home."

ULM has just three quarterbacks participating in spring ball with Brian Garcia rounding out the room.

"With the departure of Chandler, now he's got an opportunity to get a bunch of reps," Kubik said. "I've never had just three guys in the spring before, but it's a good rotation. Those guys all have a really good handle on what we're doing."

Yet to join the team is freshman signee Blake Murphy, who threw for 3,564 yards and 39 TDs and rushed for 928 yards and 13 TDs for American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida.

Bring on the thumpers: Warhawk fans and coaches alike became frustrated last season watching the offense struggle in short-yardage situations, particularly near the goal line.

When Malik Jackson and Andrew Henry left via the transfer portal, it opened the door for ULM to restock the position.

"Last year, the guys we had were 'home run hitters,'" Kubik said. "They had that top-end speed and they were a little shiftier. But, it wasn't easy as a play-caller last year. I kind of joke, I'd rather be in third-and-4 than third-and-1 sometimes, because you have some more options.

"Third-and-1, you want to pound it in there, which I'm used to doing. But being lighter at tailback last year, it was tough."

To address the issue, the staff recruited a pair of sturdier backs to replace the smallish runners ULM relied on in recent years.

"I'm a fan of a bigger back and that's what I'm used to having," Kubik said, "especially in this zone scheme."

Isaiah Woullard (5-9, 216) is a transfer from Ole Miss, who gained 428 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns in 2018. He ranks as the all-time leading rusher in Mississippi high school history with 8,294 career yards.

Thaddius Franklin Jr. is a transfer from Miami (Fla.), where he rushed for five touchdowns and 208 yards in 2022. At 6-0, 240 pounds, Franklin should give the Warhawks a bruising option when tough yards are needed.

"To get some bigger backs in there is a big deal," Kubik said. "To add Thad Franklin in there as a downhill back and Isaiah Woullard is the same thing. He's built like a lot of the backs I'm used to."

Retooled offensive line: ULM returns a nucleus of linemen with experience playing together in the same system including tackles Stacey Wilkins and Keydrell Lewis, guards Peyton Dunn and Tellek Lockette and center Zarian McGill .

"I feel like we have a good core group of guys back," Kubik said. "A guy like Stacey is similar to Jiya. He was a backup last year that knows what he's doing. He just needs to polish up some things and compete for that spot. A lot of guys react differently when they know they're being counted on to be the guy. There's a little more pressure on them, and sometimes those guys elevate their game."

The Warhawks supplemented their spring depth by adding junior college transfers Matt Williams, Jay Mickle and Markell Smith.

"Three Mississippi junior college guys that are hungry," Kubik said.  "They were in the JUCO ranks and now they get a chance to come play in the Sun Belt."

Kubik believes ULM has the bodies to create a dependable rotation next season for offensive line coach Kyle Segler, who replaces Maverick Morris.

"We hated to lose Coach Morris (to Virginia), but Kyle Segler is a guy I've worked with over the years and he's a super high-energy guy," Kubik said. "I'm excited with the way he's pushing those guys right now."

Ask and ye shall receive: No matter who wins the QB derby, ULM boasts a receiving corps capable of doing damage inside and out.

"There's definitely some speed and talent in that room," Kubik said.

Tyrone Howell posted a breakout season after transferring to ULM from Kansas State, finishing with 50 catches for 852 yards and six touchdowns.

"It's not a secret," Kubik said. "We're going to build stuff around what he can do."

The Warhawks return dynamic slot receivers in Bugs Mortimer and Alred Luke, along with outside receiver Dariyan Wiley. Notable new additions include Bud Tolbert, an outside threat from Middle Tennessee, Air Force Prep transfer and OCS product Tristan Wiley and Mark Britt II, an East Mississippi Community College transfer who originally signed with Ole Miss.

"I've always been a fan of having a pair of 6-2 plus guys on the outside and having a 5-10 inside guy that can take the top off or you get them the ball in space," Kubik said. "It always seems like a winning formula for what we want to do."
 
Spring game info: ULM will conclude its 15 spring practices with the annual intrasquad game on Saturday, April 1 at 6 p.m. in Malone Stadium. Admission is free to the spring game.