COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Tech football team will step onto the turf of Tucker Stadium Friday afternoon for the first day of spring practice. Coach Watson Brown's Golden Eagles will practice four times per week to get in there allotted 15 practices leading up to the annual Spring Game on Saturday, April 17.

“Our first objective is to learn our systems better,” Brown said. “We have a lot of experience coming back, so just getting them to know the system better will be our primary focus.”

Finding the right position for every player will be the second objective said the veteran coach.

“We’ll move some people around and tinker with some players at different positions,” Brown said. “We want to make sure we have everybody in the right places.”

The team heads into spring drills with a positive outlook after posting a 6-5 overall record last season, tying for second place in the Ohio Valley Conference and winning the Sgt. York Trophy.

While learning the system and getting players into the right positions are the two top objectives of Brown and his staff, he said the two areas of concern are the kicking game and quarterback.

“We were inconsistent in kicking and punting and we need to work on that,” Brown said. “We lost our quarterback (record-setting senior Lee Sweeney), so those are two important positions that we will watch closely.

“Pretty much the rest of our team is back and they’re experienced,” he said.

While Tech signed one quarterback who will join the squad in the fall, the roster this spring will feature three returning signal-callers. Running the offense will be juniors Cass Barnes and Clint Brewster and sophomore Trey Lamb.

Brown said the team also has several injured players who will miss the chance to get onto the field, plus some who are still working to return from surgeries.

The list includes safety Caleb Mitchell, linebackers Jerry King, Matt Moran and Blake Adams, and runningback Jocques Crawford.

“We need to figure out how to get the injured guys a little work, and make sure they least get mentally better,” Brown said. 

The team will have 15 practice sessions in Tucker Stadium for approximately two hours each day. The first two will be in shorts and third without pads. The team’s first practice in full pads will be its fourth workout, which is scheduled for next Friday, March 26.

The Spring game will be held on Saturday, April 17, at 1 p.m.

Spring practice schedule (weather permitting)

Friday, March 19 -- 3 p.m.
Monday, March 22 -- 7 p.m.
Wednesday, March 24 -- 3 p.m.
Friday, March 26 -- 3 p.m.
Monday, March 29 -- 7 p.m.
Wednesday, March 31 -- 3 p.m.
Thursday, April 1 -- 3 p.m.
Friday, April 2 -- Off for Easter
Saturday, April 3 -- Off for Easter
Sunday, April 4 -- Off for Easter
Monday, April 5 -- 7 p.m.
Wednesday, April 7 -- 3 p.m.
Friday, April 9 -- 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 10 -- 10 a.m.
Monday, April 12 -- 7 p.m.
Wednesday, April 14 -- 3 p.m.
Friday, April 16 -- 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 17 -- SPRING GAME, 1 p.m.