Charlotte 49ers football camp opens with key message: ‘You have to get better every day.’

UPDATED AUGUST 04, 2023 4:30 PM
CHARLOTTE
The first day of Charlotte football’s training camp is in the books, and one thing is for sure — familiar faces from last year’s 3-9 team are few and far between.
First-year head coach Biff Poggi’s overhaul of last season’s locker room is apparent, and the new-look roster blew Poggi’s expectations out of the water.
“I am so happy with today. I told them when we (concluded practice) that I’ve been through 40 of these as a player and a coach, and this was the best first day of camp that I’ve ever been through,” Poggi said. “We’re stacking days. There’s no day off; there’s no second off. You have to get better every day.”
Five Finger Death Punch’s hit song “Bad Company” blared through Richardson Stadium as the players took the field, setting the tone for the 49ers’ first season in the American Athletic Conference.
With the first of 25 fall practices in the books, here are three takeaways from Day 1 of training camp.
FEROCIOUS FRONT SEVEN
Poggi’s offseason comments on the strength and depth of the defensive front held true, and Charlotte has a plethora of options both on the interior and off the edge.
“It’s not just the four. We’re going to play like 11. We are so deep there. They are really strong and play with great leverage. I will be totally shocked if people even try to run the ball on us because we are really strong,” Poggi said of the defensive line.
Defensive ends Demon Clowney and Eyabi Okie-Anoma set the tone for the practice. Clowney’s quick first step wrecked plays repeatedly, stopping tailbacks in their tracks and forcing the opposing quarterback to flee from the pocket and create on the fly.
Clowney, who played for Poggi at St. Frances and spent three seasons under Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, thinks the defense has plenty of room to grow.
Charlotte 49ers head football coach Biff Poggi, center, speaks with two of his players during the team’s first practice on Friday, August 4, 2023.
“We’ve got to grow in a lot of positions, even in my position. The new people we’ve brought in, we can definitely ball. But I think the returnees on the defensive line, there were some good players there last year and while it didn’t show, there are some guys that can play,” Clowney said. “I think from a football standpoint, it will be very good to show the people that this isn’t the same team from last year. We’ve gotten a lot better.”
Prince Bemah, the leading tackler from the 2022 roster, echoed Clowney’s comments.
“I just know there’s a whole lot of ballers around here now, more than what we’ve had before,” he said. “We’ve got a big chip on our shoulder.”
The lone turnover of the full 11-on-11 period came in the form of an interception by North Carolina transfer safety DeAndre Hollins. Quarterback Jalon Jones faked the handoff and rolled out to his left, and with pressure in his face, lofted a ball into double coverage where Hollins high-pointed the ball and reeled it in just shy of the end zone.
“Great intensity. Defense running to the football and being in the right spots. It’s smothering. The defense is smothering,” Poggi said.
The 49ers’ staff concluded Day 1 by putting the team in various situational segments, with a variety of personnel and formation packages. Plenty of offensive and defensive line combinations were on display, and as pads come on Poggi and his staff will narrow rotations as clear-cut starters arise.
THE ‘ATTA-BOY’ COACH
While Poggi is rapidly becoming a household name, it’s his staff that deserves the praise, according to the 62-year-old coach.
“They’re all young guys, but very experienced. We punched way over our weight in hiring these guys, and we’re fortunate to have them at Charlotte,” Poggi said. “I don’t do anything — I’m like the chief ‘atta-boy’ coach. These coaches have really done it all.”
Associate head coach and offensive line coach Kyle DeVan, who blocked for Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts for three seasons and in Super Bowl XLIV, is looking forward to full pads and finding out who the team’s “slobber-knockers” are.
Charlotte 49ers quarterback Jalon Jones yells motivation to a teammate during the team’s first practice on Friday, August 4, 2023.
“Coming out of spring ball, we added a few more pieces, and they’ve really gelled as a team. I think they’re learning and growing as a group, and I’m excited about where they are now and where they’re headed,” DeVan said. “Right now, there’s no starter. I’ll have a better understanding of who can play and who can’t once we put pads on. We’ll find out who can knock someone around, and that’s what I’m excited about. As we like to say, ‘slobber-knock’ some people up front.”
Lewis Caralla, the program’s new strength and conditioning coach from Georgia Tech, was in the weight room with the team every day throughout the summer. Caralla spoke highly of the team’s preparation, stating there were “almost two spring sessions of work done during the offseason.”
The more time to gel, the better, and the offense has just under a month to come together when South Carolina State comes to town on Sept 2.
IT’S DAY 1, RELAX
As DeVan stated, evaluating talent without full pads is a challenge, and the 49ers took the field on day one in shells (helmets and shoulder pads) and did not tackle to the ground in individual or team periods.
As far as putting full pads on, “Hopefully tomorrow,” Bemah exclaimed. But, it will be later this week, potentially Sunday, according to Poggi.
Several running backs saw action, including four-star freshman Durell Robinson, Joachim Banga, Terron Kellman and returnee Shadrick Byrd, who is featured on the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, given to the most versatile player in major college football. Banga, likened to current Cleveland Brown Nick Chubb by his teammates, has the size at 5 feet, 10 inches and 230 pounds, to serve as Charlotte’s short-yardage back. There was no clear-cut leading tailback, and that position battle will likely continue throughout the season.
Outside of the seven passes Jones threw in the spring game, this was the first look that the media has had at the new quarterback room. Since the departures of Xavier Williams and James Foster in April, Charlotte added signal-callers Dom Shoffner, a returning 49er following a stop at Eastern Illinois, and Micha Bowens, an Oklahoma transfer with three years of eligibility remaining.
Charlotte 49ers quarterback Jalon Jones passes to a receiver during the team’s first practice on Friday, August 4, 2023.
Day one saw Jones with the first group, Bowens with the second and Shoffner with the third.
Bowens made multiple errant passes early and was under pressure nearly every play in the full-team period, but did settle in and throw a few strikes down the stretch.
“I thought he made some great throws and some silly mistakes. But it was the first time he’s practiced with us,” Poggi said of Bowens. “He’s got a lot of talent and ability, but he’s got to learn that he doesn’t have to make the big play every play. I was pleased with him today. He made some great throws.”
Jones looked like the older, more poised quarterback. His best throw during the team period found Pittsburgh transfer Jaden Bradley, who used his 6-4 frame to box out the defender and reel in the dig route. Outside of the interception by Hollins, Jones was accurate and wasn’t hesitant to check the ball down and regroup.
“He’s throwing the ball a lot better. When you add that to his athletic ability — with his feet, he’s dangerous. And he’s big, he’s like 215 pounds. He’s not some little squirt running around,” Poggi said. “We have a lot of leaders and he’s certainly one of them. People respect you when you play, and he plays — and plays well.”