Chris Ash Announces Position Changes, Injuries & More After First Practice Of Spring Camp

Spring camp opened for Rutgers football began on Friday and head coach Chris Ash met with the media after the first practice. Below are the most notable points made by Ash, followed by video of his press conference.

• Travis Vokolek, Hunter Hayek and Julius Turner will miss all of spring camp with unspecified injuries. Ash indicated all three would be fine health wise in the long term.

• Johnathan Lewis has switched back to tight end for spring camp. Ash indicated it was Lewis who wanted to make the position change. With Nakia Griffin-Stewart gone after transferring to PITT and Vokolek our this spring, Lewis has a real opportunity to make the two deep at the end of spring camp. At the same time, this leaves justfreshman Cole Snyder and Boston College transfer Johnny Langan as the only other two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. Walk-on and redshirt freshman Austin Albericci is also a backup option.

• Langan, as well as Michigan transfer Drew Singleton and UCLA transfer Matt Alaimo have yet to be cleared for next season by the NCAA. Ash said there is no timetable to hear and while the coaches are focused on their development, he can’t count on them for next season until their status changes.

• Other position changes include Micah Clark moving to the defensive line for spring before determining if he will stay there long term. He did prep there for the last game last season and decided to give it a shot full-time. In addition, senior Damon Hayes has switched from safety to cornerback.

• Ash stated he felt that linebacker was the deepest position group on the team and said it was a priority to cross train players at two spots to improve versatility and depth in the middle of the defense. He also indicated Singleton is focused on the Will position, while Tyshon Fogg is at the Mike position.

• Every position is wide open, including quarterback, in regard to players battling for starting spots. Ash made it clear after a 1-11 season everyone needs to improve and no decisions would be made early in spring camp.

Watch Ash’s full opening press conference of spring camp here:

Stick with us through all of spring camp in the coming weeks, which concludes on Saturday, April 13th with the annual Scarlet-White game.