Samuel, Redhawks will get an early jump on '06 football season

~ Southeast will begin its spring practices at 5:30 a.m. on Monday.

Tony Samuel has so far only gotten to size up his new players by watching them on tape and in the winter conditioning program.

Monday, Southeast Missouri State's first-year head football coach will start seeing the Redhawks on the field -- bright and early.

Southeast begins approximately five weeks of spring practice with a 5:30 a.m. session. Samuel said the time is not so much to promote discipline as it is to avoid class conflicts in the afternoon.

"It's hard trying to get everybody together, with classes," Samuel said. "That's the best time."

The NCAA allows 15 spring practices, including scrimmages and an intrasquad game.

Samuel said the Redhawks will basically work out Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 5:30 a.m., with some scrimmages on Saturdays at about noon. Spring practice will conclude with an intrasquad game on April 8, probably in the afternoon.

Asked if he was excited about seeing his players in pads for the first time, Samuel said, "I don't know if excited is the word. This is just one phase. But when you put pads on is when we really start to find out."

Samuel, who takes over a team that went 2-9 last year -- which led to Tim Billings' resignation -- said his primary goals for the spring are to install some of his base offense and defense as well as identifying players best suited to help the Redhawks in 2006.

'We'll do some installation, but we're also trying to evaluate what we want to do, to fit it to the players," Samuel said. "We want to identify players, to get the best players on the field. We have to figure out who they are.

"We want the best 11 on offense, the best 11 on defense, the best 11 on special teams, even if some of them have to play positions they're not used to."

All positions up for grabs

Although Southeast returns a good number of starters from last year, Samuel said everybody enters the spring with basically a clean slate.

"Right now there is no No. 1 at any position. Right now it doesn't mean anything," Samuel said. "We'll have a final depth chart after the spring, and then start over in the fall."

Quarterback is always a talked-about position among fans, and the Redhawks return three from last season, including senior Kevin Ballatore, who had taken over as the starter in 2005 before suffering a season-ending broken leg.

Markus Mosley, who started a game as a true freshman last year, also is back along with redshirt freshman William Cowan.

Asked if Ballatore rates as the favorite for the job, Samuel repeated his mantra about there being no current starters.

"I've never seen him play," the coach said.

Samuel said there is a good chance the Redhawks will add another quarterback to the roster -- perhaps a transfer -- prior to fall workouts.

"We'll most likely bring another one in," Samuel said.