Feb. 21, 2001

Before beginning spring practice, head football coach Kevin Steele reviewed the team and his expectations for the spring and beyond.

OVERVIEW
There are four times in the year that football coaches get energized: winter conditioning, spring practice, summer conditioning and the final stage of fall camp. I think spring practice in a key component in building a team.

Spring football is a very positive time. It is a time to assess things. We get to see where we are, look back on where we've been and see where we're going.

We are on track because the are so many positive things happening within this football program, including the expansion of the locker room to 7,000 square feet, which will make it the biggest in the Big 12. We're also expanding the weight room, equipment room and training room. All of these things appear to be non-football issues, but they matter.

We're not where we need to be depth-wise, but we're becoming a more broad-based talented football team in that you feel like you have players at each position across the board. We now have a sense of competition at almost every position on the football field. They're getting older, they're getting wiser and they're getting more capable of being competitive in the Big 12.

The purpose of spring practice is to make them tougher, without losing a whole football team in the process. You've got to bring them along, not cull them out.

I'm looking forward to a season of excitement, coupled with the new facilities, added depth and experience returning. We are still pretty youthful. We've got 13 seniors and 14 juniors and the rest are freshmen and sophomores. They are young, but they're young with experience and they are very good athletes who know how to play the game.

OFFENSE
There is always evolution in football. You're always looking for ways to improve. Offensively, we have to figure out if we want to run the option more or spread it out more.

We've had some movement along the offensive line and that's because we like to play on their strengths and weaknesses. We also like to have depth and youth at each position. We have three junior college transfers coming in and we've got to anticipate where they will plug in.

At the quarterback position, we'll start out with (Greg) Cicero at 1, Zachry at 2, Dixon at 3 and Tomcheck at 4, but they will decide how that unfolds and who holds what number. You can't say they are relegated to the fact that they will be vying for a backup position and only a backup position. They will compete from one to six, seven, eight, nine and 10.

There are probably still some moves yet to occur.

We are always looking for ways to improve ourselves at tailback and we moved Johnathan Evans to fullback because he has fluidity there. He's one of those guys who can slither through all that trash and find his block. There's not a lot of guys who are real good at that, because they get stuck somewhere. But he has fluidity, and that allows him to find his way through there. Evans and Melvin Barnett are competing for that position in every aspect of winter conditioning.

I'm seeing in our players the competitiveness it takes to win.

ON GREG CICERO
Greg's injury (broken collarbone) was one that is not career-threatening. He probably could've played in the last game, but he would've lost a year of eligibility. He is fine now and he will participate in all spring drills.

ON DEFENSIVE CHANGES IN THE BACKFIELD
With the addition of Paul Jette, our new defensive backs coach, there may be some changes in the backfield. I'm sure he will evaluate the players and for some, it will be a new lease on life. For others, it will be a reestablishment.