Hawks excited about potential of H-Backs

Head Coach Mike Turk on Day 6 of preseason camp: "Today was not our best day. We had a pretty good day Monday and we got after each other pretty good on the first day of full gear. We were probably a little sore today and we didn't handle it very well. We looked like we were feeling sorry for ourselves a little and I didn't feel like we really got a whole lot done.

"We can't do that. We have to find a way to come out here and get better every day. We only get 21 practices before our first game and we can't afford to waste any of them. We have to have some guys on this team step up and be leaders on days like this. I can jump up and down and rant and rave and try to motivate them that way, but at some point it has to come from within the team. We have to have guys who are willing to be those leaders."

Position Spotlight – H-Back

Projected Starter: Colton Chinn (Sr.)

Others to Watch: Zack Self (So.), Chandler McDougal (So.)

A Closer Look: Senior Colton Chinn returns as a third-year starter at H-Back. A first-team all-conference selection in 2017, Chinn has been a solid blocker and receiver each season.

Chinn had nine receptions for 180 yards last season.

Behind Chinn, sophomores Zack Self and Chandler McDougal are emerging as dependable options.  

Turk on returning a third-year starter at H-Back: "This will be Colton's third year as a starter. He is a big, physical guy who can block, but he is also a guy who can run down the field and make some plays for us. He knows the offense, he knows what to do and he is a guy we're counting on."

Turk on the development of Self and McDougal: "Zack Self and Chandler McDougal are stepping into the backup roles. Zack moved to the position last year and has done some good things in the preseason. He is figuring out how to play the position and is proving to be a guy that does good things when we get the ball to him. Chandler moved to the position in the spring, so he is a little behind the other two as far as knowing the details and assignments, but he is capable and gives us a third guy we can count on. He is a good athlete and a hard-nosed kid."

Turk on the importance of the position: "That position has become a bigger and bigger part of our offense and when you have more than one guy that can do it, it makes a big difference. When you have three guys who are capable, you can keep a fresh guy in the game all the time and it gives you some other options. I'm encouraged by what I have seen out of those guys so far."

Next Practice: The Hawks return to the field at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. Practices are open to the public.