College football season has been over for a while now, and I know we’re all suffering. As we inch closer to the start of the season, here are a few thoughts to hold you over.
We have reached the glorious part of the offseason known as spring football. For those of you who don’t know, spring football is basically the return to practice in preparation for the upcoming season. All things must be considered in a vacuum because we can’t be sure how we compare to other teams; only our own guys who scrimmage against each other.
Though some freshman players have enrolled early, we can only guess at the difference the newcomers will make. Nevertheless, we get very excited about this spring football phenomenon. Normally, spring football includes a so-called “spring game,” which is essentially a glorified scrimmage, but this event will not be happening this year for a variety of reasons – one of which was obviously to crush my hopes and dreams.
The NFL draft is quickly approaching, so we can continue to follow our beloved Canes as they make names for themselves on a national stage. We can also hope our hometown teams draft a former Cane.
This football season, we play FSU on the road and Notre Dame at home. We’re poised to have a great season as Head Coach Mark Richt and his staff continue to mold our players into beasts. We should set attainable goals for ourselves – don’t expect a National Championship this season. We need to work on winning the Coastal division before we set our sights even higher, and I think this is the season we clinch the division.
This will be my last football season as an undergraduate. As I sit here wondering where the time has gone, I’m reminded of the role the football program played in my decision to come to UM. I grew up a Hurricanes fan and couldn’t see myself cheering for any other team on Saturdays. Though it’s been a while since the Hurricanes have played at a high level consistently, and I’ve heard people falsely proclaim that “The U Is Back” more times than I care to admit, my main hope for this season is that we continue the return to greatness. I will always be proud of this football program, what we’ve accomplished in the past, and what is left for us to accomplish in the future.
Dana McGeehan is a junior majoring in history and media management.