MOREHEAD, Ky. – Spring has sprung at Jayne Stadium as the Morehead State football program has begun spring practice in 2022. Saturday was day five of spring workouts and day one of contact, and Head Coach Rob Tenyer seemed pleased with the competition on both sides of the ball for the Eagles.

"We have 86 guys out here for spring ball this year and we have a lot to be excited about as far as depth goes. I really like where we are so far," said Tenyer.

This will be his tenth season as the Head Football Coach at Morehead State after serving as an assistant at MSU for 12 seasons.

One thing Coach Tenyer was happy about was the opportunity to play a Week 0 game.

"This year, having that game means we get to have an extra week of camp in the summer. School starts early here, and we don't normally get that full camp. With all the decisions we're going to have to make as far as playing time goes that extra week will be huge for us."

A main decision Tenyer will have to make is who will replace All-PFL First Team QB Mark Pappas.

"We have three guys in Colin Parachek, Carter Cravens, and Grady Cramer who all bring different skill sets to the table at the quarterback position. But, at the end of the day, one of those guys is going to have to be the one to step up and lead this team," Tenyer said. "This may be the toughest decision I've had to make here."

The offensive line was a position group that Tenyer was very excited about as well. Tenyer stated he is confident in a "first nine" in that group, giving whoever may be the quarterback a sense of security in the backfield. The OL worked on picking up stunts and pass-protection on Saturday.

Normally in the early stages of the season and especially in spring the defense will be a couple steps ahead of the offense, but Tenyer said that this year that is not the case

"We have so many guys that are familiar with our stuff that the defense doesn't have that same advantage early on this year. We've been able to install a ton of our offense – maybe even more than we should have – and really get the ball rolling towards the fall."

Speaking of the defense, defending the run looked to be a point of emphasis in the team period of practice, as the front seven stalled the offense's running attack at the line of scrimmage on several occasions. Energy was high on the "blue side" during team periods. One name to watch is David Faccone, who seemingly lived in the backfield Saturday.

Tenyer was pleased with the tackling performance during a team period where the offense attempted to work on their screen game and quick passing game. Repeatedly, defensive backs were able to make plays on the perimeter and stymie the Eagle quick game.

One man the defense could not stop Saturday was returning wide receiver Thomas Campbell-Clay, who Tenyer said, "had a really good day." Campbell-Clay scored on a wheel route during a team period, and caught a post route for a big gain as well.

Following a 7-4 finish last season, the Morehead State football program has a lot to be excited about heading into the 2022 season. The Spring Game along with Junior Day is set for April 23 at Jayne Stadium. Junior Day begins at 9 a.m. ET, with the Spring Game kicking off at 2 p.m.