Four Downs with Andy Waddle

FB: New Valparaiso coach previews Saturday's spring game

A new era for the Valparaiso football program has been quietly getting underway for the last several weeks as the Beacons launched their spring practices last month. These practices have given first-year coach Andy Waddle his first glimpse as to the returning talent on Valpo’s roster.

The spring campaign will culminate on Saturday afternoon in Valparaiso’s annual spring football game. Waddle is changing things up from what Valpo fans have been typically used to in recent years. Instead of complicated scoring system that features the offense against the defense, Waddle and his coaches divided up the roster and held a draft to select two teams. They’ll face each other in what Waddle hopes is as close to a real game as possible.

As many as a dozen players will be held out due to injury on Saturday, but Valpo fans will get a chance to see some of the top returners in action, including quarterbacks Caron Tyler and Rowan Keefe, running back Michael Mansaray, receiver Chris Gundy, linebacker Max Samuel and defensive backs Nic Lendino and Mark Johnson. Several newcomers will also make their debut, including transfers Jay Melchiori (WR-Marietta), Quinn Fracassi (WR-Eastern Michigan) and Jordan Greenhow (DB - Minnesota) as well as incoming freshmen Micah Markley (LB) and Alex Prine (DL).

Waddle sat down with The Victory Bell shortly before the start of spring football to discuss getting to know his new team as well as the challenges of filling out the roster before seeing his returners on the field.

Here is the first edition of Four Downs with Andy Waddle…