Albany State Rams football set to showcase talent in spring scrimmage

ALBANY — The Albany State football program believes they have the talent in place to withstand the personnel changes that may come.

Interim head coach Anthony Kelly said he expects a number of players on both sides of the ball to give Rams’ fans a taste of what’s to come in the annual Blue-Gold Spring Scrimmage Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Albany State University Coliseum.

Under center will be former Monroe High School standout Charles Stafford and Billy Cobb, who is returning this season from injury. Both players have overcome obstacles, but it is Stafford who is expected to get the nod when the season officially begins. Kelly said he’s already seeing what made him such an impressive signee out of high school.

“We are now beginning to see the kid we recruited from Monroe High School a few years ago,” he said. “You see the arm strength, you see the poise as he stands in the pocket and gets rid of the ball. You see the leadership in terms of he’s leading the offense. He’s a little bit more vocal. He’s showing the confidence that we have expected from him, that you would want from a quarterback. He’s just matured.”

The Rams have always loved a strong run game and this year will be no different as Kelly said he looks forward to McKinley Habersham stepping up and filling the shoes left by former SIAC Offensive Player of the Year Jarvis Small. He’s counting on All-Conference center Teddy Cofield and guard Jamie Glenn to protect Stafford and make a way for Habersham, who he believes will be one of the top players in the conference.

“I’m expecting him to be player of the year in the conference in the next couple of years,” he said. “He’s got speed, he’s got strength, he’s the total package.”

The receiving core includes All-Conference receiver Quadrey Simmons as well as Mike Green and Ta’Keevian Harris. Green and Harris played at Westover.

Kelly said he feels very confident in both his slot and outside receivers. He added he wants to see more speed at X receiver but expects big things from the passing game.

“I expect our passing game to be strong,” he said. “These guys have played. They have the experience and they’re pretty good athletes.”

Like year, Kelly said the goal is to establish the run game first, but he’s excited about the explosive plays that should come from the passing game.

“The exciting thing about our pass game is we have a quarterback with a strong arm, but we also have a quarterback that’s not afraid to throw the ball downfield,” he said. “He’s not gonna be afraid to challenge people because he has the arm strength and he has the confidence.”

On the defensive side of the ball, the secondary will be the strong point with Nick Scott leading the way. The defensive line is an area that they look to improve upon, but Tyrone Bell is expected to anchor it.

Kelly said the biggest thing he needs to see this weekend is consistency.

“This biggest thing I want to see as the interim coach, I want to see them be consistent,” he said. “I want to see the offense be able to move the ball, but on the flip side, defensively, we’ve got some good young kids over there and I want to see them run around and make plays. I think it’s gonna be a good matchup on both sides of the ball.”

He added it’s going to come down to the fourth quarter when two-minute drills come to play. He said believes whoever wins that battle will win the game.