As much speed as the Bradwell Institute Tigers will bring to the field this season, their end result will lie along the line of scrimmage, Coach DeShon Brock said.
The Tigers’ high-octane offense has a new foot on the gas pedal, with quarterback Jah’barri Felix taking over. The junior threw for 1,479 yards and eight touchdowns last year at Liberty County.
Now, he gets speedsters Dewahyne Chatman and Carlito Savea, last year’s starting quarterback for the Tigers, along with more from a deep receiving roster.
Felix is settling in with his new role and new offense, Brock noted.
“He’s getting more comfortable and more confident by the day,” Brock said. “It was just the verbiage and the set of nuances that are the differences, and the reads and progressions.”
Brock said they worked with Felix over the summer and during 7 on 7s to sharpen his reads and get him to go through his progressions.
“You have to look at down and distance and take the easy money,” the coach said, “instead of going for the deep ball all the time. He’s getting better at that.”
Also back is state sprint champ Jacobi Pasley, who had three touchdowns of at least 50 yards last season – and a few more nullified by penalty.
“He has speed. And that’s not just me saying it,” Brock said. “He has elite speed. He covers 10 yards in three steps. Put one foot in the ground and go. He can literally erase any angle.”
The Tigers return leading rusher Wade Cobb, giving their offense a bevy of weapons for Felix – or Savea.
“We’re able to surround him with talent,” Brock said. “Pick your poison because Carlito runs a 4.4 If he’s in the backfield, and we get to our RPO bag, you have to play 11 on 11. You just have to give them a crease, and let them do what they do.”
Savea also will play defensive back, and will get some snaps at quarterback too, a result of his athletic ability.
“He has to be on the field in some capacity,” Brock said. “We’re looking for him to have a great year.”
Senior Kamden Melvin is back to lead the offensive line, and he will be helped by Marcellus Eady-Brown and Jerome Delaney.
“That’s going to determine how long our season is, how well we play in the trenches,” Brock said.
Delaney will anchor the defensive line as well, likely bookended by Tre Milner and Kamauri Thompson. Kaiden Studstill leads the linebackers, and Savea, with his knowledge of offense as a quarterback, is expected to be a difference maker in the secondary.
Through the offseason and into the scrimmage, Brock has welcomed what he has seen from the defense.
“I think the defense can be excellent,” Brock said. “The questions are, are those linebackers going to flow to the gaps and how well does the defensive line play. If the linebackers trigger and fire, the defense can be really good. I think side to side we have the speed and physicality on the perimeter to cover on the back end and fill the alleys. So far, so good – they’ve played lights out.”
Brock also wants to see his team play with more focus and attention to detail. It’s been the little things that have either led to big plays getting called back or allowed big plays to happen the other way.
“I want to see execution at a high level,” he said. “I want to see us eliminate pre-snap penalties, the pre-snap penalties that are bonehead mistakes. I’ll take effort penalties, but false starts, illegal formations, things we have total control of, I want to eliminate. I want to see us execute on a very high level.
“Defensively, I want to see us not give up any big plays, and make them grind it out. I want to see a very physical brand of football. If they hold their own, then we’ll have a successful season.”