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DAYTONA BEACH — Raymond Woodie Jr. is about to buy gloves and headbands for all of his Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. He told them Saturday all the equipment is going to look the same.
“It ain’t gonna be one person wearing maroon, one person wearing red,” Woodie said. “No. We’re going to be all aligned.”
That’s what this whole spring has been about — structure, accountability and unity.
The football program went through a tumultuous winter, starting with the firing of coach Terry Sims and crescendoing with a three-week fling and subsequent split with Ed Reed.
Woodie, a B-CU alum, was hired in February and signaled a return to normalcy and stability. He’s preached of a coming together since then, overseeing the beginning of spring ball last month and the groundbreaking of a new on-campus practice field this week.
The new-look Wildcats closed their spring with a scrimmage Saturday at Daytona Stadium.
“I really thought that they came out and executed, and there wasn’t a lot of pointing fingers,” Woodie said. “It was basically all about we, we, we and not me, me, me.”
That’s just the way he likes it.
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Saturday was a series of situations like two-minute drills and two-point conversion attempts rather than a normal game. Woodie and his staff pitted the offense against the defense. If the offense gained a first down or scored a touchdown (among other things), it received points. If the defense made a stop or caused a turnover, it picked up points.
The offense won 52-51 on its last drive of the day, grabbing the final five points by running out the clock, which was the objective of the period.
Here are five takeaways:
1. The public gets first ‘game’ look of Woodie’s B-CU return
Wearing a maroon shirt and black visor, Woodie stood about 15 yards behind the quarterbacks for the entirety of the scrimmage. He was the only coach inside the sidelines.
He displayed a calm demeanor, leaving his position only to instruct players or chat with referees. After two months, Woodie feels comfortable as the head man at his alma mater.
“B-CU helped shape my character,” Woodie said. “It feels unbelievable to be back here. You pour all your efforts — not that I didn’t pour all my efforts at other places — but this is special. This is home.”
He built a staff that includes DJ McCarthy as assistant head coach, Robert Wimberly as defensive coordinator and Joe Gerbino and Donte’ Pimpleton as co-offensive coordinators.
Schemically, the offense showcased an uptempo spread. Quarterbacks operated solely out of the shotgun unless the unit went into victory formation. The defense mostly lined up with a four-man front and mixed looks at the second and third levels.
What does one of the team’s returning stars think of his new coaches so far?
“Everybody’s been teaching me new techniques and just helping me get to my potential,” fifth-year cornerback Omari Hill-Robinson said. “Everybody is taking their time with the players and getting an understanding and making sure we all get everything — getting the defense, getting the concepts. The staff has been great.”
2. Who has locked up a starting spot?
The simple answer: nobody.
The players rotated Saturday, with everyone seeing approximately the same amount of playing time.
“Everything is up for grabs,” Woodie said. “I mean everything. We tell them every day we’re going to recruit guys to come in and take your jobs. That’s the real world. I tell them about me and say there are guys out there that are trying to take my job, so I have to step my game up. Those guys like that. I told them, ‘Hey, we’re not trying to run you out of here. But in order to get better, competition makes you better.’”
In addition to the competition Woodie craves, Bethune-Cookman will be adding more talent to its roster before fall camp. The new regime got a late start on recruiting and will continue to hit the trails in the coming weeks, which will affect the depth chart.
3. Quarterback competition will continue
The Wildcats cycled through three quarterbacks: redshirt sophomore Walter Simmons, redshirt freshman Ethan Dattilio and freshman Dominiq Ponder. They split reps evenly.
That will continue to be the case into the preseason as they compete to replace Jalon Jones, who transferred to Charlotte.
“No frontrunner,” Woodie said. “… I’m waiting for a guy just to stick out and lead this football team. Right now, they’re a tight race.”
Simmons is the most experienced of the trio. He completed 6 of 7 passes and rushed for 27 yards last season.
Dattilio is a Matanzas graduate and didn’t take any snaps last year. Ponder joins the program from Myrtle Beach Collegiate Academy.
After the day opened with back-to-back three-and-outs by Simmons and Ponder, Dattilio led Bethune-Cookman to its first points. He connected with graduate receiver Dylaan Lee for a 40-yard catch along the right sideline for the first first down.
A few plays later, redshirt sophomore Anthony Frederique booted the first of two field goals.
The offense found the end zone twice, with a touchdown and a two-point conversion. Both times came on passes from Ponder.
All three quarterbacks flashed potential and made a few mistakes.
Redshirt sophomore Tyrone Franklin Jr., who returned to the squad after throwing 30 passes last year, switched to safety four days before the spring game.
4. Spring standouts on offense and defense
Four offensive players and three defenders popped into Woodie’s head as spring standouts.
He mentioned receivers Dacarri Allen-Johnson and Louis Kirchgessner, who have “made some big plays,” running back Jimmie Robinson III and lineman Antuan Wells.
On offense, the team is tasked with replacing starting running back Que’shaun Byrd and tight end Kemari Averett, who graduated after serving as the Wildcats’ two best weapons in 2022.
Defensively, Woodie shouted out the obvious guys — graduate linebacker Rosendo Louis, sophomore defensive back and return ace Darnell Deas and Hill-Robinson. All three had prominent roles a year ago.
Louis finished with 61 tackles, good for second on the team, and Hill-Robinson was the No. 1 corner.
“It’s a new team and a new season,” Hill-Robinson said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Bethune-Cookman kicks off the regular season Sept. 2 at Memphis.
5. Recruiting impact
When Woodie walked onto the field Saturday, he was shocked by the number of people.
“It looked like a party out here,” he said with a laugh.
As of Thursday, Woodie said 112 recruits had signed up to attend the spring game. The total jumped to 187 by Saturday morning, and the Wildcats might’ve drawn more than that including walk-ins.
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