Cullowhee, N.C. – Catamount football surpassed the preseason midpoint between the opening of camp and the start of fall classes on Friday morning, just missing the rain showers that peppered Western North Carolina as the 22-period, 115-minute practice session ended on the turf of Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
Friday's practice included individual, group, and team periods with special teams work on both kickoff and kickoff return. The skill players worked out in the skelly drill while the lineman squared off at the opposite end of the field in one-on-one matchups. The session closed with four periods of team redzone work going in from the 30-yard line.
CatamountSports.com today continues the online 2023 Catamount Football Position Previews. Each video segment in the series includes highlights of the featured position with an interview with the WCU position coach as the squad prepares for the upcoming season. Up next in the position previews is the Catamount offensive line under the direction of Jeremy Darveau.
Expectations are high this year for the Catamount offensive line in Darveau's second season leading the group. WCU returns three starters along the offensive front including preseason All-Southern Conference selections in Tyler Smith and Christian Coulter along the left side at tackle and guard, respectively. Smith has started 43-straight games dating back to 2019 while Coulter has started 22-straight since transferring ahead of the 2021 season.
The left side is anchored in the middle by Blake Whitmore who has played in 22 career games with 16 career starts, missing the bulk of the 2021 year due to injury. The Raleigh, N.C., product has grabbed a hold of the starting center spot. To his right is junior guard Caleb Carter who earned his way into the lineup over the past two seasons, playing in 21 games with one start in the 2022 season finale.
The unit includes four transfers, one of which has yet to see the field despite spending the past year enrolled at WCU. Derek Simmons penciled in as the starting right tackle, came to Cullowhee from Abilene Christian ahead of the 2022 season but was unable to participate due to transfer regulations. He's joined by Therion Cannon (UAB), Xavier Graham (UMass), and Ashton Travis (Iowa Central) as experienced first-year linemen for WCU.
Darveau and the Catamounts return a quartet of players who have seen limited time split between the offensive line and special teams including Antwann Fann and Aidan Alston – both who battled through injuries – with Nate Linkous and Peyton Davis adding depth. Those four are joined by four players – Aaron Sanez, Hudson Jones, Cade McClellan, and Evan Carney – who redshirted last season, combining for just six total games played.
WCU added five true freshmen to the fold and is using preseason camp to get those rookies up to speed and see where they can help this football team here in 2023.
WCU 2023 Preseason Position Previews:
Wide Receivers
Safeties
Western Carolina football is scheduled for its first of two preseason scrimmages on Saturday (Aug. 12). WCU head coach Kerwin Bell and the WCU football team invite all WCU Faculty and Staff to attend the scrimmage at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field. The scrimmage is from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. and is free and open to the public. The west side (opposite the press box) will be open for spectators with some amenities available including restrooms and Betty's Funnel Cakes selling water, lemonade, sno-cones, and funnel cakes. Any additional questions, please contact the Catamount Ticket Office at (828) 27-2401.
Each of WCU's preseason football practices is open to the public. It is respectfully requested that spectators observe from the stadium seating area and avoid being either on the field or the sidelines for safety. Practice times are subject to change.
Season tickets and season-long game day parking for Western Carolina's 2023 five-game home schedule are on sale now through the Catamount Athletics ticket office, located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, by phone at (828) 227-2401, or online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets. Single-game ticket sales for each of the five home dates including the home-opening "White Out Whitmire" match-up with Samford scheduled for Sept. 9 are available now through each of those same outlets.
Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets and game-day parking for the home opener in advance as a large crowd for the highly-anticipated first home game of 2023 is expected.
2023 Catamount Football Preseason Practice Schedule:
Sat., Aug. 12 – Scrimmage #1 (Practice #9) – 9:00 am – 11:15 am (full pads)
Sun., Aug. 13 – Team Photo Day, 2 pm; Practice #10 – 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm (helmets)
Mon., Aug. 14 – Practice #11 – 8:30 am – 11:00 am (full pads)
Tues., Aug. 15 – Practice #12 – 8:30 am – 11:00 am (uppers)
Wed., Aug. 16 – Practice #13 – 8:30 am – 11:00 am (full pads)
Thurs., Aug. 17 – No Practice (Off Day)
Fri., Aug. 18 – Practice #14 – 8:30 am – 11:00 am (helmets)
Sat., Aug. 19 – Scrimmage #2 (Practice #15) – 2:30 pm (full pads)
Sun., Aug. 20 – No Practice – Team Building
Mon., Aug. 21 – First Day of Fall Classes at WCU
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (FB.com/CatamountSports, FB.com/WesternCarolinaFootball), Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountsfb).
Important Dates in Catamount Athletics & Catamount Football:
Friday, Aug. 18 – WCU New Student Convocation (Ramsey Center)
Saturday, Aug. 19 – Catamount Volleyball Exhibition – vs. USC Upstate (Ramsey Center, 6 p.m.)
Sunday, Aug. 20 – Catamount Women's Soccer Home-Opener – vs. Queens (CAC, 1 p.m.)
Monday, Aug. 21 – First day of classes for the fall semester – Cullowhee
Saturday, Sept. 2 – 2023 Catamount Football season opener at Arkansas (4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT)
Tuesday, Sept. 5 – Catamount Volleyball Home-Opener – vs. UNC Asheville (Ramsey Center, 6 p.m.)
Friday, Sept. 8 – The Bob Waters Memorial – Sequoyah National Golf Club – Cherokee, N.C. (9 a.m.)
Saturday, Sept. 9 – 2023 Catamount Football Home-Opener, vs. Samford (2:30 pm)
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