University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Football Begins Official Practice Friday Under Direction of First-Year Head Coach Danny Rocco
7/28/2017 5:27:00 PM | Football
Danny Rocco opened his first preseason camp with the Blue Hens as UD kicked off its official practice schedule Friday afternoon on the Delaware Practice Fields.
Rocco will lead the Blue Hens through a variety of practice and conditioning drills, as well as several scrimmages, over the next five weeks in preparation for the season opener set for Thursday, Aug. 31 against Delaware State at 7 p.m. at Delaware Stadium.
Delaware, which was picked fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association Preseason Poll announced on Tuesday, returns 19 starters as the Blue Hens kick off a season full of promise and postseason aspirations. UD returns nine starters on offense, including center Brody Kern who earned Preseason All-CAA honors. The Blue Hen defense, anchored by all-conference picks Charles Bell and Bilal Nichols, features 10 returning starters from a group that ranked sixth in the league in total defense a year ago.
“It's exciting to get out here,” Rocco said following the season's first practice. “We've waited a long time to get back into camp, and I thought our guys reported to camp in good shape and had a really good summer. There was a lot of energy out here today. There's a lot of things we're going to have to do better, but I felt like they came out here to work hard so I'm excited about where we are moving into camp.
“A lot of guys caught my attention today. It's all about our ability to become a more consistent football team and our ability to finish better. Our offense and defense took turns going after each other today, and I'll look forward to studying the film tonight.”
Delaware returns to the practice fields on Saturday from 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m., before practicing from 9:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on Sunday. Monday through Friday of next week will all feature practices from 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. Further practice times and scrimmages, which are open to the public, will be announced on www.bluehens.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Kevin Tritt at: ktritt@udel.edu (email) / 302-831-8715 (office) / 302-383-5005 (cell)
Rocco will lead the Blue Hens through a variety of practice and conditioning drills, as well as several scrimmages, over the next five weeks in preparation for the season opener set for Thursday, Aug. 31 against Delaware State at 7 p.m. at Delaware Stadium.Delaware, which was picked fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association Preseason Poll announced on Tuesday, returns 19 starters as the Blue Hens kick off a season full of promise and postseason aspirations. UD returns nine starters on offense, including center Brody Kern who earned Preseason All-CAA honors. The Blue Hen defense, anchored by all-conference picks Charles Bell and Bilal Nichols, features 10 returning starters from a group that ranked sixth in the league in total defense a year ago.
“It's exciting to get out here,” Rocco said following the season's first practice. “We've waited a long time to get back into camp, and I thought our guys reported to camp in good shape and had a really good summer. There was a lot of energy out here today. There's a lot of things we're going to have to do better, but I felt like they came out here to work hard so I'm excited about where we are moving into camp.
“A lot of guys caught my attention today. It's all about our ability to become a more consistent football team and our ability to finish better. Our offense and defense took turns going after each other today, and I'll look forward to studying the film tonight.”
Delaware returns to the practice fields on Saturday from 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m., before practicing from 9:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on Sunday. Monday through Friday of next week will all feature practices from 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. Further practice times and scrimmages, which are open to the public, will be announced on www.bluehens.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Kevin Tritt at: ktritt@udel.edu (email) / 302-831-8715 (office) / 302-383-5005 (cell)
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