Under construction: Weber State football opens Mental era with 2023 spring camp
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- Weber State football players line up for a play on the first day of spring camp against the backdrop of construction to renovate the east side of Stewart Stadium on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
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- Weber State head coach Mickey Mental crouches to watch a quarterback throw on the first day of spring camp Thursday, March 16, 2023, at Stewart Stadium.
Two days after piles of snowy slush kept Weber State football from opening spring camp, the Wildcats took the field against the backdrop of a torn-up hillside as construction continues for a full renovation of Stewart Stadium’s east side.
And with that, the Mickey Mental era unofficially begins.
“Fantastic … I couldn’t wait to get back on the field,” junior quarterback Kylan Weisser said.
WSU took the field for the first time as a team since a Dec. 3 playoff loss at Montana State and the first at Stewart Stadium since a Nov. 26 playoff win over North Dakota.
Nine-year head coach Jay Hill cashed in his chips for the associate head coach gig at BYU, taking star cornerback Eddie Heckard with him, and starting quarterback Bronson Barron transferred to Western Kentucky.
Aside from that, and replacing All-American running back Josh Davis and 1,000-yard receiver Ty MacPherson, there are a ton of familiar, returning faces for the Wildcats.
“Always good to get back. Guys came out with the right mindset. I thought we practiced the right way, staying up, having good tempo,” Mental said. “Gotta work on some transitional things but I thought today was pretty clean.”
Weisser, with the program since 2018, is the apparent incumbent at quarterback, being the oldest and most game experienced. Third-year QB Creyton Cooper and second-year thrower Brian Harper also return and true freshman Tiger Adolpho — the former Idaho prep player of the year — has returned from missionary service and is in camp.
Incoming freshmen quarterbacks Richie Munoz and Dylan Gutierrez will join the team in the fall.
Weisser said his team will focus on foundation and culture during the spring.
“Having a new purpose every day, defining who we are and just making sure we’re on top of things,” Weisser said. “We’re resetting the standard each and every day. For us that means just playing fast, playing smart, playing physical, and making sure we have that energy for those last couple minutes in the fourth quarter when we need it.”
Spring camp is scheduled to go through mid-April, at which point stadium renovations will hit full steam, including the replacement of the field and track.