THIBODAUX – With the 2011 Nicholls Football Spring Season now complete, head coach Charlie Stubbs had one last Q&A session which featured his evaluations of the defense as well as the special teams.

With his second spring in the books, Coach Stubbs also discussed his overall view of the Colonels' spring season, and also about his incoming recruiting class.

Q: Can you talk a little about the defensive line?

Coach Stubbs: Similar to the offensive line, the depth is very thin but I was pleased with how they performed. I thought that A.J. Carter and Darrell Brown had excellent springs, and Edet Udoh, he can be as good as anybody, and that's what I'm trying to get through to him to make sure he gets his academics in order because he can be a special player at this level. And Michael Woods, he switched from offense to defense, I feel that he made steady progress. He still has a ways to go but again he did make some plays.

Q: How have the linebackers performed?

Coach Stubbs: I was very pleased with our inside linebacker group, led by Jordan Piper. We really have six young men right now that could contribute, from Pa'a Kamauoha, who did a tremendous job, as did Ryan Bruno and Jon McClinton. Newcomer Brandon Sanders, who transferred from Ole Miss, he came in and made great progress while Mike Walker play well also, so I feel very good about that inside position. The outside linebacker position is led by Rashar Knight and Shawn Elrod, those two can be really special. And then of course we have Warren Lennix, Jr. and Stefan Bergeron , who had very good springs at the position. So overall, I feel like we're getting there, we have some exceptional players as well as solid backups.

Q: Can you discuss the safety position?

Coach Stubbs: We have returning starters at safety, Jordan Hanberry had a tremendous spring along with Siegan Vergenal – those are guys who started for us last year as true freshman. Kerry Guidry had a great spring, coming off a redshirt year where he was injured; I know he'll be in the mix. Toren Josephand T.J. Lumar also played well this spring, so I feel good about this group because they can run well and they will hit. Our main goal this offseason is to get them stronger, because with our style of defense they have to be graceful enough to cover receivers but have to be physical like a linebacker.

Q: Can you talk about the experience you have coming back at the cornerback position and how they played?

Coach Stubbs: We have some experience coming back, led by First Team All-Southland Bobby Felder. He is a special player, and I'm excited for his senior year for him to really elevate his game and lead the defense. Chika Madu had a very good spring, he was disciplined on what we asked him to do, and he executed his techniques and assignments really well. Brian Lewis also had a solid spring, and we have other young men who I feel are really working their way up to where we could have confidence in playing them in the game.

Q: How did the special teams' spring go?

Coach Stubbs: Mainly, we worked on our kickoffs and our field goal and extra-point situations. Our long snappers right now, Clint Clement and Ty Boudreaux, both have done a very good job. Our kicker, Andrew Dolan, who is our returning starter did very well, and we have Ben Landry pushing him for that spot. With our returners, we worked on catching the ball, and we also worked with our holders.

Q: Compared to your first spring, how different was this year's spring season, on and off the field?

Coach Stubbs: Going through the spring, the biggest thing is that we're so much further ahead than we were a year ago. I have some young men with playing experience and I have players at each position that can be leaders on and off the field. This week I'll meet with each individual player to discuss not only their progress as a football player, but also their academic progress. With the academic year winding down, right now I'm challenging them to finish strong academically. We've been on them all year, monitoring everything from study hall to class checks, but right now it's the final push where they can really make some big strides as they work to earn their degree.

Q: What's next for the team, and can you speak a little about the 2011 recruiting class?

Coach Stubbs: We'll get into our summer strength and conditioning program, and once high school graduation happens, a lot of our new signees will be here and get right to work. They know that at times last season, that we started four or five true freshmen, so they know we're not hesitant to play a young athlete if he's our best player. They want to come here and be a part of our program right away. And what has impressed me not only Saturday, but all spring, is the amount of signees that came here and watched. Some even made the comment that they wish that they did not have to leave, and that's a great feeling. But right now I want them to focus on their academics, and with most of them participating in spring sports I just hope they have nothing but success.