UND football to begin spring ball on Thursday morning

Mar. 19—GRAND FORKS — A new era of UND football hits another milestone Thursday morning at the Pollard Center.

New UND head coach Eric Schmidt will begin spring ball at 8:30 a.m., kicking off a schedule that culminates in a Spring Showcase on April 25.

"To me, the biggest thing is the environment we want to create," Schmidt said. "From everyone in our organization, we need to show up every day and bring the right energy ... the very best focus and very best effort you can bring every day and every rep."

In a departure from previous seasons, Schmidt expects to do live tackling during moments of spring ball.

"I definitely see us, depending on health, we want to get a really good evaluation on players and part of that is who can make people miss and break tackles and who can get people on the ground," Schmidt said. "We're definitely planning to do three live scrimmages and getting the right amount of volume to get in those situations and get them better in 1-on-1 situations ... playing real American football."

Practices are open to the public, unless deemed otherwise.

However, attendees now must fill out an online form to attend.

"We are going to know who's in our building," Schmidt said. "We want to make sure nobody is filming but come watch us practice and compete."

The Fighting Hawks will be on the field Thursday and Saturday this week starting at 8:15 a.m. with walkthroughs. Practices will end around 10:30 a.m.

Schmidt extended the weight room portion of spring ball this season, opting for a later practice routine.

"We were establishing the culture we want," Schmidt said. "We want this thing to be player-led, and I'ved been really pleased and excited to show up every day and attack the process. We haven't talked about outcomes and are more process-oriented. Guys are doing a great job following the protocols and that has led to gains physically and player development. It's not just the strength staff but the entire performance team."

With a new defensive structure —

UND is changing from a 3-4 defensive alignment to a 4-2-5

— Schmidt knows there'll be lots of learning to be done at spring ball.

"These guys have all played football before but the biggest thing for us is creating the right environment for learning to make the most of our time on the field," he said. "It's a 1-0 mindset to every rep, every drill. We have to do a great job inch by inch to get better.

"If we're going to be a championship football team, the only way to do that is to be a player-led outfit. We're trying to create that mindset of guys being not just good friends but good teammates. Real confidence comes through real work. These guys have to go out there and get after it every day."

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