NORFOLK, Va. – Because of the revolutionary changes wrought in college football by the transfer portal, spring games generally aren't as accurate of a barometer as they once were for how a team will fare the next fall.
Old Dominion head coach Ricky Rahne said that between transfers and incoming freshmen, including walk-ons, there could be as many as 50 new players on the field when fall practice begins in August.
That means about half the players who will be on ODU's roster next season didn't suit up for Saturday's Priority Charity Bowl Spring Game.
But the one hard and fast conclusion I drew from Saturday's spring scrimmage is that ODU's offense will be less predictable, more fun to watch and score more points than the Monarchs did last season.
I watched several practices, in addition to the spring game, and I love the offense installed by new offensive coordinator Kevin Decker. He coached at Fordham last season, which led all of Division I in offensive yardage and was second at 49.5 points per game.
I also think ODU has the players to run the offense effectively. It's a spread attack that often employs four wideouts and hands a ton of power over to the quarterback to take what the defense gives him.
One fan described it as a jump back in history to ODU's roots, meaning the pass-happy days when Taylor Heinicke was ODU's quarterback. But this offense, made famous at Tennessee by head coach Josh Heupel, is different. It can employ the run as much as the pass.
Junior defensive tackle Devin Brandt-Epps is also a big fan of the new O.
Sophomore RB Obie Sanni being chased by DE Christopher Spencer
"I love the new offense," he said. "Usually, when we come out in spring ball, it's a struggle for the offense to move the ball.
"But man, they're moving the ball and it's looking great."
In spite of the recent loss of returning starter Hayden Wolff to the transfer portal, ODU has two quarterbacks who appear fully capable of running the offense, which requires not only a strong arm, but the ability to think quickly and tuck the ball and run.
Grant Wilson, a 6-foot-3, 208-pound junior, is a transfer from Fordham, where he was the backup for All-American Tim DeMorat, who led the nation with 4,891 passing yards.
Wilson has two years under his belt practicing the offense at Fordham and was in essence a coach on the field as Rahne and his staff installed the new attack this spring.
Wilson played at Yorktown High School in Arlington, where he was a two-time district Offensive Player of the Year and completed 179 of 262 passes for 2,632 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Wilson threw three TD passes in ODU's scrimmage and one interception. Both he and Jack Shields also kept the ball for long runs.
Shields appeared to have the better day, although the reverse was sometimes true in practice.
The 6-1, 192 redshirt sophomore walked on at ODU without a scholarship in 2021. Like Wilson, he's from Northern Virginia, and was rated a 3-star recruit by ESPN at Centreville High School in Fairfax County.
Shields tossed four TD passes, including a beautiful throw deep to the left side of the end zone that was hauled in by former Maury High star Ahmarian Granger.
ODU lost its two best offensive playmakers in tight end Zack Kuntz and wide receiver Ali Jennings III, but Granger is but just one of many players who could emerge as playmakers next season.
Running back Tarik Sims on the move.
Wide receiver Jordan Bly, the rising junior and son of former NFL standout Dre Bly, had a phenomenal spring. "We believe Jordan's best football is ahead of him," Rahne said.
Wide receiver Javon Harvey, the junior from Lake Taylor High Schoolwho played so well toward the end of last season, had two diving TD catches and just before the scrimmage began, was named the recipient of the "Heart of a Lion" award presented to the offensive player who had the best off-season.
"For him to be able to make the plays that he made at the end of last year and then come out here and make a bunch of plays today, is just phenomenal," Rahne said.
"We think it's going to be a great season for him next year. We're so excited about what he brings to the team."
Harvey heaped praise on Wilson and Shields.
"They're great leaders," he said. "They bring the energy to each position group and keep the offense together. Those guys are really, really good kids to be around."
The spring game ended on an emotional high as Rahne gathered the Monarchs around him and announced Shields was to receive a full scholarship. The players erupted into cheers and mobbed Shields at mid field.
"That was amazing," Bly said. "He deserves it. He's worked his butt off."
Rahne says he will bring in a transfer quarterback in the offseason and that the quarterback competition "will be ongoing."
Quarterback Grant Wilson drops back to throw.
"I think we have guys who are athletic, guys who have great arms, guys who operate the system very well," he said. "I see two guys people want to play for and follow. I'm excited about the players we have.
"We're going to bring in a transfer who's going to compete for that starting job as well. I'm excited that we have at least three quarterbacks with the ability to start a college football game."
Colton Joseph, a 6-2 dual-threat high school quarterback from Newport Beach, California, also joins ODU for fall practice. He passed for a school record 41 touchdowns and 3,648 yards as a senior. A late bloomer, he had offers from Army, Navy and Air Force.
The Heart of a Lion defensive award went to EJ Green, a 6-1, 218-pound linebacker from Lafayette High in Williamsburg who also made tremendous strides.
Some returning starters, including All-American linebacker Jason Henderson, missed the scrimmage with minor injuries. Among them were several key returnees on the offensive line.
"The reps a number of our younger guys got are going to help us down the road," Rahne said. "We saw some really good improvement this spring."
WHILE THE SPRING GAME played out on the turf at S.B. Ballard Stadium, there was quite a different event going on in the Priority Automotive Club on the stadium's west side.
Priority Automotive founder and CEO Dennis Ellmer hosted the 54th Annual Charity Bowl celebration, and the event packed the Priority Club with paying customers, all eager to hear country singer Josh Turner play.
The event is an annual fundraiser for more than 40 charities that benefit children in Hampton Roads and is held annually in conjunction with the ODU spring game.
Monarch offensive players celebrate a touchdown.
Last year the event raised a record $830,000. This year Ellmer announced that the event as raised $827,000 and that he expects proceeds from the Charity Bowl Golf Tournament on Sept. 19 to push fundraising past the $900,000 mark.
Over the last five years, the event has so far raised $4,698,583, and all of it has gone to help help children who are hungry, need a place to live, mental health counseling, Christmas gifts and so much more.
ODU President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D., and first Lady Marisela Rosas Hemphill, Ph.D., attended the spring game and paid homage to Ellmer for his leadership in the business community, in his charity work and his philanthropy to ODU.
"He is so engaged with the community and we want to make sure that we continue to make this an amazing event because it touches so many lives across Hampton Roads," President Hemphill said.
Ellmer donated $1.5 million in 2019 to pay for the construction of the Priority Automotive Club and he and his wife, Jan, are donating $2.5 million to help pay for the renovation of the Bud Metheny Ballpark baseball stadium. It will become known as the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex.
They have also donated money for academic and athletic scholarships at ODU.
Dennis Ellmer with his grandchild during a break in the Josh Turner concert.
Raised in a lower-income neighborhood in Norfolk's Ocean View, Ellmer attended ODU briefly before setting out on a business career that would lead him to found Priority Automotive, one of the largest corporations to call Hampton Roads home.
Priority Automotive employs nearly 3,000 people in more than 20 dealerships from Charlotte to Northern Virginia, with most located in Hampton Roads.
There were some celebrities in the Priority Club, including Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares, former Virginia Gov. George Allen and Virginia Secretary of Transportation W. Sheppard Miller III.
And while they received their fair share of attention, the celebrity who drew by far the most requests for autographs and selfies was Heinicke, who played the last three seasons with the Washington Commanders and recently signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
"Taylor's getting all the attention," Ellmer said as the crowd laughed.
Heinicke was asked to attend the event to help promote the Charity Bowl.
"I'll do anything Old Dominion asks me to do," he said. "This is where I got my start. ODU gave me a chance when nobody else wanted to.
"This is such a great event and does wonderful things for children. I wouldn't miss being here."
ODU FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS are on sale, although the window for renewing tickets form last season is about to close.
The deadline to renew season tickets is May 1. You can purchase new season tickets anytime.
Season tickets begin at $150 for ODU's six home games. That's just $25 per game. It includes free parking and for the second year in a row, ODU will offer beer and wine sales inside S.B. Ballard Stadium.
For the second season in a row, ODU will host an ACC team when Wake Forest comes to ODU on Saturday, Sept. 16.
After opening at Virginia Tech, the Monarchs have three home games in a row in September. The Monarchs open at home against Louisiana, ODU's first game ever against the Ragin' Cajuns, on Sept. 9 and after hosting Wake Forest, then meet Texas A&M University-Commerce on Sept. 23.
Traditional Sun Belt powerhouse Appalachian State visits ODU on Oct. 12, defending East Division champion Coastal Carolina on Nov. 4 and Georgia State on Nov. 25, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
ODU will continue to offer live entertainment, food and games during the pregame on Kaufman Mall, which was very popular last season.
For more information on football tickets, call 757-683-4444 or CLICK HERE. For information on donating to ODAF, CLICK HERE or call 757-683-6963. An S.B. Ballard Stadium seating map is below.
Contact Minium at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Minium: My Takeaway from ODU Spring Football Practice? Monarch Offense Will Score a Lot of Points
One of two TD catches made by Javon Harvey during ODU's spring game