It would have been easy for LaMichael James to coast through spring practices.
He was, after all, coming off a season in which he ran for 1,731 yards, scored 24 touchdowns and finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy. His team had just appeared in the BCS National Championship Game.
But as it turns out, LaMichael James does not know the meaning of “coast.”
Along with running backs coach Gary Campbell, James spent a good portion of spring practices working on his perceived weaknesses: pass catching out of the backfield, pass blocking — the little things that could make a great player into a special one.
The results have been promising.
“He’s sitting at like 94 percent in catching his passes right now,” Campbell said. “I think he’s only had like three drops the whole spring. I’d say he’s having a pretty good spring; I don’t think he’s satisfied with that because the two drops were catchable passes.”
Indeed, learning to become an effective receiver has been an uphill battle for James. Some of the issues have to do with concentration, but oftentimes his diminutive figure is the real culprit.
“I think if I was a little bit taller, I could see over the line and make more catches,” James said. “But sometimes I can’t even see the ball come off his hands, and it’s a little bit difficult.”
When the 2011 season arrives, James and the rest of the running backs will also be peering over the shoulders of a revamped offensive line. The departure of seniors Jordan Holmes and Bo Thran left sizable holes at key positions, and getting in sync with new players has been a slow process.
“Things are coming together, but it’s still a work in progress,” junior running back Kenjon Barner said. “Luckily it’s spring; you know we can work the kinks out. But everything will come together eventually, and we’ll be good.”
For his part, Campbell tries to keep his players focused solely on what they can control.
“In the backfield, we don’t care who’s up front blocking,” Campbell said. “We have a job to do and we’re going to do it to the best of our ability. We’ll try to adapt to the line … but whatever happens up front, we’re going to be doing the best that we can to get first downs and move the football.”
Even aside from James, there are plenty of players champing at the bit to do just that. Barner, already a key contributor backing up James last season, has been working to become a more vocal leader. Redshirt freshman Lache Seastrunk, meanwhile, looks to prove that he is ready to play after sitting out his first year.
“He’s been really good,” James said. “He’s a lot better. He’s getting up the field; I mean he’s really fast. I think once he gets the offense down pat he’s gonna be a great player.”
Campbell has also been impressed with Seastrunk’s raw speed but stresses there is still work to be done.
“Obviously he’s got great speed,” Campbell said. “He’s gotta learn to get up the field a little better. He’s been used to playing high school football and outrunning everybody … the main thing we’re focusing on with him right now is for him to get his vision and his concentration up the field rather than lateral movement as much.”
As spring practices come to an end this week, Campbell is left with a problem many coaches would love to have: too many running backs, too little playing time. And yet, where this might cause friction elsewhere, James relishes the competition with Barner and Seastrunk.
“They always push me,” James said. “Me and Kenjon are best friends, but I know he’s always going to push me to the end, just like I’m going to push him to the end.”
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