The Marshall County Alumni Chapter met tonight in Guntersville. Coach Jimmy Ogle was on hand to speak.
Coach Ogle gave the crowd an overview of the recruiting class, highlighting the character, grades, and leadership ability this group brings to JSU's football team. He also mentioned (with a smile) that the speed and football ability will help too. Ogle mentioned that the recruiting class includes 11 players from Alabama, 3 junior college transfers, 3 from GA and 2 from FL. Coach Ogle mentioned local student-athlete, Chase Williams from Boaz, to the crowd. Respectful, leader, thoughtful, and determined were some of the words people that know Chase used to describe him tonight. Ogle also mentioned that Chase Williams was just named the Gadsden Times Defensive Player of the Year. Coach Ogle also told the alumni chapter about Alabama's Mr. Football, Coty Blanchard, JSU's first Mr. Football. It sounds like anyone following high school football this year knows about Coty.
Coach Ogle asked that we put these dates on our calendars: Spring practice begins March 5. Spring Break will give them a week off, but they will start back right after spring break, and will have 10 more practices. There will be some Saturday scrimmages for people to come watch. Fan Day and the Spring Game will be April 10th. The game is scheduled to start at 3 PM. Come early for fan day, to get pictures and autographs of one of the most talented teams we've had on campus ever.
Coach Ogle opened the floor for questions. First one was "Who is going to play quarterback?" Ogle responded that "we have several guys that can play. Marquez Ivory has the inside track. He is a great leader in the huddle, and people listen to him. He is talented and a very good passer. He started against Ga. Tech last season. Thomas Darrah is a transfer from Alabama. He's in the process of getting himself ready for the season, and wants to lead the team. He's got the ability, and can be an important player. Then there's Coty Blanchard. He's Mr. Football, and we'll see what he can do." After that answer, many are wondering if Jimmy will be running for political office soon.
Another question came up about the schedule...who do we play first, when is that game, etc.
Our first game is against Ole Miss on September 4th. Their QB left school early, and they don't have their top running back either. We're trying to determine just who will play for them. Our next game is against UT Chattanooga. We need to beat them. It's the first game in our "new" stadium. It's a long time rivalry. We must be ready. (Side note here...Chattanooga's recruiting class was ranked in the top 10 in FCS football again this year. I'm not sure how the classes are graded. Someone could use some help. I believe this is 3 out of the last 4 classes.)The week after the Chattanooga game is the GA State game in Atlanta. They are putting a good program together over there, and this is a great stage to show what JSU can do. Exciting opportunity to play in the Georgia Dome. The rest of the games are confernece games, 4 home and 4 away.
Coach Ogle added one more thing before he was through. This team played through a tough scenario this past season. There was nothing to hope for. We were not going to be in the playoffs no matter what. But our 12 seniors led this group to an outstanding season, almost beating FL State, and having the best team by record in the OVC. These guys did it becuase they wanted it. They did it because of their character, and they did it because they are a team. If this team was in a building that was on fire, they would not stop until everyone got out. They do it together as a team and have strong team leadership. They finish the job.
We had this event at Papa Dubi's Cajun Restaurant in Guntersville. The food was terrific. If you are planning to be here in Guntersville anytime soon, you should plan to eat here. We had a lot of food, and great service.
A great job by the Marshall County Alumni Chapter, thanks to the Chapter President, Katie Boggus. Thank you for having us tonight. We really enjoyed talking with the good JSU people of Marshall County. If you were at the meeting and have any thoughts you would like to add, please click on Add Comments below and let us know.
Photo of Coach Ogle courtesy of Steve Latham, Jacksonville State University
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