Samford football ready to kickoff Spring season Saturday

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - It’s been 455 days since Samford last played a game and head coach Chris Hatcher says he doesn’t know what to expect in this unusual season.

“Your guess is just as good as mine at what Saturday will look like,” Hatcher said. “But more importantly than anything, we’re excited to play and have this opportunity.”

Samford will travel to East Tennessee State on Saturday to open it’s Sothern Conference conference-only schedule. Although the team is excited, in the age of COVID, the players still have some doubt.

“Deep down inside, until we actually play, there’s a little bit in all of our minds thinking is this actually going to happen,” Hatcher said.

Hatcher believes the hardest part of dealing with COVID and this unusual spring season is the lack of togetherness as a team. From having team meetings on Zoom to separating position groups, he says it’s been hard to get a feel for the identity of this team.

“When you’re used to being part of a team, you’re used to hugging on each other, you’re used to interacting with a whole lot of different people, and that’s the message we presented with our team to stay connected with their teammates to build that bond,” Hatcher said.

Saturday will be the first test this season to see what his team is made of, but one things for sure, Hatcher knows they definitely have the heart and dedication.

Samford and ETSU kickoff at Noon Saturday before hosting WCU on February 27th.

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