WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University football team began its spring practices last week, and the Hoyas have already held seven of their 12 scheduled practices on Cooper Field. Georgetown will practice at 7 a.m. each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday through April 23, and each session is open to the public. Included in the schedule is the annual Blue & Gray Spring Scrimmage on Friday, April 20 at 6 p.m.

"With the start of spring practice our staff will look to build on this solid foundation as we prepare for the 2018 schedule," Head Coach Rob Sgarlata said. "It is always great to get back on the field with our players. After three practices I am extremely excited with our offense under the direction of our new coordinator, Coach Rob Spence. He is a detail-oriented teacher with an extensive knowledge base. It has been fun to watch the competition between our offense and defense."

Sgarlata begins his fifth spring at the helm of the program. First-year Offensive Coordinator Rob Spence joined the GU coaching staff last month, and will be working with an offense that lost some key contributors, but has several experienced returners at each position.

"We are committed to developing our fundamentals at each position and teaching our players how to approach the competitive environment with the right mindset," Spence said. "Our strength is our skill positions in general, but our offensive line is vastly improved and will define what we will become as we grow offensively. The excitement and enthusiasm of our offensive players is energizing as a coaching staff."

Offensive Line
The Hoyas had 12 student-athletes experience game action in 2017 due to a bevy of injuries. While the Blue & Gray lose three seniors to graduation, the squad returns eight linemen with game experience, led by senior Dominic Scarangella, who will come back to the Hilltop for a fifth season after starting in seven games last year.

Junior Jared Horne appeared in nine games with 6 starts, playing in multiple roles, while sophomores Stewart Keehner (8 games, 8 starts), Ryan Jelinek (8 games, 5 starts) and Justin Wood, (7 games) lead the returning upperclassmen. Sophomore Nick Sweitzer appeared in just three games because of injury, while junior Randy Cristian, who had 11 career starts going into 2017, only appeared in one game. Freshmen Seth Martin and Daniel Horne played in six and two games, respectively.

Junior Tower Menning look to get back into the mix after missing the entirety of last season because of injury. Freshmen Chris Caylor, Theron Cooper, Izaiah Thompson and Glen Waters will all look to increase their roles this spring.

Quarterback Georgetown brings back sophomore Gunther Johnson, who took over as the primary quarterback in the fifth game of 2017, his first season on the Hilltop after transferring from the University of Arizona. The dual-threat quarterback passed for 1,026 yards and four touchdowns while also leading the Hoyas in rushing with 258 yards and four touchdowns.

Junior Jowan Watson has returned to practice this spring after missing all of last year with an injury, while freshman Joseph Brunell will also compete for playing time.

Running Backs The Hoyas will look to replace the production of Alex Valles and Isaac Ellsworth, who both have departed due to graduation. Junior Carl Thomas is GU's leading returning running back after carrying the ball 37 times for 95 yards in 2017. Freshman Jay Tolliver saw action in all 11 games, rushing for 15 yards on eight carries while playing an integral role in the kickoff return game.

Sophomore Zacciah Saltzman and freshman Jackson Saffold will both look to increase their workload this spring.

Receivers The Blue & Gray bring back plenty of depth in the receiving corps as the top three receivers, in both catches and receiving yards, all return. Sophomore Michael Dereus was GU's biggest offensive threat in 2017, catching 46 passes for 696 yards and five touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown for a team-high six scores. Junior Brandon Williams hauled in 24 passes for 346 yards and freshman Max Edwards came on strong at the end of his first campaign, catching 18 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown.

Fellow freshman Dijon Williams had four catches for 33 yards in his first year in a Hoya uniform and push for a bigger role this spring. Junior Winston Jackson Jr. will look to come back from an injury that sidelined him last season, while John Schuster, junior Cole Miller and freshman Skyler Springs will compete for playing time.

will look to increase his role this spring.Matt Ungar who appeared in eight games with two catches in his first year at the position after converting from a quarterback. Fellow junior Isaac Schley to graduation, they return Jacob Sweitzer lose HoyasAt tight end, while the