The tryouts are over and Fort Benning Doughboys coach Jason Gibson has selected the 50 players who will take the field Oct. 2 against LaGrange College.
On Thursday, Gibson held the final day of tryouts for 75 players who were invited back following the initial tryout. By Friday the roster was whittled down to the mandatory maximum — 50 — and by Monday the team was in full pads for its first practice.
When asked about the roster numbers, Gibson said although the roster was set at 50, he would have a list of players who didn’t make the cut who could come in and contribute if a player was injured, transferred or deployed. He also said if the team fell below that number for any reason and there is a player interested in coming out, then the coaching staff would “look at them.”
Players on the “reserve list” will be allowed to practice with the team, but not suit up on game day. Gibson said reserve list players would be treated like practice squad players in the NFL. Should a player become injured, deployed or transferred, someone on the practice squad would be placed on the active roster and allowed to suit up for the next game.
Gibson said the key attributes he looked at when setting the roster were athletic ability and “having football sense on the field.” With those attributes in mind, Gibson is still realistic about a “depth chart.”
“I really can’t give you a number for each position,” he said. “I can’t say ‘I am going to keep three QBs,’ if I only have two that can play.”
With a limited amount of time between the first pads practice and the first game, Gibson said two key areas he needed to focus on are discipline and the base playbook, among others.
“We need to be in position for each play and know our assignments,” he said. “The rest will come.”
The first game is only a few weeks away, but Gibson felt good about where the team is at.
“These guys are in great shape and can run forever,” he said. “We are in a better position than we were last year after three practices, but I really can’t tell until we put the pads on.”
For Gibson, this is his second stint as head coach of the Doughboys. Last year, he coached the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team to a 29-13 win over Columbus State’s club team. Gibson said there were no words to express the opportunity to be able to coach a Doughboys team again.
“Honestly, I can’t put into words what it means to me to be out here coaching at Doughboy Stadium,” he said. “There is a lot of history and I enjoy coaching the men here.”
