As Kansas Wesleyan's football team begins spring practice second-year coach Matt Myers and his staff will obviously focus on the Xs and Os of offense, defense, and special teams as they work toward the 2024 season.

Other preparations that did not focus exclusively on alignments and strategy began much earlier.

"I think it's more looking at deficiencies that cost us games in the fall," said Myers who guided the Coyotes to an 8-3 record and tied Ottawa for first in the Kansas Conference's Bissell Division at 4-1. "That changes every year a little bit but I think we need to focus on the right things which inherently is ourselves.

"The programming that we need to be very successful in the fall started in January. What we tweak this spring will increase the demands on the guys – sometimes that's physically sometimes that's mentally – and make sure they can perform in high stress situations. We had a very young team last year compared to '22 to '23 so the maturity level and the execution and the consistency will ideally increase."

Consistency isn't the only hot topic.

"We were penalized last year more than we should have been," he said. "The Ottawa game we had 13 penalties – I don't ever recall a game making that many mistakes with the penalties. I want to increase discipline, the consistency aspect of it and the day-to-day stuff so we're not spending extra time making sure that their daily schedule is ironed out.

"I want to see a little more intrinsic motivation from the guys. Make sure that they along with their teammates and the coaching staff are holding the standards that will help us win the close games and perform a little bit better."

A squad of approximately 115 is expected for the first of 15 practice sessions Saturday at JRI Stadium and the Graves Family Sports Complex. The spring scrimmage is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 20. Myers said roughly 100 Coyotes return from last and 14 transfers joined the program this semester.

"We only graduated a few," he said. "(Safety) Julian Urioste will be back with us and is getting his graduate degree in the fall; (cornerback) Jordan Dupre, who will graduate this spring, is going to come back and get his graduate degree too. So even some of the guys that might have had an opportunity to leave, their plan is to come back in the fall."

Offensively sophomore Byron McNair returns at quarterback after throwing for 1,101 yards, six touchdowns and nine interceptions in seven games as a freshman.

"He threw some interceptions, made a couple mistakes but that's how we learn," Myers said." We brought in another freshman Charles Leguina (Porter, Texas) that will compete with him for reps and for the job."

Daeden "Buck" Taylor also returns.

The tailback position will have a new look after the departures of the top three from 2023.

"We'll move some pieces around," Myers said. "Luke Armstrong is going to go back to tailback, we've got Junior Akintunde and Zarek Fewell's back."

There's experience in the wide receiving corps in Woody Banks, Darrius Pearsall, Rhadarious Lomax-Spivey and Kieran Courter. Several new faces will compete in the offensive line.

"The offense is going to change a little bit, the efficiency aspect of it needs to increase," Myers said. "Our check-down receivers which are our backs didn't catch the ball enough. If we can do that, we'll stretch the defense laterally a little bit more and we'll have some more success down the field."

Defensively KWU returns several starters from a unit that ranked fourth in the NAIA in points allowed (14.8) and eighth in yards allowed per game (263.2).

"Defense played well last year but there were still some opportunities there to keep guys out of the end zone," Myers said. "We lost a couple linebackers and a safety but other than that we essentially return everyone that took meaningful snaps for us."

Among the returners are linemen Josh King-Bradley, Jon Opoku-Ababio, Sloan Simpson and Muhamad Abusharkh; linebackers Ricardo Garcia and Quatama Massaquoi and backs Darren Hawkins, James Preston and Coby Klieman along with Urioste and DuPre. 

Placekickers Talon Cope and Clay Gagon and punter Griffin Wiltse also return.

Myers said practices will be more physical this spring.

"We need to get into the weeds a little bit and see how we come out," he said. "I'd like to put more pressure on them and put them in some more pressure situations. Wear them out a little bit so they're making decisions when they're not super fresh."
 

Myers views it all as growth on and off the field.
 

"No one ever sees you in January to August," he said. "The philosophy behind it is the total package from academics to athletics to what they do in their free time, their social time, how their bodies are responding, how much sleep they get, how much food they're eating, what types of food they're eating … We put emphasis on that type of stuff to hopefully help close the gap."