With spring football finally coming to a close, the UT Permian Basin football staff has had time to reflect on the growth and development witnessed during this crucial off-season period.  

With fresh talent emerging and established players stepping up, Falcon fans are eager to see how spring practices will translate into success for the team when they kick off their season in the fall. 

"Through 15 practices, our top priority was to develop the depth of this football team and I believe we did that," said Head Football Coach Kris McCullough. 

One of the position groups that developed the most during the spring was the offensive line, which returned just one starter from last season's roster. "We found out during spring ball that we do have an offensive line. I feel like this is probably the best one we've had. For the first time, we've got eight to ten guys we can confidently put into a game," said Coach McCullough. "There are still some guys developing that the future's bright for. It's just going to take a little more time." 

McCullough also noted the offensive line stood out during the spring because the coaching staff wasn't sure what to expect heading into practice given the number of transfers. "I felt like our aggressiveness, nastiness, toughness and physicality on the offensive line is something we haven't had since I've been here," said McCullough. "I feel very confident in where we're at in that room." 

The offensive line wasn't the only group that stood out as the highly anticipated quarterback battle lived up to expectations.  

"I think all three - Kanon Gibson, Christian Kaopua, Issac Mooring - competed their tails off, and all three improved every single day," said McCullough. "It's tough for a head coach to figure out who he wants to start when all three are playing at such a high level." 

The running back room is just as strong this year with all-time leading rusher Kory Harris returning, who's totaled 2,332 rushing yards at UTPB, along with Camden Tyler, who had a breakout season with a career-high 332 yards, 3 touchdowns, 46 receiving yards, and averaged an impressive 6.5 yards per carry. 

"It's going to be fun to see who's the first running back out there," said McCullough. "But I can guarantee you this, both are going to play a lot." 

At tight end, Caleb Sedegan has been showing out during spring ball and is the front runner to be the starter heading into the 2025 season. 

"Tight end Caleb Sedegan is the best tight end I've coached in a long time," said McCullough. "He's probably going to be our starter and then there are guys fighting for the second-string tight end job." 

Somewhat similar to the offensive line, the receiver group is going to look different this year after the Falcons graduated five of their top six pass catchers from last season. 

"We had a lot of injuries before spring ball even started, so I thought our guys did a phenomenal job of getting better every single day, "said McCullough. "I'm very impressed with that group, they have a lot of speed." 

Defense continued improvement throughout spring ball 

Similar to things on the offensive side of the ball, the defense had some new faces take advantage of the opportunities they were given this spring.   

"On the defensive line we had very low numbers this spring, but all the guys that did take the reps did a very good job of developing," said McCullough. "You could see from day one to day 15 how much better each of those guys got with their technique and their discipline."  

The linebacking core had similar growth this spring, with Tristian Exline standing out among his peers. But what stood out just as much was the progress made by the players around him, who steadily closed the gap each week. Out of the other two groups on defense, the defensive backs brought valuable experience, with several players having seen significant game action. "Those guys are continuing to fine tune the fundamentals and work on the smaller, more detailed aspects of their game," said McCullough. "Guys like Cheno Navarrette, who has never played safety here, really impressed me. We made the move in the spring, and he ended up being one of our top three guys. There's definitely development going on in that DB room. I'm proud of where those guys are right now."  

Keys for competing for an LSC title 

While it was clear the Falcons improved across the board during spring ball, it is now up to the players to continue to improve and get better over the summer since they won't have team activities until fall camp. 

"I think the number one thing for any team in the country heading into fall is, how do summer workouts go when they're on their own," said Coach McCullough. "No coaches are there to help them along the way." 

Just as important as physical preparation is the team chemistry that builds over the summer. McCullough is hoping their leadership council will help build and grow this team together during that time when coaches can't be around their players.  

"I think the teams that are the closest, especially with the talent level that we have, are usually the ones that have the best chance to win a lot of football games in the fall," said Coach McCullough.  

Falcons' kickoff season with Top-10 opponent 

Unlike in years past where the Falcons had easier matchups to start the season. This year the Falcons will square off against an opponent that enters the 2025 season ranked No. 9 in Division II – The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO).  

"We finished the season in the bowl game against a top 25 team (Central Missouri), had the number one offense in the country, and we went toe to toe with them. We out threw them in the air on offense, and we forced three turnovers against a Harlan Hill winner to end the season. So, to begin the season with another MIAA top ten opponent, it really is just going to show you where we are as a team," said Coach McCullough. 

Some may question the decision to open against such a highly ranked opponent, but McCullough said the matchup is intentional—especially with this season's NCAA Super Region realignment. The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) and Great American Conference have been added to Super Region Four, joining the Lone Star Conference and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). It will be important for the Falcons to get a feel for the level of competition they may have to face in the playoffs. 

"It's going to tell us, are we a competitor for a conference title? For a playoff berth? Or it's going to tell us that we got some work to do. And luckily, it's a non-conference opponent," said Coach McCullough. 

The Falcons will play Adams State after that, a RMAC school, before they head into conference play. 

"I'm excited for the UCO game. Obviously being a former head coach in Oklahoma, we always wanted to play UCO, but we couldn't. So now that we do get to play them, I'm excited for it because they have one of the best head coaches in the country at our level," said McCullough. "They obviously have great football players and a lot of All-Americans and All-Conference guys. So, we're going to have our hands full that day. We got to bring everything we got." 

The Falcons will kick the season off at home on August 30 in Astound Broadband Stadium at 6 p.m.