DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the first time, Bethune-Cookman Football opened spring practice at John L. Bryan, Sr. Practice Field on the Daytona Beach campus Monday morning. The Wildcats will continue spring practices each Monday, Wednesday and Friday leading up to the annual spring game in April.
 
Under Head Coach Raymond Woodie Jr., now finishing his first full year at the helm in Daytona Beach, the Wildcats went through 16 periods in in the first practice of the spring. The Cats inked 16 players on National Signing Day last month in what was Woodie's first true signing class.
 
After Monday's practice, Woodie addressed a number of things with CatEye Network, including the start of spring practices, newcomers to the roster and changes to the staff. Below are some highlights of his post-practice media availability.
 
On the team's closeness coming into the spring…
This team expects to win. From what I see, the guys are coming together nicely. I want them to be a player-led team, and towards the end of last season we talked about that and began to see that unfolding. You can tell they are spending time with each other and getting closer. The chemistry is coming together for us.
 
On keeping the brand and mentality of the program going into year two…
Coming into last year, we had to teach them how to win. We are trying to teach them how to be a professional now, and not explain to them every minute of the day what and how to do things. They understand how to do it and keep the winning attitude.
 
On the diligence and focus for the opening of spring practice…
It is getting the players to understand that every time we teach technique, fundamentals or executing a play, then it's attention to detail so that play will be executed well. There were too many times last season where there wasn't attention to detail. So, the coordination of the play didn't end the way it should have finished. We are just harking on the attention to detail to make sure coordination of plays is effortless and smooth.
 
On being able to practice on campus…
It means a lot. During the winter, you see a lot of guys on their own in the film room, or simply out here on the field with each other working out individually. There were times we would look outside, and we could see as many as 30 or 40 guys out here trying to get better. It helps the focus more because instead of being rushed to and from [Municipal Stadium], they can spend more time studying or other things that will help them in a number of different ways.
 
On players that want to step into a leadership role and on upperclassmen…
Right now, we're trying to find that leader. Collectively, as a group, all of the guys are trying. Obviously, it's too early to say who's doing what, but I want to see the consistency and the attention to detail, as I talked about earlier. I want to see 'that guy' who has the team in there together studying film or meeting amongst the players to speak about how to get better.
 
On the assistant coaches and the trust built among the staff with players…
We talk about it all the time. In order for the players to buy in and understand, we have to show them that the standard is the standard. It's all about progression. They've done a good job so far. We want to make sure we're getting one percent better each practice or each day in the film room. And it starts with the coaches setting the tone and building that trust with the players.
 
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