Aug. 28, 2008

When redshirt freshman John Andrews (Maplesville, AL/Maplesville) first stepped foot on the Alabama State campus, he was ready to flourish as a quarterback.

However, certain limitations kept him from staying as a Hornet signal caller, and now one year later, he is on his third position - cornerback. Head coach Reggie Barlow made the decision earlier this week to move the athletic Andrews to the other side of the field.

"John is blessed with athletic ability," said Barlow. "Maybe we can get something out of him at another position. He just wasn't ready to contribute as a receiver. It's something I been thinking about, but just didn't pull the trigger on it."

The presence of Keon Humphries (Montgomery, AL/Mississippi State) and Robert Childers (Selma, AL/Selma) helped contribute to the decision. However, Andrews could be called upon on offense in a pinch this week as neither Humphries or Childers could be ready for action.

NOTES:

• Unlike yesterday, when junior Reid Herchenbach (Merced, CA/Merced) took the first snaps with the first team, roles were reversed on Thursday. Redshirt sophomore Anthony Speight (Birmingham, AL/Alabama-Birmingham) was the first QB with the first team. The quarterback alternated snaps in the team and seven-on-seven portion of practice.

• Redshirt junior Marcus McCall (Memphis, TN/Whitehaven) made several great catches, including a one-handed stab during the team's blitz pickup session.

BARLOW QUOTES
On Thursday's practice:

"Some things were definitely better. Special teams, we threw a lot at them today. As a whole, we did some good things today. We came out and got these last reps and we need to get into a mental stage."

On overcoming the first game anxiety: "We just have to talk to them about not being too anxious. We are all going to have some anxiety."