Regina Rams to kick off 2012 spring camp on Friday (camp roster)

Just under six months after its 2011 season concluded, the University of Regina’s football team returns to the field this weekend for the 2012 Rams Spring Camp presented by Laurentian Bank Securities.

Camp Roster & Preview

The camp features two-a-day practices on both Friday (3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.) and Saturday (9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.) before it wraps up with a controlled scrimmage on Sunday starting at 11 a.m. All five sessions will be held at the U of R Field on the southeastern corner of the campus.

“Our entire organization is looking forward to taking the field,” Rams head coach Frank McCrystal said. “Our players have worked extremely hard through the winter to be prepared for this camp and the 2012 season. We’re a veteran-laden group that I think is capable of making a deep run into the playoffs this year.”

A total of 98 players will be participating in this weekend’s camp, including 53 returning players from the University of Regina’s 2011 roster. Three returning players – Brenden Bennett, Brad Irwin, and Mitch Morrison – will not participate in the camp due to injuries.

Here’s a position-by-position look at the Rams as they continue preparations for the 2012 campaign, which gets underway on Sept. 1:

Quarterbacks
After suffering a season-ending injury early in the team’s first game last season, fifth-year QB Marc Mueller returns to control the Rams’ offence for one final season. Mueller, who led Canada West in passing yards in both of his two seasons as the team’s starting pivot, will be backed up by converted slotback Zach Oleynik. Dylan Hart and Frankie Gray also saw significant action at quarterback last season and both return this season.

Running Backs
Gone is Adrian Charles, who stands as one of the program’s most prolific rushers despite only playing two seasons with the Rams. Battling to step in as the team’s feature back will be returning players Michael Kiapway, Mark Coons, and Dillon Dawson. Coons is the only one of the three who got carries last season, but all three made significant contributions on special teams in 2011. Coons enters his fifth and final year of eligibility, while Dawson will be a third-year player in 2012 and Kiapway still has four years remaining.

Receivers
The receiving corps should be one of the team’s greatest strengths in 2012, with the Rams returning four of their top five pass catchers from 2011. Wide receiver Mark McConkey and slotback Jared Janotta both return after combining for 81 catches last season, and though he had only two catches last season as a rookie, the Rams expect wide receiver Addison Richards to make a major impact in 2012. Slotback Jay Smith and wide receiver Ian Miller both return after being full-time starters in their first season with the Rams, while Connor Haas, Rory Copithorn, and Ty Buhler have all gotten at least one start during their careers at the U of R.

Offensive Line
The Rams return all six players who started at least half the season on the line in 2011, including first-team All-Canadian Brett Jones and fifth-year players Brenden Bennett, Anthony Dale, Steve Hanson, Joel Hrycyk, and Chris Mercer. The team is also high on returning players Kyle Paterson and Aaron Picton, who both saw significant action in non-starting roles last season. The Rams lost just 90 yards on sacks during the Canada West season, the second lowest total in the conference.

Defensive Backs
The team graduated just one starter from the defensive backfield last season, as Mike Kerr wrapped up his five-season career with the Rams. The team returns dimeback Steve Famulak, halfback Justin Edralin, cornerbacks Jamir Walker and Cody Johnstone, and safety Kirby Kezama, all five of which were full-time starters in 2011. Also back is Daniel Knaus, who stepped into a starting role at safety late in the season. Tevaughn Campbell and Kahlen Branning are both expected to see an increase in field time this year.

Linebackers
Starting outside linebacker Chris Sciog, who finished second on the team in tackles last year, returns for his fifth and final season with the Rams. Austin Bates started at middle linebacker last season and will be at spring camp, but the Rams expect big contributions from both Alex Meldrum – who returns to the U of R after attending the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine for three years – and second-year linebacker Tyler Mantyak.

Defensive Line
Akiem Hicks leaves the Rams after two seasons to pursue a professional career, but the team still returns plenty of experience to the line led by first-team All-Canadian Stefan Charles. Also returning are three players that all started at least four games last season – Logan Brooks, Benton Gieni, and Ryan Wellman. The Rams combined for a conference-leading 23 sacks last season, 19 of which came from the team’s defensive line alone. McCrystal expects a similar performance from the line this year even with the departure of Hicks.

Kickers
The Rams have two kickers in camp, led by first-team All-Canadian punter Chris Bodnar. Bodnar, who signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as a free agent over the winter, will be joined by fourth-year player Taylor Wandler. Wandler, who handled placekicking and punting duties for one game last season with Bodnar out due to an injury, will also participate in camp as a defensive back.