UCA football opens preseason camp on Thursday

Central Arkansas football is officially back on the practice field.

The Bears open fall camp on Thursday with 18 total practices set before the regular season begins.

UCA coach Nathan Brown steps onto the field for his ninth year running the program, and that kind of stability doesn’t come around often in college football.

This year’s camp is building toward a road trip. The Bears will open their season at UT-Martin on Thursday, Aug. 27. That gives Brown and his staff just under a month to shape the roster into a game-ready group.

Speaking of the roster, it’s a mix of old and new. UCA brings back 53 returners this fall, including 32 lettermen and 11 returning starters.

Add in 27 transfers and 15 true freshmen and Brown has plenty of pieces to sort through during camp.

Three of those returners already carry some hardware into the season. Trevion Traylor, Ashtyn Williams and Marcus Washington were each named to the All-UAC Preseason Team.

All three play defense, which suggests that side of the ball could be a strength for the Bears again this fall.

The offense isn’t short on experience either.

Chapman McKown, Cam Young, Tyrell Pollard, Ty Durham and Arlie Lee all return to lead that group. Between the receivers and the running backs, Brown has a solid core to build his offense around heading into August.

Camp itself will build gradually rather than throwing players into full pads on day one. That kind of ramp-up is standard for programs trying to keep guys healthy while still getting real work done before kickoff.

Practice schedule ramps toward scrimmage days

The first two practices on Thursday and Friday will be helmets only.

Shells come on Saturday and continue through the following week before the Bears hit their first full-pad practice on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

From there camp includes two scrimmages, the first on Saturday, Aug. 8 and the second on Saturday, Aug. 15. Those scrimmage days usually give coaches their clearest look yet at how the depth chart is shaping up.

Camp wraps on Tuesday, Aug. 18, giving the Bears about a week and a half to finalize preparations before traveling to UT-Martin.

For a program with this much returning talent and a coach entering his ninth season, camp is as much about chemistry as it is about conditioning.

By the time the pads come off for good in August, UCA will have a much clearer picture of who’s ready to contribute right away.

UCA’s preseason practice schedule

• Practice 1: Thursday, July 30, 9-11:00am (Helmets)
• Practice 2: Friday, July 31, 9-11:00am (Helmets)
• Practice 3: Saturday, Aug. 1, 9-11:00am (Shells)
• Practice 4: Sunday, Aug. 2, 3:30-5:30pm (Shells)
• Practice 5: Monday, Aug. 3, 9-11:00am (Shells)
• Practice 6: Tuesday, Aug. 4, 9-11:00am (1st Full Pad)
• Practice 7: Thursday, Aug. 6, 9-11:00am (Shells)
• Practice 8: Friday, Aug. 7, 9-11:00am (Shells)
• Practice 9: Saturday, Aug. 8, 9-11:00am (Full- Scrimmage)
• Practice 10: Sunday, Aug. 9, 3:30-5:30pm (Helmets)
• Practice 11: Monday, Aug. 10, 9-11:00am (Shells)
• Practice 12: Tuesday, Aug. 11, 9-11:00am (Shells)
• Practice 13: Thursday, Aug. 13, 9-11:00am (Shells)
• Practice 14: Friday, Aug. 14, 9-11:00am (Shells)
• Practice 15: Saturday, Aug. 15, 9-11:00am (Shells- Scrimmage)
• Practice 16: Sunday, Aug. 16, 7:30-9:30pm (Helmets)
• Practice 17: Monday, Aug. 17, 9-11:00am (Shells)
• Practice 18: Tuesday, Aug. 18, 9-11:00am (Shells)

Key takeaways

• UCA opens 18-practice fall camp on Thursday under ninth-year coach Nathan Brown
• The Bears return 53 players, add 27 transfers and 15 freshmen, and bring back three All-UAC Preseason picks on defense
• UCA’s season opener comes on the road at UT-Martin on Thursday, Aug. 27