‘There are a lot of spots open’: Eastern Washington football opens spring practice with plenty to sort out after roster turnover
Nolan Ulm pinpointed, to the day, the last time he was on a football field and felt fully healthy.
That day was Aug. 29, the day before Eastern Washington’s season-opening home victory against Monmouth (New Jersey), one of just four wins in 12 tries for the Eagles last year.
So to be out on the practice field this week, feeling back to his normal self, the sixth-year senior wide receiver said he was looking at this extra 2025 season in a hopeful light.
“Being out here, being healthy, I am grateful for it,” Ulm told reporters on Monday. “(I am in a) leadership role, a little bit more even this year. I’m excited to get this team winning games again.”
Aaron Best, superintending over spring practices for the eighth year as EWU head coach, also appreciated having the captain Ulm back to his usual self.
“Having Nolan healthy will help,” Best said. “He gets grumpy when he gets unhealthy, like most guys, including myself.”
But now, Best said, Ulm is “bouncing around and healthy.”
The Eagles hope that bodes well for the entire team, which will practice 14 times and scrimmage three more between now and April 18, the date of the annual Red vs. White Game at Roos Field.
“We’ll see what we have going into Fall 2025,” Best said. “We’re not going to know exactly who we are until we get into game mode, but we’ll try to get as close as we can as we head toward that Red-White (game).”
The roster will certainly grow between now and August, as Eastern has 80 players on its roster with 23 recruits finishing out high school. But the total of those is still two under the NCAA’s new limit this season of 105, and it is possible some players may not come back after the summer.
Best said he sees this spring as a chance for the players who are in Cheney to assert themselves.
“We’re still not a whole team by numbers,” Best said. “In the meantime, here are the reps. Here’s the audition.”
Of the 55 players who were listed on the Eagles’ final two-deep last season, just 25 remain on the roster, a result of attrition due to players graduating, transferring or leaving the program for other reasons.
There are, for example, just two offensive linemen left from that two deep, tackle Dylan Conner and guard Mark Johnson. Both were backups in 2024.
Gone from the roster are familiar names from the secondary such as Cage Schenck, Darrien Sampson, Alphonse Oywak, Armani Orange and Kentrell Williams Jr.
In addition, the Eagles are looking to replace all three of their starting linebackers, two defensive line starters, their leading rusher (Tuna Altahir, who transferred to Stanford), their leading passer (Kekoa Visperas, who transferred to Tennessee Tech) and All-America wide receiver in Efton Chism III.
“There are a lot of spots open,” Best said, “and we like it that way in spring.”
Eleven members of the 2025 recruiting class are in camp because they were transfers (plus freshman quarterback Anthony Quinones, who is also on the spring roster after graduating early from high school). They have joined the depth-chart competition with returners who played on special teams or the scout team last year.
For all the turnover, though, there is a meaningful core of returners, especially on defense.
Back are defensive linemen Tylin Jackson (24 tackles), Justis La’ulu (19) and Isaiah Perez (19), plus a trio of sophomores in the secondary – Jonathan Landry, Zion Jones and Derek Ganter Jr., who led the team in tackles with 95 and was a second-team All-Big Sky selection.
“We had a lot of young guys play last year,” Ganter said Monday. “It’s crazy how time moves on, and it’s our time. That’s how I feel with our class.
“We’ve got to take big strides right now.”