With the memory of four straight losses in the fall still fresh on their minds, the UNA Lions football team strapped on their helmets and gym shorts for the first spring practice of the year Feb. 18.

Coach Bobby Wallace is returning as head coach for his 12th year at UNA and second since coming out of retirement to fill the spot left by Terry Bowden.

Wallace said the team is already further ahead than they were last year at this time.

“At this point last year, I didn’t know half of these guys’ names and half of them weren’t even here — they were still in high school,” he said.

Wallace said spring practice is very important in evaluating the young players on the team.

“We had 70 freshmen last year,” he said. “We only had them for a couple of weeks before the first game so we didn’t really have the opportunity to evaluate guys.”

Sophomore running back Diamond Simmons said spring practices are to get better and grow closer.

“We come out here to pursue for excellence,” he said. “Everything we do out here is to get better and lead ourselves. So as we go on the field and play, we play as a family.”

Wallace also looks to add some new packages to the offense this offseason.

“We are going to put in some new things; we didn’t get under center at all last year, so we are going to put in a couple of plays this year that put the quarterback underneath center,” he said.

The ground game is important to Wallace, on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

“One thing we want to be able to do is run the ball and then stop the run on defense,” he said.

Chris Alexander started last season as the starting quarterback, but midway through the season Luke Wingo took over as the starter.

“There is a big quarterback battle; in fact there is more than two” Wallace said. “We redshirted Jacob Tucker last year and he has a lot of skills, too.”

Alexander took snaps with the first team on the first day of spring practice, but Wallace will look to utilize more than two quarterbacks in the fall.

“We’ll obviously utilize two and sometimes three (quarterbacks) in different situations,” Wallace said.

Many players who will not see the field on Saturdays in the fall were on the field, but they are important to the team, Wallace said.

“Everybody on this team is important,” he said. “That is something I stress to our team all of the time — if you are out here, you are very important to the football team, whether it is playing on Saturdays or preparing those who do play on Saturday.”

Simmons said spring practices are all about preparation.

“In the spring we get prepared for the fall, and in the fall get we prepared for the season,” he said.

Simmons said the coaches are important in that preparation.

“They work hard; I really hope the fans appreciate our coaches because they are always in their offices every minute, working hard, putting plays together for us,” he said.

Simmons had something to say to the fans.

“I just want to tell the fans, ‘Hey come out for every game, because this is going to be a great season,’” he said.