FLORENCE, Ala. (August 5, 2024) – The University of North Alabama football team had its first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday at Braly Stadium and returned to the Bill Jones Athletic Complex on Monday morning.
For the month of August leading up to opening week, RoarLions.com will release breakdowns of every position. Today's spotlight is on the largest position group on the team — the offensive line.
UNA has 21 offensive linemen listed on the roster, including three returning starters in senior tackle Mickel Clay, redshirt junior tackle Witt Mitchum and redshirt junior center Gage Saint. Also returning at right guard is local product Collin Wright, a redshirt sophomore from Muscle Shoals who played six games with three starts.
"It's great having those guys back and we added some more pieces to the puzzle," said Saint, who enters his third season at UNA after transferring from Troy in 2022. "With our core coming back, I think we're going to be a good group this year. We're real close as a group. I've been part of a lot of o-lines, and this is a pretty close group."
The Lions also have a good mix of newcomers, including a pair of standout transfers in redshirt junior Jayme Motley-Simmons from Samford and sophomore Anthony Faiivae by way of American Samoa. Faiivae last played at New Mexico Military Institute, where he was a teammate of former UNA guard Fau Tai'Vai on the 2021 NJCAA National Championship team.
The Lions also have six true freshmen and four redshirt freshmen on the roster, including local products Carson Wheeler from Brooks High School, Shane McNatt from Hazel Green and Eli Long from Lawrence County.
The offensive line is coached by Richard Hutchings, who enters his second season with the program.
"It's been really good to see how were coming along, especially the newcomers," said Hutchings. "I'm really excited about where we are. We have some guys this year that are really athletic, and that's exciting with the things we're trying to do now."
UNA opens the 2024 season at the FCS Kickoff on Week 0 against Southeast Missouri at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN at 6 p.m. and will be the first primetime college football game on ESPN this season.
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