Breaking down key storylines as Charlotte 49ers open fall football camp
After what has been a busy offseason, the Charlotte 49ers will open fall football practice Tuesday with Tim Albin ramping up for his first season as the team’s head coach.
Featuring an influx of new talent via the transfer portal and Albin’s first recruiting class, new jerseys, a new quarterback, and a Week 1 Duke’s Mayo Classic bout with Appalachian State at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte will utilize 19 practices, two scrimmages, and a mock game leading up to the highly anticipated season opener.
Below are five camp storylines to watch for the 49ers.
What are the expectations for Albin in Year 1?
Charlotte’s campus is beginning to buzz with expectations for Albin’s first year. But the reality is this — after posting a 5-7 record in 2024 (the second-best record in the program’s history), highlighted by Biff Poggi’s firing, the oddsmakers have the 49ers’ win total set at 3.5, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
And while Albin is far-and-away Charlotte’s most proven head coach — posting a 34-19 career record (64.2%), including three consecutive 10-win seasons, two MAC coach of the year awards, and a MAC championship before taking the job at Charlotte — Year One at Ohio wasn’t pretty. The Bobcats won three games in 2021, Albin’s first season in charge, before turning the corner and becoming a major player in the MAC.
Albin and the 49ers face a challenging schedule that includes in-state competitions against Appalachian State, North Carolina, and East Carolina and road trips to Army, Tulane, and Georgia. The 49ers will need consistency from the most crucial position on the field: quarterback.
When will Albin name the 49ers’ starting QB?
After two straight seasons of a quarterback carousel under Poggi, Charlotte approached the spring session with a three-way competition for the signal-caller position, featuring a trio of newcomers with starting experience. The competition between Grayson Loftis (Duke), Conner Harrell (North Carolina), and Zack Wilcke (NW Mississippi) has continued through the summer and will retake center stage as camp begins. Albin was hesitant to elaborate on the battle in the spring session.
“We went equal reps with the quarterback position all spring,” Albin said after the 49ers’ spring game. “I am not sure how that’s going to shake out just yet. We’re not ready to announce anything.”
And despite a smorgasbord of new, mostly unproven faces, Charlotte has a calming factor shared by all three quarterbacks — starting experience.
“We’re a very inexperienced offensive group. Not a lot of in-game snaps. So, those guys who have played have to be the calming force. Luckily, all three of the quarterbacks have played in Division I, and have had starts,” offensive coordinator Todd Fitch told The Observer. “These three are all intelligent guys and can take it from the meeting room to the field. They’re all doing a good job protecting the ball, and that’s great to see.”
brings to Fitch’s offense is a plus, but the quarterback’s best friend will be the running game.
What’s the 49ers’ approach at RB?
After taking starting reps at tailback through the spring, Louisville transfer Don Chaney Jr. is academically ineligible and no longer with the program, according to a team spokesman.
Despite Chaney’s unexpected departure, the 49ers have plenty of returning contributors in the room, although they did not play significant roles last season.
Henry Rutledge was heavily underused under Poggi and should be a staple in Charlotte’s offense moving forward, garnering second-team all-conference punt returner honors from Athlon Sports. Redshirt freshman Rod Gainey Jr. saw limited action last season but was promising in spurts (just 10 carries for 34 yards). And after transferring from Michigan ahead of the 2024 season, tailback CJ Stokes saw just seven carries before sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury.
Newcomers who could contribute include UNC transfer Jariel Cobb and Western Illinois transfer Cameren Smith, who combined for 1,101 yards and 12 touchdowns last season in the Ohio Valley Conference. While Albin has stressed the importance of running the ball and controlling the clock, especially in the second half, getting to the quarterback will make or break this team.
Who’s rushing the passer?
After struggling to get to the quarterback in 2024, ranking 13th out of 14 schools in the American with just 17 sacks, Charlotte’s edge room has been completely revamped through the portal and will be an area to watch through training camp.
“We want to get after that quarterback,” Albin said. “We’ve been able to be very successful defensively the past three years (at Ohio), and that’s what we’re going to get done here at Charlotte.”
Albin added multiple faces from the FCS and junior college ranks to the edge room, including DJ Burgess and Jaylon Johnson (NW Mississippi), Jorel Liverpool (Wagner), and Braden Mullen (Dartmouth). Edge Kadin Schmitz followed Albin and defensive coordinator Nate Faanes from Ohio and is expected to play a bigger role this season after totaling 33 tackles, four tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks in 2024 with the Bobcats.
Of the 10 players recording a sack in 2024, only two are returning, and neither played edge or defensive line. With question marks spanning much of Charlotte’s unproven roster, the second level of the defense is littered with familiar faces for Albin.
What’s the 49ers’ strength?
While time will tell who is under center for the offense, Charlotte knows who will communicate the calls on defense. Linebacker Shay Taylor committed to Charlotte after transferring from Ohio, forgoing offers from Penn State, West Virginia, Rutgers, and Virginia Tech, and will wear the helmet microphone this season on defense.
Follow a third-team All-MAC season in 2024, when he finished with 73 tackles, four pass deflections, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and a pick-six, Taylor now teams with Charlotte’s 2024 leading tackler, linebacker Reid Williford (77 total tackles). The duo of Taylor and Williford has a combined 30 collegiate starts and has played 60 total games at their respective schools.
Four of the five transfers to follow Albin from Ohio are in the linebacker room, and Taylor thinks it’s among the best position groups on the team.
“Our room is so packed full of talent. It’s pretty insane,” Taylor said on the Highway 49 Podcast. “It’s probably one of the most, if not the most, talented linebacker rooms I’ve seen.”
