Charlotte 49ers football: Sea of new faces as fall camp opens under Tim Albin

Day One of the Charlotte 49ers’ fall training camp is in the books, and coach Tim Albin’s group is shifting into overdrive with their season-opening clash with Appalachian State at Bank of America Stadium just one month away.

With 27 newcomers in the spring session and 17 transfers joining the program over the summer, Albin and his staff are focused on acclimating to the new personnel and putting the best 11 players on the field at a time.

The first day of camp featured helmets and shoulder pads, with the players thudding in non-live periods. But as tempers began to flare, Albin’s message to his team was simple: Be the thermostat, not the thermometer. Set the tone.

“It’s Day One, so everybody has energy. I hope we have that same energy all week,” Albin told the media Tuesday. “To get out in the elements, it will take a little bit of work. From spring to now, it’s the first day of helmets; it’s tough to see. I’ll know more as we progress and get pads, on Thursday, maybe. We’ve got a lot of older guys on the team. It’s not 56 freshmen, we’ve got older guys, and I think it showed today. We had some adversity today, and I heard some leadership from those guys.”

With a smorgasbord of new and returning faces, Albin is leaning on the team’s veterans to be vocal leaders during camp. And returning wideout Sean Brown is the perfect candidate, looking to go against the grain of today’s college football landscape.

“I just want a nice foundation for this place. I know what college football is now — there is no good foundation. I just wanted to break the mold,” Brown told the media. “Everyone kind of leaves, money talks to everyone. I just want to play ball. I just like football. I’ll take money, but as a walk-on, I’ll do anything to get on the field, and that’s why I came back.”

One last ride for Sean Brown

After leading the team in receptions last season with 35, Brown was granted a sixth and final year of eligibility by the NCAA and will return as a veteran leader on the offensive side of the ball.

Catching a pass in all 12 games last season, Brown totaled 470 yards and a touchdown, playing the best game of his career on what would have been his senior day, where he reeled in five catches for 100 yards in the narrow season-ending victory over UAB.

And with a chance to play for Albin and enjoy one final season of college football, returning to Charlotte was a no-brainer for Brown.

“Why not, right? College football has a great atmosphere. I love playing football here, just Charlotte in general. Why not play one more year, and then I’ll figure out everything else,” Brown said. “I’m going to have fun these next six months and play ball.”

Brown has caught passes from seven different Charlotte quarterbacks in his four seasons with the program and talked about the 49ers’ three-headed battle for signal-caller following the first day of training camp.

“From my experience, our quarterbacks have always been a rotation. We just react; it doesn’t matter who throws us the ball,” said Brown. “All three of them are doing a great job, we’re just seeing who makes more plays right now.”

North Carolina transfer quarterback Conner Harrell was the last player on the field following practice, and with Albin mentioning that the quarterbacks could see live reps during camp to decide the game one starter, the defense is licking its chops.

Reid Williford and 49ers’ physical defense

Following his career-best season with 77 tackles and two sacks, linebacker Reid Williford is tasked with learning his fourth defensive scheme in five seasons with the 49ers. However, the transition under Albin and defensive coordinator Nate Faanes has been seamless, according to the senior linebacker.

“I feel like (Albin) has brought the best and down-to-earth staff, and it just falls to each of the players,” Williford told the media.

Williford led the defense in tackles last season, posting three double-digit tackle performances under former defensive coordinator Ryan Osborn. With highly touted Ohio transfers Shay Taylor and Kadin Schmitz joining the room, Williford is excited about the position’s potential in 2025.

“It’s probably one of the best rooms I’ve been a part of here. These guys from Ohio have really brought something different. It makes me enjoy being here and being with those guys,” Williford said. “Physicality-wise, that’s Faanes’ mentality from Ohio, and they’re bringing every bit of that to our defense.”

Noteworthy

Nebraska cornerback transfer Dwight Bootle II registered the highest speed of the day at 20.36 miles per hour. NW Mississippi JUCO transfer Jaylon Johnson was the fastest in the edge room with 19.24 miles per hour. ... All three quarterbacks (Conner Harrell, Grayson Loftis and Zack Wilcke) continued to split reps. ... Albin expects pads to go on at Thursday’s practice. ... After missing the spring game, center Jonny King was back in action in fall camp. ... Charlotte’s training camp features 19 practices, two scrimmages, and a mock game leading up to the Duke’s Mayo Classic against the Mountaineers.

This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 1:54 PM.