Top storylines as Charlotte 49ers open spring football practice

The Charlotte 49ers open their five-week spring practice session Tuesday morning, kicking off the first of 15 workouts ahead of Tim Albin’s second year in command.

With a new athletic director and a roster reshaped by transfers, expectations are rising fast for Albin as he enters a pivotal second season, posting just one win in 2025. Historically, Albin has turned programs around with a second-year jolt, but with a mix of 52 returnees and 46 newcomers, the 61-year-old head coach has his work cut out for him.

“The staff is looking forward to the next phase of building for the 2026 football season with spring practice beginning next week,” Albin said in a university press release. “We have spent the past seven weeks on physical strength and endurance, and now we transition into team practices and discovering new talent.”

Adding in 31 transfers from all different levels of college football (14 FBS, nine junior college, five FCS, and three Division II), this spring session will be different than in past years. With the singular transfer portal window, this is essentially Charlotte’s roster for the season. The 49ers can still add from names already in the portal, but another window will not open after the spring session concludes.

With a nearly even split of new and old faces, plus heightened expectations in Year 2, here are five things to watch during Charlotte’s spring session:

Conner Harrell is back, but is he QB1 this season?

After beating out fellow ACC transfer Grayson Loftis for the starting job, Conner Harrell missed two-thirds of the 2025 season with a knee injury, suffered in the 49ers’ first American Conference game.

Harrell’s play was up and down prior to the injury, but it was evident that he was Charlotte’s best option, with Loftis and Zach Wilcke both struggling for the remainder of the season. Wilcke entered the transfer portal, and Albin and offensive coordinator Todd Fitch replaced him with Pittsburgh transfer Cole Gonzales, who spent three seasons at Western Carolina before serving as the third-string quarterback in the Steel City.

While Harrell likely has the leg up when preseason training camp kicks off in August, the recovery timeline from his knee injury could open up reps for Loftis and Gonzales in the spring session.

New bodyguards up front

There’s nowhere to go but up from last year’s offense under Fitch, which scored the fewest points in program history at 14.3 per game. And without a single season-opening starter back from last year’s offensive line, this is an entirely new crop of bodyguards for offensive line coach Allen Rudolph.

An influx of talent up front was key, and Charlotte landed a five-star prospect in K’Ven Williams, who spent two seasons at Penn State before transferring to Charlotte. Williams was the No. 25 player in the nation coming out of high school in 2023, but didn’t see much action with the Nittany Lions.

Kristos Fernandez is the only returning lineman to see a start last year, and after the 2025 performance from the offensive line room, that’s a good thing.

Familiar front seven on defense

It was evident that the defense under Nate Faanes had bones; it just needed some refining in the secondary and injury luck up front. And despite losing leading tackler Reid Williford to graduation, Charlotte’s front seven returns plenty of talent — and has made some key Power Four additions through the portal.

Returnees LB Kadin Schmitz, LB Gavin Willis, DE DJ Burgess, and DE Curtis Simpson all showed flashes last season, with Schmitz posting a returning team-high in tackles with 65 and two interceptions.

The 49ers also added Devin Ancrum (DT — North Carolina and D’Nas White (DT — Florida State) to bolster the defensive line.

While Albin is prioritizing building the roster from the inside out, Charlotte will rely on plenty of new faces on the perimeter.

New wideouts, playmakers

Charlotte’s trio of top wideouts from last season, Javen Nicholas (transferred to Duke), Sean Brown (graduation), and E. Jai Manuel (graduation) have all moved on from the program, opening the door for young talent and an incoming transfer class to see reps early.

Promising returnees Derrick Eley and Jeremiah Hoffman are poised to see more action, and newcomers Jaden “JB” Barnes (Appalachian State) and Tank Boston (NC State) will provide reinforcements in the slot and outside.

Barnes posted 608 yards and seven touchdowns on 55 catches last year for the Mountaineers, including a monstrous 134-yards and a score against the 49ers in the Duke’s Mayo Classic last season. Boston saw just two catches with the Wolfpack and will likely see a much bigger role in Fitch’s scheme.

The running back room, after struggling last season, is still wide open. But 49ers fans will be excited to see fan-favorite Henry Rutledge returning for his final season after missing all but one game last season with a lower-body injury.

Will there be a spring game?

For the second straight year under Albin, the 49ers won’t host a traditional spring game to close the spring session. Charlotte will host a “spring showcase” on Saturday, April 25, which will essentially be an open practice.

Charlotte opens the season against The Citadel at Jerry Richardson Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5.