‘Unbelievable energy’ as Charlotte 49ers open spring football practice

The Charlotte 49ers took the field for the first of 15 spring practices on Tuesday morning, gearing up for the second year under head coach Tim Albin.

The chilly March morning saw temperatures rise between the white lines, Albin’s best Ric Flair “woo!” impressions during the stretch periods, 52 returnees and 46 newcomers looking to gel, and a team looking to drastically improve with less than six months until the season opener against The Citadel.

“From a year ago to now — wow. There were 52 guys who were here a year ago, and they know where to be. And they’re doing a good job of getting our (new guys) on board,” Albin told the media after practice. “I’m very excited. Unbelievable energy. It’s the first day, but we are a much different-looking team than we were a year ago.”

The first practice featured just helmets, with pads coming on for the first time on Saturday.

Albin stressed the importance of keeping his roster upright ahead of Year 2, knowing there are no more reinforcements coming with just one transfer portal window — which closed in January.

“With one window, it’s a different world now. Our football team is here. We’ve got 15 early enrollees here, and that’s unbelievable. We had one last year. We’ve got a foundation in place. They’re here using our resources, and you can’t put a price tag on that.”

Following a first season filled with injuries and a quarterback carousel, Albin provided an update on the signal-caller room, which features two new quarterbacks.

Conner Harrell’s recovery and new QBs

After sustaining a knee injury in Charlotte’s fourth game of the season, against Rice on Sept. 18, 2025, Harrell underwent surgery to repair it (the school won’t release specifics of the injury). The redshirt junior was back at practice on Tuesday, free of a brace on his knee.

“I don’t want to say he’s ahead of schedule. I’d say he’s on schedule,” Albin said of Harrell. “He’s battling, and with the injury that he had, being able to be out there today says a lot about him and our training staff. Hopefully, he keeps progressing.”

The media is only allowed access to the stretch and individual periods in which Harrell participated.

Charlotte’s roster features five quarterbacks, with Harrell and Grayson Loftis as the only returnees to see snaps last season, plus the addition of Pittsburgh transfer Cole Gonzales, who has drawn praise from the staff for his off-season work since arriving on campus, and Jaylen White, an early enrollee.

“For being his first day, with all new verbiage, I thought (Gonzales) did some really good things,” Albin said. “Jaylen White is one of the 15 early enrollees, and I thought he did some good things out there for a senior in high school. And of course, Grayson (Loftis) has a ton of experience. The game is much slower for him, and he’s a different quarterback than he was the first day of spring of last year.”

Bigger up front and better depth

Charlotte’s health and depth were two of the biggest problems last season, with the team missing multiple key starters on both sides of the ball with season-ending injuries.

The 49ers prioritized improving both the training staff and roster depth this offseason, and the 61-year-old head coach elaborated on those changes after day one of the spring session.

“Just looking at the (linemen), on paper, we’re 20-25 pounds bigger. We’ve got to develop, but without question, we are faster on both sides. We don’t have any returners in the secondary, but we seem to be a lot faster, and that’s exciting.”

There isn’t a single season-opening starter back from last year’s offensive line, and the secondary is in the same boat. There will be plenty of mixing and matching when the pads go on, as position coaches find the best slots and pairings on both sides of the ball.

Albin on new 49ers AD Kevin White

The university allowed former athletic director Mike Hill to make a third (and final) football hire, tagging Albin as the program’s fourth head coach in December of 2024. And just six games into Albin’s tenure as head coach, Hill was terminated.

After nearly four months with Jesh Humphrey as interim AD, Albin has a new boss, with Kevin White joining the fold.

“Looking forward to the future, and looking forward to his leadership,” Albin said of White. “I left the first conversation I had with director White, and I felt important — and we won one game. I think that just speaks about what he stands for and his character, and I’m looking forward to working with him.”