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OGDEN — Competitive people will tell you everything good in life is due to competition.
Good companies become great when they introduce competition for promotions and bonuses; good living conditions become great when there is a thirst for more things, which are simultaneously better.
Football is the ultimate competition ground, and while it is a team game, everything in it is based on individual competition and matchups.
Weber State football is an organization that is being built through competition, and everything the Wildcats are doing this spring has been built to let the best players rise to the top through competition.
No position is secure, no roster spot is set, and that’s exactly how Wildcats coach Jay Hill likes it.
A well-known competitor in his own right as a player, it has taken Hill a year-plus to get the Wildcats to the spot where they are now — using spring practice as a chance to refine instead of install.
With three weeks of practice in the books, Hill said he likes the level of competition that both the defense and offense are showing.
"I know a lot of coaches say they want to make the decision right now; I want to let competition decide it," said Weber State coach Jay Hill, on the quarterback competition.
“I was super happy with the offense on Thursday, and today the defense really stepped up,” he said. “What I told this team is the sign of a good team is there is some give-and-take; one day, the offense looks good, and the next day the defense looks good. If one side of the ball is consistently getting beat, then you’ve got a deficiency, and I think that’s starting to be eliminated.”
One of the biggest position battles is happening at the quarterback spot, where returners Jadrian Clark and Billy Green are vying for the top spot in the depth chart going into fall camp. Green started most of the season last year, before Clark replaced him.
With Clark, the Wildcats earned their two wins last season, and Hill said he is establishing himself as a favorite.
“I think Jadrian has played consistently the best,” he said. “Jadrian’s played the best; Riley Bradshaw’s made a big push the last couple days and is playing better. They all have flashes where they look like they’re the real guy, so the battle will continue.
“I know a lot of coaches say they want to make the decision right now; I want to let competition decide it.”
Position battles are a strange situation for players in football. At one point, the players have to compete against each other and must attempt to best everything the other person does. At the same time, the players have to be teammates, which means being supportive and group-oriented.
In spite of the difficulties, Clark said the quarterbacks are keeping the competition on the field.
“We’re a really close group; we hang around outside of football,” he said. “I don’t look at it as man-versus-man outside of it, but when we’re on the field, it’s definitely competition. It’s a family, but when we’re on the field everyone’s trying to do their best.”
The offense and defense are both showing days where they are more apt than the other units, and Hill noted the defense shined in Saturday’s practice.
Defensive back Taron Johnson, who had an interception for the Wildcats last season, said the Wildcats are focused on staying aggressive defensively.
“I think we have a lot more confidence than we had last year,” he said. “We didn’t have the season we wanted last year, obviously, but I think it’s a mentality you have to have to be a great team.”
