Already thinking of football season? The Penn football team has already started practicing for next year. The Quakers completed their spring season over the weekend with their annual team scrimmage at Franklin Field.
By Ivy League and NCAA rules, the Quakers are allowed just 12 team practices over the course of the spring season.
The players take part in the 12 practices in addition to the team's regularly scheduled offseason weightlifting and fitness workouts.
"For us as a team, it's pretty much like a regular practice schedule for the season," Penn All-Ivy quarterback Mike Mitchell said. "Obviously, it's not everyday. We practice probably every other day during the spring."
Beyond giving the returning players an opportunity to hone their skills for the upcoming run at another Ivy League title in the fall, the spring season allows the younger players on the team, especially the freshmen, to become a part of Penn's program.
"It's a good opportunity for the young guys to show their stuff," Mitchell said. "Pretty much during the season the freshmen are new to the system, and the spring gives them a chance to learn it.
"Things are a little slower during the spring and we don't have the week-to-week preparation for games, so the coaches can really concentrate on teaching the young guys."
Since the Quakers haven't been in action since their convincing 31-0 shutout of Cornell to end the 2002 season, the spring season brings the team together to get reacquainted with the Penn system.
"We haven't played together as a team since November, so it's definitely helpful," Mitchell said. "For everyone to get together it helps us in getting ready for camp. We just go out and relearn the offense to get it fresh in our minds again."
Mitchell is referring to the Red and Blue's preseason training camp that begins for the team in the middle of August in preparation for the fall season.
Not only does spring ball serve as a refresher for the Quakers, but it also has implications for the players that will see the field for Penn during the fall season.
"Spring practice plays a role in where people will be on the depth chart coming into preseason camp," Mitchell said. "Everyone from first to third string gets a chance, so the coaches get a good look at who can fill what positions."
One of the recent changes enacted by the Ivy League Board of Presidents mandates that teams must be off for at least seven weeks during the school year, excluding exam periods.
Even with this new stipulation, Mitchell didn't notice any difference in the team's spring routine.
"As far as football goes, we're allowed 12 practices during the spring. So after that, it's back to weightlifting and just physical preparation," he said. "This spring was very similar to previous seasons. It hasn't changed much during my time at Penn, even with the new seven-week rule."
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