VERO BEACH — The USF football team reported to the Vero Beach Sports Village – formerly Dodgertown – Wednesday to begin its third consecutive training camp. The Bulls wasted no time as they took to the field at 3:30 p.m. for the first of 14 practices during their stay at the facility.
Head coach Skip Holtz said he was glad to be back in Vero with his team.
“The facility is great, the staff here is great and this new field is perfect for our team,” Holtz said.
The new field coach Holtz is referring to is the 100-yard x 150-yard multisport field complete with goal posts. The Bulls are the first team to use the new field at the Vero Beach Sports Village.
During the three-hour practice the Bull’s ran agility and speed drills, broke down into their specialized groups for one on one’s, then came together for a light full field scrimmage.
Defensive lineman Luke Sager has made all three trips to Dodgertown as a member of the Bulls and he says it’s a great place to train.
“The team was very excited to get here today,” Sager said. “The weight room is larger and the fields are in great shape. Even after the long bus ride this morning we weren’t going to let anything stop us from getting on the field this afternoon. Everyone was enthusiastic throughout practice today. We’ll see how they feel on day five and day six.”
Coach Holtz said he enjoys bringing his team to Vero Beach but the focus is to build team unity and get a lot of work done.
“This is a really nice facility and everyone treat us well but our players know that it’s not a vacation and it’s not about cookouts,” he said. “We are here to get our work done and prepare for the upcoming season.”
The Bulls will hold 14 practices and two intra-squad scrimmages while training at the Sports Village. These practices and scrimmages are free and open to the public.
