HUNTINGTON, W.Va.— Eric Frohnapfel is easy to spot during morning practice this week. He’s one of the few players on the field during the morning session that has earned the kelly green stripe down the middle of his helmet. The rest are fire engine red, signifying they are newcomers to the program.
Doc Holliday has traditionally split the team for the first few days of camp to allow younger players to get more reps. It just so happened because of a class conflict, Frohnapfel ended up in the morning session on Monday and Wednesday with the young guys.
“I was just trying to be a calming presence almost. They’re going through plays and their minds are going a thousand miles an hour,” said Frohnapfel of working with the young players.
Like the newcomers to the program, Frohnapfel is also adjusting to a new role this season. He is expected to be The Herd’s starting tight end when the season begins Aug. 30 against Miami and he is in a leadership position as a senior.
“I’m really trying to work on that,” Frohnapfel said of his leadership skills. “I feel like I’m more of a reserved guy and not a real rah, rah type player. I’m trying to use this camp to become more vocal and be the guy that guys can rally around.”
As Frohnapfel gets used to the idea of a being a mentor to the younger players, he must also get accustomed to the idea of not having Gator Hoskins along the line of scrimmage. Hoskins became a favorite target for Rakeem Cato especially in the redzone. Frohnapfel wants to make certain production at the tight end position doesn’t fall off this year.
“I want to be more of a down the field threat, someone over the middle you can throw the ball to,” Frohnapfel said.
Even though Gator Hoskins is no longer on the roster, his presence is still being felt at Herd camp. Before starting practice the tight ends took time to watch Hoskins’ highlights making note of the way he ran routes, found ways to get opened and improved from the start of the season to the end.
“He was constantly learning and improving his game. He was better during the bowl game than he was week one,” said Frohnapfel. “For being 240 pounds he was slippery. He knew how to setup guys. Little subtle things he did, jab steps and head fakes, it wasn’t him just running by people or being more athletic he knew the nuances of route running.”
Frohnapfel has worked in the offseason to beef up.
When he arrived on campus he looked more like a wide receiver than a tight end but he’s worked in the weight room to get his weight up to 235 pounds and believes the increased bulk will improve his blocking skills in the run game and pass protection.
“I got a lot stronger I hope I can translate that and become better in my blocking. I think that will be something I can show when we put the pads on.”
Frohnapfel also wants to show he can be the leader and the weapon Holliday expects from his seniors.