Texas State notebook: G.J. Kinne's first Bobcats practice had lots of friendly faces

SAN MARCOS — Spring has sprung for Texas State football with the Bobcats practicing last Thursday for the first of 15 sessions over the next five weeks.

The season of renewal comes with a new coach. G.J. Kinne oversaw his first Bobcats practice since taking over in early December. After orchestrating the highest scoring offense in the country at Incarnate Word last season, one of Kinne’s top tasks this spring is preparing players for the fast-paced nature of his system.

“Just from an overall practice standpoint, I thought the tempo was really good,” Kinne said. “That’s something that we’ve got to continue to work on. Something we’ve harped and preached all offseason. Especially on offense, but on defense as well. The tempo, getting lined up, getting the call. I thought they did a really good job of that.

“I think it’s just about getting better every day. I don’t really have expectations right now because I don’t really know what kind of team we have. Just getting better every day and continuing to trust the process. That’s all we can control right now.”

Kinne will have plenty of help implementing his system; six of his 10 on-field coaches as well as seven transfer players followed him from Incarnate Word. Nash Jones, one of five IWU offensive linemen that transferred, even cited Kinne’s scheme as a factor in his decision.

“Out of the places that I saw, this one just felt like home,” Jones said. “I know (offensive line coach Jordan Shoemaker), I know the system and I know everything that is asked of us. I really agree with the philosophy here and the people here. It just felt like a no-brainer for me to go ahead and follow everybody.”

Jones is one of 25 transfers participating in spring practices, along with approximately 75 players returning from last year. While some key contributors entered the portal when the news came out of former coach Jake Spavital’s firing, the new staff convinced some of those to come back, including sixth-year safety Tory Spears.

“My new coach, (safeties coach) Dexter McCoil,” Spears said when asked what convinced him to stay. “He’s a (6-foot-4) safety that played in the league. Played in the NFL for I think nine years, 10 years at my size and at my position. If he did that, I got to know. I got to learn from him. Not a lot of people my size are playing my position at the next level, so for sure (I) want to take pointers from that.”

Texas State will practice every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until its spring game scheduled for April 22.

Recruiting: Tyler Junior College defensive back Davon Martin committed to Texas State on Monday. Originally out of Orlando, Fla., he played at Middle Tennessee State for two years before spending last year at TJC. He has other reported offers from SMU and Coastal Carolina, among others. If he signs, he would be the 35th signee for Texas State’s 2023 class, and its 27th transfer.

Baseball: Texas State rallied to avoid a sweep Sunday after losing the first two of a three-game series against Coastal Carolina. After losing the first game 19-0 on Friday, the Bobcats trailed 13-1 in the sixth inning of the second game before falling 13-6. They took that late-game momentum into the finale with a 10-8 win. Texas State (16-8, 3-3 Sun Belt) hosts Arkansas State in a three-game series this weekend.

Softball: The Bobcats lost another conference series, losing two of three games at home against South Alabama last weekend. Texas State (20-13-1, 1-4-1) lost 2-1 on Friday before taking the second game 6-2 on Saturday, but then got shut out 7-0 in Sunday's finale. Texas State is at Appalachian State this weekend.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: New Texas State football coach G.J. Kinne holds first Bobcats practice