Lehigh Football Nation

Senior QB Matt McHale ?  Hurt.  Got an injury that he's rehabbing that has him ruled out of spring ball. Sophomore QB Nick Shafnisky ?  Just this week, he got tendonitis in his throwing shoulder , which limited his time this spring. Senior QB Gerard Poutier ?  Sorry, no.  Still rehabbing a leg injury that he sustained last season. Suddenly, a former walk-on athlete had gotten most of the reps this spring at the most important position on the field. Senior QB Albert J. Visconti may not have been the guy that was hyped the most going into the spring, but the former walk-on now has the opportunity of a lifetime that's every walk-on's dream: a chance to be "the man" in the highlight of the spring football season.

It's hard being an offensive player at Lehigh, thanks to the shoes you have to fill. This season, though, at wideout and running back, it's even more difficult than usual. At running back, all the incoming backs need to be able to do is outdo the accomplishments of RB Keith Sherman - who only was Lehigh's first 1,000 yard rusher in the last eleven years, and also nearly carried last year's team on his back to a Patriot League championship. And then there's wide receiver, where the highest profile offensive players in the last two years, WR Ryan Spadola and WR Lee Kurfis , were back-to-back FCS All-Americans and broke a good portion of Lehigh's receiving records.  Kurfis, too, nearly carried Lehigh on his back to the playoffs last season.  And Ryan is plyin his trade in the NFL, eager to break through onto the Dolphins' roster once again. All the new group from this spring needs to do is to equal their level of excellence.  Simple, right?

It's not exactly a secret that the foundation of Lehigh's offense in the Andy Coen era is an exceptional pass blocking unit. With graduates from this unit like OL Keith Schauder, OL A.J. Hood, OL Troy McKenna, C Matt Lippincott and OL Will Rackley , who earns his paycheck on the offensive line of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, it's clear that offensive line is always a priority for Coen and offensive line coach Brett Sawyer . This year sees Lippincott and Hood graduate, but also sees a lot of excitement with a lot of returning starting talent - including a bookend tackle in senior OL Ned Daryoush .