Feb. 28, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Spring hasn't yet sprung, but for the JU football team, it is almost done.

The Dolphins wrap up their spring practice on Saturday with the annual Green & White game at D.B. Milne Field. Kickoff is set for Noon.

"With this being our last scrimmage, it is going to be important for a lot of guys as we make our evaluations heading into fall camp," said JU head coach Kerwin Bell. "We have a lot of positions that we're making decisions on, but I've been impressed with how far we've come this spring."

The most heated of the position battle is a quarterback, as four underclassmen vie for the starter's role after the graduation of Chris Horton.

Erik Stepelton, Jeremy Thornton, Spencer Endsley and Jonathan Jones are all in the mix for the starting job. Stepelton, who will be a sophomore in the fall, served as the backup last season and appeared in six games, throwing for 657 yards and three touchdowns.

Endsely was the third-string quarterback last season and has shown flashes of being able to handle the job.

Thornton and Jones, both of which were redshirted last year, have been impressive throughout the spring drills - giving Bell some options when it comes to naming a starter.

"We're looking for the guy who is going to be the most consistent and deliver the ball where we need him to," Bell said. "We're looking for the guy who is going to complete a high percentage of his passes and keep the chains moving. We've got the guys here to do that, we're just trying to find the one who can do it on a consistent basis."

Defensively, the Dolphins are looking for some playmakers in the linebacker corps to complement the defensive backfield that returns Robson Noel and Jason Wood.

JU loses the team's leader in sacks from a year ago, Joey Rumph, as well as run-stopping lineman Kiel Pierce.

"We've got some young guys we've moved around and we think they can help us on defense," Bell said. "We're looking to develop a defense that can create turnovers and get us the ball back quickly."