After several closed practices, Northern Arizona football hosted a spring showcase at the Walkup Skydome on Friday to demonstrate its progress so far.
The showcase was the team鈥檚 15th practice this year, and fans, students and alums were invited to watch from the stands or on the sidelines. The team began the showcase with routine stretches and drills before playing in a short scrimmage.
During breaks between the scrimmage quarters, fans were invited on the field for interactive games with the team. After the first quarter, punter Ben D鈥橝quila launched balls from 50 yards away toward fans in the redzone attempting to catch the balls and win prizes. Other games included a 40-yard dash and a tackling contest.
Although Brian Wright finished his first year as head coach for Northern Arizona with an undefeated season at home, he said he is looking for even more improvements, specifically in the offense, in 2025.
鈥淎s we go back and we evaluate last year鈥檚 offense, I just felt like there was so much room for growth there, really in all phases of it,鈥� Wright said. 鈥淭he running game, the passing game, our pass protection, our ability to convert in really key situations down at the goal line or the red zone or fourth-down conversion -- just a lot of areas there to get better at.鈥�
Most of the drills before the scrimmage were focused on some aspect of what Wright wanted to improve, such as passing drills. During the scrimmage, they focused on completing short passes between the quarterback and receivers, rather than long, extravagant passes to show off for the fans in the audience.
Wright improved football at Northern Arizona dramatically in his debut as head coach last year. Most notably, he led the team to the first round of the FCS championship tournament and had a winning season of 8-5 overall. He said after a year with the Lumberjacks, performing to that level is now the expectation.
鈥淲e鈥檝e set a standard here on how to operate on a daily basis, and we really focused on that process and working toward that standard every day,鈥� Wright said.
In 2024, the Lumberjacks had a total of 270 first downs compared to 219 the year prior. Between rushing and passing, they gained almost 1,000 more yards, under Wright with a total of 5,185 yards compared to 4,179 in 2023.
Over the course of the spring semester, Wright and his team of coordinators and coaches built a 93-man roster, including 14 incoming freshmen.
Some are familiar faces, such as running back Seth Cromwell, who had 681 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 2024. Other are recruits such as defensive back Jaelen Collins, a redshirt freshman from Marana High School who ended his high school career with six interceptions, eight pass breakups, a blocked punt and a blocked field goal.
Most recognizably, starting quarterback Ty Pennington has returned to play another year with the Lumberjacks.
鈥淭here鈥檚 just a ton of chemistry between the new guys and the returners,鈥� Pennington said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e worked really hard in the offseason just drilling those fundamentals every day and it鈥檚 starting to pay off.鈥�
Last year, Pennington had 13 passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns. He had 2,288 passing yards and another 437 rushing. Pennington played with Wright at Pittsburg State in 2023 before they both transferred to Northern Arizona the following season.
Pennington said he is looking forward to fine-tuning the offense with Wright before the start of the next school year.
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen a lot of improvements this year, but there is so much room to get better, and that鈥檚 what really excites me and the rest of the offense,鈥� Pennington said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in a better spot than we were last spring. There鈥檚 just a ton of room for improvement on every aspect, on offense, on defense. Seeing where that could get us, seeing our potential, that just really excites all of us. It makes us hungry.鈥�
With 15 practices under his belt, Pennington said he has a connection with many different receivers and tight ends. The showcase was a chance to find who he connects best with on the field.
Looking toward the future, Wright said he is hopeful for a better offense and was optimistic in the Lumberjacks after the spring showcase ended.