ODU Spring Practice Notes - Week 1, Day 1

By Justice

Spring is back and so is Old Dominion Football!  The team kicked off their spring practice period on Thursday (3/20/25) at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex.  Old Dominion returns some depth and experience at some key positions like quarterback and linebacker, while other positions have a lot of new faces and inexperience like wide receiver.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind before I get to my observations:

It was Day 1. There were no pads, only helmets. I was only able to watch a 30-minute portion of practice that was open to the media, followed up by the media scrum with Head Coach Ricky Rahne, OL Zach Barlev and DL Kris Trinidad. Take these comments with a grain of salt as things can and will most definitely change before we line up against Indiana.

Now, let's get to my observations:

• The linebacker group looks ready to go and be a strength of the 2025 team.
  
• Zach Barlev was at left tackle as should be expected for Day 1. When Zach was asked about what position he expects to play he said “I can play them all and I am ready to play whatever position my team needs me to play”.  Zach was excited about the newcomers to the O-Line and the development of the younger guys.
• Jalen Butler was the first Tight End on the field with Colton Joseph.
• TJ Lott (slot), Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding (outside) & Ja’Cory Thomas (outside) were the first three Wide Receivers on the field with Colton Joseph.
• Ja’Cory Thomas made a couple of really nice catches during the media session.
• When Coach Rahne was asked about which position group or groups he was most excited to see how things played out this Spring, he noted it was the wide receivers (a lot of new faces) and the tight ends (some new faces and some we haven’t seen much from due to injury).
• This roster now consists solely of players that were recruited under Rahne’s tenure.
• Kris Trinidad thought the culture of this team was one of the best he has seen in his time at ODU.  
• Several former ODU Players were in attendance as they will have their Pro Day on Friday (3/21/25)
  

Editor's Note: Stay tuned for more updates this spring as Justice will continue to share his notes from these media days with the rest of us fans.