Training camp for USA Football's Junior National Team has been a learning experience in preparation for its first game in the International Federation of American Football Junior World Championship on June 27. Each position has had to adjust to new coaching terms and schemes, which can be difficult for players who are accustomed to the methods of their former high school squads.
Offensive linemen Aaron Price and Bryce Schwindt are competing for a starting position on the offense. Offensive line coach Frank Lenti is teaching his linemen a new system that's been difficult to learn for his players but will be used to decide who's best fit to start against Team France in the opener.
"It's pretty difficult," said Schwindt, who will suit up for Northern Colorado in the fall. "The other offensive linemen are struggling too, but we've been adjusting."
It's also taken Price some time to get used to the scheme, which involves a set of even and odd numbers. The term "tight side" is used with the even numbers and refers to the side of the line where the tight end is positioned. The term "split side" corresponds to the odd numbers. The full terminology is "tight and split."
"It was pretty weird at first," said Price, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds. "I've never heard of anything like that, but it's not too bad."
With only several practices completed, Lenti doesn't know who is going to be in the starting lineup. Schwindt plays every position on the offensive line, while Price primarily plays right guard and sometimes left guard, depending on where the tight end is positioned. Both players are benefiting from the practices, especially against a quick and aggressive defense.
"It's crazy the speed the defense has," Schwindt said. "I've never played a team this fast or with a team this fast. I'm used to being as fast as the linebackers I'm blocking. It's a big change."
Price, a native of Bloomington, Ind., has a similar take.
"It's like you were the best at Bloomington, but now everybody is as good as you are. You really have to bring it up a notch to compete with everybody else."
Lenti said the training camp will continue to be a great experience for the players. The practices are different from what they will experience at spring practice at their universities.
"This is as good or even better than any spring practices because they are going to have three games to prepare for. In spring practice at a university, the games are more of a controlled type scrimmage. But in this case, these guys are being conditioned, which I think is a tremendous benefit."
Despite the challenges from the defense and a new scheme to learn, Price and Schwindt have enjoyed their experience under the Team USA coaching staff.
"Coach Lenti and Coach Croson have similar styles," Schwindt said. "They remind me of my offensive line coach in high school. They are not going to put you down when you make a mistake. That's what I like."
Head coach Chuck Kyle also made a great impression on Price.
"After his first speech when we first got here, I knew he was a really great coach."
Lenti understands the difficulty of this new number system and a change of spreads, as well as adjusting to new teammates. At the same time, he certainly likes what he's seen from his players.
"It's a different system than most of the kids are used to ... but the kids are picking it up pretty well. And quite honestly, all the kids are doing a pretty darn good job."
