UNA football kicks off fall camp ahead of 2024 season

FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) — The UNA Lions officially kicked off fall practice on Friday.

Head coach Brent Dearmon is in his second season at the helm of the Lions, and he is starting off the 2024 season by establishing a new mantra: 212.

For you science fans, you probably guessed that 212 is the boiling point of water, one degree lower and the water won’t boil.

That idea is something Dearmon is instilling in all his guys this season and the Lions brought that sizzling energy into the first day back on the turf, where 120 players took to the field for the first official practice with helmets.

Dearmon wants his players to try and get one degree hotter each and every day and he’s pumped that they’re back on the field getting the opportunity to do that.

“It’s like being a kid and seeing the presents under the tree,” said Dearmon. “It’s a really exciting day, and then you realize you’re in just helmets — so it’s ‘kind of’ football. It’s a little bit more than just 7-on-7s in the summer, but we’ll put some pads on pretty quickly. I thought the guys performed well today and had some good energy. Now we just need to repeat it and do it the second day.”

UNA brought back a handful of players from last season including 44 lettermen and 18 starters. that make for seven on offense, eight on defense and three on special teams.

But of course, there are also plenty of fresh faces at the Bill Jones Athletic Complex getting ready for the season.

The Lions will be back in action on Saturday for another day of practice. Fall camp will run all the way until August 19 and then UNA begins their season.

The Lions start their 2024 campaign at the FCS Kickoff in Montgomery on August 24 taking on Southeast Missouri.

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