Photo courtesy: miketunsil.com

Grooms’ transfer from Marshall
As reported previously, the Flames will “likely” add running back transfer Kevin Grooms from Marshall. At this point, it sounds like the only thing that would hold him up from being a Flame is his eligibility status. If he can be cleared to play in 2014, all signs point to him playing with Liberty.

This would definitely be a high risk move, no question. On the field, he’s a great fit. He can be the game-changing type of presence out of the backfield the Flames have been looking for. I’ve been told he has legit 4.3 speed and is one of the fastest athletes the coaching staff has ever seen. Grooms is a high-major talent, being signed originally by Miami, then enrolling at Marshall where he was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year. But what about those pending charges? And it’s not like he’s only had 1 brush-in with the law, he’s been arrested 3 times in less than 2 years. This is something that could come back to bite Coach Gill. We all remember what happened with Asa Chapman and Danny Rocco just a few years ago, right?

Training camp update
Liberty concludes the training camp portion of practice this weekend and will move into game week mode next week as preparations for UNC heats up. Expect an updated depth chart following the conclusion of camp to be released soon.

gillOne of the positions which has been a question mark this offseason is cornerback. Coach Gill made special mention of this position stating Kenny Scott and Wesley Scott have progressed, and singled out redshirt freshman Justin Guillory saying he “has come along pretty well.” Another battle developing in the secondary is at the safety position opposite Jacob Hagen. Gill stated Charles Williams and Alpha Jalloh are battling for this spot. Gary Sampson, who was listed as the starting strong safety entering camp, Interesting there was no mention of Gary Sampson who was listed as the starting strong safety at the conclusion of spring ball. Sampson has not been able to practice during camp due to a lower leg injury. Nick Newman, who switched from safety to linebacker at the end of the 2013 season, could be switched back to safety if Sampson’s injury lingers.

Gill also mentioned the staff is “still trying to find a backup RB” behind D.J. Abnar and “still trying to find the 6th, 7th, and 8th guy” on the offensive line.

“We’re really not going to find out about (the kicking game) until we get in the game.” That’s how Coach Gill assessed the search for a kicker as John Lunsford is suspended for the opening 2 games. Shane Blanchard and true freshman Avery Echols are battling for the spot.

Flames in the NFL
There are 6 Liberty Alumni currently playing in the NFL. Each week during the season we will be updating you on all the happenings with the Flames in the NFL with our weekly recaps. We started last week with a recap from the NFL’s first full week of preseason.

New Poll
We’re nearing the end of our Expectations for 2014 series. The most recent poll is the Charleston Southern game. Next week we will release the season finale matchup with Coastal Carolina, and soon after will finalize the entire season to let you know what FlamesNation has predicted Liberty to finish this season. Be sure to check and make sure you have voted in each poll.

FlameFans thread of the week
This week’s FlameFans thread of the week goes to New uniforms? We’ve been discussing the teaser video released earlier this week by the athletic department which led to the unveiling of the new swag Wednesday night.