With spring football set to open Thursday, I got my hands on an updated depth chart as the team heads into three weeks of practice, which will culminate with the April 16 spring game at Williams Stadium.

One thing to remember:

* Freshmen aren’t accounted for on the depth chart, and they won’t be until the summer.

With that in mind, here we go:

OFFENSE
WR (Z)—Ervin Garner—or—Pat Kelly
Jimmy Eden

WR (X)—Chris Summers
Ryan Ferguson

LT—Stan Herring
Aaron Brown—or—Mitch Hanson

LG—Malcolm Boyd
Greg Ray

C—Jay Weatherington
Kevin Widener

RG—Aaron Lundy
Andre Mondor

RT—Toney White
Mark Tomlin—or—D.J. Sellman

WR (S)—B.J. Hayes
Greg Pratt—or—Chase Barnett

TE—Tommy Shaver
Steven Wilkes
Brandon Apon

FB—Peter Gagliardi
Elliott Dutra

RB—SirChauncey Holloway
Korrey Davis—or—Aldreakis Allen
Desmond Rice

QB—Mike Brown
Tyler Brennan
Brian Hudson
Gabe Henderson

DEFENSE
DE—Greg Schuster
A.B. Latif—or Justin Gunn

NG—Asa Chapman
Bryant Lewellyn
Matt Stokes

DE—Cory Freeman
Paco Varol—or Francis Bah

DROP LB—Demetrius Ward
Nick Martin—or—D.J. Edmond
Mike Connolly (out for the spring/injury rehab)

MIKE LB—Eric Fath—or—Nick Sigmon—or—Jimmy O’Grady

JACK LB—Marques Jenkins—or—Scott Hyland
Matt Baptiste—or Brian Arelt

ADJ—Brent Vinson
Thomas Nelson—or Randy Spann

BCB—Walt Aikens
Kevin Fogg
Pierre Hawkes

WS—Brandon Robinson
Chris Mayo
Andrew Jauch

FS—Larry Claiborne
Jeffrey Henderson
Jacob Hagen

FCB—KaJuan Lee
Ron Hobby
Kenny Scott

SPECIAL TEAMS
KO/PK—Matt Bevins
P—Mike Larsson
LS—Richard Wright
H—Mike Brown

Some quick thoughts on the depth chart:

* Note the position moves. Chase Barnett goes from RB to slot receiver, following the same path that B.J. Hayes did as a freshman. Aaron Lundy has been a backup center since arriving on campus, but he’s penciled in at right guard now. Jay Weatherington moves from guard to center.

* It’s clear from the depth chart that the position battles to watch in spring will be on the offensive line and at the two middle linebacker positions. Eric Fath showed a lot of potential when he played last year, but he’s coming off of two ACL surgeries. Nick Sigmon was one of the more highly touted recruits when he came to Liberty out of Northside High School in Roanoke, but he’s yet to play a snap of college football. Jimmy O’Grady has some post-grad experience at Hargrave, and Brent Vinson and Chris Mayo both came to LU from military schools and contributed right away.

Scott Hyland had a nice year as a freshman last year, but Jenkins has a wealth of talent, too.

* If A.B. Latif is on the depth chart, I’ve got to assume he’s eligible this year after sitting out last year getting his academics in order.

* I have no idea who Ryan Ferguson is. I’m meeting with LU coach Danny Rocco tomorrow, so I’ll try to get the dirt on him.

* Jeffrey Henderson is the older brother of Liberty’s Gabe Henderson. He transferred in from North Carolina Central and sat last season.

* Gabe Henderson is listed at quarterback, not receiver. Just speculating, but I wonder if he doesn’t redshirt this season to retain a year of eligibility.

* Aldreakis Allen is back, but he’s third on the running back depth chart. He’ll clearly have to earn his playing time after being suspended last season.

* No J’Courtney Williams will never wear a Liberty uniform.

* The coaching staff seems really high on CB Walt Aikens, as he’s penciled in as a starter heading into spring ball.

I’m writing a spring preview for the Thursday paper, so check the News & Advance that day for more information.