Washington football looking for more 'connectivity' during spring season, gearing up for fall

Entering his fourth season as the B ooker T. Washington as the head football coach, Ryan Onkka is still trying to emphasize the culture that he wants.

After he called the 2023 season an “off year” – a year where the Wildcats went 1-8, defeating Pensacola in Week 1 – there’s the heightened attention on connecting the team off the field. Onkka hopes the chemistry off the field directly correlates to the team’s success in the fall.

Onkka noted that he doesn’t think the basics on the field – “the X’s and O’s” – were broken, but it was “the connectivity” of the team.

“Their excitement has been a lot better. Their effort, we’re not begging for intensity. They want to do it. … That’s been a big emphasis this offseason, getting them to re-buy into what we’re doing and tweaking some things, getting rid of that individualism,” Onkka said. “Spring is all about teaching and learning. You don’t judge yourself off of where you’re at in the spring.”

Onkka and the rest of the coaching staff began a “leadership council” during the offseason, where coaches took players through an eight-week training of “how to be a better leader.” Then, those players were broken up into accountability groups, checking in on teammates and making sure they’re holding up their end of the bargain.

Once the fall hits, that’ll determine whether that council was successful, Onkka said.

“So far, it’s paid dividends. Hopefully that’ll continue,” Onkka said. “Teams that succeed are connected off the field.”

Some of the rising seniors, like Tamyron Thomas, said he’s already noticed an increased chemistry with the team. But the Wildcats “are still grinding” every day at spring practice.

Those accountability groups have been strong, making sure nobody is missing any reps, and “making sure everybody’s on board, locked in, and ready to put the work in,” Kyler Battle said.

“We’re holding them to the same standard that we hold ourselves to,” said Caiden Young, another rising senior.

And that’s where the motto – which Battle used last year and re-emphasized this year – “sink or swim” comes in. The seniors know that this is their last year, and they have to set a standard for the younger players coming up through the program.

“It’s always going to be sink or swim,” Battle said. “It’s going to be their (the underclassmen’s) team next year. They’re going to have to do the same thing we’re doing now.”

“It’s high school. You’ve got to grow up fast,” said BJ Johnson. “It’s either you sink or swim. And we’re trying to swim.”

Booker T. Washington’s coaches trying to get ‘we not me’ mindset

Even though the Wildcats graduated a good chunk of seniors, a lot of production came from underclassmen that are returning in the fall.

Notably, Booker T. lost its two top receivers – Kendrick Burrell, who had 454 yards receiving and three touchdowns; and Daniel Landry, who added 308 yards receiving, all according to MaxPreps.

But players like Battle, Jordan Robinson and Thomas are all back for their senior seasons. Though the wide receiver core may look a little different than previous years. Onkka said a majority of the receivers they have are more the “tight end or middle linebacker” body types, forcing an adjustment for coaches.

“We’ve had a lot of really good wide receivers, the tall types. We don’t have that right now,” Onkka said. “It stretches you as a coach to figure out more creative ways to get guys involved. It’s going to be more of a receiver-by-committee. In some ways, that makes you more deadly because you’re not going to just one guy. Hopefully we have three, four, or five of those guys that won’t have eye-popping numbers, but will work as a collective.”

Both quarterbacks that were used in tandem last year – Jack Minard and Austin Smith – are returning as well, though Smith played a few more games toward the end of the season. Onkka said his goal is to find “that consistent guy” that he can rely on in the season to “trust and execute.”

Defensively is more or less the same, as a handful of underclassmen are returning who led the team, like Johnson (59 tackles, 1 sack) and Thomas (43 tackles, 3 passes defended). That’s why Onkka is looking for a “we not me” mindset – knowing it’s going to take a village.

“The rising senior class, they’re ready to take a next step. We’ll see from there. … the more guys you have driving, doing things the right way, the better off you’ll be,” Onkka said. “They’ve already been bought in and they have a voice. … They’ve been battle-tested and their teammates know that.”

“We want to show we’ve been putting in the work, and this isn’t the same team from last year,” Young said.

Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Washington football looking for more 'connectivity' during spring season, gearing up for fall