WR Caleb Eagans (Mary Hardin-Baylor) 

Draft Journal #5

          I am excited to talk about my journey here and get an opportunity to play at the next level. Since I arrived at UMHB, I have learned more about myself and the game of football. Not being able to play this season due to Covid-19 and watching other teams play has been frustrating for me. I wasn’t able to play last season due to a hernia/groin injury that I had gotten right before the season started during practice. I remember playing at a high level and being evaluated by many professional teams and then waking up one morning not being able to walk after getting surgery. Through it all I am thankful, because I am healthier and at a really great program that has a legacy of winning and Championships. Even though our season does not start until the spring, I am grateful to have had these 5-6 weeks to practice and get in the groove of things here at Mary Hardin-Baylor. I feel like I have made up significant time that I had lost not being able to play last year as far as football IQ.

My WR Coach, Steven Thrash, has helped me in many ways to understand the game better and the way this offense works. Our assistant coaches, Coach Jace Hammock and Coach Landon Sawyer, have helped me as well. It took me a bit to get a really good grasp of concepts, but I believe each day I am becoming a better football player and understanding the flow/tempo of the offense. Coach Thrash has coached really good wide receivers here at UMHB and in the past at his previous schools. He has coached a lot of guys who had chances/made it to the NFL and guys who have been really successful within the program. Our receiving core is really talented. We all have come a long way, but there is still a lot of room for improvement mentally. I’ve met some good guys who I will have a relationship with after our time here at UMHB. Romello Cook and Brandon Jordan are guys who I just clicked with from day one. I believe they have next level potential as well. Mello is really talented and probably one of the funniest guys I’ve been around. BJ is a character himself; he has a cool story as well and he’s been through a lot to be here at UMHB, which is why I feel like we can relate. I realize it’s very difficult to come out of a tough position in your life, find ways to push past that, want to do good for yourself and people who support you. I can definitely respect that. Kadarius Daniels and DJ Weaver are a couple of guys who do a great job leading by example for our group. KJ Miller is probably the most experienced out of all of us being in the program. He is a playmaker and has a National Championship ring with the program as well as DJ Weaver. If I have any questions, I’m usually asking KD, KJ or DJ. Dom Franklin is one of the fastest guys on the team with a lot of potential. Dom works hard in the weight room and out on the field. There are a lot of young guys in our group that have a lot of potential to be great. For the most part, we all get along pretty well which I believe is important when it comes to being successful. We all have a lot to work on to get better in order to accomplish what we want to. We all have done a better job at pushing each other and holding each other accountable. Coach Thrash has been a major part in making sure we do that, and we are able to lead and hold each other accountable, so he doesn’t have to. Coach Stephen Lee who is our offensive coordinator and QB’s coach has also helped me become a better player and has coached me hard over the past weeks. Coach Lee talks to the receiving core before every scrimmage we’ve played to make sure we are ready and play to our capabilities. Many times, Coach Lee has pulled me to the side during practice and coached me up on something he’s seen I could be better at. It has helped my game. Both Coach Thrash and Coach Lee talk a lot about details and limiting mistakes. One thing Coach Thrash talks about that stuck with me is the fact that it is okay to make mistakes, but to make a new mistake and fix the old ones.

Our offense has been looking a lot better, these weeks of being able to practice I believe have been very beneficial and productive. Coach Demo Odems is our running backs coach and the backs have been looking really good, they run hard and are physical. Montana Miller is a young guy who I like having on my team. He plays and practices hard. Melek Hamilton and Aphonso Thomas are two guys from East Texas, so from day one we all were on the same page. I believe the RB’s is one of the best position groups we have on this team. They are all pretty good guys as well. Between the QB’s, the WR’s, and the RB’s, I feel we have been a lot better and are looking more like a team. Coach Bill Bleil is the O-line coach, and the O-line in my opinion is probably the most improved out of our offense. They are a lot of young guys who practice hard and hold their own in our scrimmages we have against the defense. Steven Sellers has the most experience on the o-line who has been with the program that has been a big reason for the offensive success. David Castles played O-line here at UMHB and he has done good being with the team and a leader for us. Our tight ends are really good with helping in the blocking game and also are good with their routes and catching the ball. Gary Ruckman is another guy I love having on the field with me, I would say he’s a complete tight end. Overall, we all have things we need to work on, but have been looking decent against our defense.

Coach Larry Harmon is our defensive coordinator and he’s pretty passionate about those guys. Coach Harmon has been at UMHB for a while and the defense has been #1 in the country for quite some time. Our WR’s compete everyday with the DB’s, and I believe we make each other better. Competing and going against our defense every day is a big reason our offense has gotten better. Our defense was one of the main reasons I chose to come to UMHB. I know defense wins Championships and I remember talking with Coach Fredenburg and him telling me most of the guys were returning on defense. I have become pretty close with a lot of those guys. I planned on working out with one of our safeties Jefferson Fritz. We are going to be getting together some over the break before we have to report for the season to start. Hitting the weight room hard, being physical and getting stronger is a part of my game I want to improve on. Watching film and staying in the playbook is another thing I will definitely be doing over the break. Coach Jack Johnson who played here at UMHB has been a major part of the defense success being with the linebackers. We have a really talented group of linebackers and some depth at the position as well. Mikkah Hackett, Akeem Jackson and Jacob Mueller will be a big factor in our success. Hackett is from the (903) East Texas as well so he’s certified. There are some young guys and transfers in that group as well that I believe will be really good at this program. The line-ackers are one of the best group of guys I’ve been around when I am around them. There is a lot of great leadership in that group too as well as Fritz that will help this team win a Championship. Coach Mark Carey is the D-line coach. Our D-line is special, especially when all of those guys are healthy. Our D-line will be a big reason we win a Championship. The returners we have are the best in the country. I believe there is definitely some next level talent on our defense.

We all have put a lot of work in over these couple of weeks and really it has gone by fast. I believe success has a lot to do with knowing what you need to work on, momentum and timing. I feel like I know areas I need to work on and with time and practice, it will come. There is some time between now and when we come back to report in January. Without being in the Master’s program during that time is critical for me. I will have more time to focus on football, concentrate and be prepared for when we come back. This fall, I took the bulk of my harder classes and credits so I would not be as stressed through the season moving forward in the future. The Master’s program here is challenging, but it has been a success for me so far and I plan on graduating next December. I’m thankful to be here at this university within this program and with this coaching staff. I also believe the people you have around you can determine how well you do. Our Head Coach Pete Fredenburg is the sole reason for me being here. He is a great Coach and has been here since the program first started. He’s been the only Head Coach in this program’s history. That is very rare especially in college football in the state of Texas. I wanted to be a part of this legacy he started as well as the alumni who have played here. There are many times I reflect back over my years and can definitely pinpoint times I thought about giving up or wanted to quit football completely. I’m glad I didn’t. I stayed with it and would encourage anyone to just keep going.