It’s the norm for college football coaches to guard preseason information like state secrets.
Depth charts are locked away from the public eye. Questions about position battles get brushed off with shrugs and cliches. And for some teams, practice reports — if they exist at all — give no hints as to what is going on as teams gear up for their season opener.
“The kids played hard. We gave 110 percent. We’re just trying to get better every day.” Blah, blah.
Not so at Western Carolina. The Catamounts open all practices and scrimmages to fans, media and curiosity-seekers — then post rich, detailed recaps throughout camp on their official website (CatamountSports.com) and social channels.
Sure, there’s likely a strategy in what’s shared and what stays in-house. But in an era when some programs won’t hold public spring games or mention any individual players by name for fear of prying eyes and ears, WCU’s doors-wide-open approach is refreshing.
The WCU practice reports, produced by long-time sports information director Daniel Hooker, aren’t just scraps of vague coach-speak. They read like a game story, packed with stats, standouts and quotes from both sides of the ball. They are wonderful teasers which make us anticipate the start of the season even more (Gardner-Webb visits WCU in the opener on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. in case you forgot — fireworks to follow the game).
ICYMI, here are a few of the highlights from Hooker’s latest practice report, a near 2,000-word gem, which followed the Catamounts first full scrimmage on Saturday. (Read the whole release HERE):
Western Carolina scrimmage notes | Aug. 9, 2025 | WCU sports information
- Offense piles up more than 700 yards across 21 combined drives — 258 rushing, 513 passing, 5 passing TDs and a 62.3% completion rate (38-for-61) spread among 18 different receivers.
- Defense starts hot: 9 stops in the first 10 series, including 3 straight to open the day and the scrimmage’s lone turnover (INT by freshman nickelback Devin Brown).
- QB Isaac Lee shines — redshirt freshman goes 16-for-24 for a scrimmage-best 212 yards and 2 TDs, including a 43-yard strike to TE David Hulbert.
- Explosive plays from multiple QBs — transfer Jack Benson hits TE Bode Burns for a 75-yard score on a one-play drive; returning starter Taron Dickens caps a 75-yard march with a 40-yard TD to WR Dominic Dutton. Dickens, the SoCon’s preseason offensive player of the year, finished 6-for-9 for 87 yards before turning the keys over to the other QBs.
- Malik Knight leads all receivers with 8 catches for 137 yards (17+ yards per catch). Dutton hauls in 4 passes for 65 yards and 2 scores.
- Tight ends take over — Burns, Hulbert and freshman Josiah Thomas all find the end zone; rookie Cole Craddock adds 32 yards on 2 catches.
- Freshman RB Josh Perry makes his case with 56 total yards and 2 TDs, including the scrimmage’s final score. Markel Townsend adds another 54 rushing yards and 15 more on receptions.
- Defensive depth on display — 44 Catamounts record stats, led by LB Ryan McKinnis with 5 tackles. The defense tallies 8 tackles for loss and multiple drive-halting sacks.
What They Said
Head coach Kerwin Bell: “The defense came out and stopped the run, played really physical, got after the quarterback… I thought the offense got going a little bit there through the middle and the last part. So, it was a good all-around scrimmage — we’ve just got a lot to improve on.”
OC Rylan Wells: “We’ve got some guys out that got banged up this week, but I think that opened the door for some other guys to get a lot of reps. Young guys that we’re counting on, and we needed to see if they would show up when the lights were on. I think we’ve been pleasantly surprised by how a lot of them played in their first scrimmage in college football.”
DC Jerry Odom: “Our one’s and two’s, for the time that they were in there, played very well; they didn’t give up a lot of big plays … I’m happy with the group. I think they know we have a chance to be pretty good.”
What’s Next
Western Carolina will hold its second preseason scrimmage next Saturday, Aug. 16, at 6 p.m., again at E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Like all Catamount preseason practices, it’s open to the public — a chance for fans to see every rep, then read about it in full the next day.
It’s a model worth applauding in a sport where most programs seem allergic to transparency. If you can’t make it to Cullowhee next weekend, you can follow every snap of the preseason and regular season on CatamountSports.com — and we’ll continue to bring you coverage at NC Football News. Bookmark both sites to follow WCU football this season.
