Posted by: Miriam Cresswell on March 25, 2012

After South Florida completed their first spring practice in pads on Saturday, Skip Holtz couldn't find much to complain about.

"I thought the intensity, I thought the tempo, I thought the enthusiasm today was really probably one of the best practices we've had since I've been here. I think they're starting to get it," he told the media.

While other coaches are quick to point out glaring issues during the spring, Holtz gladly steered his press conference in the opposite direction: "(I'm) really excited about the leadership on this team. That's the one thing that really stands out to me."

This upcoming season, Holtz will have his largest senior class at South Florida, and he doesn't plan on letting this leadership go to waste.  Luckily, it seems his players are already a step ahead of him.

"They're taking it upon themselves. They want to be good. They want to push themselves.  Every day, they're like, 'Coach, we didn't do it right. We gotta do it again.' They want greatness," he assured.

While so very proud of his seniors, Holtz doesn't plan on letting his younger players fall behind. He's taking advantage of the time he has in the spring, and he's giving them experience:  "A lot of the young guys are swimming mentally, and everything's happening at them at full speed. But, that's the only way you can get it to slow down, by giving them an awful lot of reps."

For old and new players alike, it seems as if one drill is defining spring football at South Florida.

"Three -on-three (drill)? That's football. That's the game of football...It's about having a base underneath you, taking on your blocker...It is old-fashioned football, but I think that's where toughness plays such a big role in this game."

Even with a relieved smile on his face, Holtz doesn't plan on getting comfortable any time soon.

"I don't want to praise them too much because the challenge we have is to keep this tempo for 12 more practices. "

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