Texas State enters fall camp missing key players

Roster shake ups were plentiful in the first day of fall practice for Texas State as several Bobcats were reported absent, leaving a few positions with bigger question marks.

Quarterback Damian Williams and wide receiver T.V. Williams were not present at practice for "academic and personal reasons," according to head coach Everett Withers and may not be back on the team.

With Williams’ absence at quarterback the four incoming freshmen quarterbacks find themselves with a chance at starting this season. The freshmen in this mix include Keyshawn Kelley, who is coming off a shoulder injury, and Jaylin Nelson who was rumored to be moving to running back.

2016’s Leading rusher Stedman Mayberry has left the team and running back Tyler Tutt may miss 2017 due to injury. Wide receiver Elijah King and linebacker Easy Anyama were at practice after lengthy injuries.

Withers also revealed that JUCO transfer Anthony Mayes (who announced he left the team on Saturday) was physically unable to perform, leaving a huge gap in the Bobcats’ offensive line after fellow JUCO transfer offensive lineman Pesa Tupa failed to qualify academically.

Of course all of this sour news piles up on Texas State’s poor results in the 2016 season. Everett Withers is going with a slash-and-burn approach to rebuilding the program from the ground up but his ambitious cuts to the roster have left the Bobcats with zero depth to speak of at practically every position on the field.

Texas State is going to need some youngsters to step up in a big way in 2017 if they’re to see marked improvement this year.