BOWLING GREEN – Meeting what could be sky-high expectations for the 2024 season starts Thursday morning for Bowling Green State University’s football team.

The Falcons will begin spring practice at the Perry Field House with a roster that has an enormous amount of familiar faces. Seniors and juniors who have played and/or started multiple years in college fill nearly every position on the field for BGSU.

The end goal for the Falcons is a Mid-American Conference championship later this year. But a productive spring will go a long way in achieving it.

Here are three spring practice storylines and how they might turn out.

Who will step in at wide receiver?

The position group that will be the biggest question mark will be the wide receiver corps. BGSU’s top three wide receivers from last year – Odieu Hiliare, Austin Osborne, and Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim – are gone.

Hiliare had 103 receptions for 1,279 yards and 10 touchdowns in two seasons at BGSU after transferring from Alabama A&M. Osborne had 95 catches for 867 yards and two scores in three seasons after transferring from Washington, and Ibrahim added 20 catches for 220 yards and two scores last year after also coming to BGSU from Alabama A&M.

The trio combined for 94 of BGSU’s 108 receptions from wide receivers last year. Returners Finn Hogan (11 catches), Jaylon Tillman (two) and Jhaylin Embry (one) had the other 14.

BGSU utilized its running backs and tight ends significantly in the passing game last year, but the Falcons will certainly need production out wide.

■ How we think it will turn out: A pair of power conference wide receivers that BGSU recently brought in from the transfer portal – Malcolm Johnson, Jr., (Auburn) and R.J. Garcia II (Kansas State) – will likely be counted on right away. BGSU has a knack recently for bringing in wideouts via the portal and having them take the field immediately, and although neither Johnson or Garcia have a ton of experience or high-profile stats collegiately, expect them to get plenty of first-team reps in practice.

After Terion Stewart, who’s next in line at RB?

There’s no question Stewart is the No. 1 guy in BGSU’s backfield. The 5-foot-9, 225-pound junior is coming off his best season with the Falcons after earning second team honors in the Mid-American Conference.

But with his history of injuries and backup Ta’ron Keith, who was critical both as a rusher and a pass catcher, having transferred to Western Kentucky, another player(s) will need to contribute.

Stewart missed the last four games last season with a right leg injury. He missed the final three games of the 2021 campaign with an injury as well.

In the three regular season games last year without Stewart, Keith totaled 233 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground, as well as 17 receptions for 198 yards and a score. Without either of them for the Quick Lane Bowl against Minnesota, BGSU ran the ball just 21 times (second lowest of the season) for 82 yards (third lowest).

■ How we think it will turn out: Senior back Jaison Patterson has plenty of experience and will look to take another step forward. He has 982 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 235 carries, as well as 23 catches for 130 yards, in three years with BGSU.

But don’t count out PaSean Wimberly. The Whitmer graduate, known for his ability to block kicks and impact special teams, had his best rushing performance of his career in the Quick Lane Bowl when he had a career-high 63 yards and his first rushing touchdown on three carries. His 42-yard scamper up the right sideline early in the fourth quarter helped set up his 18-yard touchdown run a few minutes later.

What will energy and motivation be like?

This season will, by far, be the best chance BGSU has at a MAC championship since the Falcons won the title in 2015. The roster is loaded with enough skill and experience to compete against the best of the MAC, and several of the top schools in the league went through significant turnover in the past few months.

Coach Scot Loeffler has helped turn the program around. After going 7-22 in his first three seasons, BGSU is 13-13 in its last two, including a 7-6 mark a year ago for the Falcons’ first winning season since 2015.

The next step BGSU has to take to win a MAC title will be the biggest.

■ How we think it will turn out: With so many veteran leaders on the team, expect BGSU to be laser focused during spring practices. Even with the loss to Minnesota to end the 2023 campaign, BGSU was, without question, playing its best in the second half of the season in winning five of its last seven games. Getting the transfers up to par on schemes and expectations will be important over the next several weeks, as well.

First Published February 28, 2024, 6:24 p.m.