When the Memorial Titans start preseason football drills a week later than neighboring schools, Brian Morgan will more than likely feel he’s a step ahead.

Morgan led his through spring drills for a second consecutive season and wrapped up camp Wednesday with a dress rehearsal of sorts on the recently installed on-campus practice turf.

“It’s just what I’ve kind of been around in my career,” said Morgan, a former college assistant. “I think the ability to see guys tackle and actually block somebody live in the spring gives us a better sense. If you’re just doing it without pads on, you still don’t know until the season gets here, so I think we benefit from it. Some coaches don’t like it, but it’s something our coaches like. Our kids like it and we look forward to it.”

Now that the Titans, who went 9-2 last year and bowed out in the 5A Division I bi-district round, got to hold full-contact drills, they’ll have to wait until Monday, Aug. 12, to begin preseason camp. Teams in 5A and 6A that didn’t have full-contact drills in the spring, including Nederland and Port Neches-Groves, can begin Aug. 5 along with those in the other four UIL classes.

Memorial began spring camp April 23 and was allowed 12 full-contact days (no more than three per week) and 18 overall.

Wednesday’s practice was not a full-fledged scrimmage, but an officiating crew was on hand as well as a few supporters checking out the turf with a track surface still being installed around it.

Memorial’s defense lost seven starters from the 2018 season, including District 9-5A Division I defensive player of the year Lazarus May. While the Titans will remain stacked with experience on the line and at linebacker, the question of who can fill vacancies left by May, as well as linebackers Chris Thomas and Ja’Quaylen Crook, lingered in Morgan’s mind.

“I think our d-line is going to be really good again,” Morgan said. “We’ve got a couple of young guys in our secondary who can play and will probably be sophomores … and we have two seniors who haven’t played a ton because we had two really good linebackers in Chris and Crook. We’ve got two guys who definitely have ability, but replacing them is always going to be tough.”

Without a doubt, the Titans have also focused on identifying a new starting quarterback with the upcoming graduation of Kam Ladia. Upcoming senior Brian Milton and rising sophomore Jah’mar Sanders remain top competitors for the role, but Morgan also wants to see how they develop through preseason camp.

Branden Chaney had emerged as Memorial’s top running back in 2018 before an unspecified injury sidelined him, but Morgan said the soon-to-be junior has been going full-speed coming out of baseball season. Morgan, however, held Chaney out of Wednesday’s practice.

“He had really good practices and really physical practices, and we kind of shut him down,” Morgan said. “We know he can play. I don’t need to see him run the ball.”

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I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews

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New turf greets Titans for spring following eventful year