MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — With spring practice inching closer and closer, Middle Tennessee's coaches are giddy for a return to a semi-normal offseason plan.
Defensive coordinator Scott Shafer, who's guided the Blue Raider stoppers since he was hired in January of 2017, has good reason to be excited to get back to practice. He has 11 starters returning, a handful of other returners who've played quality snaps and some newcomers showing lots of potential, all making his squad, on paper, look deep and competitive.
Of course, seeing a team on paper can sometimes be deceiving, and there is plenty of work Shafer sees that needs to be done.