Officially, the first day of spring in 2010 is March 20.

So if all goes as planned, Air Force will finish its spring football practices before the end of winter.

The Falcons open up “spring” drills this afternoon and plan to hold their last session March 17. Air Force will be back on the field sooner than most – if not all – other Division I programs and just 49 days after its Armed Forces Bowl victory over Houston that capped the 2009 season.

“It’s a pretty quick turnaround,” junior fullback Jared Tew said.

Air Force coach Troy Calhoun has bumped up the start of spring drills each of the past three years (in 2009 they began March 2). Calhoun said he likes the early start for several reasons. For one, if players get injured in the spring, they have a little more time to recover before the regular season, “essentially giving them the opportunity to play in three or four more games,” he said.

Also, Calhoun wants players to concentrate on lifting and academics in late March and the rest of the school year. And, because he likes his players to be used to playing in inclement weather, “it doesn’t hurt if it’s a hair crisper too, as far as temperature.”

Finally, Calhoun said he’s anxious to see how much his returning players have progressed since the end of last season and how much carry-over there is from bowl practices.

“I like it,” sophomore guard A.J. Wallerstein said of the early start. “It gives us a chance to get pads on, get back to hitting again.”

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