Chris Hatcher had a doctor’s appointment Monday. That would have been no big deal in a normal year.

But this is no normal year as the Samford football coach is set to lead his Bulldogs in a trip to Johnson City, Tennessee, at noon Saturday to open their Southern Conference-only schedule against East Tennessee State.

“I’ve already got high blood pressure, so they may not release me,” Hatcher joked. “They may keep me there for further tests.”

Samford, like the rest of the world, has been tested by the unusual conditions of a pandemic that pushed its season from late summer to frigid February.

Alabama NewsCenter posed five questions to Hatcher as he and his Bulldogs get set for the test of a football season in the spring.

Alabama NewsCenter: What is the outlook for this spring season?

Chris Hatcher: I’m really excited about it. We’ve been here five years and we’ve been to two playoffs in that time, which is the first time that’s ever been done in 25 years at Samford. Each of the years, we’ve been basically, other than last season, one game out of being the conference champions. We’ve played a lot of close games over the course of that time, so I’m excited. We’ve got some young players in certain positions right now. Especially our offensive line is young. We lost some good players there, but our guys are confident. They’ve been practicing well, we’ve got a good staff and we’re excited to see what type of team we have this spring.

All-American Montrell Washington needs to get the ball a lot this season, Samford Head Coach Chris Hatcher says. (Samford University Athletics)

Samford Bulldogs head coach Chris Hatcher is excited for the spring football season that begins Saturday. (Samford University Athletics)

Samford Bulldogs head coach Chris Hatcher believes he has some outstanding first-string players this season. The team’s depth is a question remaining to be answered, he says. (Samford University Athletics)

Chris Oladokun is one of two potentially strong quarterbacks on the Samford roster this season. (Samford University Athletics)

Trimarcus Cheeks is one of the best linebackers in the Southern Conference, his coach says. (Samford University Athletics)

Liam Welch is one of two potentially strong quarterbacks on the Samford roster this season. (Samford University Athletics)

Linebacker Nathan East is one of Samford’s standouts. (Samford University Athletics)

Samford Bulldogs defensive lineman Armond Lloyd is a great asset for this year’s squad. (Samford University Athletics)

ANC: What is the strength of your team?

Hatcher: I’ll have to play a few games before I can really tell you that. We’ve got good players at each position, but our depth is going to be a big question mark. I’ve got a lot of unknown guys that are going to have to play. So as far as what our strength is, I think overall we’re solid. But, again, there’s going to be a lot of guys that I haven’t seen play yet (who I’ll have to see play) before I can answer that question.

ANC: Who are the standouts on your team?

Hatcher: Right now there’s a good chance we have two good quarterbacks, Liam Welch and Chris Oladokun. They potentially have a chance to be all-conference performers for us. Montrell Washington’s an All-American; he’s an All-American punt returner and just an electric guy we’ve got to find a way to get the ball to a good bit. Defensively, I think Trimarcus Cheeks and Nathan East are two of the better linebackers in the league and Armond Lloyd is a tremendous defensive tackle for us. I would expect those guys to be standouts, and the guys playing around them are going to have to play well in order for us to have a successful season.

ANC: What game do your fans have circled on your schedule?

Hatcher: Right now, it’s the usual suspects. Wofford and Furman have kind of been the top teams in our league. They’re very similar type schools to us as far as being private institutions.  But as far as we’re concerned, more so than ever before, we’re just concerned about playing East Tennessee State in that first game and having enough guys healthy due to COVID protocols to be able to play and go out there and have some fun. Again, it’s been quite some time since these guys have been able to go out and compete. I would imagine our fans would just, whoever we play, just be glad to see us out there.

ANC: What is your lingering question?

Hatcher: I would think there would be two things. I think (one is) overall depth on the depth chart. I feel good about our ones, and it’s our twos at certain spots that are going to have to step up and be ready to play. But now I think the biggest question is just which quarterback is going to be the most consistent this season. Maybe they both play at a very high level, but that’s something that we lacked last year, consistency at that position. This year, it’s imperative that we get more consistent.

Read spring season football previews for Birmingham-Southern College and Huntingdon College.