Dawson's diary - day one

Dawson Zimmerman is documenting his thoughts throughout spring practice for CUTigers.com as he battles for the starting spot as a punter and placekicker.

MARCH 9 - Today, I ran out onto the brown dead grass and thought to myself— my time has come at last. The freezing temperatures have come and gone, mat drills have concluded, and it is now time for me to become immortal. An apotheosis, if you will.

I'm sure most of the other players felt similar to how I did. We've been intensely working every day in the weight room and out on the field doing the all-in drills to prepare us for spring practice and, eventually, the season.

This spring I think the general mentality for all of us is to get better every day.

A major difference between the Bowden regime and the new Swinney one is tempo. Coach Swinney and his staff have been harping that practices will be done fast-paced and paying attention to details. As a punter who only can kick for about an hour and a half before my leg withers away and becomes worthless for the next day, I get the opportunity to watch practice after my work is done.

I immediately noticed that there's a new energy there that I think was missing for some parts of last season. It's like we've been refueled or supercharged with new passion that is fun to watch and exciting to play with.

I think everyone will notice a difference in how we play next season and it starts with how we're practicing differently.

When thinking of today's spring practice and the new changes Coach Swinney has implemented, I'm reminded of the timeless words of Heath Ledger in his iconic role as the Joker when he says...."You've changed things...forever. There's no going back."

And yes, things have definitely changed.

That's why I'm excited to continue participating in and watching spring practice. I know that this team is going to be different than last year's—we will be new and improved as we whip our opponents into submission.

-Dawson