August 18, 1999
Release: Upon Receipt

JOHNSON ANNOUNCES CHANGES IN SECONDARY;
PALADINS TO GO TO FULL PADS ON THURSDAY

GREENVILLE -- Furman head football coach Bobby Johnson today announced a position switch in the Paladin secondary prior to his squad's move into full pads on Thursday morning.

Projected senior starters John Keith (Newnan, Ga.) and Walter Booth (Gainesville, Fla.) are swapping positions, with Keith moving to free safety and Booth taking over Keith's previous slot at strong safety.

"This is probably a bigger transition for Walter than it is for John, but I've really been pleased with Walter's progress, and Shelvis Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) has had a really strong pre-season, so we feel good about the strong safety position," Johnson said following Wednesday afternoon's practice.

Keith is a two-year starter who was named pre-season Southern Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Year last month by the league head coaches. Booth, meanwhile, started at free safety in all 11 games last year and totaled 60 tackles.

Furman's move into full gear on Thursday will follow three days of work in shorts, shoulder pads, and helmets.

"We continued to install things in our offense and defense, and we really started to prepare to put on the pads tomorrow morning," Johnson added. "Because we are now able to wear shoulder pads the first three days, it's not that big of a transition as it used to be. We're much better off as far as seeing the speed of the offensive line coming off the ball, the defense attacking, and the receivers coming off the line. It's much more realistic than it used to be. It think the new rule (allowing shoulder pads the first three days of practice) has really helped us in our preparation. We just don't feel like we wasted three days out there like we used to."

Furman will practice in full pads at 6:20 a.m. and 3:20 p.m. on Thursday. The departure of the Atlanta Falcons, who conclude their pre-season camp Thursday morning, will allow the Paladins to move the afternoon workout to the team's regular practice fields, located behind the Herman W. Lay Physical Activities Center.

Notes: Furman will conduct its Fan Day this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Paladin Stadium prior to a full-scale scrimmage, which will get underway at approximately 2:30 p.m.. Posters and t-shirts will be given away to fans, and players will be on hand for autographs on the field.