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COLUMBIA (WACH) – The Benedict College football team will take the field for the first practice of fall camp Thursday night.

More than 100 players were expected to report to campus Wednesday to start training for the upcoming season. The first practice will be 7 p.m. Thursday.

Coach James Woody says it will be a training camp the players will never forget.

"This is going to be a brutal camp and I want them to understand that,” Woody said. “This is going to be a brutal camp from the physical aspect of it, as well as the mental aspect of it."

The Tigers are coming off a 2-8 season that saw the Tigers change coaching staffs four games into the season, average just 14 points a game, turn the ball over 37 times and use four different quarterbacks during the season.

One of the key position concerns for the Tigers will be quarterback. Marcus Graham, a transfer from Bowling Green University, had a strong showing in the spring game and heads into fall camp as the front runner for the job. But Woody expects him to be challenged by Teddy Joseph, a transfer from Minnesota West Community and Technical College, where he had more than 1,700 yards of total offense and scored 19 touchdowns last season.

“Right now, Marcus Graham is the number one in the group and it's his job to be taken. Those other guys will have the opportunity to take the job,” Woody said. And Woody said he wants to have the quarterback situation settled early, so there is not a repeat of last year's revolving door at the position.

“We're looking for one guy to win that battle, so that's going to be very, very exciting to watch,” Woody said.

The coaching staff expects competitive battles in practice for starting and backup jobs from the new players that will be with the team this year.

“We're expecting some freshmen to come in and push for some starting jobs,” Wood said. “We had some transfers come in January who are going into camp as starters, but nobody is guaranteed a starting spot going into camp. No one is guaranteed a job. That's why it is going to be so competitive. You are going to have to work and earn that position.”

Along with the battles for positions, Woody said this camp will focus on returning to the basics, such as stance, alignment and technique.

“We're very, very excited about the opportunity that's about to take place. We're really looking forward to getting those guys going," said Woody.

(Benedict College contributed to this report.)