PEMBROKE — All-American safety Caylon Hann has been itching to do one thing since The University of North Carolina at Pembroke football team reported to training camp on Aug. 5 — hit somebody.

Hann, along with 105 other teammates, got their first chance to crunch pads Tuesday morning on the practice field at Grace P. Johnson Stadium during UNCP’s first day of two-a-days.

The 5–foot-10 junior led a spirited charge by the defensive backs against the wide receivers in the most intense individual workout session of the 2 ½ hour practice.

“It feels good to get out here and let off some off-season energy,” Hann said. “We have put in the work since the beginning of the year and now it’s time to put it into action.”

Hann intercepted a Garrett Sutphen pass over the middle and deflected two others to headline the secondary’s stellar day. Redshirt junior A.C. Boykin added to the defensive laurels with a pair of pass breakups.

The Braves split into personnel groups for the remaining drills, spending most of their time working on individual technique with their position coaches.

Head coach Pete Shinnick was pleased with his team’s initial effort in pads and said a few guys are separating themselves from the rest of the pack.

“It means a lot to be able to get out here and bang away,” Shinnick said. “You can only do so much in helmets and T-shirts. We can better evaluate players when we see them hit each other.”

According to Shinnick, Jamal Williams and L.J. Johnson have solidified starting spots at wide receiver after Josh Humphries quit the team and East-West Shrine representative Jarkeevus Alexander tore his ACL on the first day of workouts.

Williams sprinted his way to three touchdowns during route-running drills, each score spanning over 35 yards. The sophomore speedster led all UNCP receivers in yards last season with 565.

“Jamal and L.J. are in great shape,” Shinnick said. “L.J. put on muscle during the summer and will be a huge factor in what we do offensively.”

Keith Gore, a key third-down running back, did not practice Tuesday and is day-to-day with a pulled hamstring. Recognized for his bruising fullback mentality, Gore says his leg needs to be 100 percent if he plans to play against Fayetteville State on Aug. 29.

“The way I run, 80 percent isn’t going to cut it,” Gore said. “I’ll get killed out there if I’m running at half-speed.”

For the next three days, the Braves will practice at 8:30 a.m. and 6:10 p.m., culminating in the first fall scrimmage Saturday night at Grace P. Johnson Stadium.