With a week of spring practice under their belt, Tim Albin’s Charlotte 49ers have put on pads and are ramping up for the first live practices of the offseason.
Tuesday’s session featured a healthy dose of competition scattered across McCall-Richardson field, with the again in full quarterbacks focus. With skill development taking top priority, Charlotte is in the process of learning the new systems implemented on both sides of the ball.
With the spring session in full swing, The Observer has another edition of the Charlotte 49ers mailbag to answer your questions about Albin’s first-year edition of the 49ers, a NASCAR crossover, NIL and key upcoming dates.
Tim Albin, the Charlotte 49ers new head coach, ran the players through an open practice at the university on Tuesday, Mar. 18, 2025. John D. Simmons For the Observer
Dale Jr., spring showcase & pro day
(@CLT_Fan): Will Dale Earnhardt Jr. be there for the spring game and what is the date and details?
The home of NASCAR resides in Charlotte’s backyard, and Albin and the 49ers are looking to flourish a relationship between the world of motorsports and the 49ers — and they have the EA Sports College Football 25 video game to thank for that.
As chronicled on his Dale Jr. Download podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took charge of the Charlotte program on the video game’s dynasty mode, ultimately leading Charlotte to a national championship. Upon sharing his victory with social media, Earnhardt Jr. was greeted with a Charlotte helmet and custom-made jersey, along with an invite from Albin to join the team for a spring practice — and even call a few plays.
“I got my own jersey. It’s the real deal. They said I could go to spring training and call a couple of plays in practice,” Earnhardt Jr. said on his podcast. “Thank you to the 49ers for the helmet, jersey and invitation. We’re absolutely going to take y’all up on that.”
Charlotte is still waiting to hear when Earnhardt will attend, but Albin is thrilled. Tuesday marked Charlotte’s fourth of 15 practices, culminating with the program’s spring showcase at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 19. Admission will be free.
The 49ers continue bringing big names to practice, with alumni and current Pittsburgh Steeler Alex Highsmith speaking with the team on Tuesday and Frank Solich, Albin’s mentor from his time with the Ohio Bobcats, stopping by Richardson Stadium this week.
(https://x.com/Hunter_Bailey45/status/1904552249692500011)
Rounding out the week is Charlotte’s pro day, which will feature 11 athletes participating in drills on Thursday afternoon. Participants include DB C.J. Burton, DB Trevon Booker, LB Prince Wallace-Bemah, LB Stone Handy, TE Jake Clemons, OT Jonny Hassard, DT Charlie Jackson, DE Mike Kelly-Lawson, P Michael O’Shaughnessy, DE Chantz Williams and OT Mitchell Mayes.
NIL and transfers to Charlotte
(@AndrewTend90063): How does our NIL look? How many transfers can we expect to add in the portal?
Albin spoke extensively about Name, image, and likeness (NIL) in his introductory press conference in December, and the 49ers are working daily to raise funds to continue adding talent and keeping key players in the Queen City.
According to a source, Charlotte’s football program’s total NIL pool in 2024 was $1.2M, and the 49ers are aiming for the $1.25M-$1.5M range in 2025.
The transfer portal is currently closed but will be open for a 10-day spring window from April 16-25. With the program’s spring showcase slated for the 19th, Charlotte is working with an unfinished roster through the spring period, understanding that future exits and additions will lead to training camp in the fall.
Although the portal is closed, recruiting never stops at the collegiate level. The 49ers have hosted a slew of high school prospects on campus this month, including four-star high school prospect Leo Delaney, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive lineman from Providence Day.
49ers’ QB competition
(@BryceYoung69): Any update on the quarterback conversation? Has Coach Albin said if the (position) could be by committee or is he going to choose a guy?
I don’t expect Albin to name a starter until fall camp rolls around, as the trio of transfer quarterbacks are continuing to split reps with the first team. And while all three transfers, plus returnee Tanner Bushee, will continue to compete through spring, Albin and offensive coordinator Todd Fitch are hopeful a clear-cut starter will rise to the top.
“It’s all about developing individuals in the spring. We’re not developing the team, per se, right now. We’re putting in the system,” Fitch said after Tuesday’s practice. But right now, we’re trying to identify the top 22, 25, or 27 players to plug in when we get to June and our OTAs and getting ready to open the season.”
With full-team periods closed to the media, the live-action quarterback evaluation is on hold until the program’s spring showcase next month. However, the dichotomy between the trio of transfers is evident, as broken down by the program’s best quarterback, Chris Reynolds, on the Highway 49 Podcast.
Fitch elaborated on both the similarities and differences of the room early in the spring.
“Similarities — it’s as smart of a football-wise room that I’ve been around, and I’ve been around some good ones,” Fitch said. “These three are all intelligent guys and can take it from the meeting room to the field. They’re all doing a good job protecting the ball, and that’s great to see.
“Conner (Harrel) is a little bit more of a dual threat — where he can do different things with his feet. Grayson (Loftis) is not that way. You have to do some different things to help him and aid the run game. Zack (Wilcke) is probably a blend of the two. He has really good feet and the ability to throw from the pocket,” Fitch continued. “You’ve got kind of a three-headed monster that way. The good thing is, mentally, we can challenge them all.”
Charlotte 49ers quarterback, #15, Conner Harrell, took part in an open practice at the university on Tuesday, Mar. 18, 2025. John D. Simmons For the Observer