Five Questions Ahead of Kokomo Blueblacks OTAs

Five Questions Ahead of Kokomo Blueblacks OTAs

KOKOMO, Ind. — The Kokomo Blueblacks will open organized team activities (OTAs) on Saturday, December 5, as the club prepares for its inaugural 2027 season in the Central Midwest Football League. The first practice runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The team returns Sunday, December 13, from 1 to 4 p.m., following the club’s free youth football camp that morning.

For a first-year roster, December is a chance to learn how teammates play. In non-contact periods, coaches can use 7-on-7 work to sharpen passing routes and coverage calls, 9-on-7 to teach run fits, and 11-on-11 to see how all three groups on each side of the ball work together.

Here are five questions to watch as the Blueblacks take the field.

Who will find an early rhythm and earn QB1 Spot? Receivers Lamar Bellamy and Kohl Beard bring two options to the passing game. Watch where the QBs puts the ball on timing routes and which receivers they looks for when there first read is covered.
Who will make the calls on defense? When a receiver goes in motion, the secondary may have only seconds to adjust. How defensive backs DC Davis and Josh Hayes communicate those changes will be worth watching.
How quickly will the defensive front come together? For edge defenders Jaden Lopez and Cam Phillips and outside linebacker Kymani Howard, one early test is handling an outside run. Who sets the edge, and who closes the cutback lane?
Where can Xavier Christie give the offense another option? The running back and kick returner has value in space. Passing drills offer an early look at how Christie might connect out of the backfield.
What carries over to the second practice? The clearest sign of progress may come December 13. When players see a formation or hear a call they learned eight days earlier, can they line up, communicate the adjustment and get the snap off cleanly?

For a club preparing for its first season, some of the most telling moments in December will come between snaps. A receiver and quarterback correcting the timing of a route or a defensive back helping a teammate adjust to motion will offer an early look at how the Kokomo Blueblacks are coming together.

Fans can follow the team’s progress here on the official Kokomo Blueblacks website. The club will release its full 2027 schedule on December 15, including all seven home games in Kokomo.

December’s OTAs will give the Kokomo Blueblacks their first chance to build timing on offense and sharpen communication on defense. Mandatory mini-camp begins in January 2027, followed by another mini-camp in February as the club prepares for its inaugural season.