Day Two Practice Report
Like I said in the teaser, the rain pushed us inside today, but there was no relief from the heat. The thermometer on the wall was maxed out at 80 degrees and there was humidity on top of that. Just sitting there, I sweat through my shirt so I know the players were feeling it.
Anyways, on to the good stuff.....
KICKERS
With Justin Rohrwasser gone, there’s a big void to fill at kicker. Upperclassman Shane Ciucci and freshman Cameron Shirkey are the leading candidates to replace Rohrwasser. First thing you notice about Shirkey when you see him are the tree trunks he has for legs. He definitely does not miss a leg workout.
When kicking indoors, it’s a little tougher to gauge things, but each kicker seems to have their strengths. Ciucci tends to elevate the ball quicker than Shirkey, but Shirkey seems to have more ball speed off his foot. Should be an interesting battle to watch throughout camp.
QUARTERBACKS
Things started out really slow in this department today. I mentioned yesterday about our athleticism in the secondary and it disrupted the QB’s today. On one play, Derrek Pitts came out of nowhere to break up a pass to tight end on the sidelines. Pitts’ closing speed is different than anyone else’s that we’ve had at safety in recent memory. With that said, the quarterbacks got it going in the second half of practice. All three connected on deep throws once the running game tightened up the defense a little.
In talking with Coach Cramsey, he’s not as concerned with the mental side of the game as you’d imagine. “The NCAA has allowed us more walk-through / meeting time leading up to fall camp than any previous season in my 17 years of coaching. Fall camp will have been the fourth time we’ve been able to install the offense. Now it’s about getting physical reps and correcting mistakes and that’s one thing I really like about this group. They were able to come out here on Day Two and correct the mistakes they made on Day One. If we can continue that trend each day leading up to Game One, we’re going to be alright.”
One note, it seems that Grant Wells is always throwing the ball downhill and I’ll explain what I mean in saying that. I’m not sure if it’s release point, arm strength, or foot work, but it’s like he’s always able to be on top of the ball. By doing so, the ball doesn’t sail on him, which is something we’ve unfortunately grown accustomed to in Huntington.
WIDE RECEIVERS
I said yesterday that there are guys in that room with different skill sets, and Day Two confirmed that. In 2019, the staff used Willie Johnson in a variety of ways and 2020 looks no different. Jaron Woodyard is a guy that could easily spell Willie and give the staff the same flexibility. Those may be the two fastest guys on the team. If Corey Gammage can become more consistent, the guy could play in the league. His combination of size and athleticism is rare for this level of football. He just needs to lock in and focus on the little things. Speaking of, the staff spent a lot of time yesterday focusing on the fundamentals. Some of the drills almost seemed too easy, but those are the types of things that build consistency. Shadeed Ahmed had the best day at wide receiver. He hauled in two deep balls from different quarterbacks (Luke Zban and Eli Sammons). The ball from Sammons was thrown a little late, but Ahmed made a tremendous adjustment on the ball in traffic and secured it for a 40-yard gain. Later on Zban hit him in stride for a 60-yard touchdown when Ahmed was able to get behind Keylin Roach. Sammons also hit Gammage and Caleb McMillan on big pass plays. Gammage never had to slow down as Sammons lofted a ball down the right sideline for a touchdown. McMillan showed great concentration with an over the shoulder catch right against the sideline. In 1’s v 1’s, Wells threw a strike to Willie Johnson across the middle of the field and Johnson was able to turn it up field for long touchdown. There’s potential here. Let’s just leave it at that for now.
RUNNING BACKS
I’m not really sure what to say about Brenden Knox, although he does seem to be in the best shape he’s been in during his time at Marshall. TBH, that can probably be said for all four of the runnings backs (not including Rasheen Ali because this is my first time seeing him). Sheldon Evans looks a step quicker. I mentioned Lawrence Papillon yesterday and I’ll say it again. Dude just looks different this year. Knowledge McDaniel looks a step quicker. He had one really nice run yesterday. He bursted through the LOS and was tripped up, but put his hand on the ground, kept his balance, and went on for about a 9-yard gain. You really just had to see it. Grant Traylor and I both were like, “Oh, ok!”
DEFENSE
It’s really tough to say what you have defensively until the pads go on. Even then, I’m sure we’ll be “thud” tackling, but you’re able to get a better grasp of how truly disruptive guys can be. Two things that have stood out to me so far. One, it seems like we’re faster at linebacker and safety (Charlie Gray and Pitts specifically) this year. It’ll be interesting to see how that translates to game action, but it’s there nonetheless. Two, the trio of Darius Hodge, Koby Cumberlander, and Sam Burton is as good of a bunch as we’ve had at defensive end in a while. All three of those guys provide speed and versatility.
NOTES
Broc Thompson changed numbers this year to honor his younger brother, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. “He’s 15 years old and from now on, everything I do is for him.”
The compliance department is still working closely with the clearinghouse to get Charles Bell cleared.
Like I said in the teaser, the rain pushed us inside today, but there was no relief from the heat. The thermometer on the wall was maxed out at 80 degrees and there was humidity on top of that. Just sitting there, I sweat through my shirt so I know the players were feeling it.
Anyways, on to the good stuff.....
KICKERS
With Justin Rohrwasser gone, there’s a big void to fill at kicker. Upperclassman Shane Ciucci and freshman Cameron Shirkey are the leading candidates to replace Rohrwasser. First thing you notice about Shirkey when you see him are the tree trunks he has for legs. He definitely does not miss a leg workout.
When kicking indoors, it’s a little tougher to gauge things, but each kicker seems to have their strengths. Ciucci tends to elevate the ball quicker than Shirkey, but Shirkey seems to have more ball speed off his foot. Should be an interesting battle to watch throughout camp.
QUARTERBACKS
Things started out really slow in this department today. I mentioned yesterday about our athleticism in the secondary and it disrupted the QB’s today. On one play, Derrek Pitts came out of nowhere to break up a pass to tight end on the sidelines. Pitts’ closing speed is different than anyone else’s that we’ve had at safety in recent memory. With that said, the quarterbacks got it going in the second half of practice. All three connected on deep throws once the running game tightened up the defense a little.
In talking with Coach Cramsey, he’s not as concerned with the mental side of the game as you’d imagine. “The NCAA has allowed us more walk-through / meeting time leading up to fall camp than any previous season in my 17 years of coaching. Fall camp will have been the fourth time we’ve been able to install the offense. Now it’s about getting physical reps and correcting mistakes and that’s one thing I really like about this group. They were able to come out here on Day Two and correct the mistakes they made on Day One. If we can continue that trend each day leading up to Game One, we’re going to be alright.”
One note, it seems that Grant Wells is always throwing the ball downhill and I’ll explain what I mean in saying that. I’m not sure if it’s release point, arm strength, or foot work, but it’s like he’s always able to be on top of the ball. By doing so, the ball doesn’t sail on him, which is something we’ve unfortunately grown accustomed to in Huntington.
WIDE RECEIVERS
I said yesterday that there are guys in that room with different skill sets, and Day Two confirmed that. In 2019, the staff used Willie Johnson in a variety of ways and 2020 looks no different. Jaron Woodyard is a guy that could easily spell Willie and give the staff the same flexibility. Those may be the two fastest guys on the team. If Corey Gammage can become more consistent, the guy could play in the league. His combination of size and athleticism is rare for this level of football. He just needs to lock in and focus on the little things. Speaking of, the staff spent a lot of time yesterday focusing on the fundamentals. Some of the drills almost seemed too easy, but those are the types of things that build consistency. Shadeed Ahmed had the best day at wide receiver. He hauled in two deep balls from different quarterbacks (Luke Zban and Eli Sammons). The ball from Sammons was thrown a little late, but Ahmed made a tremendous adjustment on the ball in traffic and secured it for a 40-yard gain. Later on Zban hit him in stride for a 60-yard touchdown when Ahmed was able to get behind Keylin Roach. Sammons also hit Gammage and Caleb McMillan on big pass plays. Gammage never had to slow down as Sammons lofted a ball down the right sideline for a touchdown. McMillan showed great concentration with an over the shoulder catch right against the sideline. In 1’s v 1’s, Wells threw a strike to Willie Johnson across the middle of the field and Johnson was able to turn it up field for long touchdown. There’s potential here. Let’s just leave it at that for now.
RUNNING BACKS
I’m not really sure what to say about Brenden Knox, although he does seem to be in the best shape he’s been in during his time at Marshall. TBH, that can probably be said for all four of the runnings backs (not including Rasheen Ali because this is my first time seeing him). Sheldon Evans looks a step quicker. I mentioned Lawrence Papillon yesterday and I’ll say it again. Dude just looks different this year. Knowledge McDaniel looks a step quicker. He had one really nice run yesterday. He bursted through the LOS and was tripped up, but put his hand on the ground, kept his balance, and went on for about a 9-yard gain. You really just had to see it. Grant Traylor and I both were like, “Oh, ok!”
DEFENSE
It’s really tough to say what you have defensively until the pads go on. Even then, I’m sure we’ll be “thud” tackling, but you’re able to get a better grasp of how truly disruptive guys can be. Two things that have stood out to me so far. One, it seems like we’re faster at linebacker and safety (Charlie Gray and Pitts specifically) this year. It’ll be interesting to see how that translates to game action, but it’s there nonetheless. Two, the trio of Darius Hodge, Koby Cumberlander, and Sam Burton is as good of a bunch as we’ve had at defensive end in a while. All three of those guys provide speed and versatility.
NOTES
Broc Thompson changed numbers this year to honor his younger brother, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. “He’s 15 years old and from now on, everything I do is for him.”
The compliance department is still working closely with the clearinghouse to get Charles Bell cleared.
